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Witch - bring Windows app switching to Mac OS X


The way that applications, windows and our OS behave is a subject of much debate. Toss some life-long switchers into the mix and boy-howdy, you got yourself the nerd version of a bar fight. One of these much debated behaviors between Mac OS X and Windows is how to handle switching between applications and their windows. Mac OS X focuses on applications - when you press cmd + tab, you can switch between all of your open applications, but you have to press cmd + ` in each app to cycle between the windows specific to said app. The Windows switcher, on the other hand, doesn't see applications, only windows. Pressing the switching keystroke equivalent of alt + tab offers a selection of all open windows, including the 20 Word documents and 5 IE sessions you have running.

For the sake of this post, I'm not necessarily saying one is better than the other, and the subject of why this difference exists is a usability discussion best left for another day. I simply wanted to lay some context for Witch, a Windows-like application switcher from Peter Maurer (of Butler and the original Textpander/TextExpander fame) that fuses window-centric switching with some of the nice perks of Mac OS X. Not only can you switch between windows, just like on, uh, Windows, but you can also do things like bringing all minimized windows to the front or even close those minimized windows without having to bring them to the front.

Witch, like many of Peter's apps, is donationware. However, if you get attached to it and don't want it to go the way of TextExpander (or if you simply want to give a developer his much-due credit), I highly recommend you donate for Peter's fine work.

[via Lifehacker]

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The way that applications, windows and our OS behave is a subject of much debate. Toss some life-long switchers into the mix and...
 

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Therac-25

Are there any other applications switchers that can switch between windows, but don't take 1+ second to activate when I hit cloverleaf-tab?

I like Witch's functionality (it's not perfect -- it still can't deal with individual X11 windows), but it's the best there is at the moment.

My big gripe with it is speed -- I'm used to my computer being responsive to me, and Witch is anything but. Witch hasn't even come up by the time I let go, which messes up it's internal concept of activity (so it flags the other window as more recently active than this one, without actually doing the switch -- so next time I try and switch, it starts with my current window....).

February 09 2007 at 12:01 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mat Lu

I've always really wanted to like Witch, and I've tried it several times, but for me there are two big problems:

1) I tend to have a lot of windows open, so what I really would like is for it to sort BOTH by Application and Alphabetically. That is, I want the window titles to be sorted alphabetically WITHIN each Application's list.

2) A lot of times what I am looking for is a Tab within Safari (or other browser) that isn't visible. So when I invoke Witch the Window that contains the Tab I'm looking for won't actually be visible. What I'd like is if there were an option in Witch to also show the Tab titles within Safari, etc.

February 04 2007 at 4:12 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Simon Arch

"Personally, i really, really despise the windows way of switching between applications or windows."

Good for you. So?

February 04 2007 at 1:02 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Don Parr

I enjoy having choices when it comes to getting things done on my computer. Some of you say, “doesn’t this already do that?” I see that as equivalent to saying “you already have a wallpaper, why would you need another?” Because, eventually you will (or should) tire of the one. I’m just sayin’... F-10 and tab may appeal to some, Command and tab for others, and Witch for the rest of us :).

January 30 2007 at 9:53 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Ian

I have had Witch for almost two years, and it's very slow to activate (everything is on my MacBook).

@Ryan:
About the Salem witch trials: According to my Social Studies teacher, they did not burn the witches, instead they crushed them with rocks.

January 30 2007 at 7:16 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Dennis

It's always good to have options. Personally I'm a visual person so..

F-10, then I hit tab.

However exposé fails short because it only shows OPEN windows, not those minimized in the dock. Like I said, it's good to have options.

January 30 2007 at 4:55 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
harshey

Witch is the first application that I installed on my mac. Yes it will be slow sometimes if the processor is busy but otherwise it works great.

The main advantage of witch is the ability to open minimized windows and show hidden windows. It gives a master list of all windows period.

Don't get me wrong I am still an active expose user and between expose and witch I never ever use CMD+TAB or CMD+`

January 30 2007 at 2:04 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Digital Fury

Nice idea but seems to be a bit buggy at this time. Sometimes it works and most of the time it doesn't and/or flashes windows.

January 30 2007 at 12:39 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
WinnetouKoslowski

Command + F4 cycles through windows, although it does not cycle through hidden windows.

January 30 2007 at 12:31 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Norbert

Exposé is only a solution, if you decide to work with a cluttered monitor, without ever minimizing or hiding windows.
Witch is great (it has what XMenu was missing, together they are perfect).

January 30 2007 at 12:19 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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