CyberNotes: TrayDevil goes Beyond Minimizing to the System Tray

This article was written on January 23, 2007 by CyberNet.

CyberNotes
Time Saving Tuesday

TrayDevil Last week I wrote an article on freeware applications that let you arrange your windows in a more organized, and productive fashion. Then in the comments Everton mentioned an application that he found that lets you minimize windows to the System Tray. The only problem was that the link he posted vanished, and he didn’t mention what the name of the program was.

I’ve done a post before about minimizing applications to the System Tray and the popular one was 4t Tray Minimizer. There is both a paid and free version of that application. I also brought up other alternatives like Opera’s built-in Ctrl+H shortcut to minimize the browser to Tray…and you don’t have to install a thing to do that.

Then there is TrayDevil (download mirror): a freeware application that does more than just minimize windows to the System Tray. I’m not sure if this is the application that Everton was talking about in his comment, but when a friend of mine told me about it I couldn’t pass it up. Now that I have had some time to explore the program I thought I would share all of the things that it can do.

–Minimizing Windows–

The primary purpose of TrayDevil is to let you minimize applications to the System Tray that normally couldn’t be. There are all kinds of applications I find this useful for, like Web browsers and file explorers, but if you completely understand how TrayDevil works it will become an amazing tool.

To minimize a window you can do one of two things:

  • While holding Ctrl, Shift, or Alt just left-click on the titlebar of the window you want to minimize.
  • My favorite way is to simultaneously left-click and right-click on the titlebar which is a one-handed way of minimizing a window.

I would say the most unique thing happens when you have a window minimized to the System Tray. Unlike other tray applications that I have used, TrayDevil will keep the application’s icon in the System Tray even after clicking to maximize it. Of course, that’s only if you single-click because if you double-click it will remove the icon.

If you right-click on a minimized window you will receive the following options:

TrayDevil

The Min, Max, and Close button options will disable those buttons on a given window. I haven’t really found this to be too useful quite yet, but I guess it could be if you wanted to make sure you didn’t accidentally close a window.

Then there is the Restore button (TrayDevil Restore ) which is equivalent to double-clicking on the icon…it restores the window and removes the icon from the tray.

The bottom option that has the up arrow (TrayDevil System Tray ) is equivalent to single-clicking on an icon…it restores the window but leaves the icon in the tray. After a window has been restored the right-click menu option changes to a down arrow (TrayDevil Minimize ) which will minimize the window back to the System Tray. 

 

–Shutdown, Restart, and More–

So what happens when you right-click on the TrayDevil icon? It provides you with all sorts of options like turning your monitor off or restarting your computer. It isn’t the end of the world if you accidentally click on one of those options while you were on your way to the settings…TrayDevil gives you 10-seconds (or more/less if you customize it) to cancel any of the operations.

TrayDevil Power Management

 

–Customization and Settings–

Options, options, options…TrayDevil has them! There are all sorts of things you can finetune with my favorite being the application’s tray icon. Instead of adding another worthless icon to the System Tray (I currently have 16), it lets you completely turn it off or display what day of the month it is. Thank goodness that there are some developers in the world who think outside the box. 😀

There are several other options that can be customized, so I thought I would take screenshots of all the things you can configure (many of which pertain to hotkeys):

General  System Tray  Power  Run Program  Minimize to Tray  Restore / Close  Transparency  Hotkeys 

 

–Overview–

As you can see this is one powerful freeware application that offers a wealth of customizability. It handles so smoothly that it is now one of my favorite programs, where I previously used 4t Tray Minimizer (free). The program is very light weight so you don’t have to worry about it taking up resources…go on now, it’s calling your name:

Download TrayDevil from their homepage
Download TrayDevil from our mirror

Copyright © 2013 CyberNetNews.com

Amazing: Add an XGL-Like Effect to Firefox Tabs with this Extension

This article was written on January 09, 2007 by CyberNet.

Tab Effects

If you are just the slightest bit familiar with Linux then I am sure that you have heard of XGL. It is what adds all of the realistic 3D effects to the windows that you drag around and the virtual desktops that you switch between. Of course, one of the most popular features is probably the 3D cube for switching between your virtual desktops.

There is a new Firefox extension in town and it is called Tab Effect (the screenshot above is from the extension, not XGL). With the assistance of a little DirectX 8 (and beyond) it is able to provide transitional effects when switching between your tabs. Now it isn’t exactly like XGL where you can manually rotate a cube for switching between tabs, but the animation makes it look like you are rotating a cube each time you switch tabs. Honestly, this is the most amazing visual effect that I have ever seen in Firefox. If you’re one of those people who doesn’t like a little extra “eye candy” then this extension won’t be for you…it doesn’t make you more productive or add any useful features.

So now for the downside. I’m not sure if this will happen for everyone, but whenever I tried to create a new blank tab Firefox would crash if I was running this extension. If I was just opening a link to a site in a new tab it would be fine, but that is still quite a huge drawback for me. The extension was just released yesterday so there are a lot of kinks that needed to be worked out (and reading through the comments confirms that), but I’m sure it will continue to be developed since it is a new extension. Not to mention that this could put Firefox ahead of other browsers in terms of visual effects.

Once it stabilizes I will definitely be adding this to my small collection of extensions!

Copyright © 2013 CyberNetNews.com

Skullcandy launches Edit headphone customization service, personalized cans from $199 (video)

Skullcandy launches Edit headphone customization service, personalized cans from $199

One charge you could never level at Skullcandy is that its headphones are drab. But, if you were still thinking that the designs just aren’t, well, jazzy enough, perhaps the new Edit service is for you. Taking a page out of Fanny Wang’s book, the headphone maker has handed the painter’s palette over to you. An online tool presents you with a stock pair of Aviators, letting you choose the color of the headband, frame, cord and ear caps — all for $199. If you’re even more fussy specific, an extra $20 will open up extra cap options. The creatively challenged among you needn’t worry either, as there is a randomize button, and once you’ve conjured up something to your taste, naturally you can share it with your social world. Already set on your team’s colors? Wave a brush over the source link to get started.

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Awesome Mom Paints Her Son’s Converse, Dark Knight Style

So last week, we saw how awesome dads could be. First, there was the dad who built his daughter her very own backyard roller coaster. Then there was the dad who turned his kid’s toy car into a real one. But moms can be awesome, too, and today we’ve got an example of one. Now what she did might not be something of epic proportions or mechanical in nature, but it’s a labor of love, just like what those dads did.

Redditor zacch wanted a pair of Batman Converse, but didn’t have the cash. So instead of buying one for him, his mom took one of his old pairs and painted all sorts of cool Batman stuff on them.

Converse Mom
Not only do they look awesome, but they’re also one-of-a-kind, considering that his mom customized them and all.

The post on Reddit has amassed a lot of praise, comments, and request, which prompted zacch’s mom to accept requests for customized shoes. If you’re interested in getting a pair of customized kicks, check out his mom’s blog and use the email on that site to send in your requests or inquiries.

[via Boing Boing]