[rishio]

All I want is that the green (+) resize button on the top of every window to resize the window - making it precisely fit the full screen space (including taking into consideration open drawer space).

After years of using the mac, I am still frustrated with the resize button and can never seem to predict what pressing it will do. It never gives me what I want. Has anyone else have frustration with these resize buttons? Anyone else wanted a simple way to resize the window to fit the entire screen? Is there a way this is done that I am missing?

[Developer]

The (+) button is flawed, but not its behavior but the label. The fact that it is a + seems to indicate a behavior similar to that in Windows (fill screen) when in fact the behavior is zoom to fit.
Zooming to fit means that at times the window can shrink in size and that's odd if the button is labeled with a +.

[zachs]

I can't say that it's flawed, as its purpose is not to "maximize" the window - but to "zoom" it to fit the contents. However, I wish that simply clicking the + button would maximize the window, while option-clicking would zoom-to-fit.

[rishio]

Even if it means zoom to fit, why is it that I have my browser open right now.. there is space available on the right hand of the screen.. yet it only fills to the bottom of the screen.. and forces me manually make it fit the width of the screen. The right hand screen space is unused.. why can't it zoom into that..

And yes.. clicking the (+) button and having the screen shrink is really annoying.. it basically usually does what I don't want it to do..

I think the (+) button should only expand the screen to fit the available space..

who really needs a window to shrink anyway? usually a shrinking job is something that is really custom.. and just needs the manual control...

Originally posted by Developer:
The (+) button is flawed, but not its behavior but the label. The fact that it is a + seems to indicate a behavior similar to that in Windows (fill screen) when in fact the behavior is zoom to fit.
Zooming to fit means that at times the window can shrink in size and that's odd if the button is labeled with a +.

[SMacTech]

Originally posted by rishio:
Anyone else wanted a simple way to resize the window to fit the entire screen? Is there a way this is done that I am missing?

This is a function of the program that implements the zoom function. It has nothing to do with the OS, as I understand it. My carbon app will fill the entire screen, and of course honoring the dock size and position. If I click the + again, it will return to its previous size. Each application you use, will function differently, unfortunately.
Safari, for one is an example. However, this can be overcome in Safari, but may not be in other apps.

[rishio]

ahh.. ok.. i get it.. zoom to fit the content of the screen... unfortunately.. the content grows.. and I always find myself eventually expanding manually..

I'm still more interested in having it expand to full screen.. especially since we are getting expose soon... having a window fill the screen gets rid of the clutter in the background... and expose allows us to easily switch between different windows... and hiding all windows so you can get right at the desktop..

I agree that there should be an option to make the dock always be on top... and not have the window expand over the dock.. however.. since I auto-hide the dock.. this is not an issue for me..

[SMacTech]

Originally posted by rishio:
ahh.. ok.. i get it.. zoom to fit the content of the screen...
<snip>
since I auto-hide the dock.. this is not an issue for me..

Something I never tested my app with, as I never use auto-hide.

[Developer]

Originally posted by rishio:
Even if it means zoom to fit, why is it that I have my browser open right now.. there is space available on the right hand of the screen.. yet it only fills to the bottom of the screen.. and forces me manually make it fit the width of the screen. The right hand screen space is unused.. why can't it zoom into that..

Yes, the problem with web pages is that most adjust their width, so defining what the ideal width is is not trivial. You think ideal is the maximum width, while the browser author believes it's a good idea to leave some space to view other web sites, being able to switch to them by clicking, drag stuff onto the desktop etc.
Both approaches are valid. The web browser should support option-clicking the zoom widget to give the user the choice.

I think the (+) button should only expand the screen to fit the available space..

Let's say you view an image in Preview. Why would one want to grow the window to the size of the screen and show a lot of gray around the picture? It's more useful to zoom the window to fit and allow to see other pictures, windows etc.

who really needs a window to shrink anyway?

People working with multiple windows.

[neilw]

I actually voted "no", but now that I think about it some more I think it is flawed, for the simple reason that it often seems to do something different from what people expect. And that includes me.

I agree with the theory of the button, and there are times when it is *great*. But it could definitely use some tweaking to make it more predictable:

1) Universalize the notion of option-clicking to expand to full screen.

2) Make the button change *somehow* to indicate which direction the next click is going. Clicking it repeatedly toggles the window state back and forth, but at any given time you don't know which state it's in, leading to surprises.

[Developer]

Originally posted by neilw:
1) Universalize the notion of option-clicking to expand to full screen.

2) Make the button change *somehow* to indicate which direction the next click is going. Clicking it repeatedly toggles the window state back and forth, but at any given time you don't know which state it's in, leading to surprises.

Please send Apple feedback.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/feedback/

[calumr]

The zoom button has always been used to toggle between what the user set the window size to be (by dragging the bottom-right corner) and what the application determines to be the maximum size needed. Some apps bother to figure this out (like OmniWeb & Safari), where others just assume the whole screen (like Chimera).

If you want to know why it would make windows smaller, open a folder in the Finder with 1 icon in it (in Icon view). Make it really big, then hit zoom, and the window should resize to fit the icon in it without all the extra white space. Now the window isn't taking up more space than it needs, and you can see what's behind it.

I agree that this is not as necessary now, what with Expos� nearly here, but it's just the way Mac apps have always worked. With the exception of games, no app should take up the whole screen and hide the users icons if they accidentally hit zoom.

[JKT]

The only reason why it is flawed is because its behaviour is inconsistent between applications. Personally, I wish that all apps would adopt the "OmniWeb way�" whereby shift clicking fills the screen, just clicking toggles between fit contents and last size, and other key combo-clicks that I can't recall at the present (as I never use them) resize to fit width but not height and vice versa. Option clicking should be reserved for resize all open windows (for consistency's sake as option clicking the close button will close all open windows, the minimise button will minimise all open windows).

My tuppence worth.

[Millennium]

Originally posted by Developer:
Let's say you view an image in Preview. Why would one want to grow the window to the size of the screen and show a lot of gray around the picture? It's more useful to zoom the window to fit and allow to see other pictures, windows etc.People working with multiple windows.

Exactly.

The "problem" with the Mac model is that Windows users are, by and large, used to working in only one app at a time. The "great multitasking capabilities" of Win95 all the way up through XP have been in large part wasted by users who only work in a single app at any given moment, because everything they do fills the whole screen when (usually) there's no need for that. Why do they do it? I'd wager because it's the only way they can get their menus to the top of the screen, where they belong

Seriously. The point of the zoom button is to leave space available for other windows, so that not just applications but users can multitask. Anyone who uses an IM client should understand the benefit of this approach. It may not have the best label ever known to humanity -though at the moment I'm lost for a better one- but its functionality is vastly superior to that of Windows' braindead Maximize function.

There is the one problem that the Zoom button's functionality is somewhat app-dependent. But there are times when I wonder if it is possible to implement a single Zoom function that would work for every app.

[rishio]

I guess since this is a piece of functionality that will be used differently by different people.. it needs to be more configurable. I personally prefer all the windows that I open.. even the file browser - to be full screen. I have the desktop Icon and other folders in my dock - allowing me to drag files from the filebrowser to the desktop.. or images from a website to the desktop.. without having to see the desktop..

That said.. I guess there should be a "minimize" "zoom" and "maximize" functionality - where maximize makes a window as large as the whole screen. There needs to be a Command shortcut for this, perhaps option clicking the "+" .. and a system preference allowing all windows opened to automatically maximize by default.