Hi all,
I know the issue of focus-follows-mouse (FFM) cursor has been brought up before in the MacOSphere a while back. However, in my view, I have not seen an elegant solution in Leopard in recent years. So I thought I'd ask the insiders to see if there's any new development in the works or rumored. I understand that others think it's the worst thing in the world, so for them life is peachy as it is, and I'm not here to argue with those who see it as such. In the end it comes down to what job we are using a computer for.
For me specifically, I often have to run a lot of tasks in parallel, where it is necessary to switch between different applicatons/windows as frequently as once every few seconds: programming, compiling, executing, debugging, data analyzing, data plotting, and repeat. I therefore put a premium on having an ability to place windows exactly where I need them, to switch focus rapidly, without having to repeatedly click every few seconds, and without having a window come forward when it is unnecessary. Having tried it the Mac-way for several months in the past, I eventually had to look for another way by installing KDE. For me, cmd-tab, Expos'e slow me down when my mind is already thinking about the next task, but the fingers and eyes are lagging behind trying to hunt for the right window. Unfortunately, recently KDE has also ceased to be a good option, because of lots of technical issues.
I understand there is a logistical difficulty for implementing the FFM capability because the top menu changes when the mouse cursor passes over intervening windows, bringing them into focus, on its way to the top menu bar. That makes it difficult to access the intended menu when there are intervening windows. However, I think there is fairly simple solution:
To make focus-follows-mouse not activate the wrong global menu, one solution is to allow an user to assign a hot key (ctrl, fn, caps-lock, command, option). When the hot key is either held down, or toggled, the global menu bar freezes to the application currently under focus, allowing the cursor to safely traverse over other windows on its way to the top. When released, or toggled again, the menu bar is allowed to reflect whichever application is under the mouse. I understand that this can be confusing to many who do not like FFM, thus should not be a default option.
Another solution I have seen, FFM followed by auto-raise delay, is not an elegant solution because the delay defeats the purpose of FFM. And, in my opinion, auto-raising a window is also a highly undesirable option.
My question is whether or not someone has heard of a workable solution implemented in a similar way to described or perhaps another better way? I am open to other options, but (shift)-cmd-tab and Expos'e swiping are pretty much not useful for me, having had plenty of experience with using them.
Thank you sincerely for your help and considerate thoughts.
p.s. I also know about how to set FFM using X11 and Terminal windows. But, I also need it for other applications in general.
I know the issue of focus-follows-mouse (FFM) cursor has been brought up before in the MacOSphere a while back. However, in my view, I have not seen an elegant solution in Leopard in recent years. So I thought I'd ask the insiders to see if there's any new development in the works or rumored. I understand that others think it's the worst thing in the world, so for them life is peachy as it is, and I'm not here to argue with those who see it as such. In the end it comes down to what job we are using a computer for.
For me specifically, I often have to run a lot of tasks in parallel, where it is necessary to switch between different applicatons/windows as frequently as once every few seconds: programming, compiling, executing, debugging, data analyzing, data plotting, and repeat. I therefore put a premium on having an ability to place windows exactly where I need them, to switch focus rapidly, without having to repeatedly click every few seconds, and without having a window come forward when it is unnecessary. Having tried it the Mac-way for several months in the past, I eventually had to look for another way by installing KDE. For me, cmd-tab, Expos'e slow me down when my mind is already thinking about the next task, but the fingers and eyes are lagging behind trying to hunt for the right window. Unfortunately, recently KDE has also ceased to be a good option, because of lots of technical issues.
I understand there is a logistical difficulty for implementing the FFM capability because the top menu changes when the mouse cursor passes over intervening windows, bringing them into focus, on its way to the top menu bar. That makes it difficult to access the intended menu when there are intervening windows. However, I think there is fairly simple solution:
To make focus-follows-mouse not activate the wrong global menu, one solution is to allow an user to assign a hot key (ctrl, fn, caps-lock, command, option). When the hot key is either held down, or toggled, the global menu bar freezes to the application currently under focus, allowing the cursor to safely traverse over other windows on its way to the top. When released, or toggled again, the menu bar is allowed to reflect whichever application is under the mouse. I understand that this can be confusing to many who do not like FFM, thus should not be a default option.
Another solution I have seen, FFM followed by auto-raise delay, is not an elegant solution because the delay defeats the purpose of FFM. And, in my opinion, auto-raising a window is also a highly undesirable option.
My question is whether or not someone has heard of a workable solution implemented in a similar way to described or perhaps another better way? I am open to other options, but (shift)-cmd-tab and Expos'e swiping are pretty much not useful for me, having had plenty of experience with using them.
Thank you sincerely for your help and considerate thoughts.
p.s. I also know about how to set FFM using X11 and Terminal windows. But, I also need it for other applications in general.
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