How to maximize on a mac?

[az]

It's driving me nuts.

Also, could somebody please explain the dock to me? And what the difference between F9 and F10 is. And: Does the dock always need to take such a large portion of screen real estate away? And: Can I drag and drop from one window to another that isn't seen at the moment? In windows, I'd just drag to the task bar tab and from there on to the window that popped up.

Is there a way for middle-click scrolling/panning on a macbook without a mouse? I know about two-finger scrolling, but that's not a substitute.

Why does the mouse cursor vanish when I'm inside of a text field? Somehow, keyboard usage for the UI also seems kind of strange, sometimes not working?

[Jessterw]

Window Maximization
Maximization of windows under OS X can be somewhat confusing. Some windows will maximize as you would expect (ala Windows), while others will only resize to the largest size needed by the contents of the window. The terminology under OS X is actually called 'Zoom', which should explain the behaviour difference from that of Windows.

Some apps have even stranger 'Zoom' behaviour, such as iTunes which goes into mini-player mode.

Function Key Shortcuts
I'm not exactly positive what you mean by your F9 and F10 question. For me F9 shows the desktop and F10 shows all the windows of the front-most app (all via Expose). It's possible that for you F9 is my F10 and F10 is for showing all open windows (regardless of app).

You can check your shortcut settings in the Dashboard & Expose preference pane as well as the Keyboard Shortcuts tab in the Keyboard & Mouse preference pane.

Dock
If you would like to resize the Dock you can do so by using the Dock preference pane or you can mouse over the separator line between the apps and trash - your cursor will change to drag mode. If you hold down the [Alt/Option] key you can resize based on predefined sizes. The other option is to make the Dock auto-hide when not being used.

Depending on what you're attempting to drag from one app to another, the app's Dock icon will darken to show that it can (possibly) accept the drag item. Given you want to drag to a specific window of a given app, you will want to make use of one of the window-based Expose shortcuts (likely the one for showing all windows - the F10 bit prior). You can check your shortcuts via the Dashboard & Expose preference pane.

Drag Operations
Now, to actually perform the drag operation you will need to start the drag operation as you normally would, use the Exposes shortcut, and then drag the item to the appropriate window. Under most circumstances you will see an cursor indicator that lets you know whether you can drag to that window and if you can how many items you're dragging (if applicable).

Middle-click Scrolling/Panning
Honestly I have no idea. Within a scrolling content area I just used the Home, Page Up, Page Down, and End keys to navigate, which I know is not what you're after.

Cursor and Keyboard Behaviour
As for why your cursor disappears when inside some text fields... it's just one of those things. The intention is that it rids the screen of two cursors - that of your pointing device and that of the text field's/keyboard's input cursor. I can see how it might be disconcerting or annoying if you're not used to it or don't like that sort of behaviour.

As far as strange keyboard usage, I couldn't say without more details. There are some differences in how the four window/app types behave. Under OS X you have what are called Cocoa and Carbon apps as well as those that run under Java or X11. Different apps may also using differing implementations of certain UI elements. Needless to say there are differences in how these all support keyboard interaction.


I'll try and dig up some solutions for the issues I couldn't help with. Hope what I did provide helps though.


[Edit] There's a decent list of keyboard shortcuts at this site: http://rixstep.com/2/20040510,00.shtml. OS X has its fair share of them, but in many ways it has a far more mouse-driven GUI than Windows, at least in terms of what can and can't be done via the keyboard or mouse. Most of the shortcuts can be remapped via the Keyboard & Mouse preference pane I mentioned previously.

[Gurm]

Cursor and Keyboard Behaviour
As for why your cursor disappears when inside some text fields... it's just one of those things. The intention is that it rids the screen of two cursors - that of your pointing device and that of the text field's/keyboard's input cursor. I can see how it might be disconcerting or annoying if you're not used to it or don't like that sort of behaviour.

MS and Logitech have included this as an option since the very first iteration of the mouse drivers for Windows. Nobody has ever turned it on. Apple has simply made that choice for you... that's why you got a Mac, y'know. If you wanted tweaky and difficult, you would have stayed with PC.

