[thePurpleGiant]

Just flicking back through some old threads. I found one talking about the dock, minimisation and other interface concerns.

I came across this post:

Originally posted by lookmark:
This is Apple's puzzle they've created for themselves -- I'm real curious to see what their solution will be. Windowshade is messy. Minimize-in-Place (featured in early seeds of Jaguar) works well, but can leave tiny little floating windoids scattered around willy-nilly.

It seems like Apple has to either:

- create a whole other UI component for docking windows (unlikely)

- refine Minimize-in-Place so that minimized windows outside of the Dock can be better organized and controlled (most likely -- but how to do so, without getting complex and fiddly?)

- revise the Dock considerably to allow for a new window management behavior (!)

- create a magnification behavior that can be either easily toggled on & off by the user, or (better yet) that can automatically preview / magnify Docked windows while leaving applications alone

Unless there's some other avenue I'm not seeing...

Hmm sounds like Apple transformed this into Expose - good work lookmark!

[Eriamjh]

Does that mean apple stole the idea?

[neilw]

I would actually be quite interested in hearing how Exposé came into existence. Clearly there was a major hole to fill (window management), but was Exposé a brilliant idea by one guy, or crafted by a team, or what? I'm sure that the code was ultimately a team thing, but where'd the original idea come from?

IMHO, Exposé is the first significant UI innovation to come out of Apple in a long time. They've done a lot of nice small stuff (e.g., sheets) but Exposé is a biggie, and there seems to be remarkably few drawbacks. A fine piece of work by Apple....

[Kristoff]

That is quite interesting. I must say, Exposé does solve the problem rather well.

I remember when I started to use OS X, the windows users loved the genie effect. But the wow factor has worn off. Now, I get to experience it all over again.

In fact, when windows users are around, I catch myself activating "all windows" just to see the reactions.

[kovacs]

I agree, the new application switcher and exposé complement the dock rather well, still not perfect but you can use a combination of 3rd party add-ons to complement the dock and general window managment even further...

[WJMoore]

Originally posted by Eriamjh:
Does that mean apple stole the idea?

Only if lookmark patented it.

[lookmark]

Originally posted by WJMoore:
Only if lookmark patented it.

Heh, well, I think there's as much chance that Apple stole the idea for Exposé from my post as they stole it from, oh, say.... Microsoft.

That is, of course, none.

I think I just did a decent job (if I do say so myself) of realistically accessing what the problems of the OS were back in Jaguar, along w/ some -- as it seems now -- kinda painfully vague free-associating how they could do better.

You can bet Apple UE is doing the same thing for 10.4 right now, and no doubt have been doing so for some time now. It's really too bad the workings of that group are so secret (though of course they have to be, given the competition). I'd love to be a fly on the wall in that section of Infinite Loop.

Anyway, for all the 10.4 wish lists, this process still seems to me the best way of estimating what will happen next. Start with the flaws and drawbacks of the current OS -- and no matter how good Panther is, there's always things that can be better -- and try to figure out how to address them with new features and with as little (or as transparent) UI as possible...