Anyone else NEVER maximize windows?

[SomeGuyDude]

I remember back in the day, I used to always keep stuff maximized. My browser, for example, was ALWAYS fullscreen. If I had to do other stuff, I clicked away from it or minimized it.

These days, though, I try and keep everything using as little screen space as I can while still comfortably reading it all. I have no idea what changed, but it's the damndest thing.

Anyone else had that conversion?

[Ozor Mox]

I keep almost all windows maximised all the time. The only real exception that I can think of is the Pidgin buddy display. Even my terminal windows are huge black and green monsters! :)

[aaaantoine]

I actually went in the other direction at some point. It probably happened when I switched to Ubuntu.

[matthew]

I almost never have anything maximized. I won't say it never happens, but it is pretty rare.

[Hells_Dark]

I never have my windows full-screen (excluding movies).
Because i like to keep an eye on my two tilda with my ncmpc player and my rtorrent client working, and some others info displayed with conky (rss flux, mails,etc.).

But it's also because i have a 24'' with a 1920*1200 resolution ;)

[FuturePilot]

I used to. I always had the browser full screen. Same with almost ever other app as well, OpenOffice Writer, Impress, etc. But I stopped that. Now everything is windowed. Even my browser.

[mrgnash]

Movies are the only thing I ever run full-screen... and even then, not very often.

[PmDematagoda]

I'm a mix, the windows that need to be maximised like the browser and a movie will be maximised while those that don't have to be maximised like a terminal window I keep unmaximised. I find the desktop to be more organised that way:).

[Pogeymanz]

I had exactly the same conversion. I used to always maximize everything, and now it bugs me if I can't see at least part of my other windows.

I think part of it is because how crappy monitor resolution used to be. If you wanted to read anything at all, it HAD to be maximized. Just a theory.

[aysiu]

I don't maximize dialogues or authentication windows, but everything else I keep maximized. I'm not into the whole Mac OS X "zoom" thing.

Maximized windows and Alt-Tab help me multi-task and not waste space.

[LeoSolaris]

I max my browser when that is all I am doing, but if I have a project going, or I am simply doing a couple of different things, I tend to window everything to small spaces on my laptop. Most websites don't actually need the whole screen to look right, and I have on more than a few occasions, forgot to remax a window when I go back to just web browsing.

Leo

[Lostincyberspace]

I max my browser and movies but most others I don't just because they don't fit that well. but currently nautilus is opening up full screen and it sucks be cause I only use it to move files.

[Blue Heron]

I have 2 Screens with 2 maxi windows

[NightwishFan]

I like to use all my pixels unless I have a need to see panel. (Waiting for message) Otherwise I have all my windows full screen. (not maximized)

[original_jamingrit]

view screenshot.

I only maximize movies or games, with F11 or Crtl-F.

[bonzodog]

Heh...I run my Firefox maximised on workspace 1, add to which I have no panels and all windows are undecorated by default.

On workspace 2 I always run weechat IRC in a fullscreen urxvt, so I have two full desks.
I use workspace 3 for small terminal commands, and other odd programs.

I flick between workspaces using ctrl-alt-arrow keys.

I use openbox for my WM, in Arch Linux.

[afeasfaerw23231233]

i must have my windows maximize for firefox since my mon is only 15 inch lcd 1024x768. i need to drag left and right for certain website like newyorktimes or washingtonpost.. if it is not maximized. but bbc works fine on 800x600. i know 15-inch lcd mon is rare in new computer. but my mon still works fine and i have no excuse (no money!) to buy a bigger mon. why sites always designed as best suited at 1024x768? 800x600 just displayed all the content fine with a vertical scroll wheel mouse. 1024x websites are not suitable for old crt 12 inch mon -- just like peeping something from the bottom of a paper box -- 800 x 600 is enough for those 'mainly-text-sites' ...

EDIT: i maximize 2 kpdf , and 1 firefox in three desk space -- scroll the wheel and i can do the exam paper without printing it out, check the answer, and surf the net when bored. i am not allowed to do this in xp. though looking up and down between the virtual computer desk and my real desk is not so comfortable but it saves ink and paper! (however i need to print it out on those long questions or questions with graphs) Reading e-book is not a good option, unless i cannnot find the book in library.

