Windows
Window managers don’t make sense to me.
I have tried a whole host of them.
- Moom.
- Rectangle Pro.
- Magnet.
- Yabai.
- Amethyst.
I have used a workflow each in Alfred and Keyboard Maestro to manage my windows.
I don’t get the utility.
In Sublime Text, there was a plugin called Origami which I tried out. It was interesting, but never became essential to me.
I am a one document, one application at a time, kind of guy. Boring, but that is the way my mind works.
I am fond of the following keyboard commands:
- ⌘-tab: to switch between open applications.
- ⌘-`: to move between open windows in an application.
- ⌘-H: Hide the current application and switch to the one last used.
- ⌥⌘-H Hide all the other applications running.
- ⌃-tab: To move to the tab on the right.
- ⇧⌃-tab: To move to the tab on the left.
I rarely use Spaces. I use tabs. Tabs in browsers. Tabs in Emacs. Tabs in iA Writer. Tabs everywhere.
Terminal
I can see the advantages of window managers in the Terminal. If you need to move between open buffers in a terminal based text editor like Neovim, or manage different terminal windows performing different tasks, it might make sense to have a window manager manage that function. I don’t usually use terminal based text editors, so it doesn’t apply to my use-case. On the other hand, when I do use one of those, I am focused on a window at a time and don’t feel the need for a window manager.
BTW, I ran into a new text editor in the terminal called Fresh. It is nice.
Emacs
I use the built-in window manager functions in Emacs, when I need to. Open a buffer window to the right. Look up what I need or make changes to what I need, save the buffer and close it. Get back to where I was. Love the org-capture window which lets me add stuff to other files with a few keyboard commands. Save the additions and move back to the original document. I also like the ability to make a scratch buffer to the right of the document. Comes in handy when I am tweaking my configuration file. Write the elisp in the scratch buffer. Get it working right and move it to the default configuration file.
Definitive Use-case
If you need two or multiple documents open, one to write in, and the others to provide information, I can see the need to have multiple windows accessible and in front of you. I rarely run into this situation. BBEdit spoiled me with its ability to give me a split view into the same document. I have the outline the top of the document and the text of the document in the second split. I can look up at the outline and know where I am going. That seems a better solution to my use-case than multiple windows. In Emacs, I do the same thing but with two windows. the outline to the right of the frame and the editing area to the left. Performs the same function that BBEdit does.
Conclusion
I see a lot of folks who are euphoric about their window managers and who swear that it is integral to their workflow. I must be missing something. I don’t get it. It is a popular product category, I am in the minority. Apple included the feature in Tahoe. Considering how fucked up Tahoe is, I am not sure that is a ringing endorsement of the feature.
macosxguru at the gmail thingie.
Thanks to: Photo by Waldemar Brandt: https://www.pexels.com/photo/closed-white-wooden-framed-glass-windows-2290609/