I’ve found that clicking on the green ‘+’ button in the upper left hand corner of a window does not appear to have the same effect as on a PC. On the PC, doing so causes that window to go to full screen. On the Mac, it appears to only increase the window to the biggest size it needs to be, but does not go ‘full screen’ . Is there an easy way of quickly maximizing a window to use the whole page ? Its like reading a magazine article by opening it 1/4 open ? Or just pealed a corner at a time of a newspaper article instead of opening the whole page? . I cant have full focus on a particular thing i am doing ( like coding , surfing , text editing ) without having the window full sized. May be it is because i just came from windows world but Generally people need focus to what they are doing but in Mac how this can be achieved without having the active window full size.
Apple’s philosophy is that a maximized environment is inherently inefficent since it makes dragging content from one window to another cumbersome . Many types of documents are vertically oriented (like a printed page), yet monitors are wider than they are tall. So, for instance, it doesn’t make sense for a word processing document to fill the width of the screen.
The zoom button toggles its window between 2 states, the standard state and the user state. The standard state is determined by the application developer. Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines provide this sensible direction to programmers for deciding the standard state of a window:
“Don’t assume that the standard state should be as large as possible; some monitors are much larger than the useful size for a window.”
Individual users determine the user state of their window by manually resizing it; the zoom button will then toggle between these two states.
Microsoft’s philosophy is that windows can be one of two sizes - a standard size (which can be resized), or maximized (filling the entire screen). If a user doesn’t like working with the standard size, the obvious solution is to make the window fill the entire screen so that you can see more content on the screen at once. Thus, all XP windows have a maximize button that toggles between these two states.
XP regards the last state that the window was in before it was closed as the preferred state. When you reopen a window, it will open back up to the state in which you left it. Maximized windows cannot be moved or resized. When you maximize a window, its maximize button turns into a “restore” button to return the window to its previous state.
Maximized windows have two main advantages:
- You cannot click outside of the maximized window, such as on the desktop or a background window (which makes it impossible for it to lose focus by an accidental click)
- Screen clutter is reduced because other open windows will be covered up by the maximized window
A detailed comparison of this is here .
For example here is a scenario which i particularly find most irritating . For a Finder window with lots of folders open when clicked on the green zoom button doesn’t increase the windows to the width i like . In that case i have to maximize the window from right bottom corner. After doing this also when i click green zoom button the window again goes back to the previous window size. To have this modified window size i have to arrange icons ( right click > arrange icons ) to fit the window size, then only the window size remains the same after i click the green zoom button . Though i did this on a specific finder window it doesn’t work universally for all the finder windows. The Finder ( Explorer equivalent in windows ) will retain the size for that particular finder state only. So after doing all this of window resize and arrange icons if i go to another Folder the previous size i had applied doesn’t apply to the folder i just opened. This behavior of Mac Finder really annoys me.
You may read this about how many people dont like such behavior of window zoom in Mac .
There is an App which does the full screen job easier in Mac called MegaZoomer . For Megazoomer to work you will be needing SIMBL . SIMBL (Smart InputManager Bundle Loader) - pronounced like “symbol” or “cymbal” allows you to build hacks for Cocoa applications and apply the code selectively based on an application’s unique identifier. But sadly , megazoomer doesn’t work in Carbon applications (e.g., Finder, iTunes, Photoshop) .It Only works for Cocoa apps.
Below is the video of Mac Finder Zoom.
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Using
I dislike this behavior also, especially when running my web browser.
Using
True Wendy. But i have found that using MegaZoomer you can actually browse full window ( works for Safari , not for Firefox and Opera though ) . you may also give it a try
Using
Unlike Wendy, I prefer Mac OS X way of dealing with individual window sizes to every other way (Windows, KDE, Gnome…).
Since I easily find myself having 20 to 30 windows open, I sometimes lose my focus — simply because I know I have a lot of other apps around (and therefore a lot of “idle” tasks, too)…
Oh, by the way: In Windows you “maximize” your windows, letting them fill up all of your screen. The green button (or the one with a plus sign) in Mac OS X, however, does not maximize anything. When you push it, you “zoom” — the window grows so it will exactly fit its content.
Mac OS X way of optimizing the size of a window after its content simply makes more sense to me:
1. If a web site is 900 pixels wide and, say, 600 pixels tall — why blowing the size of that window up, simply because you _can_? Why would you want to waste precious screen estate on a (to the bigger extent) blank window?
2. In Mac OS X, when a window is smaller than its content (e.g., so a vertical or horizontal scroll bar appears) — push the zoom button, and you will see all the content within a perfectly sized window.
And most importantly: When your windows are exactly as big as they need to be, you are able to have a lot of them open at once, and see all your information at once. No need to minimize windows, or alt+tab to see that other window. Drag and drop things between windows and applications… When active windows are in full screen, drag and drop will never work as good as in Mac OS X.