[sujoy]

i hardly maximize my windows, other than movies and browser,and i use a tiling WM (awesome)

[chucky chuckaluck]

i used to make everything as small as possible so i could see my wallpaper. i've gotten over that, though, and i'm back to maximizing my browser and tiling everything else.

[swoll1980]

I think maximized windows are ugly for some reason I'm funny like that I guess

[SomeGuyDude]

I think the thing is, like I keep saying, I'm huge on making my desktop feel like an actual desk. So generally I find a size that allows me to be productive, and then I try and leave them all that size, as though I'm picking up and putting down pieces of paper or somesuch. I move 'em around, but maximizing and changing sizes bugs me out for some reason.

Exception for movies, as others have said.

[will1911a1]

My monitor is pretty old so things usually have to be maximized for me to get a good view of what I'm looking at.

My monitor at work, however, is pretty decently sized and generally keep things maximized there too so..

[aysiu]

Oh, at work is a different story, entirely. At work, I have a 20" widescreen monitor. Having applications maximized adds nothing, and I'm offering have to compare multiple documents across applications, so I keep almost everything at half width (vertically) at work.

[juxtaposed]

Almost always maximized.

[Perpetual]

I would like to not always have windows maximized but since Gnome does not remember window location I tend to maximize more windows. Nothing irritates me more than when my browser isn't centered on my screen but shows up in random locations.

I can however control this behavior with compiz but I don't like using compiz...

[masque7]

Dual-monitors here. Normally a maximized browser. Video=fullscreen. I also tend to have Foobar/Amarok maximized too.

[matt79]

When I have my good computer working I have dual monitors too. (right now the power box is burned out)

[Superkoop]

On desktop 1 I have Songbird maxamized; on desktop 2 I generally have Firefox open maxamized; desktop 3 is reserved for games/GIMP/movies/etc; and desktop 4 is for quickly opening files or installing something right away.

I almost exclusively use the keyboard, so for me having windows completely maxamized on different desktops is the most effeciant.

[RandomJoe]

I find it interesting how many people specifically point out their browser as maximized - that's the one program I pointedly do NOT like to maximize! Drives me nuts to have sentences stretched out clear across the screen, I'd rather have them flowed into paragraphs and not move my eyes back and forth so much.

But then I do use larger monitors, and smaller fonts, than many people do. The most notable for this is my laptop - only 15" LCD, but 1600x1200 resolution. And *tiny* fonts! :) I could have two browser windows or terminal shells side-by-side on there! Looks sharp and gorgeous - but unreadable at more than 2-3 feet for most people.

There are a few websites (the number seems to be growing lately, which ticks me off...) that have so much junk (mostly ads, but sometimes just a bunch of links) plastered down both sides of the content that I wind up having to maximize to get usable space for the content.

When using reference docs and such, if I don't have multiple displays to spread things out on, I like windowing everything so I can keep the reference material on top, then use "focus-follows-mouse" to let me enter data into a window in the background. This is the one thing I miss more than anything on my Windows machine at work!

[odiseo77]

I think the only thing I maximize is firefox (for a comfortable reading). Besides, I like apps that dock in the tray so they don't waste space on the task bar; I'm so tray-dependant that sometimes I'd like to have firefox docked in the tray (I know about alltray, etc., but I don't like to use these type of apps).

[popch]

In the office, I do not maximize. At home, I do maximize.

Screen sizes
@office: 21in, 1600*1200
@home: 12in, 1024*768

Applications: Word processing, spreadsheets, internet browser, mail, solitaire (@home)

Not maximizing at home makes too small part of document visible. I hate sideways scrolling in documents.

Maximizing in the office makes the apparent size (in degrees) of the documents so large that I have to turn my head in order to see all corners of a window. That's slow and not convenient. I wear bifocals.

Questions?

[urukrama]

I don't maximize dialogues or authentication windows, but everything else I keep maximized. I'm not into the whole Mac OS X "zoom" thing.

Maximized windows and Alt-Tab help me multi-task and not waste space.

