anyone else miss the menu bar in full-screen mode?

[mrklaw]

Yes, I know its called FULL SCREEN mode, but surely Apple don't begrudge us a few pixels for the menu bar?

If it just had file/edit/view etc I can understand hiding it - when you need it your mouse it up there anyway for the menu so thats fine.

But it isn't - its used for lots of 'at a glance' items like battery life (quite important!), time/date, chat/email/twitter notifications, istat info and tons more depending on your setup.

I like safari in full screen mode a lot - partly for using all the screen, partly for getting its own space. But without the menu bar the overall OSX experience is too compromised IMO

 

[godzilla1200]

You can get the menu bar by just moving the cursor to the top of the screen. Or do you want it always present? Because, IMO, that would defeat Full screen purpose.

 

[brand]

Yes, I know its called FULL SCREEN mode, but surely Apple don't begrudge us a few pixels for the menu bar?

On smaller screens the menu bar takes up more than "a few pixels".

IMHO Full Screen Mode works perfectly as designed and I would not like it if the menu bar was always showing. If it was what would be the point of Full Screen Mode then? It would just be a maximized window.

 

[MacRum2011]

maybe have suer option for it would have been a nice idea.

 

[pazz]

This is a valid point.

IMO there should be a tick box to allow the status bar to still show in full-screen mode.

For example Safari bookmarks are up there.

 

[baryon]

I like to see the time and date at a glance. If I need to move the mouse there, I'll check less often than if I just need to look at it. I'd like to permanently have the menu bar visible, it's just a few pixels. My screen is big enough, and even the iPhone's Safari displays the time! So I bet that it's important enough to "waste" a few pixels.

 

[brand]

I just checked Safari and having the menu bar show in full screen mode takes up almost as much room as just maximizing Safari to take to whole screen. If the menu bar was always shown full screen mode would be kind of pointless since it would be so similar to a maximized window.

I don't see the point of adding the menu bar to the full screen mode when you can just maximize the window to achieve the same effect you are wanting.

 

[mrklaw]

I just checked Safari and having the menu bar show in full screen mode takes up almost as much room as just maximizing Safari to take to whole screen. If the menu bar was always shown full screen mode would be kind of pointless since it would be so similar to a maximized window.

I don't see the point of adding the menu bar to the full screen mode when you can just maximize the window to achieve the same effect you are wanting.

full screen covers the dock area. I don't like auto hiding the dock, so full screen mode gives me a nice way of 'maximising' over the dock.

And thats just safari - other apps change their layout more significantly than safari (e.g. iPhoto)

saying you can just move your mouse to the top isn't the point. That takes a lot longer than simply glancing at the top of the screen. Plus you can check the menu bar while doing something else with the mouse.

selectable option would be nice

 

[Cheule]

I just checked Safari and having the menu bar show in full screen mode takes up almost as much room as just maximizing Safari to take to whole screen. If the menu bar was always shown full screen mode would be kind of pointless since it would be so similar to a maximized window.

I don't see the point of adding the menu bar to the full screen mode when you can just maximize the window to achieve the same effect you are wanting.

Thank you, finally someone got it.

I actually like full screen mode a lot. I've always thought Apple's idea of a "magic box that just works" was a great approach to computing. Apple Macs never had a HD access light. And I love that. Full screen mode just takes it a step further. Get the OS out of the way, and make the application front an center.

As far as safari bookmarks not showing, you might have a point there, but I think the menu bar not showing is perfect.

 

[Yumunum]

In my honest opinion... I thought Full Screen mode was one of the most pointless features yet. Maybe I'm missing something, but it's barely any different than having a maximized window open, and it's even more of a hassle.

Here's what I do: I use BetterTouchTool to give let me maximize a window when I tap the trackpad with four fingers. Boom. I even made it so if I swipe five fingers to the left the window takes the full left side of the screen, and same goes for swiping to the right. (perfect for dropping files from one window to the next, reading a website while writing a paper on it, ect.)

If you have a Magic Trackpad and you don't have BTT... You're missing out

 

[mrklaw]

if they still kept spaces, then I agree fullscreen wouldn't be necessary for me, just maximised would be enough.

But I like to park safari and mail on separate screens, and you can't do that now unless you use full screen mode. And if you use fullscreen mode you lose the menu bar.

I don't think it needs to be forced on you, but an option would be good

 

[Yumunum]

if they still kept spaces, then I agree fullscreen wouldn't be necessary for me, just maximised would be enough.

But I like to park safari and mail on separate screens, and you can't do that now unless you use full screen mode. And if you use fullscreen mode you lose the menu bar.

I don't think it needs to be forced on you, but an option would be good

Ah, I see, this a problem. Everyone does their workflows differently! Apple didn't really cater to everyone this time around :/ In SL it seemed like options were much more plentiful.

