Laughing Means A Lot To Me

A lot of people find that backward/forward multi-touch gestures in Snow Leopard for Finder, iTunes, web browser like Chrome/Firefox, are not available any more in Lion. I wrote a solution for that in July. Later in August, the solution is not working due to the update of 10.7.1.

MagicPrefs is the software I recommended before, which is free, and gives so many gesture functions for trackpad, Magic Mouse. A few days ago I found another software, jitouch, which shows you the new definition of Multi-touch Gesture. It presents dozens of new gestures that you can define for dozens of functions.

Firstly, solve the backward/forward problem.

I know this is what you came here for. Please follow me, we take MacBook built-in trackpad as example:

1. Download jitouch here and install it.
2. Go to System Preferences - Trackpad. In tab Point & Click, uncheck the box “Three finger drag”. Maybe you would like this on. But it may cause some mis-selecting text in backward/forward action, you can take a try later. Your choice.
3. In tab More Gestures, make sure Swipe between full-screen apps is with the option Scroll left or right with FOUR fingers. It ensures that swipe with 3 fingers gesture is not occupied by system.
4. You can find jitouch setting in the bottom Other group of System Preferences. Click into it. In Trackpad tab, make sure Enable jitouch for Trackpad is checked. In the list box below, find out Three-Swipe-Left/Right. If there’s no, click “+” button to add it. Relate it to Keyboard Shortcut: CMD+[ (for Left)  and CMD+] (for Right) and save it.
5. Make sure there’s no conflict between system and jitouch setting.
6. Open Finder, iTunes, Chrome... and take a try!

Ok, why jitouch?

I feel, compare to MagicPrefs, the sensitivity of jitouch is more accurate. You can see a * . Meanwhile, MagicPrefs could do the same thing and MagicPrefs is FREE! Still, your choice.

And any other tips?

• Don’t make yourself confused by adding too many gestures. Even if you can remember, if you are using different computers in company and at home, relying on so many convenient functions makes u suffer in the other place (esp. Windows. In the mean time, I say, Go Geeks, Go! ).
• The gestures of “n-Fix other-Tab” in jitouch is brilliant, default setting of “Previous Tab / Next Tab” etc. is quite handy. Don’t waste it.
• Cheers for keeping the “Smooth History (Official name: Swipe to navigate)” of Safari (maybe in some other apps too? I’m not sure yet) and “backward/forward” of Chrome together. Yeah!

The browser war has so many players in it: IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera... and some other mobile browsers. After turning to Mac, I have a delusion that most people are using Firefox, or Safari, or Chrome. When I check the website visitor report, the truth kicks me off from the cloud -- There are still 48% IE6 users visiting the website.
I'm not a super fan of Firefox in Windows, but in Mac, all the fonts looks so nice in any browser (definitely not including IE) and I just don't want to look back to the IE in Windows. Isn't it a nightmare? With the Web Developer and Firebug add-on, Firefox is so powerful a web app development tool. In the meanwhile, the IE develop toolbar looks like a kid. Even in IE8, the improved built-in develop tool bar, has so many limitations. It's killing me.
After complaining so much, I have to face the fact: 48% IE6! The good side is, Firefox and other browsers are stronger than last year. Take Firefox for example, it grows from 7% to 8%.

See the differences? I just see it today. Interesting.