Same here. I only need to see one window at a time (and can easily switch with alt-tab if I need a second one), and with a 1024x768 screen resolution I don't have much space to spear.

[Darkhack]

When I used OS X at school, everything was windowed because the resolution was so big. At home, I have 1152x864 and I keep some things maximized and others windowed. Firefox and OpenOffice are maximized, videos are usually windowed unless I am watching them fullscreen. Most other things are windowed, pidgin, xchat, terminal, etc.

It just depends on the application. I need Firefox and OpenOffice maximized so I don't have any horizontal scroll and Pidgin IM windows would just look funky and hard to read if they weren't small and contained since I'm usually only reading or typing 3-4 sentences at a time.

[elmer_42]

Most of the time I maximize windows, but sometimes I like to have a few windows open at a time. E.g. this, XChat, Firefox, and Totem all going at once.
http://arch.kimag.es/resized/34114518.png (http://arch.kimag.es/share/34114518.png)

[igknighted]

I remember back in the day, I used to always keep stuff maximized. My browser, for example, was ALWAYS fullscreen. If I had to do other stuff, I clicked away from it or minimized it.

These days, though, I try and keep everything using as little screen space as I can while still comfortably reading it all. I have no idea what changed, but it's the damndest thing.

Anyone else had that conversion?

+1

I hate maximized windows. Now that I have widescreen, high res monitors maximized windows just have too much unused space, which is way better served by giving me a peek at what is going on in other windows.

[init1]

I keep most things maximized, except for XMMS (don't think it can be maximized) and gamix

[jespdj]

I remember back in the day, I used to always keep stuff maximized. My browser, for example, was ALWAYS fullscreen. If I had to do other stuff, I clicked away from it or minimized it.

These days, though, I try and keep everything using as little screen space as I can while still comfortably reading it all. I have no idea what changed, but it's the damndest thing.

Anyone else had that conversion?
No, I don't recognise myself in this. I always have my browser, Eclipse and many other programs maximized on my laptop screen (1680 x 1050) and on my desktop at work (1440 x 900).

But on my desktop at home (24-inch, 1920 x 1200) I don't maximize the web browser. Most websites aren't made for such a high resolution and so there will be a lot of blank space when I maximize the browser on that screen.

[barbedsaber]

but I can have FOUR maximized windows, multiple desktops ftw!

[-grubby]

Before I got my new LCD monitor (@1400x900 19 in., my old CRT was @1024x768 17in.) I always maximized my web browser and a couple other programs, but now I hardly ever maximize anything. It annoys me especially when my browser window is maximized

[John T. Monkey]

I remember back in the day, I used to always keep stuff maximized. My browser, for example, was ALWAYS fullscreen. If I had to do other stuff, I clicked away from it or minimized it.

These days, though, I try and keep everything using as little screen space as I can while still comfortably reading it all. I have no idea what changed, but it's the damndest thing.

Anyone else had that conversion?

I have the same. I used to keep all windows maximised, back when I was using Windows 98/ME, but now I do not. I have he computer set to roll up the window when I double click the title bar.

I think the difference for me might be the screen resolution. I can't think of anything else... 800x600 on my old windows 98 machine, if I remember correctly.

On this computer its 1280x800...

[miggols99]

I only maximize Inkscape, Firefox, OpenOffice and Amarok...things I never maximize are the text editor, terminal, and IM because it just doesn't look right...

[cardinals_fan]

I maximize Firefox... that's it. I should use Devilspie more...

[Breakage]

I very very rarely maximise windows, even using two monitors.

[klange]

I almost always maximize Firefox, but as I use Scale to switch to other windows, it's not the same...

[whitefang5412]

I keep my browser maximised, movies, and open office. Terminal, gaim, music plays like amarok, rythmbox, gtkpod, synaptic etc... are windowed. I can't stand my browser not to be maximized unless I'm hiding it, or a flash game from my teacher at school.

[Pethegreat]

I have a small mointor running at 1280x1024. I run firefox in full screen. I am trying having rythmbox and a volume control on another panel.

I plan on getting either a 22in or 24 inch LCD screen(which ever will fit on my desk). At that point I will never have to maxamize anything.