Mac and Windows OS users will know of some of the benefits of Beryl through their own user experiences. Both operating systems include shortcut keys that let users check out all of their currently open windows.
Mac OS X scored a user-friendly hit with its desktop organizer called Expose. Using three hot keys, Mac users can view all of their open windows, all of the windows open in a certain application, or they can instantly clear their screen of all windows and view their desktop.
PC users also have been able to switch between programs easily by pressing alt-tab to scroll through their open applications and folders. The Mac OS included a similar program switcher that grew more similar to the PC version as OS X matured.
For webmasters who prefer the open-source world of Linux, Beryl combines all of these features and adds a slew of others. When a user wants to see their open windows, Beryl presents them with an animated, rotating cube that represents all of them. Users can rotate the cube to see different groups of windows, and they can tighten in their focus by only viewing certain groups of windows in easy-to-see groups.
Hitting the familiar alt-tab combination will also bring up a program switcher similar to the Windows OS, but with live preview thumbnails of the programs and folders in question so users have an easier time figuring out what they need to do.
For more information on Beryl, visit the official website. A video preview of it in action is available on YouTube.
