Author here. Wanted to make something to replace seemingly dead GridMove (http://jgpaiva.dcmembers.com/gridmove.html). Current version basically reimplements GridMove's functionality.
Features over GridMove:
- High DPI support
- layout is defined in XAML which should be familiar for many Windows .NET developers
- XAML allows some slick UI customizations
In plans:
- window filters by class, title, program (you don't want fullscreen games to be affected by this app)
- hotkey remapping (not hardcoded hotkeys)
- realtime layout editor with preview
In plans for paid version (likely around $3):
- support for StackPanel, WrapPanel, etc based layouts
- zones with tabs (multiple windows in a same rectangle with little "tabs" over it)
- automation rules (e.g. if there's a fullscreen app running, move windows to secondary screens; automatically move new windows to preferred zones; rearrange windows, that have not been used for a long time, etc)
Would definitely buy if it behaved like i3 on linux. i3 doesn't use predefined layouts like most WM. I find it much more logical than awesome, xmonad, etc.
I am hoping to eventually cover that approach as well. As long as you stay with simple non-overlapping grids, it should be easy to implement.
However, i3 is quite functional, and Stack supports overlapping when necessary. So there're some UX compatibility problems to think about.
I'd be interested to know what functionality do you really use on a regular basis. Especially, it would be interesting to know _why_ do you use it. E.g. not just "I want to split my screen in half and put W1 to the left, and W2 to the right" but "I want to see all my open windows the most comfortable way possible".
For example: generally you don't just want a chat window constantly visible, you also don't usually need it to take half of 30 inch screen. So with an ideal app you should say, that it does not require more than 10cm width and 6cm height, and WM will figure out the rest.
I use i3 (gaps, because it's pretty) and would also be excited about a windows version.
I'm not a super sophisticated user of it.
I appreciate ability to arbitrarily split panes vertically or horizontally and also moving windows around with alt+shift+hjkl. Alt + enter brings up a new terminal.
Ctrl + d brings up dmenu or similar "global search/run text input".
It's easy to jump around virtual screens/tabs (alt + tab#).
Alt+f full screens a pane.
Basically you don't need the mouse much and it uses hjkl so vim users like it.
If you get those, it's probably pretty good coverage for i3 fans.
- moving windows around is done with Win+Arrow key
- if you want to bring a new terminal with a hotkey, you can just assign one in shortcut properties (that's a Windows feature). Once automation feature is implemented, that terminal will behave similarly (or better than i3).
- sounds like Ctrl + d is basically Win key on Windows, that brings up start menu with integrated search
- virtual screens are already available on Windows 10, and there are hotkeys
- maximizing a window already has a hotkey in Windows 10 as well - Win + Up. Currently, Stack overrides that hotkey though
- hjkl sounds possible, however, I'd like to avoid modes, so they'll have to be used with modifiers
I will see what I can do to make it possible to run similarly to i3.
It does. Remapping Command onto Caps Lock helps a lot with the hand cramps, and Control makes a pretty good super key since almost nothing uses it. Still a mess, but it's manageable if you know how.
I'm also very interested in i3-style tiling instead of pre-configured layouts. I like being able to manage the splits more dynamically. I also really like i3's concept of hierarchies, being able to nest the splits. And being able to switch a particular group between tabbed and horizontal/vertical organization.
Regarding your $3 price for the paid version, I think you should be careful not to set the price too low. I happily paid $18 for the professional version of AquaSnap.
I've tried a bunch of tiling WMs and had this same frustration with predefined layouts. OpenBox has turned out to work best for me. It's not a tiling WM exactly but you can map "GrowToEdge(North|South|East|West)" and get a very tile-like effect.
Yep - I admit that the first thing I did was to middle-drag the window to the right edge expecting it to create a new 1/3 box on the right side of screen.
Hi so awesome to see work on a tiled window manager on windows.
I HATE paid programs and love donation model. I think my favorite is Synergy (Software Keyboard Mouse sharing) over say purchases from say Partition Magic (Live Linux OS for System repairs). Would be interesting to see how much they actually make.
Can I just say, it's worth easily ten bucks a copy, to me, to have the baseline settings configurable by group policy.
Super product useful for power users and developers: So many dollars.
Super window manager that I can set to increase productivity even on a sales floor, but where I want defaults for streamlining our help desk procedure: Above dollars plus about twenty to thirty per seat.
Features over GridMove:
- High DPI support
- layout is defined in XAML which should be familiar for many Windows .NET developers
- XAML allows some slick UI customizations
In plans:
- window filters by class, title, program (you don't want fullscreen games to be affected by this app)
- hotkey remapping (not hardcoded hotkeys)
- realtime layout editor with preview
In plans for paid version (likely around $3):
- support for StackPanel, WrapPanel, etc based layouts
- zones with tabs (multiple windows in a same rectangle with little "tabs" over it)
- automation rules (e.g. if there's a fullscreen app running, move windows to secondary screens; automatically move new windows to preferred zones; rearrange windows, that have not been used for a long time, etc)