6 ms·

Min Vid is a great refinement over my video watching workflow...for years I've been using the always-on-top feature of my window manager on Linux to keep a vide

Min Vid is a great refinement over my video watching workflow...for years I've been using the always-on-top feature of my window manager on Linux to keep a video window open for watching tutorials on YouTube or for binge watching mindless shows while I do mindless grunt work that doesn't need all of my attention but also isn't easy to offload to a script. I dunno how "always on top" is such a seemingly obscure feature that it's never been standard on Windows or (I think) macOS. How do folks live without it? Anyway, Min Vid means I can use that workflow even on Windows. I never used PiP on televisions, and never understood why it was a thing...but, on my computer I totally want a little video window in the corner!

TazeTSchnitzel 10y ago
> I dunno how "always on top" is such a seemingly obscure feature that it's never been standard on Windows or (I think) macOS. macOS Sierra adds Picture-in-Picture, IIRC.
- yoz-y 10y ago
  The worst part is that OSX does have native support for always on top windows, but just does not expose an API to set them so. Before I was using Afloat which injected to applications and gave you the control. Nowadays there is Helium browser and picture in picture. Still not ideal though.
predakanga 10y ago
The frustrating thing is that Always On Top is implemented in Windows, just not exposed to the user in any useful way. For years I used a simple ~30 LOC program that mapped Alt+F5 to maximize/restore and Alt+F6 to toggle Always On Top. Sadly, I seem to have lost it. It really did wonders for my workflow, especially in the days before Dash or Aero Snap. Being able to have a little documentation window up was fantastic!
- option_greek 10y ago
  You can still do it even if the original application doesn't implement it. Find the main application window with WinSpy and just mark it as top most. I know its not convenient but it can be done :)
- thezilch 10y ago
  You can do it with AHK's WinSet: https://autohotkey.com/docs/commands/WinSet.htm https://autohotkey.com/docs/commands/WinSet.htm
  - Flenser 10y ago
    or cmdow's /TOP command http://ritchielawrence.github.io/cmdow/ http://ritchielawrence.github.io/cmdow/
- conradfr 10y ago
  As I posted in this thread, TurboTop may be a solution: ttps://www.savardsoftware.com/turbotop/ For sure when you have only one monitor it really helps following tutorials, documentation etc.
city41 10y ago
I switched to Linux about 2 months ago specifically to take advantage of powerful WMs. My WM of choice handles the "always on top, small video window in the corner" beautifully. It also works with any app, and any video service, where Firefox's has to be custom tailored to different scenarios. It all makes me wonder why both Windows and OSX are so unwilling to either explore more powerful window management, or at least provide APIs to enable power users to build their own.
- newscracker 10y ago
  Could you list your window manager of choice and also which others you explored (along with any observations)? I'm sure at least a few people here would be interested.
  - onli 10y ago
    Not parent, but one answer I can give you is IceWM. It's a classic WM with a complete feature set supporting all advanced features like these (everything that is not tiling).
  - shadeless 10y ago
    i3wm is a pretty popular tiling window manager which supports what parent described - you can set a window to "float" (so it doesn't tile, you can move around it like in a regular wm) and you can also set it to be "sticky" (so it stays visible even if you switch to a different workspace).
    - city41 10y ago
      Yup, i3 is what I'm using. I admit my wm investigation wasn't that thorough, I mostly chose i3 because coworkers use it and I really liked it right off the bat. I also tried xmonad and awesome. And not that anyone will see this now, but most people in this thread were responding to my "OSX and Windows don't offer powerful window management solutions" specifically in reference to my comment about floating windows. That's just one example of many things OSX/Windows doesn't allow the user to do. Not to be too dramatic, but i3 has made me more productive, more focused and happier while working. I now fear ending up in an environment where using Linux isn't possible. It's really that good. But really, tiling window managers are that good.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
conradfr 10y ago
I use PiP all the time when watching televisions, I switch between channels during ads. About always-on-top in Windows I'm pretty sure nVidia drivers had this options years ago? I discovered TurboTop recently, it does this one job and it's great: https://www.savardsoftware.com/turbotop/ https://www.savardsoftware.com/turbotop/
drieddust 10y ago
Min Vid is a Step in right direction. One feature I miss is ability to group tabs into named entities and then sync them across devices. I am not sure why Mozilla don't want to implement it.
- yoavm 10y ago
  like Tab Groups? https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tab-groups-panorama/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tab-groups-pa...
  - drieddust 10y ago
    I switch between devices during the day so ability to sync Tab Group is the feature I miss most. Didn;t find any solution so far.
bwat48 10y ago
Opera has had a feature like this for a while too: http://www.opera.com/blogs/desktop/2016/04/opera-beta-update-video-pop/ http://www.opera.com/blogs/desktop/2016/04/opera-beta-update...

