(By way of Aaron Brethorst's blog)
Vista ships with a nice little utility which Mac users have had for a long time -- an application responsible for doing screen captures. It's called the Snipping Tool, and you can access it by typing in "snippingtool" in the start menu.
On Windows, you can do two different types of screen captures, both relying on the Print Screen button. If you hit just Print Screen, then you'll get the entire monitor captured. If you hold down Alt when hitting Print Screen, then the currently focused window is captured. In either case, the captured image is placed in the clipboard. This is a really handy utility, but has many drawbacks.
For starters, not everyone has easy access to the Print Screen button. For instance, laptop users have to hold down the Fn key to get print screen (sometimes). Another keyboard issue comes from things like KVM switches. I can do Print Screen, but not Alt+Print Screen because of my KVM. But keyboard accessibility isn't the only issue. The functionality is downright hidden in every way. Print Screen talks about printing a screen, not capturing it. That's more like a "photocopy screen" button than a "print screen" button. What's more, holding down Alt isn't intuitive for the functionality. Finally, once you successfully complete the operation, nothing visual happens! You're left wondering "what just happened there? Anything?" So while it's a very powerful piece of functionality, it's a real pain to explain it to someone who doesn't already know about it.
So I'm tickled pink to see the Snipping Tool make its introduction. It's a nice GUI way for you to capture the screen. What's more, it has some extra functionality, such as the ability to do free-hand screen captures, and capturing arbitrary rectangles of the screen. Neither of these things is available via the traditional Print Screen key. Needless to say, this little utility went directly into my quick launch bar where it belongs.
I am sure in the next Vista update they will do things like a GUI like apple or that new fangled folder technology.
Vista lets you see great expanses, almost to 1999!
Bill - LOL Maybe they'll use one of them mouse thingers too !
Har har har at both of you. Say, how many decades did it take before your beloved Apple realized that its users were finally smart enough to handle a second button on their mouse? ;-)
Come on kiddies, let's try to keep things civil. I know it may be hard (for some of you). :-P
Apples are so powerful they only need one button!
Aaron .... multi button mice have been supported for ages on Macs in various ways. I had a 4 button trackball in 1991/1992. With chording you could do all kinds of things just with buttons. It required the manufacturers driver instead of Apple's.
The fact that Apple only shipped a one button mouse is an entirely different matter from being able to support one with multiple buttons.
The need to have a multi button mouse is an entirely different matter. Most are so poorly designed that the scroll wheels are simply RSI inducers and the grip required aggravates tendonitis or carpal tunnel.
Apples also make their users look beautiful!
I call it 'The Halo Effect'.
Psst. Morgan Fairchild uses and apple, Rosie O'Donnell uses a P.C. - 'nuff said.
There's a world of difference between "supported" and "comes with." In fact, that's the point to this post! Print screen has been supported for 20+ years. However, the OS didn't come with a good utility for doing it now. The Mac has supported multi-button mice for years. But you had to spend extra money to get what the other 95+% of computer users have had for years (for free).
Can you run Windows with anything less than a two button mouse ? I really have never tried.
Apple ships one button mice in part becuase that's all they need or require in order to use a Mac.
There's no need to have a multi-button mouse on a Mac so why ship one by default ?
Are we setting up the OS Platform Jihad here? Lighten up, Geeks!
Cool feature Aaron...
You can in the same fashion you can on the Mac. It's possible, but very annoying because it just feels limiting. I strongly disagree with your statement about not having a need for a multi-button mouse on the Mac (and I believe Apple is on my side -- they're shipping multi-button mice now). I know four people who own a Mac (outside of work), and every one of them commented on their annoyance with the single-button mouse. And of those four people, one is a graphic designer, one is a programmer, one is my mother (a 55 yr old gym teacher), and one is a student. So it's a pretty wide variety of data points.
Can you operate the OS without two buttons? Sure! Is it annoying? You betcha!
@Norman: Apple doesn't ship a one button mouse any more :)
Not that I disagree with your point....
I want to control my PC with a Nintendo Wii Remote Controller :)
I think the bigger point is who uses the mouse that comes with the computer on any platform. We just bought a new HP computer at home and it came with a ball mouse. I immiediately swapped it with the nice Microsoft mouse I had been using on the old computer. Even at work we either upgrade the mouse when we order the computer or go out and buy a Microsoft mouse.
@Scott P: you can. I just saw a guy doing it in my class the other day. Look around for the drivers.
@Seth: LOL! Seriously? hehe... And here I found I was being a smart-ass :P
Of course, first I'll need to actually get my hands on a Wii! They're selling like crazy here. None of the local stores can keep them in stock for more than a few minutes. :P
Yup :\