 

[gr8tfly]

But I like to park safari and mail on separate screens, and you can't do that now unless you use full screen mode. And if you use fullscreen mode you lose the menu bar.

Sure you can. When you're in the space you want an app to "stick" in, right-click or click-hold on the app's icon in the dock. Then, go to Options > Assign to > This Desktop. From then on, the app will always appear in that space.

 

[Spartanets]

saying you can just move your mouse to the top isn't the point. That takes a lot longer than simply glancing at the top of the screen.

A second?!

 

[mrklaw]

Sure you can. When you're in the space you want an app to "stick" in, right-click or click-hold on the app's icon in the dock. Then, go to Options > Assign to > This Desktop. From then on, the app will always appear in that space.

this sounds perfect but I don't have 'assign to'. I'm assuming I need to go into fullscreen mode first to push the app into a different desktop?

 

[gr8tfly]

this sounds perfect but I don't have 'assign to'. I'm assuming I need to go into fullscreen mode first to push the app into a different desktop?

I thought you had said you couldn't park Safari and Mail in separate Spaces unless they were fullscreen apps. I keep them in their own space, with whatever window size I like, just as I did in SL or L.

As far as I can tell, you can't assign fullscreen apps to a specific space.

 

[SaSaSushi]

I've seen some frivolous complaints about Lion, but this one might take the prize.

The meaning of "full-screen" is that it stretches over the menu bar, thus using the "full" screen. The dock has nothing to do with it since whether it's hiding or not, the size of the window does not change. In fact, even in full-screen mode the dock is still there (mouse to the bottom, stop then pull down again to reveal it)

If you want to see the menu bar, don't use full-screen or take the one second it requires to mouse over and reveal it.

But to complain that there is no option to show the menu bar in full-screen mode? What would that option read, "turn off full-screen mode"?

 

[mrklaw]

I've seen some frivolous complaints about Lion, but this one might take the prize.

The meaning of "full-screen" is that it stretches over the menu bar, thus using the "full" screen. The dock has nothing to do with it since whether it's hiding or not, the size of the window does not change. In fact, even in full-screen mode the dock is still there (mouse to the bottom, stop then pull down again to reveal it)

If you want to see the menu bar, don't use full-screen or take the one second it requires to mouse over and reveal it.

But to complain that there is no option to show the menu bar in full-screen mode? What would that option read, "turn off full-screen mode"?

how is it frivolous? Do you deny that the menu bar contains lots of useful information that people like to glance at *while* using their apps? And the definition of full screen is purely down to apple. If they'd have had full screen apps from the beginning with the menu bar there, nobody would have found it surprising I think.

@gr8tfly, if I put an app in fullscreen, it pops out into its own 'space' but not a space like in the way you create them yourself. If I come out of fullscreen, it goes back to the desktop view. I can't see anywhere that I can put it manually in a space of its own.

 

[mrklaw]

er..

So I found how to get multiple desktops from mission control, put some apps on their own desktops and 'assigned' them to those desktops. But only desktop 1 seems to have a menu bar anyway - the others are just blank backgrounds.

so regardless of whether I have fullscreen or not, I don't get the menu bar

 

[gentlefury]

I agree completely!! I have a 24" display...I can forsake those few pixels at the top....I always look at the bar at the top for the time...and in full screen I have to mouse cursor up to see it...kind of annoying! Hopefully in a future release we can choose if we want it to show or not.

 

[gentlefury]

er..

So I found how to get multiple desktops from mission control, put some apps on their own desktops and 'assigned' them to those desktops. But only desktop 1 seems to have a menu bar anyway - the others are just blank backgrounds.

so regardless of whether I have fullscreen or not, I don't get the menu bar

Every desktop on the main display will have a menu bar and anything on your desktop (files, volumes, etc.) the only thing that should change is what application lives there.

One cool thing that I did just discover tho is that every desktop can have its own wallpaper...that's pretty cool!

 

[mrklaw]

ah, ok. restart brought them back.

 

[Jagardn]

Full screen mode is exactly what it says, no title bars, date/time, widgets...it would no longer be full screen. You can always use your apps maximized.

 

[gentlefury]

Full screen mode is exactly what it says, no title bars, date/time, widgets...it would no longer be full screen. You can always use your apps maximized.

no, full screen to me means that it fills the screen, not meaning that it inhabits every inch of the screen. You should still be able to see the menu bar if you want to.

 

[brand]

no, full screen to me means that it fills the screen, not meaning that it inhabits every inch of the screen. You should still be able to see the menu bar if you want to.

Most people would think that full screen would mean to take up the FULL screen not most of it. After all its not called most of the screen mode, partial screen mode, or menu bar mode. If you want to see the menu bar in full screen mode Apple made it very easy just by mousing to the top of the screen. It sounds like you just want maximized screens to be renamed full screen mode.