Shouldn't maximize button resize complete screen?

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
I've always wondered why Apple's maximize button doesn't resize the window to fill the complete screen (as it does in Window environment).



Within the Finder, it simply resizes to the previous size. In Safari, it resizes to fit the vertical height of the screen but not the horizontal.

What's the thinking behind this?
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 38
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    It's not maximize it's zoom. It toggles between user settings and what the program thinks is best to display all the information in the window the best possible. Or at least that is what it is SUPPOSED to do I believe.



    I didn't read the whole thread, but if I recall, this thread talks about it.
  • Reply 2 of 38
    So if someone here posted a really wide graphic or block of preformatted text that made this page really wide (as happens all too often), safari would zoom to take up the whole screen. Otherwise, it expands/contracts to the size that will display all the information.
  • Reply 3 of 38
    dmband0026dmband0026 Posts: 2,345member
    The Windows style maximize button is just another case of horrible UI. A window should NEVER take up the entire screen and leave you with no access to anything behind it. Bad UI, bad idea all around. Apple's UI has it right, and as usual, MS's UI has it way wrong.

    And don't think I'm just saying this because I'm biased against MS, it's really just bad interface the way they do it. It stops work flow like you wouldn't believe. Once you've been using Apple's UI for a while you'll never want to go back to the way MS does it. I just feel so much faster on a Mac, I feel like I accomplish more just because of the UI.
  • Reply 4 of 38
    chychchych Posts: 860member
    Full window maximizing really inhibits your multitasking ability, especially for switching between programs. Much easier to click on a program window to switch rather than go to the dock/taskbar or cmd+tab to the program. Consider Drag & Drop too.



    The most annoying thing I notice is that some windows users reflexively maximize windows, i.e. open an explorer window that has three things in it on a 1600x1200 screen, *maximize*. WTF?!



    However for resolutions lower than 1280x1024, it seems that (for me) one program tends to take the almost the entire screen space, like safari would take the whole screen to render a typical web page.
  • Reply 5 of 38
    lucaluca Posts: 3,833member
    I don't want to maximize the window on my screen but it would be nice if the green button's behavior was consistent. The problem is, it doesn't switch between the previous and the current sizes of a window in Safari. I will have it just how I like it (full vertical height and about 3/4 of the width of the screen), and if I click the zoom button once, it makes the window small - a little over 1/2 height and 1/2 width of the screen. Click it again and it makes it full height and keeps the width the same. So I've gone from this:



    Code:




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    to this:



    Code:




    --------

    | |

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    --------









    to this:



    Code:




    --------

    | |

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    --------









    Why doesn't the second click take me back to the original size?
  • Reply 6 of 38
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    Good question...well I was saying what I think it's supposed to do, not what it always does. Sloppy programmers I guess. It didn't work fine for me, but it's working fine for me now in this posting page. Eh...it's screwy.
  • Reply 7 of 38
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    The zoom widget is *supposed* to be "fit to content" not "maxmimize," as this latter action has no useful purpose in Mac OS X. If it were an MDI UI like Windows with parent-child windows (document windows within a master application window), then it makes some sense, disregarding how poor that window model is.



    I have found some apps like the Finder don't seem to follow the ruls very well. The zoom widget works the first time then, as others mentioned, doesn't return to its previous state but creates a third condition. I don't know if it's a Carbon thing, some leftover from legacy code or what. The Cocoa apps I've used all get this right IIRC so it makes me think it's a piece of legacy code that's screwed up, or a developer using their own divine wisdom to mess with the widget's action.



    So, in other words, what everyone else said.
  • Reply 8 of 38
    lucaluca Posts: 3,833member
    So Safari is Carbon, not Cocoa? Why can't they have it behave the same way that it behaved in OS 9?
  • Reply 9 of 38
    satchmosatchmo Posts: 2,699member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by DMBand0026

    A window should NEVER take up the entire screen and leave you with no access to anything behind it.



    Doesn't Expose alleviate this problem? Personally, I would love an option to have a screen completely filled.

    Perhaps its something as simple as Option-clicking the Green + button.
  • Reply 10 of 38
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    Safari is Cocoa, I'm just throwing possibilities out there.



    But what would be the point of maximizing? If you find that the other things in the background are clutter, you can minimize, hide and such. Also, if you're working in one application exclusively, you're not really taking full advantage of your Mac. The size-to-fit model encourages interleavingof tasks, windows and applications.



    Perhaps they could add single window mode into Expose/the Dock? It might seriously be a good idea.
  • Reply 11 of 38
    kim kap solkim kap sol Posts: 2,987member
    Maximizing windows and thus preventing myself from multitasking gives me Pre-System 6 flashbacks and makes me very sad indeed.



    Say no to fullscreen windows.
  • Reply 12 of 38
    lucaluca Posts: 3,833member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by kim kap sol

    Maximizing windows and thus preventing myself from multitasking gives me Pre-System 6 flashbacks and makes me very sad indeed.



    Say no to fullscreen windows.




    Yes, I know. But don't you also like UI consistency? I don't fullscreen my windows. However, if I did, it would be nice if clicking the zoom box once made the window small, and clicking again made it restore to its previous size. Whether its previous size was full screen or not, that's how it SHOULD behave.