Lastly, if you sometimes feel like working in full screen in Mac OS X, here’s a tips:
Hide the Dock (⌘ + ⌥ + D). Now, resize your window so it takes up all your screen. Well… it might do the job for you
If you write a lot and are a low-tech fan: WriteRoom will serve you fine.
Using
@ celebritarian . I agree to some of your points about how Mac OSX behaves with window sizes. Its more of the personal preferences but i dont feel like i can focus on a particular window when there are 5-6 windows open in your screen particularly when you have big resolution monitor . say for example , there are 6 safari windows open with different website , the drag and drop theory wont very much work in this case and you cant surf 6 websites at once..
In case of Finder , having many windows may have advantages . In windows even in Full screen drag and drop is easy . Drag the item bring that to task bar to the window you want to drag that item to , the window will automatically maximize then you can drop the item in that windows . Easy it is .
Using
[...] already is a problem with Mac with the window size . It seems that mac basically doesn’t let application go Full Screen ( hiding all menu [...]
Using
Amazing site.
Thanks, admin.
Using
Cool blog.
Thanks, webmaster.
Using
The point is you should be able to do this simple thing without a plug-in or hack. It’s OK if Apple want to push the zoom feature, it’s a useful thing, but give me a shortcut so I can maximise if I want to. It’s my computer.
A perfect example of when I want to maximise rather than zoom is when I am using iTunes extensively. I just want it to fill my screen; I want to enter ‘music world’ and just immerse myself in it. Also, I want as many of the album thumbnails on my screen as I can get. This is a glaring example of operating system pigheadedness. We love OSX but I’m sorry, this is a feature gap (albeit a rare and small one).
Incidentally, iCal maximises à la Windows. Why? Because it’s an example of an application where that which constitutes the ‘optimum’ window size is arbitrary and OSX recognises this fact. If it can recognise that fact here, it can recognise it in principal and give us our maximise choice for all applications.
Using
Totally agree with you Zephyryx . Yes we can maximise some of the apps in Mac but there never has been something like “View full screen “;-) . Full screen meaning dont show me anything but just the app ( like you see movies and powerpoint presentation .. )
Using
[...] now and then i need to resize windows in Mac because of the simple reason that windows in Mac dont fit to fill the entire screen also they dont have maximize button which acts in a similar way to the maximize button in Windows [...]
Using
NO!…We will not let you have one click access to full screen for any window!!
NO!…We will not let you have one click access to full screen for any window!!
NO!…We will not let you have one click access to full screen for any window!!
NO!…We will not let you have one click access to full screen for any window!!
NO!…We will not let you have one click access to full screen for any window!!
Using
This is so true. As a matter of fact, I’m viewing this blog in Firefox full screen, with Pidgin, OpenOffice 3, Thunderbird, Windows Explorer, and Windows Media Player oepn underneath it. That is impossible to do quickly on a Mac.
Using
btw, I am not using windows NT…I’m most definitely using Windows 7….wouldn’t get caught dead with NT!
Using
Yes Weily .. I dont know why but the plugin i use to detect OS seems to identify Windows 7 as Windows NT.
Using
if you went to the movies, how would you feel if the movie theater screen had all kinds of icons and other things hanging out on either side, peeking at you, interfering with your ability to concentrate solely on the film?
Mac users defend this ridiculous inability to maximize to full screen as “contrary to Mac philosophy!” LOL! Say WHAT? Sounds like a cult group defending it’s beloved guru no matter what she does.
I’ll betcha anything that if a future Mac OS does let you go to full screen at will, for anything, a whole lotta mac users will then all of a sudden love it, be thankful for it, and start defending the new freedom of choice. After all, sometimes it is inefficient to “multitask” and sometimes it is. At least with windows you get to chose.
Consider this: A 13″ screen is not a 13″ screen, if you are only using 12″ of it. Don’t tell my itunes is “most efficient” at its ridiculously small size - I’m not that dumb.
Thumbs down to Mac, thumbs up to windows, for this one glaring and obvious great advantage.
Using
Apple should just add a full screen button which zooms and tidies up the files in which ever order you have selected from the tool bar. I use an Apple script to do this as it is sometimes nicer to have full screen when browsing files etc.
Come on Apple it wouldn’t be hard to do now would it.
Using
No option but to maximize first, and then get hold of the tiny window expander on the bottom right.
Using
Seems like I remember that old Macs let you hold the option key while you hit the zoom button and it went full screen. That would solve the problem for both philosophical camps.
Using
It´s nowhere to find a shortcut for green button.
Instead of clicking, I´d like to have keyboard do the action, whithout worriyng about where´s the mouse.
Is there a shortcut? Script bellow would fail.
tell application “System Events”
if UI elements enabled then
set FrontApplication to (get name of every process whose frontmost is true) as string
tell process FrontApplication
click button 2 of window 1
–button 2 is the green “zoom” button for all applications
–window 1 is always the frontmost window.
end tell
else
tell application “System Preferences”
activate
set current pane to pane “com.apple.preference.universalaccess”
display dialog “UI element scripting is not enabled. Check ‘Enable access for assistive devices’”
end tell
end if
end tell
Using
Even Snow Leopard has this “philosophy” during dual display era. (LOL)
Using
Very interesting post thanks for writing it I have added your blog to my favorites and will check back
By the way this is a little off topic but I really like your blogs layout.
