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How to get Windows 7's best features on Mac OS X

by Kelly Hodgkins Jun 8th 2011 at 2:00PM

Lifehacker has a nice post that shows you how to add some Windows 7 features to your Mac OS X computer. One of the nicest hacks is the ability to show a preview of an app when it's in the dock just like Windows 7 does with its Aero interface. There's also a way to remap your keyboard to use Windows-Style keyboard shortcuts. Most of the features are added via applications that cost less than US$20 each. Point your browser to the article for the rest of the tips. Enjoy!



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Lifehacker has a nice post that shows you how to add some Windows 7 features to your Mac OS X computer. One of the nicest hacks is the...
 

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Vertigo

I had to read this about 4 times to make sure I wasn't reading it backwards. I'm still not sure. :)

June 08 2011 at 11:52 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
groberts1980

I use Windows 7 at work, and I actually don't like the app preview when you hover. It's kind of annoying at times.

June 08 2011 at 7:55 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Pete

I haven't read the article yet, but:
" the ability to show a preview of an app when it's in the dock"
is as simple as click-and-hold on the icon in the dock.
Yes, it's nice to see this stuff when you're alt-tabbing, but seriously, if I know what I've got running, I don't need to see a preview. I'd rather see it when I want to, not all of the time.

June 08 2011 at 7:55 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Harmy

This is funny. Why would I want my Mac to behave in any way similar to how Windows operates? I'm already tortured 40 hours a week on Windows as it is, please don't make me hate my Mac as well.

June 08 2011 at 5:41 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Harmy's comment
mikehild

I felt that way too until my work PC got upgraded to Windows 7 recently. I'm still never going to ditch my Mac at home, but there have actually been a few little things I've liked better about how W7 handled it. Not many things of course, but there's still a few... like dragging a window to the top of the screen to make it fill the monitor automatically for example.

June 08 2011 at 6:11 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Leonick

Hmm that reminds me...
Anyone know a way to make Firefox on OS X fit to content rather than maximizing?

June 08 2011 at 3:38 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Michael

The funny thing is that I'm quite happy some of those features aren't in OS X, and others are being improved upon in Lion. Why would anyone want Cut in their main file system / management interface. It's way way to dangerous to easily lose a file, especially without good clipboard management. (But that's a separate issue.)

Honestly, the one feature Windows has had forever is the ability to resize from any point on the edge of a window, and that's finally in Lion.

June 08 2011 at 2:46 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Michael's comment
doubledeej

Cutting doesn't actually delete the file until you paste it into a new folder. So you can't "lose" files that way.

June 08 2011 at 2:51 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
deviladv

Awful article. none of the windows features are drool worthy. I posted a long comment on the lifehacker article. All these features do is make Mac more like windows, it doesn't necessarily make it better.

Expose handily beats most of these features, and the only feature I liked, full window expansion, is not only fixed in Lion, but it's not a problem in Mac OS. Windows expansion in windows is actually only used because the rest of their tools for windows management suck. Just expand and alt-tab thru everything is the usual default setup for Windows users.

June 08 2011 at 2:37 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to deviladv's comment
Mailia

Cut and paste isn't drool worthy exactly, but it's really nifty.

June 08 2011 at 2:42 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
daenney

That article doesn't mention the imho much better Optimal Layout and BetterTouchTool / BetterSnapTool which are free (the latter ones).

June 08 2011 at 2:17 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Nini

If I can't make my Mac have a kernel panic at inopportune times to the point of it seemingly being decided randomly by someone with a 20-sided dice someplace then I guess I'm just not getting the real Windows experience.

I know, this isn't for me but for the recently switched.

June 08 2011 at 2:14 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to Nini's comment
Mailia

I've owned my Mac for a couple of months and in that time, I've had more Kernel Panics than I've had Blue Screens with Windows in a much longer time period.

June 08 2011 at 2:43 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Mailia's comment
jollyllama

Honestly, it sounds like there's something wrong with your computer. I've run macs for 20 years, and I can count the number of kernel panics I've had on my three current Macs (two laptops and an iMac) in the last three years on one hand. I recommend opening up Console and seeing if there's something that's repeatedly throwing errors. There's really no reason why you should get a kernel panic multiple times in a couple months unless there's something seriously wrong.

June 08 2011 at 4:11 PM Report abuse rate up rate down
doubledeej

Uh, Windows hasn't done that since 95/98. Time to move on.

June 08 2011 at 2:52 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to doubledeej's comment
Leonick

And if it does (mine actually has) it probably isnt windows but some hardware. I had a usb hub that would give me a bluescreen just before windows were finished shutting down...

June 08 2011 at 3:37 PM Report abuse rate up rate down
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