A special "select" mode in Windows applications that makes the selected section either completely or largely transparent, allowing one to see that section, and only that section, of the obscured window
-- theircompetitor, Nov 25 2004

Glass 2K http://www.chime.tv...ducts/glass2k.shtml
Makes Windows windows transparent. [waugsqueke, Nov 26 2004]

FoldnDrop http://liihs.irit.fr/dragice/foldndrop/
Fold, bend, and toss your windows away [Viaken, Sep 05 2005]

Metisse/Façades http://insitu.lri.fr/metisse/facades/
Allows to dig holes in windows [dragice, May 28 2007]

Edward W. Ishak & al. http://video.google...1810507853588418440
also describe techniques for making windows locally transparent [dragice, May 28 2007]

Just set the foreground and background colours to be the same, for a similar effect
-- pottedstu, Nov 26 2004


What application would this have [tc]?
-- zen_tom, Nov 26 2004


My graphics card at work makes windows semi-transparent when I drag them, allowing me to achieve roughly this effect by mousing down on the window title bar. (It also allows me to make particular windows permanently semi-transparent, although I find that too confusing.)
-- DrCurry, Nov 26 2004


When you say 'selection mode' do you mean like drawing a mouse-rectangle to see through the active window? i.e. so you could dynamically see reference text in another window behind the acive one e.g. like a Help-Page or a set of instructions hiding behind a working window.

It would be like cutting transparent holes through your windows so you could see what was behind them. The more I think about it, the more I like it! [+]
-- zen_tom, Nov 26 2004


pottedstu, zen_tom points out the exact application. It seems no matter how large the desktop, you get into a situation where you have to click back and forth between multiple documents.

This would be a way to work on one while seeing the relevant section of the other.
-- theircompetitor, Nov 26 2004


I've seen exactly this demonstrated where the atop (boolean combine) window remains transparent. Focus swaps the z order but whichever is atop is transparent to the overlaid region of the next window in z order.

It seems a bit fussy to me as, depending on the window contents, the result is visually confusing.
-- bristolz, Nov 26 2004


Glass 2K does this. Don't like it much.
-- waugsqueke, Nov 26 2004


Ah but [bristolz], it's not the whole window that's see-through, just the bit you've peeled away with your mouse. The part of the window you're using remains opaque, you know roughly where the information is you want to reference on the window behind. So you make a hole in your top window just to uncover that bit. It would be even better if you could lift text using copy and paste type functionality too.

Programmers who have to keep on referring to documentation on syntax or class structure, or for people who have to run scripts in a particular order etc or whatever would find this most handy - it IS lazy, but would be pretty neat.
-- zen_tom, Nov 26 2004


As I pointed out, perhaps badly, the region that is transparent in the focus window is only that which intersects with the subordinate window. Maybe if application UI designers took such transparency into account designs could be made which optimize the utility of such an arrangement.

Alternatively, <to be continued when I'm on a real computer intead of this pocketpc>
-- bristolz, Nov 26 2004


Sounds like you need a bigger monitor dude. Personally, I am waiting gonna wait for one of those VR goggles. I think there might be a requirement for not having a background at all so you can see what is actually going on around you...
-- madness, Nov 26 2004


Kinda nice idea [+], but (for us Windoze users), what's wrong with ALT-TAB?
-- Anchovy, Nov 26 2004


I love this idea. I can think of probably ten different times in the past month that I could have used this!

I spend the day on the computer, often copying or referring to the work of others. Having 25 windows open, and trying to refer to text from multiple windows gets to be a pain. It's often very inconvenient to Alt-Tab or line up the windows so that I can see everything I need to see as I am typing.

Cool idea - not a "get rich" idea, but just a feature that people can use or not. Here's a transparent bun for you [ ].
-- hugesmile, Nov 27 2004



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