Alternative to Gnome 3 Window Manager for Windows 8.1

[thorpj]

So after using Ubuntu Gnome for a while, in comparison, the windows 8 window manager is rather lackluster. I've just installed alt-drag, so that's one part of making window managing better on 8.1.

 

The next is the Gnome window manager. the ability to:

 

* hit a key, that shows all open windows

* drag windows from one monitor to another

* virtual desktops, is a nice addition, though not necessary.

 

 

Now i've done some searching, but i can't find anything, so i'm hoping that someone has come across this problem before, and found a solution.

 

I'm not looking for some heavy application that murders my RAM, just something that does the 2 (or 3) things mentioned above, and nothing else.

 

thanks

[Sheldon_King]

So after using Ubuntu Gnome for a while, in comparison, the windows 8 window manager is rather lackluster. I've just installed alt-drag, so that's one part of making window managing better on 8.1.

 

The next is the Gnome window manager. the ability to:

 

* hit a key, that shows all open windows

* drag windows from one monitor to another

* virtual desktops, is a nice addition, though not necessary.

 

 

The first one (all open windows) is built into all windows NT versions (at least 2000 up to 8.1). Just hit Alt+Tab and it will show you a list of open windows. 

 

Dragging windows to different monitors (physical) is easy, just drag the window to the monitor you want it on. Basic feature of windows there. 

 

VDT... There may be other ways, but Nvidia has nView that does a really nice job (it is what I use, but I am using Quadros, so may not be on consumer cards...) 

[thorpj]

The first one (all open windows) is built into all windows NT versions (at least 2000 up to 8.1). Just hit Alt+Tab and it will show you a list of open windows. 

 

Dragging windows to different monitors (physical) is easy, just drag the window to the monitor you want it on. Basic feature of windows there. 

 

VDT... There may be other ways, but Nvidia has nView that does a really nice job (it is what I use, but I am using Quadros, so may not be on consumer cards...) 

Thanks for your help, but alt+tab is an obvious, and lackluster solution (who doesn't know about Alt+tab...). Dragging windows is another obvious, lackluster solution. nView is nice, but has a different purpose, and i have an AMD gpu

 

Neither does what i'm looking for. There must be something that replicates what's shown in the image above.

[QueenDemetria]

* virtual desktops, is a nice addition, though not necessary.

Maybe this?. I don't have any experience with it, but it looks like it will do what you want(at least for virtual desktops, not sure about the other two things).

[Sheldon_King]

Thanks for your help, but alt+tab is an obvious, and lackluster solution (who doesn't know about Alt+tab...). Dragging windows is another obvious, lackluster solution. nView is nice, but has a different purpose, and i have an AMD gpu

 

Neither does what i'm looking for. There must be something that replicates what's shown in the image above.

You are looking for solutions that are not lackluster, yet you are on windows. The two don't jive very well.  

 

The closest thing to the windows menu in Gnome 3 on windows is the windows 8(.1) implementation of AT which actually shows you what is going on in that window, but only with a static image (where if a video is running, gnome shows the video in the window).  

 

Dragging the window sounds to be exactly what you are looking for. Can you explain a little clearer what you meant on that one? (you may be referencing the menu object from Gnome that is something like "send to desktop 2"? (if so, nView does that, but but iirc you can set a hotkey in drivers (at least Nvidia CP) to do the same thing).  

 

AMD has nothing akin to nView at all. I myself have looked high and low for a replacement, but all I have found is malware infected crapware. 

EDIT actually: Try this app. It seems to do what you are asking, quite simply. https://code.google.com/p/mdesktop/ (I have not scanned it yet, but at a cursory glance it does what it says with no evil rap under the hood)

[thorpj]

Maybe this?. I don't have any experience with it, but it looks like it will do what you want(at least for virtual desktops, not sure about the other two things).

 

Dexpot was definitely a nice solution, but i ended up going with something a little different

You are looking for solutions that are not lackluster, yet you are on windows. The two don't jive very well.  

 

The closest thing to the windows menu in Gnome 3 on windows is the windows 8(.1) implementation of AT which actually shows you what is going on in that window, but only with a static image (where if a video is running, gnome shows the video in the window).  

 

Dragging the window sounds to be exactly what you are looking for. Can you explain a little clearer what you meant on that one? (you may be referencing the menu object from Gnome that is something like "send to desktop 2"? (if so, nView does that, but but iirc you can set a hotkey in drivers (at least Nvidia CP) to do the same thing).  

 

AMD has nothing akin to nView at all. I myself have looked high and low for a replacement, but all I have found is malware infected crapware. 

EDIT actually: Try this app. It seems to do what you are asking, quite simply. https://code.google.com/p/mdesktop/ (I have not scanned it yet, but at a cursory glance it does what it says with no evil rap under the hood)

 

Unfortunately that seems to be true .  I'm not sure what the AT meant in your post though.

 

Think of Apple's Expose (except, with multiple monitors) Dragging the windows is part of it, but the important part is the ability to hit a key to show all windows, then drag one to another monitor. Dragging windows around within win8 is great, but for example, if i had a few windows, on top of each other, and i wanted the bottom one, i'd have to do something that isn't ideal. Definitely first world problems...

 

Looking through the links both of you have provided, i came across this setup. So i'm using altdrag, which lets me move, minimise and resize windows using alt (instead of trying clumsily mouse over the edge of a window). Then switcher (which was also mentioned in the links you both provided) allows me to hit a key to show all windows, similar to OSX Expose.

 

Altdrag also allows for scrolling in whatever window the mouse is over. Windows 10 fixes this problem (at least in the file explorer, where you have to click somewhere in the sidebar before you can scroll there.

 

Together they mostly achieve what i was looking for, and my pc isn't infested with crapware, so that's nice!

 

thanks all

 

Links, if you're interested:

 

http://insentient.net/Switcher/Overview.html

https://stefansundin.github.io/altdrag/

[Sheldon_King]

Dexpot was definitely a nice solution, but i ended up going with something a little different

 

Unfortunately that seems to be true .  I'm not sure what the AT meant in your post though.

AT is Alt Tab (just shorthand. sorry for the confusion). 

 

Edit: And also, sadly my only experience with Apple is iOS (which is brilliant in my opinion). 

[thorpj]

AT is Alt Tab (just shorthand. sorry for the confusion). 

Oh right, lol

 

well thanks for your help