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PowerToys – open-source Windows utilities

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Re: PowerToys – open-source Windows utilities

#71
post #34
post #12

Isn't it ironic that the operating system called "Windows" offers one of the worst window management user experiences?

I would like to have multiple desktops like MacOS but windows has snaps which MacOS doesn't has. While I like my awesome more on a laptop, every is can be configured one way or the other to feel similar across OSes.

In case you are unaware, there are multiple snapping utilities for macOS.

I use BetterTouchTool, but there are many tools that accomplish the same thing as far as window snapping is concerned.

Here is an article that goes over many options: https://techwiser.com/snap-windows-on-macos

Re: PowerToys – open-source Windows utilities

#72
post #52

Fancy Zones makes my day-to-day so much more convenient. I wish there was an equivalent in Linux that worked as well - I’ve tried a few gnome plugins but always been disappointed.

KDE has Windows-style snap-to-halves or quarters by default. If you’re happy with those basic zones, it definitely works well. I don’t know if there’s a way to configure more complex zones.

A few months ago I tried a few KDE kwin scripts.

Ultimately I went with 'Ultrawide Windows' [1], mostly because I like it better than the defaults and at the same time it is still simple to use. The Github page gives an impression of its capabilities and lists the hotkeys, but it is also available via the KDE integrated tools [2]. What I am still missing is a tool to simply define and use custom layouts.

[1] https://github.com/lucmos/UltrawideWindows/

[2] https://store.kde.org/p/1276605/

Re: PowerToys – open-source Windows utilities

#73
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Disagree. Fancy features are awesome for "normies". iPhones have a feature where you can create PDFs page by page, using the camera as a scanner. After you snap the photo it offers you a crop and transform tool, and does a little image recognition to assist you and make the edges of the crop tool snap to the page within the photo. I've found that feature immensely useful in a professional context and (it was a compan…

Wouldn't it make more sense for the scanning feature to be its own app, so that users can find it, know what it is, and not activate it accidentally?

I've only used this in the Files app, which makes sense because you're making files. I'm not sure if it exists in the camera app as well.

Re: PowerToys – open-source Windows utilities

#74

This reminds me of one of my favorite features from the Mac: Quick Look — press space to instantly bring up a big contextual preview window of the selected document in the Finder. You can bring it to Windows with this useful open source tool: https://github.com/QL-Win/QuickLook

I've noticed that in windows 11, the file explorer shows a document preview, at least for certain documents when selected.

Re: PowerToys – open-source Windows utilities

#75

This reminds me of one of my favorite features from the Mac: Quick Look — press space to instantly bring up a big contextual preview window of the selected document in the Finder. You can bring it to Windows with this useful open source tool: https://github.com/QL-Win/QuickLook

Yes! Love this for Windows, there are plugins for it too, similar to the plugins for macOS. Like you, QuickLook is one of my favorite and most-used macOS features and I cannot be on a system without it.

Between this project and PowerToys, the Windows experience is a lot more enjoyable.

PowerToys Run especially (essentially Alfred or QuickSilver for Windows), is much faster and better than standard Win-S searches.

Re: PowerToys – open-source Windows utilities

#76
post #74

This reminds me of one of my favorite features from the Mac: Quick Look — press space to instantly bring up a big contextual preview window of the selected document in the Finder. You can bring it to Windows with this useful open source tool: https://github.com/QL-Win/QuickLook

I've noticed that in windows 11, the file explorer shows a document preview, at least for certain documents when selected.

Yes, there are plugins for the preview pane and some are built-in. That’s very nice, but I prefer having the ability to hit space to preview because of 15 years of muscle memory doing that with macOS.

Re: PowerToys – open-source Windows utilities

#77
I use PowerToys just for the easy key remapping, which I wish was a built-in feature in more keyboards. Works very nicely as a simple alternative to AutoHotKey. My RSI has gotten a lot better by just remapping Caps Lock to Ctrl.

If any PowerToys feature deserves to be added to Windows, it's gotta be the Keyboard Manager.

Re: PowerToys – open-source Windows utilities

#79

"How to make your Windows more like MacOS" Hopefully Microsoft sees the writing on the wall and includes these in an update, instead of being stubborn and pretending that they have had a reason to exclude them all this time.

Do you really think that enterprise and large business (the meat and potatoes of MS money) is going to switch to Mac because it's missing some utility that 99% of users don't need?

I don't know what fuckin planet you people live on. Microsoft is a business oriented ecosystem. The fact that you can play call of duty on it is a bonus.

Re: PowerToys – open-source Windows utilities

#80
post #12

Isn't it ironic that the operating system called "Windows" offers one of the worst window management user experiences?

I just want tmux splits at the operating system UI framework level that works across all operating systems without any hassle. Basically i3wm for Linux, Mac, and Windows, with the same keyboard shortcuts.
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