[Jessterw]

Let's not turn this into another one of those threads. But for the record, I've always used that option when it was available. The behaviour is also not relegated just to text fields - if you press any key on the keyboard that corresponds to a shortcut for the frontmost application window or the system, the cursor will hide.

[az]

It does clear up things, and I think dragging and dropping with exposé is even better than doing it in windows. A few questions yet, though:

Is there some kind of software that allows maximizing? I understand the zoom stuff, but I don't like it (or rather, sometimes maximizing is better. In windows I almost always maximize, and not only because windows isn't really tuned to stacking windows on top of another).

Is there a driver that allows one to use the two hardware switches present under the macbook's touchpad button as left and right buttons? It's option-click otherwise, isn't it?

What's the default keyboard shortcut for closing windows? (I haven't tried ALT-F4 yet...)

What I meant with strange keyboard behaviour is that in windows, I can do almost everything with the keyboard. On the mac, I sometimes didn't get focus to where I wanted it with the tab key (to the OK button, for instance). I haven't tried very hard, though.

I must say, I am impressed. It's my father's computer, so I try not to play too much with it. I love exposé and the dashboard, I am stunned every time the UI is animated (and I have felt for a long time a UI should be like this. I always wondered why games could do it and windows couldn't). There are just a few niggles left.

I think I want one for myself.

It also smells better than my Tablet PC.

Oh, one more thing. I still don't get what the Dock is. Is it the mac version of what I know as a start menu? Why do apps sometimes have a little arrow under them? Why do they jump (cute)?

Oh, and I don't get the finder as well. I think it's hiding something from me. But I guess I'll figure that out. I don't really want to see the windows directory on my PC either.

[TransformX]

Let's not turn this into another one of those threads. But for the record, I've always used that option when it was available. The behaviour is also not relegated just to text fields - if you press any key on the keyboard that corresponds to a shortcut for the frontmost application window or the system, the cursor will hide.

Same here! I don't need the mouse cursor when I'm typing, especially since I usually click first where I'm about to type and then the cursor is stuck in the way.

[az]

MS and Logitech have included this as an option since the very first iteration of the mouse drivers for Windows. Nobody has ever turned it on. Apple has simply made that choice for you... that's why you got a Mac, y'know. If you wanted tweaky and difficult, you would have stayed with PC.

I still use a PC, the mac's for my father. But it's very nice. I don't want tweaky and difficult. I want tweaky and easy. That's why I use Operaaaargh! Don't hit me! Don't hit me!

As I said, I haven't played much with the mac, but it was my impression that the mouse cursor didn't hide, it disappeared and IIRC didn't come back until I was finished typing. I think touching the touchpad didn't bring it back, I think I had to click. But I hate touchpads anyway. BTW, a pen isn't very good as a mouse as well; because the display is actually a few millimeters from the sirface you "write" on, you keep missing all those small icons (at least at 1440x900 on 14").

[Jessterw]

Is there some kind of software that allows maximizing? I understand the zoom stuff, but I don't like it (or rather, sometimes maximizing is better. In windows I almost always maximize, and not only because windows isn't really tuned to stacking windows on top of another).

I'm with you on wanting windows maximized. Sadly I don't know of any system-wide manner (software-based or otherwise) to enable max-screen maximization.

Is there a driver that allows one to use the two hardware switches present under the macbook's touchpad button as left and right buttons? It's option-click otherwise, isn't it?

Control+Click for a right-click, though I believe the MacBook also uses two-finger on the trackpad plus a click of the trackpad button for the same. I don't know of a hardware drive that enables what you're looking for.

What's the default keyboard shortcut for closing windows? (I haven't tried ALT-F4 yet...)

To close a windows you use Command+W and to quite an application you use Command+Q. Command being the key with the ⌘ symbol on it (usually next to the space bar and sometimes with an Apple logo on it).

Now be warned, some applications will quit when the Command+W shortcut is used. The reason is that these apps exist in a single window. The exception being apps that use tabs, in which Command+W usually closes the tab with focus. Yeah, it can be confusing at first.

What I meant with strange keyboard behaviour is that in windows, I can do almost everything with the keyboard. On the mac, I sometimes didn't get focus to where I wanted it with the tab key (to the OK button, for instance). I haven't tried very hard, though.

