Hover Explorer

Browse a file tree through hovering:

Problem

"What if we could browse all files and folders without clicking?"

A typical file explorer GUI, like Finder on Mac, requires you to click or tap to browse files and folders. Hover Explorer replaces that with hovering: you move the mouse over icons for files and folders and keep going until you reach your destination, then a single click opens it.

Lessons

• I discontinued this project because Mac has Spotlight, which lets you search using natural language. As far as I know, this is the most efficient way to search for files on a laptop. You just type part of the file name and the system handles the rest.
• Switching between keyboard and mouse is too slow.

Future

It's interesting to question things we use every day by default, like a file explorer. That said, the future of search and other desktop controls will likely lean toward natural language, whether typed or spoken.

Technical details

• Implemented in Java.
• A node expands when the cursor hovers over it, and collapses when the cursor moves away: