Better alt+tab for Gnome?

Is there any Alt+Tab module for gnome that make it behave more like it is in Windows 7?

Edit: By how it behaves more like Windows 7, I mean when you press Alt+Tab you can also, when you have those keys pressed in, navigate through the windows with the arrow keys

Solution 1:

You can customise window switching using CompizConfig Settings Manager (CCSM) .

If you launch CCSM, you will find the relevant options (highlighted) in the 'Window Management' section. The 'Switcher' options are all a variation on the traditional Alt+Tab behaviour but they are much more customisable and you can use any keyboard shortcut you want.

You can enable them by ticking the checkbox next to the option. Click on the option to configure it. To get Alt+Tab behaviour you need to set the keyboard shortcut for the 'Next Window' action to Alt+Tab.

To set the keyboard shortcut, click the button to the right of 'Next Window' and follow the dialog to grab the key combination that can be Alt+Tab, Super+Tab or any other combination you prefer.

You may use any number of these window switchers but you must use different keyboard shortcuts so that they don't conflict.

As for:

make it behave more like it is in Windows 7

I have never used this operating system so I don't know how it behaves. I assume it is a window switcher with eye candy - this is what these Compiz Plugins provide.

Note: you need to run Compiz (desktop effects) for this solution to work. This requires the appropriate drivers and a sufficient graphics card to work.

Solution 2:

With Compiz (the the well known window manager with composition), you may use any key/mouse combination (not only alt-tab> to switch between windows (there are many plugins included with Compiz that may change the behavior).

To install Compiz (supposing that your video card is compiz-capable):

sudo apt-get install compiz compizconfig-settings-manager

Once installed, goto "System" -> "Preferences" -> "CompizConfig Settings Manager", and start playing with it!

Solution 3:

I think that

behave like Windows7

means to allow browsing through available windows (after Alt+Tab is pressed) using arrow-keys, Page Up, Page Down, Home, End, mouse etc.

I have tried to solve this but the only compiz module (compiz=window manager in Gnome) which supports this feature is the shift switcher (maybe ring switcher supports it to).

It seems that the traditional window switchers (flat overview of windows composed in a table, without animations) such as Static App. Switcher or App. Switcher don't support this behavior.

To set up those switchers in Gnome (compiz), use CompizConfig Settings Manager (CCSM) (might be necessary to install it). For details about CCSM see the answer of dv3500ea.

On the other hand, you could try kde4 which supports this feature.

Or you can use Gnome-Shell which also supports this app-switching behavior.