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Resizing of windows in OSX!!!
- Thread starter jason2811
- Start date
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I find that when I used Windows I constantly worked with a window filling the screen. On OSX I am much more apt to work with smaller windows open on the screen, with access to the background. I think that is a hard thing for many switchers to get accustomed to, and it is just a different style of working. If you work with smaller windows, then you don't need to grab any side. Just learn some key commands to speed up the rest of your workflow to make up for it or something.
Actually, I find that to be true for me as well, but I had not thought about it
That is exactly what I do
Woof, Woof - Dawg
You don't need to grab any side to resize, but it would still be useful at the very least as an option. The problem here is that people shouldn't have to learn other commands to make up for a drawback. I know that this is a really minor issue and it would never in a million years make me want to start using Windows, but I can't figure out why this option is not available.
I guess what it comes down to is just like Apple and the candy iMacs way back when. In a time of serial ports, Apple rejected it for only USB, and chose a path to go down. Same way here. They think it's not the best way to go, and kept with it.
I guess I'm more easy going than others?
Well, this obviously isn't a dealbreaker for me since I have been and continue to happily use OS X. Sometimes I just can't figure out their reasoning for not offering something as basic as this. Sometimes they are right, and sometimes they are just stubborn.
REsizing Mac windows
There is always a border around Mac windows. They are 1 pixel in size. This is (I could be wrong) the physical limit to the size of one pixel on an LCD panel. I am not aware of a size limit to the mathematical programming language for placement of a window edge; THEREFORE IT IS ridiculous to argue that the Mac needs huge honking UGLY Windoze grab-able borders on Mac windows in order to resize from any corner or any window edge.
Only fanboys use this argument
.
It can be programmed to activate a grab function and no border has to be visible. Just like grabbing inside a window anywhere lets the window be dragged. You don't see a huge border obscuring the window as it is dragged, so there is no reason to expect to see a border around the window to resize or move.
Mac is supposed to be easier, more intuitive, etc., than PC Windoze, but when I have to drag a window to a corner of the screen, then resize it??? At least on a PC I can grab the opposite corner and move one time to resize and reposition a window where I want it. That is an extra mouse click on a Mac. Useless, counter intuitive.
Mac user since original Apple II,
C/PM before that.
There is always a border around Mac windows. They are 1 pixel in size. This is (I could be wrong) the physical limit to the size of one pixel on an LCD panel. I am not aware of a size limit to the mathematical programming language for placement of a window edge; THEREFORE IT IS ridiculous to argue that the Mac needs huge honking UGLY Windoze grab-able borders on Mac windows in order to resize from any corner or any window edge.
Only fanboys use this argument
. It can be programmed to activate a grab function and no border has to be visible. Just like grabbing inside a window anywhere lets the window be dragged. You don't see a huge border obscuring the window as it is dragged, so there is no reason to expect to see a border around the window to resize or move.
Mac is supposed to be easier, more intuitive, etc., than PC Windoze, but when I have to drag a window to a corner of the screen, then resize it??? At least on a PC I can grab the opposite corner and move one time to resize and reposition a window where I want it. That is an extra mouse click on a Mac. Useless, counter intuitive.
Mac user since original Apple II,
C/PM before that.
dumbest thread ever, i'm guessing mostly switchers here lol, i'd rather have cleam sideless windows and resizing from the corner than pointless resizing from all over the place, very rare i even need to resize a window as osx remembers the size you use them at, plus expose i see no probs
Obviously there are not just switchers here but also people that have been using macs for years, read the thread. I don't see how you could be against it if you could resize from any border. You could always just keep on using the bottom right corner if you prefer that, you wouldn't lose anything.
I have been using macs for years and I think this would be an improvement.
OSX doesn't implement everything better than Windows or Gnome or whatever.
