[kade119]

is it possible to keep 2 apps side by side w/ a wides creen monitor .. but both be at the front .. not you click on one and the other falls back ...

[Sherman Homan]

Not sure what you are after, a human can only work on one document at a time, similarly (!) the Mac only has one active window at time. But what do you mean by "the other falls back"? You can still see the window of the app that isn't currently foremost, right?

[kade119]

yes you can.. i guess somethign similar to having 2 monitors a way that both the programs will open side by side.. i think i'm digging to deep...

[Sherman Homan]

Ain't nothing like two monitors!

[Discerptor]

No. But seeing as you can scroll, right-click and even click GUI buttons in windows that aren't active as if they were active, I don't see why you'd want them both to explicitly be the front-most window.

[AlyciaAnimation]

I can't see how it would be possible to have them both up front because then what would be in the menu bar?

[mystic_fm]

Originally Posted by AlyciaAnimation

I can't see how it would be possible to have them both up front because then what would be in the menu bar?

Yes, and when one types something on the keyboard, how should the computer know which application is supposed to receive and interpret those keystrokes if it is to consider more than one application to be "in front"?

The computer must always have a notion of a single "current" application. The technical description for this is "the window that has the focus". The best one can do is have sufficient screen space to have multiple application windows fully uncovered at all times, but one still needs to select which of the two application windows has the focus at any given moment. That's the only way for some input devices (like the keyboard) to be able to work.