Is there any way (preferably system-wide) to stop programs from stealing
focus? Many large programs do this, especially web browsers and office
programs, these will *always* steal your focus, no matter what you're
doing. I find it really annoying to click on a browser icon, go back to
what I was doing and then after a few seconds losing focus in the window
I was using because the browser has opened. It's like they consider
themselves to be way more important than whatever it is you're doing.
Why can't these programs open *behind* the window which has currently
focus? I will switch to them when I'm ready, they should not steal the
focus in such an abrupt manner. This really annoys me.

On Thu, 29 Feb 2024 20:37:09 +0100, Monsieur wrote:

> Is there any way (preferably system-wide) to stop programs from stealing
> focus? Many large programs do this, especially web browsers and office
> programs, these will *always* steal your focus, no matter what you're
> doing. I find it really annoying to click on a browser icon, go back to
> what I was doing and then after a few seconds losing focus in the window
> I was using because the browser has opened. It's like they consider
> themselves to be way more important than whatever it is you're doing.
> Why can't these programs open *behind* the window which has currently
> focus? I will switch to them when I'm ready, they should not steal the
> focus in such an abrupt manner. This really annoys me.

I had the same issue. I'm using LMDE 6 Cinnamon and I now able to right
click on the program I want to stay in focus, click the box "Saty on Top"
and my program always stays on top of other programs that are opening.

--
Pull my finger

Killadebug wrote:
> On Thu, 29 Feb 2024 20:37:09 +0100, Monsieur wrote:
>
>> Is there any way (preferably system-wide) to stop programs from stealing
>> focus? Many large programs do this, especially web browsers and office
>> programs, these will *always* steal your focus, no matter what you're
>> doing. I find it really annoying to click on a browser icon, go back to
>> what I was doing and then after a few seconds losing focus in the window
>> I was using because the browser has opened. It's like they consider
>> themselves to be way more important than whatever it is you're doing.
>> Why can't these programs open *behind* the window which has currently
>> focus? I will switch to them when I'm ready, they should not steal the
>> focus in such an abrupt manner. This really annoys me.
>
> I had the same issue. I'm using LMDE 6 Cinnamon and I now able to right
> click on the program I want to stay in focus, click the box "Saty on Top"
> and my program always stays on top of other programs that are opening.

That's more of a workaround if you have to do this for every program. I
would just like to tell my system never to let any program steal focus,
period. But I'm starting to think there isn't any solution for this.

On Thu, 29 Feb 2024 21:01:18 +0100, Monsieur wrote:

> Killadebug wrote:
>> On Thu, 29 Feb 2024 20:37:09 +0100, Monsieur wrote:
>>
>>> Is there any way (preferably system-wide) to stop programs from
>>> stealing focus? Many large programs do this, especially web browsers
>>> and office programs, these will *always* steal your focus, no matter
>>> what you're doing. I find it really annoying to click on a browser
>>> icon, go back to what I was doing and then after a few seconds losing
>>> focus in the window I was using because the browser has opened. It's
>>> like they consider themselves to be way more important than whatever
>>> it is you're doing. Why can't these programs open *behind* the window
>>> which has currently focus? I will switch to them when I'm ready, they
>>> should not steal the focus in such an abrupt manner. This really
>>> annoys me.
>>
>> I had the same issue. I'm using LMDE 6 Cinnamon and I now able to right
>> click on the program I want to stay in focus, click the box "Saty on
>> Top"
>> and my program always stays on top of other programs that are opening.
>
> That's more of a workaround if you have to do this for every program. I
> would just like to tell my system never to let any program steal focus,
> period. But I'm starting to think there isn't any solution for this.

If I'm understanding you correctly, then you would like every open window
to stay on top. I would think that would lead to a cluttered desktop in
short order, unless you only open a few windows at a time, and then close
the one's you don't want.

You are correct as my suggestion is a workaround, the window I click the
stay on top box, loses that when I close the window.

