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curmi · Nov 22, 2006, 07:36 AM

Possibly in an early beta of 10.2, Apple had a feature on OS X where you could grab a desktop icon and flick it (releasing the mouse button) and the icon would fly across the screen, slowly settling down.

Does anyone remember reading or seeing this in action? It was taken out for the final release, and we never saw it again. Does anyone have a video of it (I'm sure I saw one long ago)?

WJMoore · Nov 22, 2006, 08:08 AM

I think it was rumoured to be coming along with "piles" but I don't think it was every actually in any of the development builds. I could of course be wrong since I never used such builds.

TETENAL · Nov 22, 2006, 09:31 AM

YouTube - 3D Desktop

I haven't heard of that in OS X.

angelmb · Nov 22, 2006, 12:04 PM

There was a cool OS 9 Control Panel that let you do it so.

cybergoober · Nov 22, 2006, 02:00 PM

Yeah, there was Gravité for OS 9. That's the only thing like that that I'm aware of.

curmi · Nov 22, 2006, 06:34 PM

It was definitely in an OS X developers build, but taken out soon after. They also implemented a way to "roll up" a window, but rather than a title bar it became a floating icon of sorts. Both these things were removed soon after because the finder was buggy as a result. I just wish I had the videos. :-(

curmi · Nov 22, 2006, 06:49 PM

Ok. Now I remember.

In the build you could minimise windows in place, and possibly drag minimised windows out of the dock. Once on the desktop, they sort of where small floating icons. You could throw these around the window. So it wasn't quite desktop icons flying around, it was minimised windows.

Still, need to find a video...

analogika · Nov 22, 2006, 07:08 PM

Gravité was the coolest thing ever.

curmi · Nov 22, 2006, 07:14 PM

Ok. Found the video. Don't know who took the original, but here it is:

throwing little windows around the desktop

You can see that the guy had some difficulty flicking the icons, which is probably why this feature never made it. But you never know...

Macanoid · Nov 23, 2006, 02:52 AM

Have a look at Unsanity's Windows Shade. That feature is called 'minimize-in-place'.

Madrag · Nov 23, 2006, 11:35 AM

that looks interesting!
Thanks for sharing the video.

imitchellg5 · 06:50 PM

My dad still has this on his old clamshell. Took it out of the closet for a look today. It is a bit hard to throw stuff.

Tuoder · Nov 23, 2006, 04:54 PM

The first video looks cool. I wonder if it is the fture, or a if a simlified version will make it into practice.

Dark Helmet · Nov 23, 2006, 05:37 PM

Expose is better. I always hated windowshade.

Although I dont' like the way little windows are in the dock as I sometimes have 20 photoshop ones in it and it becomes tiny.

- - e r i k - - · Nov 23, 2006, 07:05 PM

Is Gravité impossible to implement in OS X, even with APE? I loved that genius piece of control panel.

Macanoid · Nov 24, 2006, 02:32 AM

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet

Although I dont' like the way little windows are in the dock as I sometimes have 20 photoshop ones in it and it becomes tiny.

I that case I can seriously recommend Witch

Dark Helmet · Nov 24, 2006, 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by Macanoid

I that case I can seriously recommend Witch

Hmm thanks. Tried it but it was slow/laggy and un-sexy. Also not quite what I was looking for.

Rev-O · Nov 25, 2006, 02:54 AM

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - -

Is Gravité impossible to implement in OS X, even with APE? I loved that genius piece of control panel.

I've wondered the same thing. Gravité was crazy nifty. Click on an file and it would just dangle, get bored, spin files around in circles. I would love to have it on OS X.

Macanoid · Nov 25, 2006, 06:55 AM

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet

Hmm thanks. Tried it but it was slow/laggy and un-sexy. Also not quite what I was looking for.

Surprised to read it's slow/laggy, but it's that the case on you're machine, then so be it. Shame it doesn't work for you, I thought an overview of open windows might be useful, but alas.