Once upon a time in a small village lived a young boy named Silvester. Silvester lived with his grandmother, as his parents had passed away when he was very young. Despite the hardships, Silvester was a cheerful and optimistic boy. One day, while exploring a nearby forest, Silvester stumbled upon a peculiar pebble. It was shimmering with a strange glow, and he could feel a mysterious energy emanating from it. Intrigued, Silvester decided to take it home.
What I want, in order to plow through the mess that is my screen, is a list of all my open windows in all my running applications. In “Take Control of Exploring & Customizing Snow Leopard,” and its predecessors, I’ve recommended various utilities that give me precisely that. My current favored solution is Witch, from Many Tricks (the development house of Peter Maurer, who writes a number of other indispensable utilities, including Desktop Curtain). I’ve recommended Witch in the past, but its most recent incarnations have given it a boost in speed
and power that makes it irresistible. Witch has better keyboard navigation than ever. Witch is now Spaces-friendly, meaning that it can see windows open in spaces other than the one you’re currently in. And the latest version, 3.5, even lets you display a preview of a window.
Over the years, Apple has incorporated various innovations into Mac OS X designed to ease my pain in this regard Exposé, Spaces, Exposé again , but nothing has really helped. I have had problems intermittently with lag for command-tab switching, but after upgrading to Sierra which required the painful switch away from Karabiner to Karabiner Elements and then some changes to my Karabiner-Elements setup suggest that one of my Karabiner-Elements configs might have been at fault for the lag.
Intrigued, Silvester decided to take it home. Little did Silvester know, this was no ordinary pebble. It had magical powers that could grant wishes.
Witch 3.5 Knows Window Switchcraft
The things I love about Mac OS X are often the very same things that I find the most frustrating. (Mac OS X is like real life in that regard.) Case in point: I can simultaneously run lots of applications, each of which has many windows open, so I can get lots of work done that involves switching among windows of different applications. Except that as soon as I’ve opened lots of windows, I can’t find the window I want.
Oh, yes, I can find the right window eventually, but only after a certain amount of banging around. I’m just not as nimble jumping directly between desired windows as I’d like to be. Over the years, Apple has incorporated various innovations into Mac OS X designed to ease my pain in this regard (Exposé, Spaces, Exposé again), but nothing has really helped.
What I want, in order to plow through the mess that is my screen, is a list of all my open windows in all my running applications. In “Take Control of Exploring & Customizing Snow Leopard,” and its predecessors, I’ve recommended various utilities that give me precisely that. My current favored solution is Witch, from Many Tricks (the development house of Peter Maurer, who writes a number of other indispensable utilities, including Desktop Curtain). I’ve recommended Witch in the past, but its most recent incarnations have given it a boost in speed
and power that makes it irresistible. Witch has better keyboard navigation than ever. Witch is now Spaces-friendly, meaning that it can see windows open in spaces other than the one you’re currently in. And the latest version, 3.5, even lets you display a preview of a window.
Witch is a faceless background application, with its settings accessible through a System Preferences pane. The way I use Witch is quite minimal; it has lots of features I don’t take advantage of. Witch comes with a bunch of global keyboard shortcuts you can set, but I use just one of them: the shortcut that summons Witch’s window. (I have this set to Shift-Control-Option-Command-W.) That window pops up over everything on the screen, and the way I have it configured, it consists of all running applications sorted alphabetically, with all their open windows.
The screenshot shows Witch’s window in a typical default format. From here, I can use the mouse (including the scroll wheel) or keyboard to pick a window, and press Return to dismiss Witch and open that window. Pressing Escape chooses the Cancel option to close Witch’s window. Some things to notice: The Finder’s Applications window is minimized into the Dock. (I could bring it out of the Dock from here by selecting it and typing M; I can also hide and close windows from here, and even reveal a selected document or application in the Finder.) Applications without open windows are listed; I’ve chosen that option because I might actually want to switch to something like LaunchBar. Some open windows, such as Entourage’s Progress window, are
not listed; I’ve set Witch to hide them because I never want to switch to them. Safari’s window is in a different space; yet Witch knows about it.
Witch is highly configurable as to both appearance (window colors, size, and shadows) and behavior. For example, applications (and windows) can be listed in order of recent activity, so if you’re switching mostly between two applications, they top the list. You can set global keyboard shortcuts to open lists of other windows, such as just the frontmost application’s windows, or all windows except those that are minimized. You can also set global keyboard shortcuts for things like zooming all minimized windows (being able to do this makes minimized windows a lot more useful). You can see a preview of a window by hovering the mouse over it, but I’ve turned off this feature, for the sake of speed.