This is the exact issue I have every once in a while and it's the most ***** frustrating thing. This is the one thing that Windows does better than OS X - you can double-click the top border of any window and it will resize the window to the size of your screen/resolution. The green plus icon does jack crap in some applications (example: QuickTime) when the window is larger than the screen.
Also, this issue occurs to those of us who have a laptop and connect it to an external monitor. In my case, I have my MBP connected to a 20" widescreen monitor 99% of the time. But those times I undock it and use the native 15" display, the application windows are too big for the 15" display. Of those apps, every once in a while there's an application that you just cannot resize to fit the 15" screen.
Ok, I'm still really annoyed by this but my rant is over.
***EDIT***
Ok, in QuickTime, I got around it by going to View --> Fit to Screen. That said, there are still some apps where you can't get it to resize correctly.
first post for this was on 2006..
anywho, i agree that the green button needs to maximize the window. wtf kind of a + button doesn't do that!?
anywho, i agree that the green button needs to maximize the window. wtf kind of a + button doesn't do that!?
i've never come across this as a problem lol, i've been using windows for 7-8 years, and then i switched to OS X, imo i prefer resizing from the corner, because you can do the x and y of the window, with doing it from the side, you have to do each side at a time, which is annoying.
If you hover the cursor over the corner in Windows a diagonal double-arrow will show.
In reality, Windows allow you to choose either way of doing it. We Mac-users only have one way of doing it.
oh yeah, your right. although i don't really see it as a problem, really people are getting fussy over nothing XD.
Do you want a START button to shut down your computer too?
Benefits of windows that take up only the amount of space needed have been discussed countless times.
Hmmm i never realized that this was a difference between carbon and cocoa apps. My dock is set to auto-hide. I disable this to test your point, and you're correct
. Anyhow, no point in my post other than to thank you for the enlightenment!One addition to this window resizing deal. The green + button doesn't maximize in iTunes.. I often connect a second monitor to my laptop, and when I switch back to the laptop screen it's impossible to resize the iTunes window.
This has been bugging me for some time, but now I found out by coincidence that when I hold Option and click the green button it somehow resizes to fit the screen. Just wanted to share in case someone else has been having the same problem.
This has been bugging me for some time, but now I found out by coincidence that when I hold Option and click the green button it somehow resizes to fit the screen. Just wanted to share in case someone else has been having the same problem.
Ah, thank you!!
This hold-down-a-button-while-clicking-the-mouse-button business is a bit Windows-esque. I've noticed that Apple does this randomly. For example, if you're configuring an Airport Extreme or Time Capsule (using Airport Utility), you will see additional options if you option-click on some of the drop-down menus.
Thanks
I haven't tried afloat yet, but I hope it does what it claims. I know there are a lot of fanboys here, but for anyone to really make the argument that it is better not to be able to resize from any side is crazy. And furthermore, to just buy into the apple machine, and not challenge them (yes I send many feature requests at apple.com) to not do things solely because "windows does it that way" is just nuts!! The OS should be made to serve the users, not some company's ego.
Just my $.02
Gman64
I haven't tried afloat yet, but I hope it does what it claims. I know there are a lot of fanboys here, but for anyone to really make the argument that it is better not to be able to resize from any side is crazy. And furthermore, to just buy into the apple machine, and not challenge them (yes I send many feature requests at apple.com) to not do things solely because "windows does it that way" is just nuts!! The OS should be made to serve the users, not some company's ego.
Just my $.02
Gman64
Totally agree with this, I was thinking it while reading this thread--you don't need to have a big border... or a border at all... to be able to resize an edge!!
What is on the edge of your application that you are using? Nothing, except a scroll bar on 1 of the 8 side including corners--and if you have a scroll wheel you probably never even touch that. Maybe the bottom-right-only design is just for harmonious purposes with Apple's lovely stock brick mouse designs, where you actually have to use the scroll bar, and that some users might go over too far and instead resize the window when they drag.
