A little Leopard on XP

One of the new features touted in Leopard:

Scroll Non-Active Windows

Scroll any open window, even if it’s not active. Simply position your mouse over the target window and scroll.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/300.html

..can be had in XP (NT Based window versions) using this little utility.

http://ehiti.de/katmouse/

Description of the Free app at the site:

The prime purpose of the KatMouse utility is to enhance the functionality of mice with a scroll wheel, offering 'universal' scrolling: moving the mouse wheel will scroll the window directly beneath the mouse cursor (not the one with the keyboard focus, which is default on Windows OSes). This is a major increase in the usefullness of the mouse wheel.

Another feature involves the wheel button. Since the wheel button is not consistently used in Windows, KatMouse can use it for a kind of task switching: with a click of the wheel button you can push a window to the buttom of the stack of windows that is your desktop, making a recovered window the active window.

#477056

Another good program like this is Pitaschio. Has a few more features as well. The only problem I had with this is middle-click interfered with Firefox tab closing.

Edit: Here's a link to the Lifehacker article that first got me on to Pitaschio.

#477131

Hey, I never knew I wanted that before. Sweet!

Were there really 5 firecracker(s) already listed when you joined, firecracker?

#477150

Crap, I just realized that this little yet incredibly useful app interferes with the CTRL+scroll wheel functionality of QT Tab Bar. I guess you can't have everything.

#477506

@davedoubleu, yea~ I use QT Tab Bar as well and just noticed that a few moments before checking your post. My work around right now is to install the View Plugin that comes with the QT download. Still need to click the toolbar icon but it's better than nothing.

oh, and the 6 on firecracker6 is the fuse that gives my name that little extra bit o'symmetry

#477678