Some controls will not receive focus and in message prompts button tabbing doesn't work. The default button (the one glowing blue) will respond to the Enter key, whereas the non-default will generally correspond to the Esc key. If there are multiple buttons the rules can change a bit. To be honest, I've never bothered to learn how to properly navigate such prompts with just the keyboard.

As for other areas you may want to visit the Keyboard Shortcuts tab in the Keyboard & Mouse preference pane. There is a section at the bottom devoted to keyboard access and tabbing to text fields and lists or extending it to "all" controls. It working of course depends on the app being used at times.

Oh, one more thing. I still don't get what the Dock is. Is it the mac version of what I know as a start menu? Why do apps sometimes have a little arrow under them? Why do they jump (cute)?

The Dock is essentially a favorite app start menu and the taskbar rolled into one. You'll notice that some apps are always there, whereas others only appear once they have been opened. The little arrows indicate which apps are actually loaded (notice the Finder one is always there). They jump in two instances - when the app is launching and when it requires attention (as in user interaction). You can disable the jumping when an app loads in the Dock preference pane.

If you want to remove an app from the dock (when it's not running), you can drag it off the dock and watch it "poof". Likewise, you can drag any non-running app from the desktop or within Finder to the dock for quick access. This applies to files and folders as well, which you can drag to the area to the right of the dock divider (to the left of the Trash). Any folders placed here will display their contents on a right click.

Now, in case you haven't noticed this yet, most applications are located in the Applications folder (/Applications/), which should be in the sidebar when using Finder. Any applications not in the dock have to be launched from here as there is no proper start menu like in Windows. There are however 3rd-party solutions to this that I can point you to if you'd like - just need to find the easiest-to-use ones.

Oh, and I don't get the finder as well. I think it's hiding something from me. But I guess I'll figure that out. I don't really want to see the windows directory on my PC either.

Here's a little secret - Mac users all hate the Finder

It does hide some system files and damn near all of the underlying *nix filesystem from plain site. There are command-line/terminal switches for showing these files (much like the "Show hidden files" GUI option in Windows) if need be.


I've only been using OS X for a little over two years or so (maybe more, I've lost track of time), and so much of that time has been completely engulfed in work that I haven't truly had time to explore every single facet of the GUI. As such there are still things I know instinctively how to do under Windows (from a lifetime of use) that I haven't found the corresponding method under OS X for.


[Edit] Almost forgot, you might want to search around the tips and tricks found at www.macosxhints.com (thanks for the catch az). There's a lot there and a good deal of it is technical in nature, but you might find just the solution you're looking for.

[az]

Thank you very much Jesse, your help and effort are greatly appreciated

I can't believe I am actually thinking about selling my tablet and getting a macbook (and TFT) instead...

EDIT: The X in your URL to http://www.macosxhints.com/ jumped

[Jessterw]

If you're only just thinking at this point then I would emphatically suggest waiting until Leopard (OS X 10.5) ships and the next models/revisions are out.

At least you're getting a feel for it all with your dad's new MacBook, because it's definitely a change from Windows and aside from the niggly bits you notice right off, there's a whole slew more that you'll notice later on when you go to do something that's a necessity but you don't do all that often. Sometimes OS X will be good for it out-of-the-box, but quite often that's where the 3rd-party Mac developers and community come in.

Hope your dad likes using it as much as you are at this point. Glad I could help and thanks for catching my URI mistake

[az]

The longer I wait, the cheaper my tablet gets And I don't want to get the first of the batch of a new Apple revision.

[Jessterw]

Good points there. The revisions to an existing line are generally safe though, compared to the first releases of a new model. The MacBook Pro was a bastion of hardware issues when it was first released - our furry admin can attest to that.

The real reason I suggested it, however, is that Apple has a tendency to ramp up the specs of the systems every so often and it's likely that will happen around the time of Leopard's release (should be sometime in the 2nd quarter).

[az]

Haven't they had programs where you could get the new revision of OSX if you bought it shortly before release?

[Jessterw]

I believe so, though it has to be really close to the release date.

I do know that Amazon and some others do rebates for those who pre-order the next version of OS X, but even then it's only like $35/USD.

[Gurm]

I really wasn't being antagonistic, I was simply pointing out that Apple has of course decided that certain things will be a certain way.