Odd Windows 7 feature
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I just discovered that if you grab any open window by the title bar, shake it back and forth (it has to be shaken, doing it slowly doesn't work) all of the other windows minimize. Is this a standard Windows thing or do I have something weird installed that I didn't know about? Could be useful... maybe. Except I do it by accident due to my constant fidgeting.
I love the feature, I use it all the time. I have 5 monitors and typically have around 30 windows open with various browsers, eclipse, hulu, text editors, navicat etc. I use desktop fences to organize my shortcuts, folders, temp files etc into groups on my desktop but it's a pain to get to your desktop sometimes because you don't want to minimize all those windows by clicking show desktop which means you have to go through and maximize each one you want to restore. So I can shake, access my desktop then shake and bring everything back to exactly where it was. It's probably not that useful for people who don't multitask or have more than one monitor.
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I just discovered that if you grab any open window by the title bar, shake it back and forth (it has to be shaken, doing it slowly doesn't work) all of the other windows minimize. Is this a standard Windows thing or do I have something weird installed that I didn't know about? Could be useful... maybe. Except I do it by accident due to my constant fidgeting.
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As everyone else mentioned, this has been there since the start. I was at the Win7 launch event and they were REALLY excited about this particular feature. It was more than just a little strange and was the point of a few jokes on the drive home. That and poking fun at the unshaven, unshowered sorts who were just there to get a free copy of Win7. I have just found it really annoying as I really have not had a reason I want to minimize everything BUT what I am working on, instead it always seems to happen accidently then I have to go and reorganize my windows.
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OK so I too never knew about this feature. However I'm still trying to grasp the point of it. Either my current window is maximized or if not it's because I need to see the other windows. So why would I want this "feature"?...
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I think the idea of the feature was some visual feedback when your desktop locks up. Most people usually grab the title bar and shake it when their desktop/application is locked up :confused:
I find more people to click multiple random buttons before they would shake anything...unless of course they had a tablet where they may shake the whole tablet. That would be a nifty feature...shake the tablet all your windows minimize...like an etch-a-sketch.
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As everyone else mentioned, this has been there since the start. I was at the Win7 launch event and they were REALLY excited about this particular feature. It was more than just a little strange and was the point of a few jokes on the drive home. That and poking fun at the unshaven, unshowered sorts who were just there to get a free copy of Win7. I have just found it really annoying as I really have not had a reason I want to minimize everything BUT what I am working on, instead it always seems to happen accidently then I have to go and reorganize my windows.
I turned off that pesky zoom-when-bump-desktop-edge feature and my box doesn't do the shaky thing.. so they're probably linked. Too bad, shake to clear the desktop and shake to get it back sounds pretty useful.
We can program with only 1's, but if all you've got are zeros, you've got nothing.
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I think the idea of the feature was some visual feedback when your desktop locks up. Most people usually grab the title bar and shake it when their desktop/application is locked up :confused:
The feature was added to Windows 7 to help with touch-centric devices (yes, that was a goal of Windows 7). In a touch-centric world on smaller form factors, it's not to focus on one-thing easily. The feature is named "Aero Shake"[^] My favorite Aero feature is the ability to throw windows around the screen, particularly with multiple monitors using WIN+Left/Right/Up/Down Arrow keys. Need to move window to the monitor on the right and maximize it? WIN+Right Arrow, WIN+Right Arrow, WIN+Up Arrow Try it now on a multi-mon setup; repeatly press WIN+Left or Right Arrow. It'll wrap around.
/* Charles Oppermann */ http://weblogs.asp.net/chuckop
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I turned off that pesky zoom-when-bump-desktop-edge feature and my box doesn't do the shaky thing.. so they're probably linked. Too bad, shake to clear the desktop and shake to get it back sounds pretty useful.
We can program with only 1's, but if all you've got are zeros, you've got nothing.
If you want to clear the desktop, mouse over the little gray rectangle in the bottom right corner of the task bar (I can't recall if you can click it to make it permanent as I'm at work on Windows XP). Also, on most versions of Windows (Again cannot test W7 from here), you can do Windows-M to minimise everything.
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I just discovered that if you grab any open window by the title bar, shake it back and forth (it has to be shaken, doing it slowly doesn't work) all of the other windows minimize. Is this a standard Windows thing or do I have something weird installed that I didn't know about? Could be useful... maybe. Except I do it by accident due to my constant fidgeting.
Opened Visual Studio, Sql Server Management Studio, some CD ripping program, FireFox and of course I already had Chrome open just to try it out. Amazing! Didn't work on the Connect to Server screen for Sql Server Management Studio though. Appearently it can't be maximized until you connected or cancelled the screen :)
It's an OO world.
public class Naerling : Lazy<Person>{
public void DoWork(){ throw new NotImplementedException(); }
} -
stops him interfering with the people who are busy working
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I just discovered that if you grab any open window by the title bar, shake it back and forth (it has to be shaken, doing it slowly doesn't work) all of the other windows minimize. Is this a standard Windows thing or do I have something weird installed that I didn't know about? Could be useful... maybe. Except I do it by accident due to my constant fidgeting.
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Tell him it was a bug, but since they cant fix it, now it's a feature... :)
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I just discovered that if you grab any open window by the title bar, shake it back and forth (it has to be shaken, doing it slowly doesn't work) all of the other windows minimize. Is this a standard Windows thing or do I have something weird installed that I didn't know about? Could be useful... maybe. Except I do it by accident due to my constant fidgeting.
i find it quite usefull, if i've got lots of windows and i want to consentrate on one
