I realize that this blog post will not be for everyone. Not everybody has tons of windows open at any given time, nor needs a quick way to manage windows. Yet if you do any kind of development (or research related writing) on a mac, Irradiated Software’s SizeUp may be exactly what you were looking for.

SizeUp let’s you quickly resize windows using keyboard shortcuts. You can instantly size a window to take up 1/2 or 1/4 of the screen and place it in any corner with a simple hot-key. (You may also make a window full screen, or centered at a specified dimension). This is extremely useful if you need to drag files between several finder windows, monitor several terminals, or even just write a document side by side with a website. For more information about SizeUp’s features check out the product page and the screencast.

One thing, completely unrelated to the functionality of this product is the product licensing fees. For me, this kind of functionality is quite useful but I would never pay the developer’s suggested price tag of $9.99. A program to manipulate my windows via the keyboard is just not worth $10 to me (call me cheap). Yet I would be willing to pay a developer a few dollars for this kind of functionality. Irradiated Software understands this and has put in place “Name Your Price” licensing. Basically the developer sets a “suggested” price and a minimum price (to cover his costs) and then lets you pay the value you feel you will get out of the product. This pricing model, in my oppinion, really makes SizeUp a good value.

Even more, if the $2.99 minimum price is still too much for you, there is also a slimmed down version of SizeUp named TwoUp—which is freeware.

In conclusion, if you do much development or writing check out Irradiated Software’s SizeUp. It’s a simple program yet a big time saver!