An actual good window manager ?

Question

Level 1

6 points

An actual good window manager ?

Hello,
I am using dual screen, and Mac OS X has proven to be a really painfull experience up to now.

I explain myself. I have two possible setups :
1- I use my laptop only.
2- I use my laptop connected to an external 24in monitor.

Everyday, when I connect the external monitor, I need to dispatch applications that are opened myself : I move Thunderbird and Sunbird to the laptop screen, I move Firefox to the external screen, iTerm to the external screen, maximize the windows, etc... When I disconnect the external monitor, I need to do the opposite... move all the windows one by one to fit the laptop screen.

Moreover, every morning, I need to reconfigure the external screen position because, by default, Snow Leopard puts it in a "side-by-side" configuration, while I want to use it in a "top-bottom" configuration (external monitor on top of the laptop).

I am getting quite annoyed by all of this. Is there any way to have the OS remember the **** configuration ? I would also be satisfied by a third-party program that would do that. This is SO unhelpfull the way it is handled right now...

Mac OS X (10.6.1), MacBook Pro

Posted on Nov 6, 2009 6:20 AM

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Answer 1

thomas_r.

Level 7

31,995 points

Nov 6, 2009 8:13 AM in response to mboisson25

I don't know if this will help you at all, but I just saw it in MacWorld this morning:

http://www.irradiatedsoftware.com/sizeup/

As to the monitor forgetting its position... I haven't used multiple monitors a lot (mostly digital projectors), and not at all since installing SL, but I could have sworn that Mac OS X remembered monitor positions. If my memory is correct, I don't know why it's not doing that for you... perhaps it has difficulty with uniquely identifying certain monitors so it can remember where they were?

Thomas Reed

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Answer 2

mboisson25 Author

Level 1

6 points

Nov 6, 2009 8:37 AM in response to thomas_r.

Thank you for the software. It can help doing the things (it has keyboards shortcuts associated to the actions). However, it is not exactly what I want. The "Snapback" feature is nice because it can remember two configurations, but it remembers that for one single application (the last application that you just changed). This feature is nothing more than an "undo".

For the monitor position, MacOS seems to remember their positions if it's not been too long since I unplugged it. Not too long means less than an hour or two. So, if I unplug it at work during the day to go to a meeting, it will be ok when I come back. If however I unplug it for the night, I need to redo the setting properly on the next morning.

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Answer 3

Nov 6, 2009 8:48 AM in response to mboisson25

I've been using Mac laptops with an external monitor since 10.3.x, currently on 10.6.1 - and I've never had the problem of OS X forgetting the display arrangement, no matter how long my Mac is disconnected from the monitor.

Something else is going on.

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