Window focus UI

elbaroni

Here's an idea for the much complained about lack of contrast between the foreground window in Mac OSX and the background ones (and the total abseence thereof in the brushed metal apps): darken all but the foreground one as in the 'application windows' option in Exposé. It wouldn't need to work on the desktop as well, just the windows, but it would solve the problem simply and obviously, and the code is presumably already largely around.



What do people think?

ast3r3x

I've never had a problem telling window where a window starts and where one ends. Normally it's a different color over lapping so it sticks out. This is good to do while watching a video or something to that nature.

buonrotto

The problem IMO is with the metal UI as is. Many of the metal apps don't look different enough when they're in the background: the title isn't grayed-out enough, the buttons are usually not ghosted, the metal of course looks the same whether in the foreground or background. Pinstriped/Aqua windows don't usually have the same problem. I find it much easier to tell background pinstripe windows apart than metal ones. I think that the metal has to fade a bit when in the background. Whatever is done, the general effect should be consistent for windows, no matter which look they take. So they should all appear to flatten, fade, darken or whatever when in the background.

elbaroni

I hadn't even noticed that the title in metal windows greys - it's totally inadequate. I would suggest that the whole contents of a window get darker, not just the title & a shadow effect somewhere.