Expose Alternative or Active Window Manager

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Can somebody please recommend an app for MAC OS that will display my active windows? The app can run in the menubar or dock, or mount next to the doc.

Basically, something like the taskbar from Windows XP and Vista. Not Windows 7 as that shows the active programs, but not specific windows.

I'm basically looking for an Expose alternative. So if I have 10 different windows running for Firefox, I can quickly look at my menubar or somewhere near the dock, and just click the window I want to see.

Yes, I know that is what Expose is for, but I prefer to see me active windows without using a shortcut.

So far here's what I've tried:

-Going to System Preferences, and unchecking "Minimize windows into application icon" in the Dock settings. This offered a partial solution as the icons could not be distinguished for the same program. 10 firefox windows minimized would just show 10 firefox icons.

-Googling the following terms:
app switcher for mac
mac expose apps
show running apps in menubar
show expose items in menubar
pin active applications to menubar in mac
always show expose for mac
application management for mac

I've also tried running these apps:
alunch: aLunch - macTips
WindowFinder 1.4: WindowFinder: Access any window from your menubar!
Running Applications for Mac: Running Applications for Mac - Fly between running applications
XMenu: http://www.devon-technologies.com/pr...are/index.html
Himmelbar: HimmelBar - Welcome

All of these apps more or less place one icon in the menubar, which when clicked on shows your running apps, favorite apps, and system folders. This is fine, and is very similar to the windows start button. However, they all fall short because they only place one icon in the menubar, which must be clicked on to show active apps or active windows.

Can someone please point me to an app that will always be on my screen, and will show icons or labels of active windows. Again, similar to Windows taskbar before Windows 7. I know this is a difference in Mac and Windows, and that I can use the dock to see my active applications, and use the various shortcuts to see my windows, but there's got to be an app that will just always shows my active windows.

So if I have Apple Mail Open, and have 3 compose new mail windows going, I would like to see 4 icons or labels somewhere in the menubar or near the dock.

I'm on a Macbook Pro - OS 10.6.4
 
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Pressing CMD ` will cycle through your open windows. Will that accomplish what you need?

EDIT: That command cycles through the open windows of just the active app.
 
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Not really, I want to avoid any keyboard shortcuts. I just want to be able to see which windows I have running without enabling a shortcut, and then to click on the one I need.

All of the apps I tried above are able to display the info, but they choose to put in the menu of their menubar icon, where the solution would be to put the multiple window icons in the actual menu bar. I know this could quickly create a mess on the menu bar, but it would be great if there was an app that did that.
 
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When I minimize my windows to the Dock, I get an icon that is a partial representation of each window with an badge of the app it belongs to in the corner. It's not a representation of the entire window because, at that size, you wouldn't be able to distinguish one from another. So what you are seeking to do is highly impractical, thus the lack of a 3rd party solution. You can alleviate this some by minimizing the number of toolbars you have activated in your browser's settings so those take up less space in the minimized icon and more of the window contents is shown. But Exposé is really the best way to go. If you have a multi-button mouse, you could map the Exposé command to a spare button and activate it with a single click.
 
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I think the OP envisions turning a Mac into a Dell. With the Windows taskbar, you get the title of each minimized window right in front of your eyes all the time, not an image. Of course, with the Mac OS Dock, you can get the title by mousing over the image, but that involves more effort than just moving your eyeballs, which seems to be a deal killer in this case.
 
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Quite frankly, I'm surprised there isn't an widget which can be made for such a use. The first thing which popped into my head was Tynsoe projects Geek Tool but since I'm a command line tard, I wouldn't know where to begin in trying to concoct such an widget, if one is possible to make.

Doug
 
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The easiest way I've found to switch between multiple windows of the same application is Application Expose. There is Expose with a keyboard shortcut - but there is also Application Expose.

Since you are on a Macbook Pro - you didn't say what kind though - but I am assuming you have gesture support. The easiest way to get to Application Expose is to grab better touch tool - and assign it to a gesture. I assigned Expose to 4 finger swipe down and Application Expose to 4 finger swipe up
Great Tools For Your Mac By Andreas Hegenberg BetterTouchTool & SecondBar
I like Application Expose because it gives you only the windows of the app you are in - with a decent picture of the window and the title on the bottom.

You can also get to application expose by clicking and holding the running program icon on the dock - IMHO it takes too long so that is why I assigned a gesture.

I have not found anything that emulates the Windows XP/Vista bar. I do have a question though - Windows 7 taskbar does show you specific windows but you have to hover on the icon to get the little images to show up. Are you saying you like the "piles of titles" of the older versions of windows? Some people did but I am more visual than textual so I didn't care for it.

Also for other peoples edification there is ctrl-tab firefox add-on - Replaces ctrl-tab with an expose like view of all your open tabs. Doesn't help you as you don't like keyboard shortcuts.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5244/
 

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