Using
Why not have the Green expand button adjust the screen size while holding it down(Hold the Right click on the button)(Expand hold it, click again it contracts)??? Seems like a Easy enough proposition. That way the screen is not only expandable to the maximum but any variation within MInimum and maximum. A improvement like this would set the mac world Afire with happiness. Get on it boys customer have lots of good ideas.
Using
It’s funny but 1) maximize 2) copy past 3) closing window 4) copy cut … are the most controversial topics between seasoned & newbie Mac folks.
This one is the easiest. There are utilities which can do exactly what Windows Maximizing is doing. So don’t troll around, go and search for them and enjoy your life
Using
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Using
This is for browsers -> Try “Shift+Command+F” on mac os leopard.. it takes my chrome/firefox to full screen…
Using
Hi all I am very much new to mac. I have just brought a new mac book pro 13″ and seems ok compared to pc. Not whole lot different as i have used Linux (Ubuntu too). Anyway I have found the answer to your discussions above. Shift + click on the “+” button will maximise the window. (Not Zoom)
Using
I use MacBook Pro one one machine and Win XP (and Win 7 under VMware) on a different one. Comparing user interaction via the GUIs I prefer Windows. This discussion about trivial things like these points to shortcomings of MAC, only hyped up anyway. I am not a tech freak or something like that. All I want from a computer is that it works, that it does what I need it to do. Sure, Win isn’t without its quirks and even failings, like any OS. However, from a user perspective and in terms of intuitivity Windows beats MAC (only a ‘proprietaried’ version of a Unix/Linux flavour anyway). There are other small trivial things I miss on a MAC such as a delete button that ALWAYS works as one not just inside some applications, same holding true for ‘Home’ and ‘End’ button that lets you jump from the beginning to the end of a line not just the page down/up buttons, I miss the start bar where you can quickly jump to an open window even when having several documents of the same application open without whatever shortcuts or key combinations were there one might have under MAC and other small annoying things. Sure, MAC is considered cool, elitist or whatever term the community wants to apply here. But if you ask me I’d rather have something utterly uncool but without annoyances
Using
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Using
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Using
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Using
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Using
Though this minor “problem” has always been fixable if the user would stop complaining and resize the window himself, OS X Lion has added an efficient fullscreen mode for most applications. It works kind of like an iPad now. Most apps can be made fullscreen, and you can easily (with a swipe of your fingers) go between other fullscreen apps, as well as apps not in fullscreen.
The problem with PC users who desperately want to prove PCs better than Macs forgets that for every “problem” in an Apple computer, there is a “problem” with a Windows computer. Sure, I like to take part in a small MAc vs. PC argument every now and again, but I firmly believe that PCs can be, for some, better than Macs. A standard Mac vs. a standard PC can run certain applications better. Multimedia was conquered by Mac early on, and even the most basic Mac can perform mmedia functions better than a standard Windows computer. However, most software is made for PCs, with no Mac version to be found. Because Apple makes the computers themselves, I don’t have to shop around at Dell, Gateway, Compaq or Toshiba to find the computer I want. However, the pricing on Apple products are generally ridiculous.
I’m just saying that for every Windows problem, there is a Mac problem. One is not better than the other. It all just comes down to preference.
…Oh. And I find it ironic that you have a dock at the bottom of your website.
Using
I opened this site, and closed it again immediately when the ridiculous dock started flopping down the screen as I was trying to read… I came back just to let you know, it’s 100% annoying, and drove this reader away before I ever read a word.
HAHAHA, and I can’t even click on submit comment now without the dock getting in the way. amazing.
Using
You know what, your posts are usually a good read, but this time around I feel like it is put together a little hasty.I may be wrong about that, but this one just doesn’t flow like other posts. Sorry about that.
September 14th, 2011 at 3:26 pm
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At first, i didn’t have an issue with this function. I ditched windows a while ago, and got me a macbook. And i loved it. Took some getting used to, but i just liked the feel.
Anyway a couple weeks ago that mac shat itself, so i’ve been using a stupid windows 7 machine….
After about 3 days i’ve seen how much has improved since xp - I’m truly loving windows 7. Got my macbook back, still think it looks nice; but i think i’m over the effect. Everything feels like it takes to long to do. User friendly… but my windows 7 computer just feels nicer now.
Anyway, THIS issue is whats been annoying me the most lately. I dont even know if i noticed it before - but i HATE not having fullscreen as an option. I find it really frustrating that i can’t simply have 1 item in focus.
Good article. Perhaps for the next one you could remind me why i hate windows - because i’m preferring my windows 7 machine at the moment.
Using
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