"System Preferences" defies the principle of OSX

[ARF900]

The principle difference between OSX and windows is that in windows, a window is an application, but in OSX, windows are documents. This is in my mind the principle difference between the two and something many new mac users struggle with "I pressed the red X why is it still running?"

OSX uses applications to display documents, so you can use one copy of an application to display multiple documents, where as in windows, you need to launch multiple copies of the same app too view separate documents.

However, it has just dawned on me that, System Preferences, is its own app, you do not need to press CMD Q to quit system preferences, closing the windows quits the app.

Why do you think this is?

/discuss

 

[chriszzz]

You cannot have multiple instances of System Preferences running. There is absolutely no need for the application to run when the window with the actual content is not open.

 

[spinnerlys]

Because System Preferences, like iPhoto, does only need that one window.

 

[MacDawg]

Typically in OSX if an application can have multiple windows, the X closes the open window only

If an application can only have one window, the X closes down the application

 

[r.j.s]

System Preferences is a single-window app, like iPhoto. Once you close the only window, the app quits because you can no longer do anything with that app.

 

[ARF900]

Never realized that iPhoto does the same thing.

 

[r.j.s]

Never realized that iPhoto does the same thing.

There are quite a few apps that will do this.

 

[Buzz Bumble]

As an aside, System Preferences in older version of Mac OS X didn't quit when you closed the window. I've got 10.2 installed on my biege G3 PowerMac (so I can, sort of, access the Internet), and System Preferences doesn't quit when you close the window.

 

[Gregg2]

There are quite a few apps that will do this.

Among them: Dictionary and Calculator.

 

[GGJstudios]

The principle difference between OSX and windows is that in windows, a window is an application, but in OSX, windows are documents.

Your initial premise is wrong. In Windows, a window isn't an application. For example, in Windows you can have multiple Word documents open simultaneously, each in a separate window. Each window is a document, not an application.

... where as in windows, you need to launch multiple copies of the same app too view separate documents.

Again, this is not true. You are not launching several copies of Word to open multiple documents. You have one copy of the app running, with multiple documents open.

However, it has just dawned on me that, System Preferences, is its own app, you do not need to press CMD Q to quit system preferences, closing the windows quits the app.

Why do you think this is?

The only difference you're seeing is that when you close the last document in Windows, it also closes the app. So if you have 2 Word documents open, if you close them both, it closes Word. OSX doesn't assume that because you close all documents that you're necessarily ready to close the app. You may have wanted to start a new document after closing the others. Therefore, in Mac OS X, with any app that is capable of multiple document windows, closing the last one will not close the app. If an app only functions with one window, closing the window also closes the app.