TazeTSchnitzel 10y ago

> I dunno how "always on top" is such a seemingly obscure feature that it's never been standard on Windows or (I think) macOS. macOS Sierra adds Picture-in-Picture, IIRC.

yoz-y 10y ago
The worst part is that OSX does have native support for always on top windows, but just does not expose an API to set them so. Before I was using Afloat which injected to applications and gave you the control. Nowadays there is Helium browser and picture in picture. Still not ideal though.

predakanga 10y ago

The frustrating thing is that Always On Top is implemented in Windows, just not exposed to the user in any useful way. For years I used a simple ~30 LOC program that mapped Alt+F5 to maximize/restore and Alt+F6 to toggle Always On Top. Sadly, I seem to have lost it. It really did wonders for my workflow, especially in the days before Dash or Aero Snap. Being able to have a little documentation window up was fantastic!

option_greek 10y ago
You can still do it even if the original application doesn't implement it. Find the main application window with WinSpy and just mark it as top most. I know its not convenient but it can be done :)
thezilch 10y ago
You can do it with AHK's WinSet: https://autohotkey.com/docs/commands/WinSet.htm https://autohotkey.com/docs/commands/WinSet.htm
- Flenser 10y ago
  or cmdow's /TOP command http://ritchielawrence.github.io/cmdow/ http://ritchielawrence.github.io/cmdow/
conradfr 10y ago
As I posted in this thread, TurboTop may be a solution: ttps://www.savardsoftware.com/turbotop/ For sure when you have only one monitor it really helps following tutorials, documentation etc.

city41 10y ago

I switched to Linux about 2 months ago specifically to take advantage of powerful WMs. My WM of choice handles the "always on top, small video window in the corner" beautifully. It also works with any app, and any video service, where Firefox's has to be custom tailored to different scenarios. It all makes me wonder why both Windows and OSX are so unwilling to either explore more powerful window management, or at least provide APIs to enable power users to build their own.

newscracker 10y ago
Could you list your window manager of choice and also which others you explored (along with any observations)? I'm sure at least a few people here would be interested.
- onli 10y ago
  Not parent, but one answer I can give you is IceWM. It's a classic WM with a complete feature set supporting all advanced features like these (everything that is not tiling).
- shadeless 10y ago
  i3wm is a pretty popular tiling window manager which supports what parent described - you can set a window to "float" (so it doesn't tile, you can move around it like in a regular wm) and you can also set it to be "sticky" (so it stays visible even if you switch to a different workspace).
  - city41 10y ago
    Yup, i3 is what I'm using. I admit my wm investigation wasn't that thorough, I mostly chose i3 because coworkers use it and I really liked it right off the bat. I also tried xmonad and awesome. And not that anyone will see this now, but most people in this thread were responding to my "OSX and Windows don't offer powerful window management solutions" specifically in reference to my comment about floating windows. That's just one example of many things OSX/Windows doesn't allow the user to do. Not to be too dramatic, but i3 has made me more productive, more focused and happier while working. I now fear ending up in an environment where using Linux isn't possible. It's really that good. But really, tiling window managers are that good.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

conradfr 10y ago

I use PiP all the time when watching televisions, I switch between channels during ads. About always-on-top in Windows I'm pretty sure nVidia drivers had this options years ago? I discovered TurboTop recently, it does this one job and it's great: https://www.savardsoftware.com/turbotop/ https://www.savardsoftware.com/turbotop/

drieddust 10y ago

Min Vid is a Step in right direction. One feature I miss is ability to group tabs into named entities and then sync them across devices. I am not sure why Mozilla don't want to implement it.

yoavm 10y ago
like Tab Groups? https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tab-groups-panorama/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tab-groups-pa...
- drieddust 10y ago
  I switch between devices during the day so ability to sync Tab Group is the feature I miss most. Didn;t find any solution so far.

bwat48 10y ago

Opera has had a feature like this for a while too: http://www.opera.com/blogs/desktop/2016/04/opera-beta-update-video-pop/ http://www.opera.com/blogs/desktop/2016/04/opera-beta-update...