OnTopReplica

Good job! Keep up!

This program is fantastic. I've tried several other options, but this is the only one that allows me to watch video without all the distractions of the rest of the website. Cheers!

Sweet app. I use it all the time. Props!

P.S. - Enable it to save and/or auto-load templates! drool

Hi I just found this app and it is almost perfect for what I was looking for. The problem is the click forwarding doesnt seam to work very well (or at all in my case).

Im mainly trying to have it display a section of a window from a windowed 3d game (eve online) and for example allow me to click/type into a chat window.

If this could be possible id be happy to pay for this app

Hi,

A great feature would be to have a menu of the saved window regions appear when you hover over the window that you'd like to select, allowing you to chose the window and region in the same number of clicks it now takes just to choose the window.

Cheers again for a fantastic application.

Why not just use VLC's "Always on top" setting in minimal mode?

@Nic: yes, both VLC's and WMediaPlayer's "always on top" options work great for watching movies. OnTopReplica can clone pretty much every window or a subregion of it, so it also works for watching youtube videos, keeping an eye on a download, a build,... whatever you may find useful.

If you just want to watch a movie, VLC or WMP do it well on their own.

Great app, but also, great page, great explanation, great examples, this is an amazing presentation of your program, so kudos to you for that as well, sir!

You know. This is one of the small reasons reason why Linux is actually better than Windows on the desktop and why Windows market share is declining: This feature is built in. I can do this indiscriminately and without hacks or third party add-ons.

I love to use this software, being an IT specialist need to find something that doesn't mess with my other work.

This has been a feature of most linux window managers for about a decade.

How do you do this in Linux?

@name - You always just right click on the title bar of a window in Linux and click always on top or something like that. It's built in to almost all Linux window managers. And it has been for a very very long time.

Another fun wm action Windows has never had an never will have is shading. Not.. LIGHT shading, but... sliding the window up into its titlebar so that pretty much the only thing you see is the titlebar. It's useful for looking behind a window without unfocusing it, or looking at the desktop without "shoiw desktop" or minimiozing everything. Other things Windows will never have is virtual desktops and many special window management functions related to it, and even minor stuff like scrolling with the mouse wheel even in unfocused windows or middle mouse button instant-copy-and-paste. (You select something, you go somewhere else, you middle click, VOILA, duplicated text. Windows doesn't even ATTEMPT to do this.)

Those are ALL things you'll NEVER get out of the box in Windows, and will usually get as really crappy third-party hacks written by people who use Linux by default.

If you have a decent mouse and simple knowledge of macros, middle-click copy/paste is easy. If you have a hard time managing your windows, the Alt-Tab in Windows 7 (and Vista I think) peeks through the other windows into the actively selected one.

This app is also for Windows... I'm not sure about the incessant need for native support for these features and the Linux fanboyism... Is there a shortage of Linux tools or message boards to comment on? It's like posting on a site about running shoes how horrible they are for snow, as snow functionality has been built into snowshoes for ages... Who cares if I want a snowshoe conversion for my running shoes? Everybody already uses and is familiar with running shoes. OnTopReplica is anything but crappy.

Look at Xechorizo. Butthurt Windows user.

Guess what, Linux users don't need macros for middle click pasting. Alt tab is nice but it doesn't unclutter your desktop or help you manage windows that much no matter what bells and whistles Aero puts on it.

Speaking of Aero. Aero is an incredibly bland compositor compared to things like Compiz. Microsoft can't even deliver on things like desktop effects compared to Linux Lets see... Aero gives you 6 total effects, none of which you can really configure, and it takes at least a gig and a half for Windows to even let you turn it on, let alone get a decent frame rate.

Compiz, in the meantime, has over 96 plugins, every one of which lets you change it every which way, including changing the key bindings for each one, and still manages to run comfortably even on as low as 256 MiB RAM.

