4 ms·

I don't follow. Command+Q and AppNameMenu->Quit both disagree with you.

statictype 16y ago
You're right. But at the same time I wonder how many users understand the distinction. You can get 'rid' of a window by either hitting the red x (which I presume is the same as Ctrl-W), Alt-Clicking the dock icon (which I presume is the same as Ctrl-H) or going to Menu->Quit (Ctrl-Q). It's easy to understand this, once you realize that window management is app-centric and is organized by Application rather than individual windows but that's a subtle distinction most normal users will not understand on their own. To compound things, for some apps,closing the window will actually quit the app. And for some, closing the window leaves the app still running in the dock but clicking the dock icon doesn't bring up.
- steveklabnik 16y ago
  I know that an appeal to tradition isn't exactly the most persuasive of arguments, but the core Mac fanbase has been doing things this way for decades. I happen to like it a lot more. Those few inconsistencies suck, though. Bad apps, what are you going to do? Well, you could reject them from a store...
Tichy 16y ago
Have you tried to explain that to your mum?
- count 16y ago
  Does it make a difference?
  - Tichy 16y ago
    Yes, because my claim was that closing apps is for experts only, just as uninstalling apps.
    - Tycho 16y ago
      But users can still see that an app is open because of its dock icon indicator, and also when they close the window, the application's menu is still visible in the menubar until they enter another app. So that helps.
- philwelch 16y ago
  My mother grasped the idea pretty easily, actually, but then again she always used Macs. If it wasn't for Windows confusing people by conflating windows with applications, I suspect most people's mothers wouldn't have a problem with it.
- chc 16y ago
  As a lab instructor at a community college, I explained this to hundreds of people. None had much trouble with it.

You're right. But at the same time I wonder how many users understand the distinction. You can get 'rid' of a window by either hitting the red x (which I presume is the same as Ctrl-W), Alt-Clicking the dock icon (which I presume is the same as Ctrl-H) or going to Menu->Quit (Ctrl-Q). It's easy to understand this, once you realize that window management is app-centric and is organized by Application rather than individual windows but that's a subtle distinction most normal users will not understand on their own. To compound things, for some apps,closing the window will actually quit the app. And for some, closing the window leaves the app still running in the dock but clicking the dock icon doesn't bring up.

steveklabnik 16y ago
I know that an appeal to tradition isn't exactly the most persuasive of arguments, but the core Mac fanbase has been doing things this way for decades. I happen to like it a lot more. Those few inconsistencies suck, though. Bad apps, what are you going to do? Well, you could reject them from a store...

Tichy 16y ago

Have you tried to explain that to your mum?

count 16y ago
Does it make a difference?
- Tichy 16y ago
  Yes, because my claim was that closing apps is for experts only, just as uninstalling apps.
  - Tycho 16y ago
    But users can still see that an app is open because of its dock icon indicator, and also when they close the window, the application's menu is still visible in the menubar until they enter another app. So that helps.
philwelch 16y ago
My mother grasped the idea pretty easily, actually, but then again she always used Macs. If it wasn't for Windows confusing people by conflating windows with applications, I suspect most people's mothers wouldn't have a problem with it.
chc 16y ago
As a lab instructor at a community college, I explained this to hundreds of people. None had much trouble with it.