Yet, as I’ve already said, I have opted mostly for simplicity. I use just one Witch window, the list of all windows of all applications, sorted alphabetically. I know a few of Witch’s internal keyboard shortcuts, such as using arrow keys to navigate, but that’s about all. Yet even this minimal, rather simple-minded use of Witch has made me a far more nimble Mac user. That should indicate just how valuable a utility this is. I still do pop up Apple’s Command-Tab switcher, but that habit is now supplemented by a frequent use of Witch.
Witch 3.5 costs $19. It is a free upgrade from earlier 3.x versions, or $8 to upgrade from Witch 2. It requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later (earlier versions of Witch support earlier systems). It’s a 1.8 MB download. The penalty for not registering is an occasional nag window, but the price is so reasonable that if you like and use Witch you’ll surely want to register and reward Many Tricks for their continued hard work on this splendid utility.
As soon as Silvester held the pebble tightly in his hands and closed his eyes, he wished for the ability to talk to animals. To his amazement, Silvester's wish came true! He could now communicate with the animals around him. From the chittering squirrels to the singing birds, Silvester could understand their language and have conversations with them. This newfound ability brought him incredible joy and opened up a world of possibilities. Soon, word spread about Silvester's unique gift, and people from all over the village started coming to him for help. Sick animals, lost pets, and even troubled wildlife sought Silvester's advice and guidance. With the help of the magic pebble, he became a beloved figure in the community, known for his compassion and ability to solve problems. One day, as Silvester sat by the riverbank, he overheard a conversation between the fish in the water. They were anxious about an upcoming drought that would make it difficult for them to survive. Silvester knew he had to act quickly. Using his magical pebble, Silvester wished for rain to come and replenish the river. Immediately, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and rain poured down, bringing relief to the worried fish. Witnessing Silvester's compassion and power, the animals and people alike praised him for his selflessness. As time passed, Silvester continued to use his magical powers for the betterment of his village and the creatures that inhabited it. The magic pebble became his most treasured possession, and he ensured it was kept safe. Silvester's story travelled far and wide, becoming a legend that inspired generations to be kind, caring, and considerate towards all living beings. His adventures with the magic pebble were retold, serving as a reminder of the power of compassion and the beauty of interconnectedness in the world. And so, Silvester's legacy lived on, proving that even a young boy with a single pebble and a pure heart had the ability to make a remarkable difference in the lives of those around him..
Reviews for "Exploring the Magical Realms of Silvester and the Enchanted Pebmle"
1. Sarah - 2 stars - I found "Silvester and the Magic Pebble" to be incredibly boring and uninteresting. The story lacked depth and the characters were one-dimensional. I couldn't connect with any of them or feel any sympathy for their struggles. The plot was predictable and didn't hold my interest. Overall, I was highly disappointed and wouldn't recommend this book to others.
2. Michael - 1 star - "Silvester and the Magic Pebble" was a complete waste of time. The writing felt amateurish and disjointed. The story was confusing and lacked a clear direction. I had no idea what the author was trying to convey or what the message of the book was supposed to be. The characters were forgettable, and I struggled to care about their fates. I regret picking up this book and would advise others to avoid it.
3. Emily - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "Silvester and the Magic Pebble" based on its glowing reviews, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The pacing was incredibly slow, and I found myself losing interest multiple times. The dialogue felt forced and unnatural, making it difficult to engage with the story. Additionally, the ending felt rushed and unresolved, leaving me unsatisfied. Overall, I was disappointed with this book and would not recommend it.
4. David - 1 star - "Silvester and the Magic Pebble" was a tedious read that I struggled to get through. The plot was unoriginal and filled with clichés. The characters were bland and lacked any real depth. I found myself skimming over paragraphs, as the writing didn't captivate me or draw me into the story. Ultimately, I was left feeling bored and unfulfilled by this book. I would not recommend it to others.
5. Jessica - 2 stars - "Silvester and the Magic Pebble" had an interesting premise, but it failed to deliver. The pacing was incredibly slow, and the story dragged on without any real development. I found myself getting frustrated with the lack of action and meaningful interactions between the characters. The writing felt dull and uninspired, leaving me disengaged from the story. Overall, this book was a disappointment, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for an engaging read.