Amethyst alternative. Overview of the Amethyst Window Manager.

Amethyst is a popular window manager for macOS that focuses on tiling window management. It allows users to efficiently organize their windows by automatically resizing and arranging them in a tiled layout, maximizing the use of screen space.

Here are some key features and characteristics of Amethyst:

• Tiling Window Management: Amethyst follows a tiling window management approach, where windows are automatically tiled and resized to fit the screen. This enables users to view multiple applications side by side, promoting multitasking and productivity.
• Customizable Layouts: Amethyst provides various customizable layouts, including vertical and horizontal splits, as well as more complex grid arrangements. Users can define their preferred layouts and set rules for specific applications to always open in certain positions or sizes.
• Keyboard-Driven: Amethyst emphasizes keyboard-driven navigation and control. It offers a wide range of customizable keyboard shortcuts for window management actions like moving, resizing, focusing, and switching between windows and layouts. This allows for a fast and efficient workflow.
• Focus Follows Mouse: Amethyst implements a “focus follows mouse” behavior, where the active window is automatically focused based on mouse cursor position. This allows for a more fluid window switching experience.
• Configuration Options: Amethyst offers a configuration file that allows users to fine-tune various aspects of the window manager’s behavior. This includes customizing layouts, keyboard shortcuts, mouse behaviors, and application-specific rules.
• Open-Source and Community Driven: Amethyst is an open-source project, which means its source code is freely available for users to review, modify, and contribute to. This active development community ensures that the application stays up to date, receives bug fixes, and benefits from community-driven enhancements.

It’s worth noting that since Amethyst is a tiling window manager, it might not be suitable for users who prefer a more traditional, floating window approach. However, for those who enjoy the efficiency and productivity benefits of tiling window management, Amethyst provides a powerful and customizable solution.

However, Amethyst primarily relies on configuration files for customization and lacks a graphical interface for adjusting settings. Users need to manually modify the configuration file to customize layouts, keyboard shortcuts, and other behavior, which may be less user-friendly for those who prefer visual customization options. Users who prefer a graphical user interface (GUI) with visual controls and settings may find this approach less intuitive or cumbersome to work with.

The tiling window management approach of Amethyst, while efficient for power users, may be less intuitive or user-friendly for casual users or those who prefer a more traditional window management style. Users who are not familiar with or comfortable with the concept of tiling may find it challenging to adapt to Amethyst’s workflow.

As an open-source project maintained by a community of developers, the frequency and regularity of updates and bug fixes may vary. While the community strives to address issues and provide updates, there may be instances where users experience delays in receiving updates or may encounter compatibility issues with new macOS releases.

While Amethyst offers some customization options, they may be less extensive compared to other window managers. Users looking for advanced customization features, such as detailed control over window decorations or advanced theming options, may find Amethyst lacking in these areas.

If you find these drawbacks to be significant and are seeking an alternative to Amethyst, we suggest giving SMBAct a try. SMBAct offers a wealth of additional functionality that caters not only to macOS users but also to those on Windows and Linux systems. With its user-friendly intuitive interface, excellent support, helpful video tutorials, regular updates introducing new features, and robust window switcher functionality, SMBAct stands as a formidable competitor.

Here you can find detailed information about SMBAct