Which brings us to ANOTHER thing Linux beats the crap out of Windows on: Efficiency. Windows is, quite simply, PURE BLOAT. Despite Windows utterly lacking in features and usability compared to Linux. Windows still manages to install as 12 GiB. MINIMUM. No extras whatsoever or any of your applications installed.

Now, lets compare that to Linux, WITH extras and all the apps you wanna use. 5 GiB. That's IF you use a lot of apps and a GARGANTUAN desktop environment like GNOME or KDE. 5 GiB! Windows has no excuse for the bloat, but Microsoft will sure as hell try!

There is no need for native support. But we are pointing out why it;s so funny how Windows takes over the desktop while lacking anything actually useful in the "desktop" department. Stuff Linux users get out of the box you have to hunt down shitty third party programs, hacks, and patches in Windows.

Oh, and don't get me started on how Linux always gets hardware support sooner than Windows. USB 2 AND 3, x86_64, Itanium, you name it.

If you are hoping to deflect comparisons between Linux and Windows that show Linux to be exactly how it is: Superior to Windows in every way, you're going to have to come armed with more than calling anyone who demonstrate's Linux's superiority a fanboy. And pointing out what market share Windows has doesn't prove Windows is a better desktop option. It just proves what was already found in court: That Microsoft STOLE market share from much more honest, and dare I say more COMPETENT, software companies. Popularity does not a quality system make. Quantity != Quality.

Não funcionou no meu windows-7. Queria uma solução.

Obrigado!

Assuming superiority is an awfully closed-minded statement. Ad hominem remarks are cute and all, fangirl, but I prefer an actual software selection and something that can run a game apart from a shitty emulator. Unless you're running an OS on a toaster, 12 gigabytes of disk space and a few gigs of RAM isn't exactly short on supply... assuming you don't live in a third-world country. Either way, this comment section isn't for petty internet arguments.

However, out of courtesy to Lorenz, this is my last comment. Great utility - I use it every day with multiple monitors.

"actual software selection"

Your software selection is, and keep in mind this is all personal opinion, very week when compared to the built in functionality of linux and unix in general. One wonderful example of this is drivers. If you want to access a piece of hardware that's on another linux computer (let's say the mouse) all you need to do is share the file that means mouse over ssh to the other computer. now you have hardware level access to the mouse. On windows such a feat is all but imposable and the tools to do it are definatly not default on most systems.

As for games it's true not all games will work out of the box on linux but if you're willing to put it the time you can get almost perfect compatibility by replacing the built in dlls with windows native (and probably illegal) dlls.

Out of the box I can play all source games perfectly.

I am wondering exactly what this comment section is for if not debate however. are we simply to mindlessly praise the author? I think that if you can create such a tool praise from random internet commenter will be quite hollow, it's probably better to have discussions and debates.

This tool is anything but crappy, it adds useful functionality to a very limited OS, however it does make me sad when skilled developers replicate work other people have done, especially when they are adding value to a product someone else makes money off of without getting paid. especially when I think the product hurts the entire tech industry.

@Yaro, OnTopReplica isn't to keep windows on top.

How do you clone windows in Linux?

@Name

it is to keep windows on top, the fact that it clones it is just a hack to get around the limitations of windows. If for some reason you wanted to get 2 copies of the same window on one desktop (I have no idea why) the only way to do it is by using a remote desktop viewer like vnc. keep in mind that it can view single windows and if you disable compression is as good as the original and slightly less resource intensive then rendering a new window from scratch.

so how would I do it? install a vnc server (in ubuntu, system, preferences, enable remote desktop viewing) then go to a terminal and type "vnc localhost -appshare {the sid of the app you want cloned}" then enter your password.

Listen people, I don't care about the whole "my OS is better than yours" debate. Let's keep this comment thread about OnTopReplica: I use Linux and Mac OS, I know there are other options to do what OnTopReplica does (more or less), I don't care.

Next evangelic/fanboyish comments will be deleted.

Thank you Xechorizo for the kind words.

Wow. Took me a while but I finally found an alternative to Video-in-Picture. Your app is great. Does exactly what I needed.

