Window dragging—with class
Power Windows 2.4.5
Creator: Gregory D. Landweber
Shareware: USD $10; upgrade $5
Greg Landweber's Power Windows isn't a high-powered utility that greatly eases your computing life or adds cash to your bottom line. Instead, it's primarily a control panel that significantly enhances the appearance of Finder windows as your move them about your desktop.
Rather than the usual plain-vanilla dotted line that represents a Finder window, Power Windows lets you see the window's entire contents while it's being dragged.
Perhaps the Solid Dragging option won't knock your proverbial socks off. But when you set the dragging scheme to Translucent Dragging, your windows take on an entirely different appearance that will convince you that your shareware fee was well-invested. (Unfortunately, I know of no way to show this live-action feature with a screen shot).
In addition to altering the look of window drags, Power Windows offers options for gradually opening and closing (fading) of Finder windows and menus.
The translucency option lets you peer through your pull-down menu (such as from your menu bar) to whatever is on your screen behind the menu. You'll get the idea from the 'Window' menu shown below. The background shows through the menu just enough to be readable.
If you're a driver who believes there is more to motoring than just getting from here to there (where a Yugo does as well as a BMW), then Power Windows is a very nice addition to your Control Panels list. It will make "driving" your Mac an even more pleasant experience.
By the way, Power Windows' creator has produced a stable of handy shareware products for the Mac, including such stalwarts as Greg's Buttons, Kaleidoscope, and a couple versions of Aaron (see Aaron review). When you check out Power Windows, take a good look at Landweber's other offerings.
