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> I find window title bars to be a waste of space. Here's a possibly controversial take: why couldn't we do the opposite of mobile "notches" but for the elemen

> I find window title bars to be a waste of space. Here's a possibly controversial take: why couldn't we do the opposite of mobile "notches" but for the elements of title bars that actually matter? So instead of having 20% of the window width be taken up by the title (which might as well act as a draggable window handle or allow opening window menu) and another 10% by the action buttons with 70% remaining empty, why couldn't we simply cut out the 70%? Sure, that might complicate the UI of some apps and you'd certainly need to consider how to not create awkward layouts (allow the titlebar to automatically be hidden until hovering over the edge of the window, like some panels do at the edge of the screen in XFCE and other *nix DEs), but surely we can have the best of both worlds?

kaladin-jasnah 5y ago
Does BeOS/Haiku do something like this (screenshots at https://lowendmac.com/2001/user-interface-mac-vs-beos/ https://lowendmac.com/2001/user-interface-mac-vs-beos/)?
- KronisLV 5y ago
  Actually the elements popping out upwards is a pretty good approach as well! Now, it might be a bit problematic when the windows are aligned with the top of the screen (in which case either the window would need to be moved or the title elements would just overlap the contents and be expanded downwards, much like tooltips would). But yes, that's definitely one way to go about it!
nicoburns 5y ago
That's basically what apps like Chrome that have "no titlebar" (at least on macOS) do. They incorporate the title bar controls into the window itself which allows them to render other things (like tabs) on the same row.
- ComputerGuru 5y ago
  It’s inherently non-standard/non-unified though, and requires each app designer/developer to figure out how they’re going to do it (or more likely, how they’re going to screw it up). A slim, system-provided title bar avoids all that. Seems like a small and very acceptable price.

kaladin-jasnah 5y ago

Does BeOS/Haiku do something like this (screenshots at https://lowendmac.com/2001/user-interface-mac-vs-beos/ https://lowendmac.com/2001/user-interface-mac-vs-beos/)?

KronisLV 5y ago
Actually the elements popping out upwards is a pretty good approach as well! Now, it might be a bit problematic when the windows are aligned with the top of the screen (in which case either the window would need to be moved or the title elements would just overlap the contents and be expanded downwards, much like tooltips would). But yes, that's definitely one way to go about it!

nicoburns 5y ago

That's basically what apps like Chrome that have "no titlebar" (at least on macOS) do. They incorporate the title bar controls into the window itself which allows them to render other things (like tabs) on the same row.

ComputerGuru 5y ago
It’s inherently non-standard/non-unified though, and requires each app designer/developer to figure out how they’re going to do it (or more likely, how they’re going to screw it up). A slim, system-provided title bar avoids all that. Seems like a small and very acceptable price.