How to enable focus-follows-mouse?
- Thread starter Kartoffel
- Start date
davidbrit2
Licensed Computer Geek
As far as I can tell, it doesn't seem like it would be technically practical. With OS X's window manager, can a window be made active without bringing it to the front? Even if it could, the applications would still have to redraw menu bars, so just moving the mouse pointer across the screen would thrash the system like crazy, and create all sorts of visual chaos.
davidbrit2
Licensed Computer Geek
Heh, it would sort of be a "mouse running through a maze." The single menu bar setup was definitely not intended for mouse focusing.
Kartoffel
5038 Member
Sounds like Apple has painted themselves into a corner if Aqua can't handle that.
That's why you do sloppy focus-follows-mouse instead of strict FFM. Say you've got a Terminal in focus and you move the mouse cursor out of the Terminal window and on to the desktop. Focus would remain with Terminal. To change focus to Finder, you'd have to click the desktop.
If, however, you moved the mouse cursor out of Terminal, across the desktop, and then onto some other app (say, iTunes or another Terminal window), focus would shift to that window as soon as you entered it. Sloppy FFM is the bees' knees, IMHO.
I agree that strict, non-sloppy FFM on 10.0.x would get very tedious simply because the GUI is dog slow. That's not the fault of FFM; that's Apple's fault! Defend Aqua if you wish, but few people would dare to say that Aqua is particularly fast. I still like Aqua, though ;-)
davidbrit2
Licensed Computer Geek
I'm not positive how Aqua handles active windows that aren't in front. It might be completely possible; I just haven't seen it done yet.
Kartoffel
5038 Member
There probably aren't any major issues with making an active window that's not in front. I dunno how Aqua manages that stuff.
I have my other GUIs set up so that right clicking a window's title bar will lower the window if it's raised or raise it if it's lowered. Autoraise is turned off. Left clicking in any part of a lowered window will always raise it. And just like Aqua, doubleclicking the titlebar minimizes.
FFM is a sticky subject. People usually end up either loving it or hating it.
I have my other GUIs set up so that right clicking a window's title bar will lower the window if it's raised or raise it if it's lowered. Autoraise is turned off. Left clicking in any part of a lowered window will always raise it. And just like Aqua, doubleclicking the titlebar minimizes.
FFM is a sticky subject. People usually end up either loving it or hating it.
kilowatt
mach-o mach-o man
I for one would love to see a way to do ffm in osx. It just doesn't seam likely (except under XF86 and a nice window manager).
As for you morons who think twm is the only ffm window manager, check out enlightment, and afterstep.
IMHO, FFM allows for a much more efficiently useable computer.
As for you morons who think twm is the only ffm window manager, check out enlightment, and afterstep.
IMHO, FFM allows for a much more efficiently useable computer.
strobe
Puny Member
Gah, the relentless posts from mac haters is getting to me...
But seriously, FFM is the worst system ever hacked. I can understand moving windows in the background, dragging items from background windows into the foreground, and being able to cut+paste without the mouse. I could do all these with a command-click-through (or other modifier) which is currently imperfectly implemented in Cocoa, plus drag+drop text clippings. However the last thing I ever want to worry about when I'm typing is where the goddamn mouse cursor is.
Whenever I use X11 the challenge is always to determine which friggin window am I typing in. In MacOS it's clearly evident which window is active, it's the foreground window which has active controls which belongs to the foreground application and has it's associated utility windows in the foreground.
Why on earth would one want to merely move, but not click the mouse to activate a window? It's not like you'll save any time, and activating a window is more likely to be accidental. At least I've suggested a method to switch windows with the keyboard to complement the mousing methods.
What next, not having to click menus?
But seriously, FFM is the worst system ever hacked. I can understand moving windows in the background, dragging items from background windows into the foreground, and being able to cut+paste without the mouse. I could do all these with a command-click-through (or other modifier) which is currently imperfectly implemented in Cocoa, plus drag+drop text clippings. However the last thing I ever want to worry about when I'm typing is where the goddamn mouse cursor is.
Whenever I use X11 the challenge is always to determine which friggin window am I typing in. In MacOS it's clearly evident which window is active, it's the foreground window which has active controls which belongs to the foreground application and has it's associated utility windows in the foreground.
Why on earth would one want to merely move, but not click the mouse to activate a window? It's not like you'll save any time, and activating a window is more likely to be accidental. At least I've suggested a method to switch windows with the keyboard to complement the mousing methods.
What next, not having to click menus?
mr_mac_x
'No Avatar' avatar
Being a moron myself, I would like to know how to actually install those. I'm sick of twm, but I don't know how to get anything else working. Sorry about changing the subject and all.
Anyways, I really don't care if ffm is implemented, as long as it's an option. And if it makes some people happy, then I suppose they should put it in. I could get used to it.
Strobe: Not having to click menus might actually be useful (if the system could handle it without making a major slow down). Good idea.
Kartoffel
5038 Member
I'm no Mac hater. MacOS has a great traditional UI that works very well. I accept it for what it is, a finely polished and functional UI. Unfortunately, any time someone whispers about something GUI-related that doesn't jive with the MacOS party line, a hundred frothing Mac zealots jump out and "beat them to a pulp".
Some Mac people get a holier-than-thou attitude that their UI is the One True Way(tm). Get a life! I can accept your UI without attacking it. Can't you folks chill out and understand that other people actually prefer GUI systems that are different from your own?
Have you tried slopppy FFM? It's a bit different from what you describe. The focus doesn't leave the current window then the cursor moves onto the desktop. Focus only changes when you enter a new window.
Besides, most windowmanagers make it easy to see which window has focus by changing the color of the window border or title bar. The visual distinction between focused and not-focused is usually pretty clear. Aqua's white title bars just become translucent when they're not focussed, but since the foreground window is currently garuanteed to be the focussed one, it's not bad.
Well, some people can handle working with an active window that is not in the foreground. If you don't like it, use something different. All I ask is that you try to contain your bigotry.
"Think different"... hah! at your own peril!