One more app for my arsenal. Thank you.

Super! Just what I was looking for! One issue to solve: it stops working (freezes) when the selected window is minimized. I don't know if that's a Vista DWM limitation or OnTopReplica's one though.

Finally I found a software that could help me watch some video while I'm working ;p If you could add a shortcut key to hide and restore it would be great!!! Thanks Lorenz... This really rockz...

@ASR: yes, this is because Windows stops repainting a window once it is minimized (for performance reasons). Therefore the cloned thumbnail freezes as well. Applications like Windows Media Player which render to an offscreen window continue to update as usual when minimized, but this requires extra effort by who makes the app.

@mcy: good idea, just like the "boss key" that was included in old games! I've uploaded a small update (2.9.4) right now that registers a global hot key (Ctrl+Alt+O) that hides/shows OnTopReplica. Should work, let me know.

Could it be possible for the app to maximize the window if you accidentally minimize it?. To force the monitored window to always be maximized.

I'd just updated to 2.9.4, but the short-cut key doesn't work... would it be my com problem??

How do I stop the notifications?!

@mcy: my mistake, the hot key is Ctrl+Shift+O!

@Alex: that would be pretty invasive I think. I've been trying to find a way to force an app to repaint even when minimized, but nothing seems to work for now...

MIGHTY LORENZ!!!! Thanks!! It works perfectly... and now I can play hide and seek with this app

By the way, it would works in Window 7 also right???

Great. Yes, it works in Windows 7, however I didn't have enough time yet to integrate it with the new features, like the taskbar. That will be something for version 3.0...

Can't wait!!! this software will be in my new lappy soon!!! Thanks for your time for this software

I love this app! I've been looking for something like this for years! (Thanks to DownloadSquad for the mention.)

love the program! nothing like DWM-based eye candy. it's so resource conservative... (I know you can never seem to have enough, but i will suggest/ask nonetheless) Can you add the interface that when one left clicks on the ontopreplica window without click forwarding turned on, the focus shifts to the window being replicated?

Thanks for the great program! I just started using it for watching some video podcasts while working. Any chance on getting the ability to have more than one active preview? I'm also checking out www.ntwind.com/software/sticky-previews.html (payware) and the one thing I really like about it is the ability to have more than one preview going.

Sad to say it will not install correctly for me (on Vista Home Premium). I keep getting the following error message:

[Window Title] Microsoft Windows

[Main Instruction] OnTopReplica has stopped working

[Content] A problem caused the program to stop working correctly. Windows will close the program and notify you if a solution is available.

Have I missed something in terms of installation instructions? Thanks.

Can I just say that it would be great if people could just stick to the subject in hand.

Lorenz, I would like to try your utility, it sounds quite cool. I have collected a few such utilities when rolling out Windows 7 at my workplace. All very functional to make things easier for the users, and I think this one will help, especially with referencing documents.

Lorenz, I'll let you know how it goes.

A few suggestion:

Allow clickthrough support to semi transparent "non full screen" windows.

Remember replicated windows (save session) together with dimension, placement, region etc. and restore them whenever needed.

Can it be made to work on XP?

I'd like to report that my copy of Windows 7 Ultimate x64 also fails to run OnTopReplica. Same symptoms as Andrea above. Maybe it's a 64-bit problem?

It's running flawlessly here on Win7 Ult x64. Although I have UAC disabled.

@asdfdsa: you can switch to the window being replicated by right clicking on OnTopReplica and clicking on "Switch to window".

@Will: nice, didn't know about Sticky Previews. Could be used for some inspiration... (zooming via mouse wheel was enabled in some older version, but it never worked correctly, perhaps I'll be able to fix it in the future).

@Andrea, Ross Presser: it works fine on 64-bit and UAC shouldn't be an issue I think. I pushed an updated version (2.9.5) today: it should now write a dump file to your desktop when it crashes. Please send it to me via e-mail and I'