DonationCoder.com Software > Post New Requests Here

"Backdrop" for Windows

(1/2) > >>

HankFriedman:
I was visiting the wonderful website freedownloadaday.com and one of the most recent free programs offered was called Backdrop. Unfortunately it's for the Mac. Here's what it does:

Are you easily distracted? Do you have to turn your email off to keep from taking a look each time a new email from your favorite Nigerian prince comes in? Does your IM app keep you busy all day? If you lose your concentration every time something shiny flashes at you from your screen, maybe it's time to suppress all that extraneous activity on your computer.

If this all sounds like you, Backdrop can help make your life a little easier and more productive. Just fire it up, and it fills your screen, successfully obscuring all the apps running on your system except for the front-most application. Now instead of getting all bogged down with all the excitement happening in the background, you can focus on the task at hand, and actually get some work done.

Another use of Backdrop is for use when taking screenshots. If it usually takes you five minutes to tidy up your desktop to give your screen captures a clean background, all you need to do is invoke Backdrop and you've got instant clean.

Backdrop is a Mac application.

Can anyone easily create a similar app for the PC/Windows?

I'd really appreciate it.

Innuendo:
Maybe I'm just misreading what you have written or you have left something out that this program does, but when I want to "suppress all that extraneous activity on your computer" i just close every application that I deem to be extraneous at the moment & get on with my work with no distractions.

In other words, if I don't want any emails distracting me I leave my email client closed. Same thing with IMs, I'll leave my IM client closed.

Or let me rephrase this...why would you need your IM and/or email program to be running if you are going to have another program running to "block" them from being seen?

skwire:
Ghoster: https://www.donationcoder.com/Software/Skrommel/index.html#Ghoster
Dropcloth: http://lifehacker.com/software/distraction/lifehacker-code-dropcloth-windows-245774.php
Concentrate: http://www.anappaday.com/downloads/2006/09/day-10-jedi-concentrate.html

HankFriedman:
Thank you Skwire for the great links. The Dropcloth is exactly the same utility, for Windows. I really appreciate your taking the time to respond.

To answer Innuendo, let's say I want my background programs to keep working, e.g. collecting emails, becoming instantly accessible if I need them, but I want to focus on my writing, for example.

Having everything hidden except what I want to focus on is a real blessing.

thanks again everyone

skwire:
You're welcome...happy to help.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page