Thost big 'ol iMac screens

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My current screen is 17" & seems adequate.

I'm trying to understand how often the extra real estate of the 20" & 24" iMacs are used. For example, when in Safari, can you open up the browers so it fills the whole 20" (or 24") screen, or will there always be space on either sides of the window that is unused? I usually only need one program open at a time, so 17" may be all I need. If there's a good reason to get a 20" I'm game, especially since the video card options get a little nicer.

Soon I'll have made my decision & all these silly pre-owner questions will end. But for now, I'm trying to get all the info I can before dropping the coin.

Thanks,

Jeff
 
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The iMac maximum resolutions are as follows:

17" = 1440 x 900
20" = 1680 x 1050
24" = 1920 x 1200

The average website resolution is:

800 x 600

Why on earth woud anyone want to make their browser window take up the entire screen on their computer? Even on a 17", it is almost twice the horizontal and 50% more the vertical of the website, so you aren't getting any advantage here. Even if the site is 1024 x 768 (which is where some designers are heading) you still have tons of room left over if you "maximize" your browser window to fit your screen. It doesn't make the site any "bigger", it just fills out white space on the browser. It doesn't change or improve the page's content one iota. It simply doesn't make any rational sense to mazimize your browser window with a screen resolution that great in size.
:black:
 
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jeffk27
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The iMac maximum resolutions are as follows:

17" = 1440 x 900
20" = 1680 x 1050
24" = 1920 x 1200

The average website resolution is:

800 x 600

Why on earth woud anyone want to make their browser window take up the entire screen on their computer? Even on a 17", it is almost twice the horizontal and 50% more the vertical of the website, so you aren't getting any advantage here. Even if the site is 1024 x 768 (which is where some designers are heading) you still have tons of room left over if you "maximize" your browser window to fit your screen. It doesn't make the site any "bigger", it just fills out white space on the browser. It doesn't change or improve the page's content one iota. It simply doesn't make any rational sense to mazimize your browser window with a screen resolution that great in size.
:black:

That's interesting. Maybe it's a PC set up thing. On every PC I've seen, either at work or at home, the web browsers open to fill the entire screen. I noticed at the apple store that Safari opens in a window of specific size with the rest of the desktop showing in the background. It looked strange to me, so I wondered about opening it bigger to fill up the entire screen. Your explanation makes sense, so it's making me wonder why PC's tend to flush websites over the entire screen as a default setting.
 
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in most case you just hit the green + botton on safari and it ajusts the size according to the webpage. You can strech it to take up the whole screen.
 
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That's interesting. Maybe it's a PC set up thing. On every PC I've seen, either at work or at home, the web browsers open to fill the entire screen.
That is because Windows PC users tend to suffer from "fullscreenitis". They have an inexplicable, desperate need to make every window take up the entire resolution of the current screen they are using. This need is present no matter what their current machine's resolution is. They could be using a notebook with a maximum of 1024 x 768, or a full-blown 24" display with a maximum of 1920 x 1200... it makes no difference. Fullscreenitis sufferers somehow feel that by making an app's window use up their entire screen real estate, they are getting the "most" out of that app. If they can't do this then they are "missing" something. Fullscreenitis victims usually start exhibiting this behavior when they use Microsoft Windows for a year or so, then they carry it over with them to other OS usage.

Bottom line is, windows do NOT need to be made to fill the screen, even in Microsoft Windows. This seldom offers any real or great benefit to any run-in-the-mill, every day application. Much like websites, many applications are designed with a resolution of 800 X 600 in mind. Increasing the default window size only creates more white space, or forces other parts of the application to unnatural extremes. Again, the act of making a window monopolize your screen doesn't offer any true benefit in most cases and it is merely a matter of visual preference. This preference doesn't actually mean it really works any better, it is simply perceived to "work better" because it "looks better" to a fullscreenitis victim.:radioacti :biohazard


Apple's lack of a "maximize" button is neither a flaw nor a quirk. It is simply the most sensible way to display a window with content. Clicking the '+' on the window in Mac OS X will simply adjust the window size to best show the window's contents. It doesn't make the window waste your entire screen. You gobs and gobs of screen space, so use it wisely and practically.
Displays these days have tremendous resolutions... due in small part to fullscreenitis sufferers. They always wanted things bigger and bigger, so screens adapted to allow for more apps to be run at higher resolutions. The problem with fullscreenitis is that resolution means precious little to them. What does matter is how large can they make a window. The bigger the screen resolution, the larger the victim 'needs' their windows to be. It is a vicious cycle, very akin to how an addict always needs 'more'.:black:

If you still absolutely must make the app window fill a screen, then drag the corner of a window to your desired size to set it.
 

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on the 21" i use at work i've got the screen set to 1600x1200.

i normally have between 10 and 30 windows running with 5-15 different apps (mostly monitoring, ticketing, office apps, explorer and IE windows, remote desktop tools).

21" at this resolution is way more than enough space for even that much work.

so much so that i make all but a couple of my apps fit within the top 3/4 of the screen (under my taskbar on top). the bottom is for stuff i really need to keep an eye on - critical app monitoring and windows media player typically ;).
 
