Re: [Usability] Grid-based "static sizing" option

[Calum Benson <Calum Benson Sun COM>]

On 12 Oct 2006, at 19:02, Blake Hyde wrote:

> I had this idea:  grid-based toggleable "maximization."
>
> The screen would be divided into some number of sectors:
> _ _ _ _ _
> |_|_|_|_|_|
> |_|_|_|_|_|
> |_|_|_|_|_|
> |_|_|_|_|_|
>
> When you click and hold the button on the maximize button, you  
> would get a
> small menu with this diagram in it, somewhat similar to the 'create  
> table'
> toolbar icon in Microsoft Word.  You set the size of the window  
> there, so
> that it takes up (for example) a 2x4 grid of sectors.  The screen  
> would then
> be sized to fit your preference.
>
> The middle button of the three standard top-right widgets would no  
> longer be
> "maximize," it would be a toggle between the last two specified  
> sizes, so
> that you might have a 2x4 sector toggle and a 1x2 sector toggle.

Interesting idea, although to be honest I'm not sure it has much to  
offer over Apple's own implementation of the state-toggle button,  
where the alternative state is, by default (and assuming the app is  
well-written) just the largest window that fits the content-- no need  
to give it any clues.  Then you can just directly move/resize the  
window in each of its two states if you wish, and have it remember  
those sizes and positions instead of the defaults, which seems more  
accurate to me than trying to set them using a little grid.

Cheeri,
Calum.

--
CALUM BENSON, Usability Engineer       Sun Microsystems Ireland
mailto:calum benson sun com            Java Desktop System Team
http://blogs.sun.com/calum             +353 1 819 9771

Any opinions are personal and not necessarily those of Sun Microsystems