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Xmouse is a free program from Microsoft, and it make windows95 just that much better to use. It RULES!
That is for the person who wrote Xmouse. I have no idea who did it, but they are one wicked programmer. Such people make the world a better place.
Xmouse is shell extension for Windows95. I have heard that it doesn't work for WindowsNT, which is a shame for NT users. In short, it makes the mouse behave more like it does on any good Xwindows system. What ever app you point at with your cursor will become active. This may sound weird, and the first time I used a Xwindows system (A personal IRIX, BTW), it really sucked, as far as I was concerned. But hey, after a few days I fell in love.
After you load Xmouse, watch your cursor. Open two copys of notepad. Point at the first one, and push "1". Now without clicking, point at the 2nd one, and type "2". Wow, now you have two windows, with different numbers in them, and you didn't have to click one mouse button!
Heh, sure can, but not with that example! Look, if you are not a power user, then Xmouse will not help you one bit. Go back to your MAC wannabe and play, ok? Back to the question, the answer is, clicking takes time! Not much, but more than you might think. With Xmouse, windows makes it much easier to have two or more apps open, and share data between them, or make them do different things, which require small amounts of input, but often. Often, you know you want to do something with an app, that is why you are pointing at it, in the first place. Xmouse makes windows guess the obvious.
A big one, unfortunately. Moving the mouse cursor over a toolbar will not only bring focus to that app, but will also bring it to the top. A real Xwindows system doesn't bring the window to the front, unless you first click somewhere on its border first. This may be going to far, but the way Xmouse works right now is definitely broken.
Sure, both 4DWM and OpenView, for two. There are many other window managers that support mouse focus, but I don't remember their exact names. What, you don't run UNIX?
Sorry, but I don;t know of anything better than Xmouse for Window95 or NT. I would like to write one, but I don't have the skill to do that, yet. Right now I am still trying to understand MFC, and not even bothering with the Windows API.
But I like so many Windows95 applications! I wish I could get the same apps for Linux, if I could, I would do just that, and leave Windoze behind. But the apps just don't exist yet. Besides, Windows does have its good side, and with Xmouse installed it isn't that bad. Besides, people who have never even seen Xwindows like Xmouse.
I was hoping you would say that! Click here to goto the powertoys download page.
So, what sort of person would write a shrine to a 18k shell extention? Go here, to find out! Then Email me!