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it really depends on what you are doing.. i have a dual screen set up on my quad that i use for post production of video. sometimes the dual 23's seam to small for me and i wish i went with dual 30's, but for personal stuff, my 17inch macbook pro is just perfect for me (with maybe a little wasted space on the side, but sometiems i throw a widget in there with stocks or something similar. )
 
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First off, I havent any Mac experience yet so cant really comment on anything in OS X (its coming today though, yay!).

Although as mentioned above, it may just be a fact that from using Windows, I am now automatically attuned to using apps in full screen, but for me I find working in lots of smaller windows is distracting, especially if they are all layered up. When an app is full screen, it is the only thing that can demand your attention and so for me its easier to work.

But as I said this might just be because Im used to it, oh well, from today (fingers crossed!) its Mac for me so I'll see how it goes!

I bought the Mac OSX Missing Manual yesterday and its got me far too excited, there are some features where I was just thinking "Why is this not in windows, its just common sense!!!"
 
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for me I find working in lots of smaller windows is distracting, especially if they are all layered up. When an app is full screen, it is the only thing that can demand your attention and so for me its easier to work."

That's been my experience. Apparently it's just a matter of getting used to filtering out the other layers. This is an entirely new concept for most PC users, but I'm willing to give it a shot.
 
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Yeah, exactly, its just a case of getting used to it I suppose. In fact I've been doing coursework this morning in windows rather than fullscreen to try and get used to it....its not too bad really, bit weord though!

I think it might be easier when my Mac comes (possibly) as I'll be learning pretty much everything again so it wont seem like its changed....if that makes any sense!!
 
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Interesting. I grew up with Windows, starting with DOS/Win 3.1, and I have never used full screen for any app except possibly Photoshop, which really NEEDS the full screen.

Now as must be obvious from the above, I likely have a few years on the original poster of the full screen commentary. I wonder if this is a generational thing, where the current generation has grown up using full screen whereas us more ...ahem... experienced types have not?

It would be an interesting generational divide if this was the case. I wonder what causes it?
 
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Interesting. I grew up with Windows, starting with DOS/Win 3.1, and I have never used full screen for any app except possibly Photoshop, which really NEEDS the full screen.

Now as must be obvious from the above, I likely have a few years on the original poster of the full screen commentary. I wonder if this is a generational thing, where the current generation has grown up using full screen whereas us more ...ahem... experienced types have not?

It would be an interesting generational divide if this was the case. I wonder what causes it?

Wonder if you're on to something here. I got my first home PC in 1996 running Windows 95. It's just strange that I've always taken for granted that a window takes up the whole screen & all other program are minimized within the toolbar on the bottom of the screen. One window at a time. Seeing the macs with a smaller window & anything behind it just looks distracting to me. I'll either have to retrain myself or stretch 'em out. I've been playing around with smaller windows on my PC & haven't gotten used to it yet.
 
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It doesn't take long to adjust to it. I have a thread here because I was trying to hide the little corners where my desktop shows through and the dock covers the center. I was completely surprised when I first took my 20" out of the box and fired it up and saw only part of the screen filled. I thought "why pay for a big screen?" But now I see what everyone else is talking about and I love it. Multiple windows and lots of room to see everything you're working on. And, lots of sites including this forum will be "full" screen. There are too many Mac positives to let this be a deciding factor for you. Like everyone has said, you'll adjust to this and you will actually like it better.

Have you decided on screen size yet? Seems like everyone is suggesting either the 20" or 24" which answers your question about the 17. But of course the decision is yours. Good luck.
 
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It doesn't take long to adjust to it. I have a thread here because I was trying to hide the little corners where my desktop shows through and the dock covers the center. I was completely surprised when I first took my 20" out of the box and fired it up and saw only part of the screen filled. I thought "why pay for a big screen?" But now I see what everyone else is talking about and I love it. Multiple windows and lots of room to see everything you're working on. And, lots of sites including this forum will be "full" screen. There are too many Mac positives to let this be a deciding factor for you. Like everyone has said, you'll adjust to this and you will actually like it better.

Have you decided on screen size yet? Seems like everyone is suggesting either the 20" or 24" which answers your question about the 17. But of course the decision is yours. Good luck.

Carol, nice to know I'm not the only one has thought the smaller windows waste screen space. It seems like a distraction as much as anything, but I'm willing to try to get used to it. I'm not sure if men can learn new things after 30, but we'll see. As for the screen size... I think it's going to be the 20".
 

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Interesting. I grew up with Windows, starting with DOS/Win 3.1, and I have never used full screen for any app except possibly Photoshop, which really NEEDS the full screen.



ditto, except even sometimes when doing little pics or minor changes, i might keep PS smaller. just easier to click back and forth between a couple programs wehn you can actually see them rather than rely on alt+tab and/or the taskbar.

edit: as i'm writing this on the windows machine at work w/21" monitor and 1600x1200 i can see 7 windows (6 different apps), a sliver of my desktop and my taskbar wich doesn't hide and is stretched three "blocks" tall on the top of my screen.
 

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