From: wisdom@geom.umn.edu
Subject: Re:   In BYTE (NeXT) veritas
Organization: University of Minnesota
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 01:29:16 GMT

In article <1992Sep27.223453.26857@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>  
smb3u@kiptron.psyc.virginia.edu (Steven M. Boker) writes:
> In article <dillon.0odh@overload.Berkeley.CA.US>  
dillon@overload.Berkeley.CA.US (Matthew Dillon) writes:
> >>In article <1992Sep24.191219.29130@fnbc.com> billb@fnbc.com (Bill Burcham)  
writes:
> >>>In article <dillon.0o6h@overload.Berkeley.CA.US>
> >>W.R.T.:
> >>> there is NO method to activate a window without also depth
> >>> arranging it and it totally screws up my carefully arranged screen
> >>You can bring _any_ window to the front _without_ making it key by
> >>modifying your click with the alt key (alt-click).  I use this a lot when
> >
> >    Yes, I know, but you CAN'T make a window the key window WITHOUT ALSO
> >    BRINGING IT TO THE FRONT.  In otherwords, ANY TIME YOU CLICK IN A
> >    WINDOW YOU BRING IT TO THE FRONT.
> >
> >    I want to be able to click in a window, make it the key window
> >    temporarily, but NOT rearrange it's depth ordering in any way.
> >
> 
> Well, you can do it in two clicks.  Its not as good as what you'd like
> (and I'd like as well), but its the best I know right now.  
> 
> 1. Click on the target window.
> 2. CMD-click on the target window's title bar.
> 
> The window is Key and ordered back.  A cheap trick, but maybe it'll help.
No, this still doesn't take care of the problem. Using the method you  
described, The window will be ordered to the very back, behind all other  
windows. The idea is to leave the windows where they are in the tier list, but  
enter text in a given window even if it's only partially visible (i.e. without  
forcing it to the front or to the back). So, if I want to type 'make' in a  
terminal, and it's partially visible, I'd just 'select' it (I won't even dare  
to speculate on what kind of mechanism should be used to do this under the  
WorkSpace - ICKs, I mean X, uses piont to focus), type 'make', and go on with  
whatever I was doing in the top windows. If I'm forced to reposition it to the  
front to type, then force it to the back, it's possible that it will go from  
being partially visible to totally invisible behind some other windows that  
were originally behind  the terminal - then when I want it back I have to go  
digging through all the windows to find it, thus decimating whatever tier setup  
I was using at the time. While it's true that the dock may happen to contain my  
Terminal.app icon, it's possible that it doesn't, in which case the  
Terminal.app Icon could itself be buried under windows someplace. Some might  
say 'well, if you get a dock extender, you might not have that problem'. Well,  
perhaps, but why should my options of control be so constrained? Besides,  
extenders don't come with the WorkSpace, and not everyone has access to the  
Net.

Personally, I've adjusted quite well to the way things work under the  
WorkSpace, and I've developed ways of handling lots of windows well. However,  
this does not mean that everyone is supposed to be happy with the way windows  
are handled on the NeXT - there is IMHO a valid argument here.

-Scott Wisdom
wisdom@geom.umn.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.advocacy