hidden

Pros of yabai

• More comprehensive window management features, including tiling and space management
• Highly customizable with extensive configuration options
• Active development and larger community support

Cons of yabai

• Steeper learning curve due to more complex functionality
• Requires disabling System Integrity Protection (SIP) for full functionality
• Higher system resource usage compared to simpler alternatives

Code Comparison

Hidden:

@objc func toggleHidden() {
    isHidden.toggle()
    updateMenuBarIcon()
    updateDockIcon()
}

yabai:

yabai -m config layout bsp
yabai -m config top_padding    15
yabai -m config bottom_padding 15
yabai -m config left_padding   15
yabai -m config right_padding  15

Summary

Hidden is a simpler, focused tool for hiding menu bar icons, while yabai is a powerful window manager with extensive features. Hidden is easier to use and doesn't require SIP changes, but yabai offers more comprehensive window management capabilities at the cost of complexity and system modifications.

Pros of Amethyst

• More comprehensive window management features, including tiling and multiple layout options
• Highly customizable with extensive configuration options
• Active development with frequent updates and a larger community

Cons of Amethyst

• Steeper learning curve due to more complex features
• May consume more system resources due to its extensive functionality
• Requires more setup and configuration to fully utilize its capabilities

Code Comparison

Amethyst (Swift):

func cycleLayout(_ direction: Direction) {
    guard let currentSpace = focusedSpace() else { return }
    let layouts = currentSpace.layouts
    guard let currentLayout = currentSpace.currentLayout else { return }
    let currentLayoutIndex = layouts.firstIndex(of: currentLayout) ?? 0
    let nextLayoutIndex = (currentLayoutIndex + direction.rawValue + layouts.count) % layouts.count
    currentSpace.setLayout(layouts[nextLayoutIndex])
}

Hidden (Swift):

@objc func toggleHidden() {
    if (self.isHidden) {
        self.unhide()
    } else {
        self.hide()
    }
}

The code snippets highlight the difference in complexity between the two projects. Amethyst's code demonstrates more advanced window management functionality, while Hidden focuses on a simpler toggle mechanism for hiding/showing windows.

Pros of Rectangle

• More comprehensive window management features, including snapping to different screen positions and custom layouts
• Actively maintained with frequent updates and bug fixes
• Supports keyboard shortcuts for quick window positioning

Cons of Rectangle

• Larger application size and potentially higher resource usage
• More complex interface with additional settings to configure
• May have a steeper learning curve for new users

Code Comparison

Hidden:

func toggleHidden() {
    if (self.isHidden) {
        self.unhide()
    } else {
        self.hide()
    }
}

Rectangle:

func snapWindowToPosition(_ position: SnapPosition) {
    guard let screen = NSScreen.main else { return }
    let frame = screen.visibleFrame
    let newFrame = position.calculateFrame(for: frame)
    window.setFrame(newFrame, display: true, animate: true)
}

Summary

Rectangle offers more advanced window management features compared to Hidden, which focuses solely on hiding/showing windows. Rectangle provides greater flexibility for organizing workspace but may be more complex for some users. Hidden is simpler and more focused on its specific task. The code comparison shows Rectangle's more complex window manipulation functions versus Hidden's straightforward toggle functionality.

Pros of Wallpapper

• Focuses specifically on wallpaper generation, offering more customization options for this purpose
• Supports dynamic wallpapers for macOS Mojave and later
• Includes a command-line interface for easy integration into scripts or workflows

Cons of Wallpapper

• Limited to wallpaper-related functionality, unlike Hidden's broader system utility features
• Requires more setup and configuration to achieve desired results
• Less actively maintained, with fewer recent updates compared to Hidden

Code Comparison

Hidden (Objective-C):

- (void)toggleHidden {
    [self setIsHidden:![self isHidden]];
    [[NSNotificationCenter defaultCenter] postNotificationName:@"StatusItemChangedVisibility" object:self];
}

Wallpapper (Swift):

func generate(inputURL: URL, outputURL: URL, metadata: DynamicWallpaperMetadata) throws {
    let imageData = try Data(contentsOf: inputURL)
    let image = NSImage(data: imageData)!
    let cgImage = image.cgImage(forProposedRect: nil, context: nil, hints: nil)!
    // ... (additional code for image processing)
}

Both projects serve different purposes, with Hidden focusing on system-wide utility for hiding menu bar items, while Wallpapper specializes in wallpaper generation and customization for macOS.

Pros of quick-look-plugins

• Offers a wide variety of plugins for enhancing macOS Quick Look functionality
• Regularly updated with new plugins and improvements
• Provides clear installation instructions for multiple methods (Homebrew, manual)

Cons of quick-look-plugins

• Limited to macOS users only
• Requires installation of multiple plugins for different file types
• Some plugins may have compatibility issues with newer macOS versions

Code comparison

While a direct code comparison is not relevant for these repositories, we can look at how they are used:

quick-look-plugins:

brew install qlcolorcode qlstephen qlmarkdown quicklook-json qlimagesize suspicious-package apparency quicklookase qlvideo

hidden:

import Cocoa
import Foundation

let hidden = Hidden()
hidden.start()

Summary

quick-look-plugins is a collection of macOS Quick Look plugins that enhance file preview functionality, while hidden is a macOS menu bar app for hiding desktop icons. quick-look-plugins offers more versatility in terms of file type support but is limited to macOS. hidden provides a simple, focused solution for desktop management but lacks the broader functionality of quick-look-plugins.

Pros of ShiftIt

• Focuses on window management and resizing, offering more precise control over window positioning
• Provides keyboard shortcuts for quick window manipulation
• Supports multiple displays and spaces

Cons of ShiftIt

• Limited to window management functionality
• Less actively maintained (last update in 2019)
• May have compatibility issues with newer macOS versions

Code Comparison

ShiftIt (Objective-C):

- (void)moveToLeftHalf {
    SIFrame frame = SIMakeFrame(0, 0, 0.5, 1);
    [self moveAndResize:frame];
}

Hidden (Swift):

func toggleHiddenState() {
    isHidden.toggle()
    updateMenuBarIcon()
    updateDockIcon()
}

Key Differences

• Hidden focuses on hiding and showing desktop icons, while ShiftIt is dedicated to window management
• Hidden is more actively maintained and updated for recent macOS versions
• ShiftIt offers more granular control over window positioning, while Hidden provides a simpler, single-purpose functionality
• Hidden is written in Swift, while ShiftIt uses Objective-C
• ShiftIt's codebase is larger and more complex due to its broader feature set

Both projects serve different purposes, with Hidden offering a streamlined solution for desktop icon management and ShiftIt providing comprehensive window control options.