Applications stealing focus

Applications stealing focus is a huge problem for me and very disruptive to my work.

I use Spaces to eliminate on-screen clutter: one space for Illustrator, one for PhotoShop and so on.

For example, I'll drag dozens of PS files to Distiller then switch back to InDesign to continue working. Every frigging time Distiller starts the next task it pulls me away from InDesign back to the Distiller space.

The same issue exists with Safari.

I'll open five tabs in one window: one for company email, one for the web-based project management tool, one for the client file site and so on. As I'm typing my username and password to log on to the email, Safari will suddenly switch tabs when the client site loads and I find myself typing in the wrong window.

Whatever the user is doing should be given the most importance. It's insane that the OS can interrupt me when I'm in the middle of typing and place me in another application.

What the **** were the designers thinking? There needs to be a way to turn this off.

I am also having this issue. Regardless of the tone of some of the previous posts, I think that we can all agree that this is an enormous problem when using spaces. The suggestion of minimizing all other apps besides the one you are working on defeats the purpose of having multiple windows.

Does anyone have a fix for this? Please Apple, get going with a fix for this annoying issue.

Just an echo to Russet's frustration. Even without Spaces and auto swooshing, apps stealing focus is a suboptimal behavior. Apps should ask you for attention by dock "jumps" for example, but NOT decide that what they do is your priority.

Yes, it's even worse when Spaces moves you around. I like the ability to switch Spaces with cmd-tab to automatically go to the space the application resides. I re-enabled auto-swooshing with 10.5.3 because this release fixed most of the bugs of Spaces. For example, now cmd-tab doesn't move you to another space if there's a window of the cmd-tabbed app in the current space. Still, there's a last remaining bug: the apps stealing focus move you around. Very annoying.

Are we are minority of users thinking that what we decide of doing has priority to whatever is happening in the background, and that an app should ask for focus rather than take it? Would you tolerate that kind of behavior from your child or neighbor: 'oh I took your lawnmower because I needed it'? No. You expect to be asked for permission. So why would you tolerate that on your desktop? This behavior should be at least optional!

When you ask an application to do something - it's window becomes the active window and the window on top of all others.

That is how it works.

You could shrink the open application windows so when they pop up they don't steal your focus.

your text didn't go poof - it was hidden by the new active window.

But I too loose my train of thought trying to type and feed blank CD's to iTunes at the same time.

There are several Keystroke Combinations you can edit or change in about 3 different Pref Panes.

Also, a CMD+TAB will switch APP focus

did you actually read my question ?

Yes I did, I only mentioned what I did to see if you might be typing any of that... we can't see what you are doing or not doing out here... bye.

OK, more info helps, but I don't think I can help other than bumping this to the front again.

I rarely use iTunes so no idea on that one, and I guess I don't do enough parallel computing, because I never lose focus that i can remember anyway... sorry.

There will be no 'next' as long as you persist in being rude to the people trying to help you understand how your Mac works.

Just save the document before inserting a CD.

You might try entering "stealing focus" in the search field of the Help menu

@Russet: Just found this on another thread:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=6954809

Courtesy of dobes918
If you write this:

defaults write com.apple.Dock workspaces-auto-swoosh -bool NO

into Terminal, your Spaces should stop switching automatically. BUT they also won't switch when you click on the icon on the dock. If you use it, you will have to switch Spaces manually through F8 or arrow keys every time. I don't use it because I want Spaces to switch through the dock icons. Good luck!