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X Mouse for Windows

12 August, 2008 (10:13 pm) | Windows

My fingers hurt from pressing those mouse buttons over and over again — but only when I use Windows on my PC. I noticed that when I use a Linux or a Unix computer, I press the mouse buttons much less. The reason? I have configured my Linux / Unix work environment to automatically bring windows in focus as the mouse moves over them.

Microsoft makes a program for doing the same thing in Windows. It is called Tweak UI, and it is part of Microsoft Powertoys. Tweak UI does a lot of different things, but the option we want here is called “X mouse”. Enable that to cut down on the number of mouse clicks.

There are a couple of other reasons I like to use X mouse:

  • I can now focus a window without raising it. This is actually very useful for taking notes in one application while referring to information in another one.
  • I often use VNC to display a Linux desktop in a window on my PC. Having the same focus method in Windows and Linux avoids a lot of confusion.

Visit Microsoft Powertoys for more information.

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