Window Manager Recommendations

[Joel Adamson]

Gerard,

Thanks for the recommendations.  I'm still using Windows at work, so I'll keep your recommendations in mind.

Let me explain the situation, just for your peace of mind: Let's say I'm writing something in a word processor; I want to check something on the internet, or I want to initiate a download.  I open my browser and click on a few things and then go back to my word processor while I'm waiting for a webpage to load.  The annoying behavior is that I"ll be typing, and I type darn fast, and then when the webpage is done loading, the focus will shift and I'll still be typing.  I'll type half a word before I realize that I'm now looking at a webpage.  Sometimes I even use the alt key or the control key and that's when it can really skrew me up.

Come to think of it, it's only Internet explorer that does this.

Thanks,
Joel

Gerard Seibert <gerard at seibercom.net> wrote: Joel Adamson wrote:

> I am switching over my desktop system to FreeBSD soon and want to
> choose a nice window manager.  One of the more annoying things I want
> to get away from in Microsoft Windows is focus-shifting: I'll be typing
> along in one place, then a webpage will finish loading, the window
> focus shifts, I keep typing and execute a bunch of commands in the new window
> (chosen by Windows, rather than by me, who would be content to keep
> typing and go to the webpage when I'm good and ready).

I prefer KDE myself, but there are many options out there to choose from.

BTW, the Window's scenario you describe is totally configurable. You
could start by downloading 'Power Tools':

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

That should take care of most of your easily corrected problems until
you settle on a new GUI. I am slightly perplexed by the "webpage will
finish loading ... " passage however. Are you inferring that a page just
mysteriously loaded on its own? More than likely you initialed the
operation. The majority of people I believe would want the page that
they are opening to become the primary focus point. You can change the
configuration to have pages open in the background however, although I
fail to see why.


-- 
Gerard Seibert
gerard at seibercom.net




Joel J. Adamson 
Arlington, MA
 		
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