Windows Management on the Mac- better than Windows 7
I have been happy with the improved window management that is built into Windows 7. Microsoft has done a good job making it simpler to handle multiple windows, especially on computers with smaller screens. Tom Reestman at TheAppleBlog recently noted this too and took a look at the windows management already built into OS X. Their verdict unsurprisingly is that OS X handles windows better than Windows 7. I have to agree with them on this.
Their article provides an excellent tutorial for using Expose and Spaces in OS X to handle a lot of windows at the same time. Tom lays out his scheme for using multiple spaces (virtual desktops) to keep common task-related windows together. He uses a lot of them as he uses six Spaces! He goes on to show how he can easily get to any window anywhere with a simple click in Expose. I have incorporated some of his methods and I am very happy with them. Have a look at the article if you use OS X to make sure you’re not overlooking this powerful capability to run lots of programs simultaneously.
I love the way that Expose shows both monitors at once for each space so it’s a breeze to always get to the one I want. It’s also cool that when I have live TV running in a window on one of the monitors that the thumbnail in Expose is still showing the live TV. Pretty cool.
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Dlip3d still shows live updating windows too. And if you really like expose theres an app called switcher for vista and 7 that uses DWM to run a similar system`so you get live updating thumbnails and antialiasing.
Spaces with multiple desktops is really cool, but Windows Vista and 7 do live thumbnails, too.
OK so here’s my (short) take on that:
I’ve got a Dell Latitude XT Tablet PC running Windows 7 and a Mac Pro running OS X 10.5.6 with two monitors, one is a 26″ monitor and the other one is a 15,4″ touchscreen.
On the Mac, I really like OS X’s window management features. The big 26″ screen is large enough so that I don’t need fullscreen windows, thus I’ve got lots of windows open at a time and I switch between them using Exposé.
On the Tablet PC, which only has a 12.1″, I prefer having windows full screen and that’s where Windows 7′s window management features really stand out, along with the digitizer and multitouch features, of course :) The new taskbar is a very organized window management concept with groping of application windows etc., other than Apple’s concept of finding the window you want within the lot of thumbnailed windows in Exposé.
All in all, I would not say that one concept is better than the other.
Some may prefer OS X, others will prefer Windows 7. The concepts are different but both window management concepts are good, and both concepts definitely leave room for improvement (Exposé and Spaces for Windows, less clutter/ more organization for OS X)
Since switching to Leopard I’ve really been liking Spaces with a two monitor setup.
Seems really silly have six spaces with just a couple windows each. It actually makes it seem like window management on the mac is worse than it actually is.
Blank spaces are fundamental in interaction. They improve readability and help dealing with dense areas that usually disorient both pro and unexperienced users.
What I love about Mac management is the intuitive feel it has. I agree with Moreno regarding the design aspect also aiding the readability. My other love for Macs has to do with the amazing utilities that come out. My favorite for window management is SizeUp and Cinch from http://www.irradiatedsoftware.com. Cinch brings one of the best features from Windows 7, “Snap”, straight to OS X. While SizeUp seems to offer an even greater control with plenty of keyboard shortcuts. I’ve personally been using both products for a while now (Cinch came out last month, so not nearly as much), and they have both increased my productivity flow ten-fold. I hope they can help you out as much as they’ve helped me. BTW, Cinch is $7, while SizeUp is $13. It’s not freeware, but I know it’s been well worth it for me.
As previously mentioned, there are a number of window managers in the market now:
Cinch – $7 – is like Aero Snap for Mac.
http://www.irradiatedsoftware.com/cinch/
SizeUp – $13 – allows you to easily position window using keyboard shortcuts.
http://www.irradiatedsoftware.com/sizeup/
Breeze – $8 – allows you to save window states and restore them like a template to another window.
http://autumnapps.com/breeze/
Divvy – $14 – shows a grid on the screen where you can select boxes to indicate how you want the window to fill your screen.
http://mizage.com/divvy/