It seems that in the Linux and Mac communities, Windows is often being bashed for what it doesn’t do while being criticized for having too much bloat.  While I won’t get into the latter claim, I will address the first.  There are, unfortunately, numerous areas where Windows is lacking.  Out of the box, at least.  KDE’s Dolphin file manager allows Linux users to enjoy a tabbed browsing experience within the filesystem for example, and Windows Explorer is lacking that feature.  The old Alt-Tab application switcher does not measure up to OS X’s Exposé, and Flip-3D isn’t much better.  Windows for some reason doesn’t support multiple/virtual desktops (AKA “workspaces”).

Fortunately, there are some quality third-party applications to fill those gaps (and some others) in the Windows user interface.  Best of all, they’re free.  No trials, no ads for “Pro” versions.  Free.

Application Switcher: Switcher

Tired of having to keep holding that Alt key while you tap on Tab until you find your application?  Flip-3D is nicer, but it’s form over function, let’s be honest.  It’s nothing more than a glorified Alt-Tab.  Plenty of eye-candy, and one new functional feature:  the ability to select a window by clicking it.  Wow.

Switcher assigns a number to each open window and allows the user to view windows contents (something Flip-3D attempts), but instead of having to cycle through or use the mouse to select a window, all the user needs to do is type the number of the desired window, and Switcher will bring it to the front.  Of course, one can cycle through if they so desire, but the added functions and hotkeys make it unnecessary more often than not.

Multiple Desktops: Dexpot, Hydravision

Dexpot

Highly configurable, Dexpot brings multiple desktops to the Windows user.  It’s not quite as seamless as the workspaces that your typical Linux user enjoys (to be expected from a third-party app, really), but it comes close and it’s a handy tool nonetheless.  Due to the extent to which Dexpot can be configured, it is not as straightforward as Hydravision, so while it may be slightly tricky for the novice (it doesn’t warn of hotkey conflicts, and when they exist, default Windows shortcuts will override), one need not be a power user to get it working.

I would have to recommend Dexpot, but if it gives you problems and you have an ATI card, there’s always a Plan ‘B’ in Hydravision.

Hydravision

If you’re not already in the habit of downloading your device drivers from the manufacturer’s site, I suggest you start. There are a variety of reasons that I won’t get into here now, but it is not uncommon for extra features like Hydravision to be omitted from the Windows Update packages.  Hydravision is an optional download that comes packed with the drivers for your ATI graphics card (sorry, Nvidia users!) as well as in a separate download. 

Hydravision is quite straightforward to get up and running.  It does the job, but I found that switching between desktops wasn’t as snappy as I’d like.  I am not running the most powerful graphics card at the moment, but then, for something like this, I shouldn’t have to.  That aside, it works.  Multiple desktops in Windows.

Tabbed File Browsing: QTTabBar

A major reason for my switching to Firefox several years ago was its tabbed browsing experience.  Just one browser window, and multiple websites open all at once.  It was a huge difference.  Microsoft followed suit eventually with IE7, and today it’s unheard of to have a browser that doesn’t support this function.  So why do Windows users still have to open an instance of Windows Explorer in order to view the contents of each directory that they want to view?  Linux users don’t have to.  Nautilus (GNOME) and Dolphin (KDE) both support tabbed browsing of the filesystem:

When I began writing this article, I wanted to suggest QTTabBar.  It’s a great idea, but it was a little buggy on my 64-bit Windows 7 install, and I can’t say that it’s quite ready for primetime.  But give it a try, your mileage may vary.  The idea is solid, and I will be keeping an eye out for future revisions. 

PSD (and others) Thumbnails: Mystic Thumbs

Anyone that works with Photoshop — even casually –  will know how irritating it is that PSD files don’t display as thumbnails in Windows Explorer.  Having to load up Photoshop just to see if a given PSD is the file needed is a tedious process.  Mystic Thumbs eliminates that problem by displaying these files as thumbnails, just like any other image file.

Batch File Renaming Utility: Renamer

This little app is great.  You’ve got to think a little when you use it so as not to create file name conflicts –and thus generate error messages as opposed to renamed files – but it’s really a straightforward application.  Simply drag and drop the files you want to rename, create some rules and Renamer takes care of the rest.

It’s got a very basic user interface, so you’ll need to use your head a little bit in determining the order that your rules are processed, but it’s not rocket science and it’s much easier than the old “right-click, ‘Rename’” or “select, ‘F2’” methods of renaming multiple files.

Library Icon Replacement: Replace Librarie Icons

Windows 7 only.  Libraries are at first glance an unremarkable addition to Windows.  But when properly utilized, they are a powerful way to organize and search your data.  By adding folders to a library, one can quickly search for files based on filename, file author, or even text within the files themselves.  The downside is that if you want to add any libraries, any additional Library you create will use the same generic icon.  Not a huge deal, but if you add more than a few, it begins to look a little homogeneous.  Which is pretty much the antithesis of the goal of an icon. 

So, Replace Librarie Icons to the rescue!

Credit goes to LifeHacker for the discovery of this simple, yet useful tool.

Any others you’d like to add?  Please, share in the comments section.