Leopard: Spaces Bug

Unwanted space switching when using cmd+tab application switching.

· updated · 3 min read · zydev.info archive

*UPDATE: If you’re using Proteron’s LiteSwitch XThis link is dead and no longer works. you wont be effected by this bug. Hopefully Apple will fix this issue in the upcoming 10.5.1 update.*

*UPDATE 2: I just installed the 10.5.1 update, and it seems like this bug has been fixed, as far as I can tell so far, I’ll update further in a few days if I still have issues.*

*UPDATE 3: With quite some delay, I have to say that the issue hasn’t been fixed, just improved a bit, it happens less than half the time when switching to apps with windows on multiple desktops now, rather than the 80-90%? of the time it did before.*

I’ve been running Mac OS X 10.5 LeopardThis link is dead and no longer works. now for 3-4 days and surprise surprise, I’m (mostly) loving it :)

One thing that’s been annoying me though, is a bug in SpacesThis link is dead and no longer works.. When you’ve got multiple windows from a single application you can get some very unwanted space switching when using cmd+tab application switching.

If you’re running Leopard, try it yourself. You’ll need three running applications, I’ll use Safari, TextEdit and Finder for this example. Also note this bug doesn’t seem to happen EVERY time, but at least most of the time the following steps are done:

  1. In space 1, open a Safari, a TextEdit and a Finder window.

  2. In space 2 open a new Safari window and switch back to space 1.

  3. Click on the Safari window in space 1 making it the active application.

  4. Using cmd+tab switch from Safari to Finder, and then back to Safari again the same way, then switch from Safari to TextEdit, and back to Safari again. Works fine.

  5. Now however, switch from Safari to Finder, then from Finder to TextEdit, and then from TextEdit to Safari…errr what just happened?

What happened was that you switched back to Safari, but you’ve also been automagically transported to space 2, even if you wanted to stay put in space 1.

This happens thanks to a feature of Spaces which obviously isn’t working perfectly as it should. When you switch to an application which is in another space using the dock or cmd+tab Spaces will automatically switch to that space.

So, simply put, Spaces doesn’t always properly detect which is the active window of an application, and wrongfully switches you to the wrong window on the wrong desktop.

One more thing…

…which I find annoying, but which I imagine is a feature rather than a bug, is how Spaces handles the restoration of minimized windows. Lets say you minimize a window in space 1, and then you move on to space 3 to do some other work. Then you wanna work on the minimized window in space 3 so you restore it. But this switches you back to space 1 (where you minimized the window in the first place) and restores the window there. I can see the logic behind this cause minimizing is not meant to be a way to move windows between spaces, its merely a way to get windows you don’t need right now out of the way. However, personally I’d like the window to just pop back up in whatever space I’m in right now.

So my final thoughts of Spaces is that it needs some bug fixing, and more settings in the Spaces System Preferences pane for customizing a few behaviors. Oh and a menubar pager like ye ol’ Desktop Manager which gives you an overview of all desktops would be awesome. Its the one thing i miss from Desktop Manager.