Minimizing / hiding - do you use it? If so, how?

[del_diablo]

I only use minimize when I am running non-fullscreen applications, and I dislike having certain applications clutter the background. What I do most of the time is to just tab back to the fullscreen browser, and then tab back to the non-fullscreen application, clearing any clutter.
Its not that useful, really.

[ctrlmd]

i always use minimize cause i don't like too many opened windows at the same time i prefer one window maximized and the rest minimized

[Copper Bezel]

Huh. So for those who do use it, it looks like it really is a matter of reducing clutter or getting to background windows. Am I the only one who uses it to "save for later"?

(I'm aware that my other use, a place to keep things handy on whatever workspace I'm on, doesn't really apply to most panel situations, certainly not without the old Gnome panel "restore to present workspace" functionality.)

[keithpeter]

Hello All

Small screen (1024 by 600 netbook) I use applications maximised and resort to alt-tab and virtual desktops. I don't minimise windows much. Hiding - or mode shifting - is by using workspaces.

I'm on Xubuntu and use the Alt-F11 complete maximise on each desktop and crtl-shift-arrow to move between (firefox, officelibre, Audacity when editing sound files, shotwell for pictures).

I use dmenu for application start

Large screen (1920 by 1080): DWM/dmenu.

The default vertical tile with 'helper' applications in the right 'stack' helps me see information I need. E.G. Firefox in master pane, Liferea, Gedit on the stack for finding sites and note taking (drag text from Firefox or Liferea as I scroll).

Tagging helps bring in e.g. bring OpenOffice write from another virtual desktop and then send it back again just with keystrokes.

Again, no minimise or hide, just stacking on different tags/desktops.

Interesting thread.

[hhh]

... Gnome Shell's choice to remove minimizing entirely...

Just a technical point, this statement is false. You can still enable it, it's just a hidden preference now.

@Bezel, I use minimize like you, both to reduce clutter, hiding a music player, for example, or to keep an app open that I'm sure I'll use again during the session (I almost always have a terminal and file manager open lately).

[KingYaba]

OS X's hide command (cmd h) was something I used all the time. I minimize stuff, now, and spread things to my different Workspaces. Top left corner is web, 2nd one is music, 3rd is email, etc...

[ilovelinux33467]

I'm on KDE and I always minimize windows just for the same reasons as hhh said.

[Copper Bezel]

I'm glad I'm not crazy, then. (At least for that! = D)

Just a technical point, this statement is false. You can still enable it, it's just a hidden preference now.

True, and I should have made note. It's been removed from the default UX, but that doesn't mean that a lot of coding didn't go into making it continue to work under Mutter and Shell if the user opts to do so.

[odiseo77]

I use the minimize function quite often when I'm working with many programs/windows (like surfing the web while writing a document in LibreOffice Writer, for example); I don't like having all windows maximized all the time for several reasons: it may cause "visual noise" that distracts me and confuses me, and it's not aesthetically pleasant, so I prefer to minimize some windows and maximize them when I need them (of course, if I know I won't use a given program for a long time, I prefer to just close it, instead of minimizing it).

[ScionicSpectre]

I think minimizing, like menu bars and other unnatural computing metaphors, are a bit dated and usually harmful to the user experience in comparison to any other device. They're the kinds of things that separate normal users from technical ones unnecessarily.

However, I think it's only good to do away with them when you have a more appropriate alternative. I think Gnome Shell does this very well, but I can't say that managing more than a few windows in Unity is pleasant compared to OS X, Windows, or GNOME 3 (or two). Managing windows is a constant task that presents itself and needs a good solution- the workspace switcher in Unity isn't super discoverable or fun to use (especially compared to the overview in GNOME Shell- I'm speaking for dozens of users I've seen use the two, I'm not just trolling).

When you force people to put more effort into something in a way that doesn't offer a lot of clarification or any side benefits, it's probably not the best design choice. I'm sure they'll find a better way around this, but I don't think the best way is to ignore the problem and remove what you don't like before you have a better way to handle the problem.

So I personally believe that is one way in which they shouldn't copy the OS X behavior for now. If minimizing makes the button on the dock glow, why shouldn't clicking that button to minimize work? Unless, of course, the preferred method of using Unity is to fullscreen all of your applications like a tablet.