Live data from Hacker News

AeroSpace is an i3-like tiling window manager for macOS

github.com

71–80 of 173 posts

Re: AeroSpace is an i3-like tiling window manager for macOS

#72
post #69

I daily drive this and my verdict is: it's the best way to manage windows on a Mac, but falls short of i3/sway. In particular, support for re-arranging windows by dragging them to positions relative to one another is extremely limited in that it's not able to create new vertical or horizontal splits the way you can in sway, which forces me to take awkward detours with keyboard commands to get to the window layout I w…

If you have normalizations enabled, you don't need to "switch into a vertical stack" Given this layout: h_tiles ├── window1 (focused) ├── window2 └── window3 `move left` will produce this layout: h_tiles ├── window1 (focused) └── v_tiles ├── window2 └── window3

Ah, so it does. I suppose this is an instance of my mental model not having adjusted.

Re: AeroSpace is an i3-like tiling window manager for macOS

#73
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been there, being forced to use it for work.. I tried both Yabai and Amethyst and, frankly, neither provide a clean experience. Yabai requires disabling some OS security feature iirc, which may or may not be an issue for you. I seem to recall having issues with it, and switching to Amethyst pretty soon after. It might also only support BSP layout, which I dislike - stacks all the way. Amethyst feels a little hal…

> It also doesn't support things like moving windows between workspaces It's been a while since I used Amethyst as the Mac is now on complete corporate lockdown, but I remember that being the biggest feature I used on Amethyst. MacOS doesn't support it, but Amethyst did.

I am likely misremembering, and mixing it was something else! There definitely was something vital I wasn't able to do through just Amethyst though.

Re: AeroSpace is an i3-like tiling window manager for macOS

#74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if following the mouse for focus would be doable without disabling SIP. It's one of the features I didn't even see in other macOS WM.

I've been searching for a sloppy-mouse-focus implementation for OSX for _years_. Pretty sure there's something fundamentally incompatible in how app windows are managed.

Looks like Hammerspoon and some lua should do:

https://www.hammerspoon.org/docs/hs.mouse.html

https://www.hammerspoon.org/docs/hs.window.html

Re: AeroSpace is an i3-like tiling window manager for macOS

#75

For folks that use the tiling window managers, what applications are you running? And what does a typical desktop look like? In terms of desktop layout, mind I don't use one, the Oberon vision comes to mind. A single, large pane, with all(?) of the others stacked to one side. My friend didn't use a tiling window manager, but had this desktop laid out as such, but all of those windows were terminal windows that he kep…

I use an ultra wide screen and do both coding and video operations so I'm always having side by side layouts mixed in with tabbed windows. One typical case is navigating a file manager to grab files that I need to drag and drop on a web UI, or folder/URI slug names I need to keep copying back and forth to use on a workflow. Another is watching stdout/stderr of a running script and a log tail at the same time. Sometim…

This will sound silly, but doesn't that hurt your neck? You mention you use a ultra wide screen.

I have one of the "drive in theater" iMacs, and I prefer the windows in the center. It's big enough that if things were on either side, I'd have to crane my neck to focus on either side. I'd hate to have to do that all the time.

I guess if I were to do anything "tile" wize it would be two smaller columns, one on the left, and one on the right, and then the big center as the main focus.

Re: AeroSpace is an i3-like tiling window manager for macOS

#76

I daily drive this and my verdict is: it's the best way to manage windows on a Mac, but falls short of i3/sway. In particular, support for re-arranging windows by dragging them to positions relative to one another is extremely limited in that it's not able to create new vertical or horizontal splits the way you can in sway, which forces me to take awkward detours with keyboard commands to get to the window layout I w…

Thanks, I will try it out to see if it can first solve my main problem - I'm looking for a way on Mac for it to reasonably remember the screen layouts.

Every time it wakes from boots, the desktop has complete amnesia with 3 screens.

Ideally I'd be able to drive my own workspaces, and it can use the laptop screen only, or 2 or 3 external monitors at different desks (work and home).

Re: AeroSpace is an i3-like tiling window manager for macOS

#77
post #48
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get around that by using the Stack and I flip between windows with alt+h/alt+j Command+Tab is global window switch. The ones above are for "local" switching in the context of the workspace.

Oh, I know. I use sway — and greatly miss alt-tab (windows-style alt-tab), when I do. Not linux-primary right now. I can remember my linux-style stacking commands in order to try it. But I would want to fix my alt-tab at some point. Note: my sway (or mac) usage is basically two vertical windows or stacks of panes on a laptop screen. So a pretty simple setup.

you can get windows-style alt-tab with https://alt-tab-macos.netlify.app/

Re: AeroSpace is an i3-like tiling window manager for macOS

#78
Is there any documentation for very beginners on how a regular workflow would be? Like, if I have 7 windows opened, how do I start organizing them with just shortkeys? I've found option+/ to put all of them horizontally or vertically (alternating when pressing twice), but not sure how to quickly make 1 of them bigger or select just 2.

Re: AeroSpace is an i3-like tiling window manager for macOS

#80
post #77
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, I know. I use sway — and greatly miss alt-tab (windows-style alt-tab), when I do. Not linux-primary right now. I can remember my linux-style stacking commands in order to try it. But I would want to fix my alt-tab at some point. Note: my sway (or mac) usage is basically two vertical windows or stacks of panes on a laptop screen. So a pretty simple setup.

you can get windows-style alt-tab with https://alt-tab-macos.netlify.app/

Right. Got it, love it.

But it won’t work with AeroSpace.

I mean, it will work, but it won’t work with all windows from _visible spaces_.

Because ever window from _every space_ will be in the current space (tucked in the lower right corner).

Post reply on HN