StickyWindows = More Desktop, Less Compromise

Posted on 09 July 2009, at 3:30 pm, by Dan Cohen

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Activity Monitor-3

One thing is for sure- no matter what device you use there are always going to be trade-offs and compromises involved. Take, for example, notebooks. Each has its assorted pros and cons and what makes one “the right device” and another “the wrong device” aren’t absolutes but rather the specific balance of qualities it offers.

In the last year and a half I tried a number of different notebooks running OSx and each had its pros and cons. At 3 1/2 lbs the MacBook Air was light and sleek but a bit slow and, with just one USB port, more than a bit lacking in the connectivity department. It is a good machine but does not offer the right balance for me. The 15“ MacBook Pro was fast and had a wonderfully-sized screen but at 5.5 lbs was a bit too heavy for my taste. It too is a good machine but it does not offer the right balance for me. At 4 1/2 lbs my current 13” MacBook Pro is the right balance of weight, speed and, with two USB ports, firewire 800 and an SD slot, has a nice range of connectivity options. It IS the right machine for me.

At the same time, however, I often find the 13“ screen a bit more limiting than I would like. When trying to use a number of different programs at the same time it starts feeling a bit cramped. Sure I can use Spaces to put different applications and windows in different desktops, but I’ve never quite gotten the hang of it. I’ve tried it over and over again only to find the experience cumbersome. Yesterday I found a solution to my 13” dilemma that makes screen-size less of a compromise than ever before. It is called stick windows and it works amazingly well. Let’s take a look…

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StickyWindows is a utility that, once set up runs in the background and uses a minimal amount of system resources.

To use it you simply grab any open window at the top and drag it to the side of the screen. When the cursor touches the side of the screen the window “magically” disappears leaving only a small tab on the side of the screen.

It takes your desktop from this…

To open and use that window again you simply click on the particular tab.

StickyWindows has a number of simple settings that allow you to adjust how it works and functions. The most important of these settings allows you to determine which of the screen margins to make active for the utility.

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For example, since I have my dock hidden at the bottom and a number of utilities in the menu bar I only make StickyWindows active in the two side margins.

Here’s what the utility looks like in action…