To some of the opinions' defense here, though, I can see accidental resizing being an issue if you grew up on Mac. I like the option brought up that it could be "enabled" or set to a hotkey so it's linux like functionality--hold in ALT to do any-side resizing. Ultimately, it's a really common function that ought to be an option for Mac users. If they want to turn it off by default, that's fine whatever. But I run at least 2 monitors anywhere I can, and rely heavily for my daily work on seeing more than window at a time side by side. On OSX, the process of utilizing maximum screenspace for any given amount of windows I need to see on screen at one time is simply tedious and retarded--size it approximately, move it into place, resize to a more accurate approximation, move it again, resize it so this other application has more room is more guesswork because I can't just slide in the left hand side, etc etc. As opposed to 1 right click and going to 'tile'. Need another relevant application or window up for whatever it is I'm doing? open it, right click, 'tile'. Versus 30 or 40 clicks of manual guesswork.
I came across this thread because I've been using OSX for about a year now (it's my primary workstation) and finally decided to search and see if there was anything I could do to relieve the annoyance.
I absolutely love that in CS4 Adobe implemented quick and easy cascade and tile into nearly all of the program's work spaces. I barely use any other of the other cs4 features, but I loathe using cs3 anymore for window arrangement alone. I use Opera because it's still the only browser that supports cascade and tile (except in the Mac version, damn it to hell!).
I don't really get why Apple is holding out on implementing two extremely simple tools--even if they are non-default and 100% optionable--which is a term Mac seems very uncomfortable with----that are nothing but expanded user flexibility & can further quickly and effectively manage work spaces. My only guess is that it will, at some low point, be 'unvealed' in a new update or new OS version and will be hailed as an amazing new feature, aptly named something new and fresh, special from the fine folks who make the marketing bullet points on Mac's website and box packaging.
However OSX's 'Spaces' is a huge advantage in itself over the Windows environment, it's ease of use is fantastic. Whenever I'm on a Windows machine now it drives me crazy not to have it. It's previously something I could only enjoy in linux/unix, that now I can actually use with mainstream apps while doing real work and not just playing around
.Give and take give and take. I'll just never have the best of both worlds.
wb
p.s. the green plus bubble thing really isn't so bad when you realize it maximizes to the maximum needed with of whatever you have open. You need to know and expect what it does
, otherwise it feels broke and it's like WTF is wrong with this thing!! However, I wish "option click" was universal full screen maximize among all apps.p.p.s. afloat sounds interesting, I will definitely check that out.
I have heard this excuse several times. I finally had to respond.
BS.
Linux has no borders, and you can resize any edge of the window. A border is not required to allow edge resizing, just a little bit of code to detect that the mouse is over the edge of the window and change the cursor and behaviour accordingly.
I contend that if Apple added this as a "options" on OSX, a large number of people would turn it on.... and some would not. There would be no need to add borders to windows that do not have them or any such nonsense.
As far as the statement "you get use to it", again, BS. I will never get used to it, I'll just quit complaining at some point. That isn't the same as getting used to something.
I wonder how many of the people at the start of this thread have "got used to it"?
I switched to Mac about four and a half years ago, and have been a Mac-exclusive household for at least the last three years.
I haven't got used to it. There is just no reason for this functionality to be missing. It's not just about missing something you had in Windows. I remember when this first came to Windows and my reaction was, "finally!". I hope to say the same thing about it on the Mac someday (Afloat doesn't really do it for me).
And don't even get me started on minimize!
Here's to another three years for this thread (or a premature end due to it being "fixed" in the OS ;-) ).
I switched to Mac about four and a half years ago, and have been a Mac-exclusive household for at least the last three years.
I haven't got used to it. There is just no reason for this functionality to be missing. It's not just about missing something you had in Windows. I remember when this first came to Windows and my reaction was, "finally!". I hope to say the same thing about it on the Mac someday (Afloat doesn't really do it for me).
And don't even get me started on minimize!
Here's to another three years for this thread (or a premature end due to it being "fixed" in the OS ;-) ).