    So, we all know you hate full screen windows. What do you have to say about this inconsistency though? Have you had problems with it as well? It has basically made the zoom box useless for me. If it behaved like it should, it might be useful. Until then, I'm not touching it.
  • Reply 13 of 38
    tuttletuttle Posts: 301member
    Ugh.



    I don't even like to hear the word 'maximize' anymore, regardless of context.



    That one word, and feature, sums up everything wrong with MS and their UI technology.
  • Reply 14 of 38
    vox barbaravox barbara Posts: 2,021member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BuonRotto

    Perhaps they could add single window mode into Expose/the Dock? It might seriously be a good idea.



    that is a nice approach, really. maybe it is intended by option-clicking dock app icon, which brings the targeted app to the forground and hides all others simultaniously. it is not the same, i know.



    Another thing:

    what about "full monitor view mode"? I think about a feature similar to "photoshops" or "adobe acr. readers" "view mode"? there are other apps which support that kind of full monitor view mode. word for instance. That would be a nifty feature in all apps. IMHO anyway



    best
  • Reply 15 of 38
    vox barbaravox barbara Posts: 2,021member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Luca

    Yes, I know. But don't you also like UI consistency? I don't fullscreen my windows. ...



    i'm not quite sure if we are talking about the same. I give you one example: when i am travelling by train, there is nothing better, than to sit down, relax (light a cigar) run acro. reader and read over a screenplay. I view it in "fullscreen mode" (or "slide show mode"), no menubar, nothing, that could disturb - anyway, document only.



    best
  • Reply 16 of 38
    vox barbaravox barbara Posts: 2,021member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Tuttle

    Ugh.

    That one word, and feature, sums up everything wrong with MS and their UI technology.




    DITO



    But how do you explain one common (at least that is my experience) word all windows users fire up, who are playing a bit around with any Os X Machine: "Nice, but where do you maximize?"



    Than i hit "zoom buttom", the window enlarges a bit to fit to content. And i hear: "That is not maximize! Hell what do you mean, macs can not maximize??? Are you serious about that?"



    Than i fire up my explanation ("well, let me explain, the entire philosophy behind is a bit different and such.")



    but still hear pitched moans: "Yes, but, i can not maximize, that is hilarious. jesus, i have to tell my friends macs can not maximize, unbelievable, such a hype and they can not maximize."



    No kidding!
  • Reply 17 of 38
    kim kap solkim kap sol Posts: 2,987member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Vox Barbara

    DITO



    But how do you explain one common (at least that is my experience) word all windows users fire up, who are playing a bit around with any Os X Machine: "Nice, but where do you maximize?"



    Than i hit "zoom buttom", the window enlarges a bit to fit to content. And i hear: "That is not maximize! Hell what do you mean, macs can not maximize??? Are you serious about that?"



    Than i fire up my explanation ("well, let me explain, the entire philosophy behind is a bit different and such.")



    but still hear pitched moans: "Yes, but, i can not maximize, that is hilarious. jesus, i have to tell my friends macs can not maximize, unbelievable, such a hype and they can not maximize."



    No kidding!




    How about you go over to their place and ask "Nice, but where do you fit-to-content?"



    Then they might hit the maximize button and you could say something like "That's not fit-to-content! Hell what do you mean, Windows can't fit-to-content??? Are you serious about that?"



    Than they might go on about how maximize is fun and cool.



    Then you could moan "Yes, but, I can not fit-to-content, that is hilarious. Jesus, I have to tell my AppleInsider friends Windows can not fit-to-content, unbelievable, such a hype and they can not fit-to-content."
  • Reply 18 of 38
    vox barbaravox barbara Posts: 2,021member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by kim kap sol

    How about you go over to their place and ask "Nice, but where do you fit-to-content?"



    Then they might hit the maximize button and you could say something like "That's not fit-to-content! Hell what do you mean, Windows can't fit-to-content??? Are you serious about that?"



    Than they might go on about how maximize is fun and cool.



    Then you could moan "Yes, but, I can not fit-to-content, that is hilarious. Jesus, I have to tell my AppleInsider friends Windows can not fit-to-content, unbelievable, such a hype and they can not fit-to-content."








    yeah i don't give a bloody damn about visiting their place
  • Reply 19 of 38
    smirclesmircle Posts: 1,035member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BuonRotto

    I don't know if it's a Carbon thing, some leftover from legacy code or what. The Cocoa apps I've used all get this right IIRC



    Often, they don't.

    Actually, this is one of the examples where the NeXT/Cocoa-guys never quite understood what the sense of a certain paradigm in MacOS was. This is why "old" applications stemming from the MacOS 8 days usually get it right and the new kids on the block (yes, the Finder is new) get it wrong. Or don't even bother to provide a resize feature (like System Preferences). Or don't care if you click the green button (like Adress book). Or go pseudo-fullscreen (like Font Book)



    Interface consistancy has gone out of the window (no pun intended here) with OS X.
  • Reply 20 of 38
    kim kap solkim kap sol Posts: 2,987member
    I think fit-to-content has to be programmed in all cases. And I think some programmers are doing a no-no by programming it to maximize (I've seen some apps do it).
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