Left side scrollbar?

[The Man]

Hey,

Does anyone know a way to move the scrollbar to the left side of the windows, like in NeXTSTEP? The problem of the right side scrollbar is this:

Sometimes I move a window a little bit off screen when I have two windows open on my small iBook screen and I want to see the contents side-by-side. As our language reads from left-to-right, I move windows a little off screen to the right - most text would be readable because it begins from the left. Doing so gives me switchable overlapping windows. The problem is that by moving the window a little off screen to the right - if only a little bit - I loose my ability to scroll that window as the scrollbar is gone!

So this is the problem: you can't overlap windows on a small screen with a right side scrollbar in a language that reads from left-to-right! I need a left side scrollbar. Anyone? And don't give the suggestion of a scrollwheel mouse.

 

[blodwyn]

How about using the cursor down key on the keyboard? I think this works in most apps that are text based.

 

[The Man]

So I guess there's no solution for this? No one has ever made a hack for this? Oh well. Right side scrollbar is still wrong for a left-to-right language. When you move a window just a little off screen, boom, the scrollbar is gone. Window control buttons are in the right place: the top left. So why have they ever put the scrollbar on the right with no option to move it to the left? Everything in the OS is on the left: The menu system, the usual window control buttons like Safari's back and forward, etc, etc. Guess I'll suggest this feature to Apple, but I don't think they will add it - though you would think that Steve "NeXT" Jobs wouldn't mind adding it. I could just say that Apple should support left-handed people! I mean, If you have a Mac with touchscreen or a Wacom Cintiq! No OS, and especially the Mac, should exclude lefties! But how many left-handed Mac people have a touchscreen? But that's not the point! Come on Apple, people are accustomed to the right-sided scrollbar but just add the left-sided one under the label of innovation.

 

[Lacero]

Why don't you move your windows a little off to the left instead?

 

[The Man]

Why don't you move your windows a little off to the left instead?

Does the Western language read from the right to left? Duh. When you move it to the left, you miss half your text and you need the left half to interpret sentences. Just consider having two Finder windows open on your small iBook screen. Finder content is alligned to the left. So if I move that one window to the left, I will miss the names of the documents and the ability to navigate the sidebar! If I move one to the right, I will see the contents - as it is aligned to the left - but the scrollbar is gone. So, duh.

 

[The Man]

Well, the part of left half to interpret sentences might not hold true. But you might miss important headings or beginning of a sentence of new paragraphs. Now I'm thinking of it, usually text is a little bit indented so you won't miss the white document part. Still you miss the minimize and close controls. Well, there always command-w and the sort.

I was just looking for a hack. I thought people would have come with a hack of some sort, but apparently, it's not that easy.