--
Pull my finger

On 2/29/2024 3:01 PM, Monsieur wrote:
> Killadebug wrote:
>> On Thu, 29 Feb 2024 20:37:09 +0100, Monsieur wrote:
>>
>>> Is there any way (preferably system-wide) to stop programs from stealing
>>> focus? Many large programs do this, especially web browsers and office
>>> programs, these will *always* steal your focus, no matter what you're
>>> doing. I find it really annoying to click on a browser icon, go back to
>>> what I was doing and then after a few seconds losing focus in the window
>>> I was using because the browser has opened. It's like they consider
>>> themselves to be way more important than whatever it is you're doing.
>>> Why can't these programs open *behind* the window which has currently
>>> focus? I will switch to them when I'm ready, they should not steal the
>>> focus in such an abrupt manner. This really annoys me.
>>
>> I had the same issue. I'm using LMDE 6 Cinnamon and I now able to right
>> click on the program I want to stay in focus, click the box "Saty on Top"
>> and my program always stays on top of other programs that are opening.
>
> That's more of a workaround if you have to do this for every program. I would just like to tell my system never to let any program steal focus, period. But I'm starting to think there isn't any solution for this.
>
>

That mode is "Focus follows mouse".

[Picture]

https://i.postimg.cc/C1wYkft6/LMDE6-focus-setting.gif

Paul

Paul wrote:
> On 2/29/2024 3:01 PM, Monsieur wrote:

>> That's more of a workaround if you have to do this for every program. I would just like to tell my system never to let any program steal focus, period. But I'm starting to think there isn't any solution for this.
>>
>>
>
> That mode is "Focus follows mouse".
>
> [Picture]
>
> https://i.postimg.cc/C1wYkft6/LMDE6-focus-setting.gif
>
> Paul
>

Doesn't work. Try it with Vivaldi, Opera, LibreOffice Writer, Calc,
GIMP, Freetube, Audacity... Those still steal your focus, no matter what
setting you choose, they will happily ignore it.

This really should be handled better by the OS.

On 3/1/2024 12:04 AM, Monsieur wrote:
> Paul wrote:
>> On 2/29/2024 3:01 PM, Monsieur wrote:
>
>>> That's more of a workaround if you have to do this for every program. I would just like to tell my system never to let any program steal focus, period. But I'm starting to think there isn't any solution for this.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> That mode is "Focus follows mouse".
>>
>>      [Picture]
>>
>>       https://i.postimg.cc/C1wYkft6/LMDE6-focus-setting.gif
>>
>>     Paul
>>
>
> Doesn't work. Try it with Vivaldi, Opera, LibreOffice Writer, Calc, GIMP, Freetube, Audacity... Those still steal your focus, no matter what setting you choose, they will happily ignore it.
>
> This really should be handled better by the OS.

Windows Focus Mode "Mouse" (Focus-Follows-Mouse)

Automatically Raise Focused Windows ON (tick mark)

That combination should give the obnoxious behavior
you are seeing.

[Picture]

https://i.postimg.cc/sfTLd2yC/LMDE6-focus-setting-02.gif

Paul

Paul wrote:

> Windows Focus Mode "Mouse" (Focus-Follows-Mouse)
>
> Automatically Raise Focused Windows ON (tick mark)
>
> That combination should give the obnoxious behavior
> you are seeing.

Here's my settings:

https://i.postimg.cc/J0cNxgyq/settings.png

It does not work, just try it out. Those focus stealers cannot be
stopped, they just ignore the system settings.

Obnoxious? Yes, I totally agree. As long as the OS allows this kind of
behaviour, those programs will continue to make use of this shortcoming.
It's really up to the OS-builders to put a stop to this arrogance.

Monsieur wrote:
> Paul wrote:
>
>>   Windows Focus Mode                       "Mouse" (Focus-Follows-Mouse)
>>
>> Automatically Raise Focused Windows        ON (tick mark)
>>
>> That combination should give the obnoxious behavior
>> you are seeing.
>
>
>
> Here's my settings:
>
> https://i.postimg.cc/J0cNxgyq/settings.png
>
> It does not work, just try it out. Those focus stealers cannot be
> stopped, they just ignore the system settings.
>
> Obnoxious? Yes, I totally agree. As long as the OS allows this kind of
> behaviour, those programs will continue to make use of this shortcoming.
> It's really up to the OS-builders to put a stop to this arrogance.

You could try disabling "Give focus to new windows launched from a
terminal" and see if that helps. It might apply to those started from
the menu as well.

From your original description, it sounds like the "focus stealing"
occurs when an application takes a while to start, and it gets focus
when it eventually finishes loading and shows a window, even if you've
switched back to do something else while waiting. That might not even
be under the application's control at all, but could be the desktop
giving focus to the newly-started application, perhaps on the assumption
that you started it because you want to use it).

--
Mark.