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Comment by efdee | Hacker News Reader

You kind of make it sound as if Apple invented maximized windows... :-)

OS X's full screen apps aren't maximzed windows. If I put Sublime into full screen mode, there's no window, no menu bar. It's a text editor taking up the entire screen.

If I were to maximize Sublime on Windows, Linux, or OS X (green button), you still have the chrome from the windowing system and the OS's menu bars.

Also, the parent comment makes no claim Apple invented anything, he/she is just drawing a comparison people would be familiar with. Frankly, it's more than a little annoying to me that you have to distract from the topic to make completely non-constructive dig at a company you seem to dislike and completely miss the point of the comparison in doing so.

There was little need to reference Apple though, as Firefox can do the exact same thing by pressing F11 (on Windows).

I disagree. The reference why Apple added Full Screen.

Why did Apple make a Full Screen feature in their operating system? Minimalism and simplicity.

Why does Firefox have a fullscreen option? Because most browsers had that option and it's a useful feature once in a while. Not a compelling reference.

Do you have a source for this, or did you just make up some reasons to justify mentioning Apple? ...

Do pay attention. This sub thread started with a mention of Apple.

Do pay attention. I commented on the need to mention Apple in this sub thread, as Firefox (the main topic here, if I'm not mistaken) had the same functionality. Then, epochwolf stated that the reasons for implementing the added functionality were different, and therefore the mention of Apple added to the original comment. I then commented asking whether or not he had a source for stating the reasons for implementing said functionality, since it seems as though they're unsubstantiated.

Sublime text (and many apps) have full screen functionality in Windows and Linux. Admittedly, Sublime Text leaves a menu bar, but it's about as minimal a menu bar as you could get. Chrome, Firefox, all media players, all games etc. have full screen (no chrome) modes.

They had them well before full screen on OS X became a "thing".

Your reply misses the point that the original comparison was flawed. It was like saying "A bit like why Apple added ASLR" or "A bit like why Apple added CUPS". They invented neither and were first to market with neither.

>If I were to maximize Sublime on [...] Linux.

I don't use sublime, but on Linux (Ubuntu GNOME) when you full screen an app the window decorations are hidden and so are the status/window menus.

Edit: before you downvote, please explain why??

You're being downvoted because you are incorrect. Ubuntu GNOME does not have an equivalent of OS X full screen build in to the windowing system. It has a maximize button that doesn't remove the chrome, it just makes the window take up the most of the screen. In OS X, there is no window. The app is completely edge to edge similar like an iOS app except without the status bar.

Edit:

Ubuntu "Fullscreen": http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EnulBlkjTEM/Tzo7Fo3l3uI/AAAAAAAAHw...

OS X Fullscreen: http://www3.pcmag.com/media/images/237835-iphoto-11-albums-i...

But that's not full screen though. That's maximize, you are incorrect.

http://i.imgur.com/lO0g7oS.gif

Interesting. I've never seen this before and the only references I've been able to find on it in a quick search was a compiz setting in 12.04.

Is this built in to the stock ubuntu releases? If so, what version?

FWIW that F11 transition works the same for me on KDE (4.12.3) on Kubuntu 13.10 - it's been there for quite a time.

I'm using Firefox with the borders set off right now. This gives me a window with no external chrome (no border, no titlebar, no buttons, no scroll area) but set with the standard KDE application bar (which I keep at the bottom a la Win95).

Indeed before Firefox ditched the menubar I used an app to get the same effect pinching a lot of real-estate back (titlebar, menubar, buttonbar). It's interesting that things have moved this way, though not surprising.

Chrome on Elementary OS (Probably consider this Ubuntu 12.04 for this purpose) does a completely chromeless fullscreen on F11 too. Out of interest does OS X support fullscreen on all apps automatically or does the button (it's a window control right?) only show up for supported apps?

https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/Genera...

This is Ubuntu Gnome. I'm currently Using Ubuntu 14.04 with Gnome 3.10, but afaik it works on Ubuntu 13.x and GNOME 3.x.

Not sure about the Unity interface as I have limited experience with it.

Fullscreen mode has been a standard feature of Linux window managers for a long time - it was certainly available in the metacity WM (used by Gnome 2) 10 years ago.

> If I were to maximize Sublime on Windows, Linux, or OS X (green button), you still have the chrome from the windowing system and the OS's menu bars.

Yes, if you maximize. However if you go fullscreen (F11) the chrome disappears.

Except fullscreen apps are actually a bit more than maximised windows: They remove both the top of the title bar and other operating system bars, leaving just the control interfaces, and content. For example, chrome would just have the tabs, address bar, and content, without operating system bars, and without the program titlebar.

A maximized window still shows all of the chrome, as well as system menus. Full-screen apps (not that Apple invented them) hide the window chrome as well as the various system menus.

Fullscreen, not maximized

But yeah, apple is far away from having invented it

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