{"id":50296,"date":"2025-12-03T16:14:18","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T21:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/?p=50296"},"modified":"2025-12-13T08:58:35","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T13:58:35","slug":"alan-and-aaron","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/2025\/12\/03\/alan-and-aaron\/","title":{"rendered":"Alan and Aaron"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tyler Hall<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

Maybe it’s because my eyes are getting old or maybe it’s because the contrast between windows<\/a> on macOS keeps getting worse. Either way, I built a tiny Mac app last night that draws a border around the active window. I named it “Alan”.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Nick Heer<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

I wish it did not feel understandable for there to be an app that draws a big border around the currently active window. That should be something made sufficiently obvious by the system.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Back in the System 7 days, Apple itself was working on a new design featuring thicker window borders. Users liked the forthcoming design so much that they installed the Aaron<\/a> system extension to get it early. System 8 was codenamed Copland<\/a>, after composer Aaron Copland<\/a>. “Alan” is presumably a reference to departing<\/a> Apple design VP Alan Dye.<\/p>\n\n

Previously:<\/p>\n