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Sounds like you're a little attached to the Windows / Linux layout of things. I much prefer the menu bar at the top of the screen - only the relevant menu is displayed, and all windows look tidier as a result. The + button is a funny one - it's to "optimise" the size of the application to what it feels is best for the window contents. A minor thing, but I don't mind it. What I'd like is the new Amiga-type way of doing it: Hold down shift and click + and it would go to full-screen instead of its current behaviour. Then you get the best of both worlds, and still not clutter your window with extra buttons.
I like it on my MBP 13". However the whole notion falls down when you have more than one screen or a really massive screen. Also if you want to access the menu of a window that is not in focus you first need to click on the window and then go to the menu bar.
I believe the menu bar on the top of the screen is nothing but a relic of the past, when the first Macs had minuscule displays and were practically monotasking. Later it was kept as a purely distinctive sign.
And don't even talk about the Dock, it's the thing I hate the most on the Mac.
As I see it, menus are part of the application, thus they should remain in the application's limits. Probably the best thing Micosoft introduced with Windows 95 is the Taskbar: a system-level element dedicated to system-level tasks (launch apps, list running apps, showing system status). Clean and simple, even though I would like to have it a bit richer.
BeOS, with the added plus of virtual screens, was probably closer to perfection. That's why I liked it so much.
But I don't want to start a discussion on user interface design here.





Member since:
2006-03-27
I didn't follow all the rumors on Lion, but it looks interesting from a user point of view (will we be able to get rid of the dock at last?). The only thing I'm dubious about is that Full screen thing, all that I wanted was a maximize button that actually does just that instead of the current "+" that never works as you would expect.
Asking for the menu bar to go away from the top of the screen and going where it belongs to - its application - is asking too much, I guess.
Anyway, I'll wait some weeks before installing on my MB.
And a 11" Air plugged to two 27" displays... uh, I have to stop eating for some time to buy those...