Lasso - Window manager for MacOS

Hi y’all Mac Power Users!

I stumbled upon a new window manager that looks quite nice to have as an extra in the tool belt. Lasso is an mouse-centric-way of window managing. So it can come handy for the less keyboard-warriors upon us.

The developer said the following about his app:

Hey all :wave:t2:! It’s Ivan, the developer :man_technologist:t3: behind the Lasso app. Let me introduce the app - window manager for macOS. There are a lot of great apps out there that do the same thing - helping you to organize windows on your Mac. Magnet and Rectangle, Moom, and others. They all are wonderful apps. I’ve been using Rectangle myself for a few years and was ALMOST happy with it. So why do we need another window manager then? Let me just tell you my motivation - why I decided to make Lasso. As I said, I’ve been using the Rectangle app for many years. Most of the time I was using my Mac and one 27" external monitor. When it comes to window layout, mostly, I’ve been using halves and full-screen options. With a relatively small monitor, it was super easy to just drag the window to the side to change the size. And of course, there are shortcuts I can use but I always had difficulties memorizing them especially when it’s something more advanced (⌃⌥⇧ ↑ :exploding_head:). But then I bought a 38” monitor I immediately realized that the layouts, I used to, were not enough. Sometimes I even had 6 windows in front of me which I was using simultaneously. Going every time to the app settings to check which keyboard shortcut to use to apply some specific layout was a huge productivity drop for me. One may say “yeah when you are looking for some more advanced layouts the learning curve might be steep”. But even after quite some time I still could not use these shortcuts. I’m not a ”keyboard” guy for sure :person_shrugging:t3:. So I decided to make my own app. Since 1964, when the computer mouse was invented, clicks and drags are the most common way to communicate with the computer. In systems Finder you use click-n-drag to select multiple files, in computer games you use the same approach to select your characters (hello StarCraft fans :wink:) and assign them to a specific location. So I wanted to bring the same mechanics to window management. That is how Lasso was born. You may ask “How is this better than XYZ”? Honestly, I can not answer that question since “better” is very subjective. Some people might be just fine with snapping windows to the edge of the screen, and some - are hardcore shortcut lovers. But I still believe that there are users that may find my app more convenient or simpler than others. At least I myself would be in that group :smile:. You also may ask “What makes it different from XYZ”? This question I definitely can answer :wink:. Well, obviously, the grid system. It’s super easy to use - you just click and drag selection across cells representing the area where the window should go. Have some layouts that you use often? You are covered here - you can save them directly in the app for quicker access. Feel that it’s time to boost your productivity with keyboard shortcuts - it’s also there. You can create custom layouts, assign shortcuts and use the app like any other window manager. For those coming from Rectangle or Magnet, there is even an onboarding step allowing to import of predefined shortcuts so that transition to Lasso does not feel stressful. Last but not least I would mention another great little touch. With Lasso you can move windows between screens - might be handy for those having big monitors. When I was already 60% done with the app and while browsing the internet I found Divvy. Another great app that I would have used myself if I would find it earlier. Unfortunately seems abandoned nowadays but still works and has its own army of fans. You may find Lasso’s UI similar but I would say its because great minds think alike hehe :wink: In the Lasso app, there are also a lot of customization options: you can select the gutter around windows, which window should be resized (the active one or the one under the mouse), and many more - just try it yourself. The app has a trial period so you would have time to understand if you like it or not. And last but not least, as a special thank you to the ProductHunt community, I’d like to offer 25% off the Lasso app with the code B1462B76 which is valid until 31.01. I think it’s enough of an intro, if you still have questions - don’t hesitate to ask in the comments section, otherwise please check the app. Feature requests and bug reports are very welcome. For your (and for mine as well :yum:) convenience I made a form you can submit directly from the app. I will be around in the next couple of days to answer everyone. Thank you! :heart:

Anyone have already tested it?

I’ve been talking to Ivan on Twitter, helping him with small macOS dev problems and testing beta versions of Lasso. I can wholeheartedly say it’s an incredible app!

Day to day, I mostly use yabai with about 8 simple keyboard shortcuts, but from time to time I need a lot of space for diving into a subject. For that I set my monitor’s resolution to a very spacious non-scaled 4k and yabai stops being helpful for me.

I love having Lasso around for that!

Ivan’s also working on adding a way to save and restore arbitrary window layout snapshots, can’t wait to have that.

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