ADD and the Computer

A sampling of my computer life...

Published on May 6, 2004 By mrperky In Health & Medicine

On the Adult ADD Forum at ADHD News I was interested to see another use describe some of his computer use. That topic made me think about what mine is like...

First, visually, I like the Mac metaphor. If I could use a G4 or G5 at work then I would. I emulate as much of the Mac interface as I can. This is visually disturbing to those who see my computer and expect it to have that Windows XP Bliss look. Task bar at the top, Apple logo in place of Start Menu logo, no quick launch bar. I also use Stardock's ObjectDock to emulate the OS X Dock. Move icons for my computer, et al, over to the right side, remove the recycle bin and it's a pretty fair imitation of the OS X experience. It would be really cool to see all the application menus translated on the task bar, but I'm not happy enough with this functionality in ObjectBar yet. It may improve but I feel the problem is within Windows (gasp!) and not within ObjectBar.

I also use a tabbed browser -- MyIE in fact. I need to have the IE rendering engine in order to develop my applications, so Mozilla is right out. This lets me use multiple windows in a MDI interface without cluttering the task bar or my screen.

I also use a kind of "tabbed desktop" metaphor when using virtual desktops. I use the excellent Multi-Desk software, not published by TechSuperior. This lets me have 2 to many desktops and lets me move program windows between them easily, while only taking a few spots on the system tray for each virtual desktop.

I keep a lot of applications running constantly. MyIE with a few tabs at all times. I also use Visual Studio for programming, keep EditPlus open for HTML editing and programming, and a terminal services session or two up for work on the servers. I also have the SQL Server utilities up on a regular basis. Lastly, for e-mail and calendaring, Microsoft Outlook stays up.

Each set of tools gets its own virtual desktop so that I can keep things organized. Visual Studio on #1, EditPlus and IE on #2, SQL Tools on #3, MyIE on #4 and Outlook on #5. It seriously freaks people out to see these applications pop in and out when I'm hotkeying through the various desktops.

What does your desktop look like? How do you use it?

Comments

werewolf

on May 09, 2004

Hee hee... know what you mean.

werewolf

on May 09, 2004

hmmm my reply was chopped off

I use Aston Alt-Desk with 7 desktops and Winstep Workshelf to organize all the projects I'm working on. Use Avant Browser with several auto loading tabs. I've got tons of stuff loaded all the time. I keep one desktop completely empty for the 'peace and quiet' times when I need to take a break.

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