06-20-2006, 12:25 PM

As a Windows guy, I like having things as fullscreen as possible. It's a small hassle to drag the Internet browser window to the size I want. I found a neat hack over at Macworld and modified it for Firefox (works in Safari and other browsers as well). Here are the instructions:

1. Create a bookmark of any page
2. Rename the bookmark to whatever you want (like "Fullscreen")
3. Change the location (http://www.whatever.com) to this:
javascript:self .moveTo(0,0);self.resizeTo(800,600);
4. Play with the values in the parathesis after self.resizeTo to match your display (I use 1650,925 on my 20" widescreen monitor that has a resolution of 1680x1050 - this way it doesn't go off the screen or overlap my Dock; I also changed the .moveTo values to 10,15 so that it wasn't flush with the left side or top menu).
5. Add the bookmark to your Bookmark Toolbar (if you're using Firefox)
6. Click on the bookmark to automatically resize your browser to full-screen mode

I originally found this because I was looking for an app to replace Sizer, a small Windows utility that lets you resize windows to see how they would look at different resolutions (useful when designing web pages). The original Macworld article is here:

http://www.macworld.com/2004/12/secr...ints/index.php

06-20-2006, 06:13 PM

but the problem is that you dont actually need your window to be full screen. safari, when you hit the maximize button, makes the window the proper size. but anyway.

good info!!!

will help a lot of the people who cant stand the fact that they cant get bigger browser windows. maybe a lot of the guys around here have size issues lol j/k its a joke

-chris

06-20-2006, 06:26 PM

Yeah, I never understood the whole "take-up-as-much-of-the-screen-as-is-humanly-possible-with-only-one-application" mentality either. It does seem to be a Windows thing, I don't know any Mac users like that, nor do I know any *nix users like that....*shrug*....not even I am like that when I use Windows....*double-shrug*

Still, I suppose this will sate those who feel the need for such a thing.
Good find!

06-20-2006, 06:32 PM

Well Unix, or at least all Linux w/Gnome or w/KDE users do like this whole fullscreen thing, coz that's how interfaces behave today.

But I noticed just how contraproductive fullscreen is when using a windows machine again recently. It just blocks your access to other things, and the maximize button does a great job just making it the size to see all you need to see. Aqua's way of doing things is definitely more in line with usability guidelines (Fitt's Law).

06-20-2006, 06:51 PM

Originally Posted by coach_z

but the problem is that you dont actually need your window to be full screen. safari, when you hit the maximize button, makes the window the proper size. but anyway.

good info!!!

will help a lot of the people who cant stand the fact that they cant get bigger browser windows. maybe a lot of the guys around here have size issues lol j/k its a joke

-chris

The maximize button on my machine doesn't maximize it completely - it leaves off like 2 inches on the right. This is handy when you're reading an article and want to fit more in the screen without having to scroll as much. There's always Expose

06-20-2006, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by D3v1L80Y

Yeah, I never understood the whole "take-up-as-much-of-the-screen-as-is-humanly-possible-with-only-one-application" mentality either. It does seem to be a Windows thing, I don't know any Mac users like that, nor do I know any *nix users like that....*shrug*....not even I am like that when I use Windows....*double-shrug*

Still, I suppose this will sate those who feel the need for such a thing.
Good find!

I think it's just a personal preferences thing. What was the point of buying my 20" widescreen monitor if I'm not going to use apps with the most screen real estate possible? Other people will feel like what was the point of buying my 20" widescreen monitor if I'm not going to have 20 applications open at once and see them all? Just depends on the users's preferences. I do a lot of graphics and text work. I like to fit as much of the program as I can on one screen.

06-20-2006, 07:00 PM

Originally Posted by kaidomac

The maximize button on my machine doesn't maximize it completely - it leaves off like 2 inches on the right. This is handy when you're reading an article and want to fit more in the screen without having to scroll as much. There's always Expose

That is because it isn't a 'maximize' button. All that button does is sizes the window to best fit the window's contents, without engulfing the entire desktop.
:black:

06-20-2006, 08:04 PM

Originally Posted by D3v1L80Y

That is because it isn't a 'maximize' button. All that button does is sizes the window to best fit the window's contents, without engulfing the entire desktop.
:black:

yes i think i had a large misuse of the 'maximize' button. and there is no need to scroll when you are using safari!!!!!

some helpful keyboard shortcuts:
*down arrow 'scrolls' down
*up arrow does the opposite
*space bar moves the page down so the area that was the bottom is now the top and you have a whole lot more you can read
*option up/down does the same thing as space bar
*command down goes to bottom of page
*command up goes to top of page

-chris

06-20-2006, 08:18 PM

Originally Posted by coach_z

yes i think i had a large misuse of the 'maximize' button. and there is no need to scroll when you are using safari!!!!!

some helpful keyboard shortcuts:
*down arrow 'scrolls' down
*up arrow does the opposite
*space bar moves the page down so the area that was the bottom is now the top and you have a whole lot more you can read
*option up/down does the same thing as space bar
*command down goes to bottom of page
*command up goes to top of page

-chris

Ooh Spacebar, learned a new trick today, thanks!

06-20-2006, 08:56 PM

When I started using my powerbook about a year ago this really bothered me too, but now I understand why it is the way it is, especially for websites. I can understand people wanting maximum screen real estate for things such as image editing in photoshop but for websites it's counter productive.

Has anyone ever wondered why newspapers have columns? having text spread out too much makes it very hard to read (ie, going from the end of one line to the start of the next). This is why a lot of blogs have a "thin" format to make them easier to read. If you have your browser set so there are no horizontal scroll bars then you gain nothing from making the browser take up the full screen (perhaps unless you are playing a flash game that is set to fit the whole window).

06-21-2006, 07:18 AM

As a very recent switcher, I still like my windows full screen and I get annoyed that I can't easily switch between them the way I'm used to. That isn't to say that I won't get used to a different way at some point.

06-21-2006, 08:38 AM

Originally Posted by zacster

As a very recent switcher, I still like my windows full screen and I get annoyed that I can't easily switch between them the way I'm used to. That isn't to say that I won't get used to a different way at some point.

what do you mean with "the way you used to"? do you mean alt+tab on Windows? there are Command+Tab and Command+` on Mac, if you haven't figured it out

06-21-2006, 09:14 AM

I agree with DevilBoy and CoachZ, maximizing a window kills productivity and is very annoying. This is why I was rather surprised that iPhoto and iMovie 6 both *maximize* on clicking the zoom button. Very unMac-like...

Also, more and more programs are getting the ability to quit via the red Close button.

06-21-2006, 08:45 PM

Originally Posted by surfwax95

Also, more and more programs are getting the ability to quit via the red Close button.

The rule is supposed to be, single-window apps (like System Preferences) quit when closed. Multi-window apps, like Word or Safari, remain open after the last window is closed.

06-22-2006, 09:17 AM

Never thought of it like that, makes sense.