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However, here's the thing: Windows are useful. An UI which pretends you shouldn't use them isn't good for anything complicated, when you use more than one appli

However, here's the thing: Windows are useful. An UI which pretends you shouldn't use them isn't good for anything complicated, when you use more than one application at a time. Hierarchical start menus are also useful, for that matter.

dragonwriter 12y ago
> However, here's the thing: Windows are useful. I'm increasingly convinced that overlapping Windows are not particularly useful (they are better than one-thing-maximized-is-the-only-option), but tiled windows are very useful.
- daigoba66 12y ago
  That's a really interesting observation. Coincidentally, if you look at pre-Win3.1 it only supported tiled windows. Tiling support has always been there since, but largely ignored until Win7 gave us Aero Snap (which I love btw). I know Win10 is suppose to further improve on this feature.
- Rusky 12y ago
  I'm torn between tiled and overlapping windows. A lot of the time I just don't have a big enough screen to go fully tiled, because it forces things to squish when I would rather just keep one partially visible underneath (e.g. a browser window, a text editor, and a terminal). One thing that makes overlapping windows infinitely nicer for me is a feature in a lot of Linux WMs where window borders "catch" on other windows and the edge of the screen when being moved or resized. That, and having a key to move windows from anywhere, rather than just the titlebar. edit: And focus-follows-mouse/x-mouse.
  - Zancarius 12y ago
    > One thing that makes overlapping windows infinitely nicer for me is a feature in a lot of Linux WMs where window borders "catch" on other windows and the edge of the screen when being moved or resized. That, and having a key to move windows from anywhere, rather than just the titlebar. I also like the feature of using the scroll wheel to change window position (above/below), especially if I'm browsing and have a few related windows open on a desktop. I didn't realize how much I missed the feature until I tried Plasma 5 on KDE briefly (it has it, too, but it didn't migrate my configuration).
    - Rusky 12y ago
      Ah, yes. I should have included focus-follows-mouse, that's pretty crucial to how I work too. There's actually a registry setting to enable it on Windows, but so many things are so completely unaware of it in their design that it breaks a lot of stuff.
- LukasMathis 12y ago
  Yes, precisely!
tluyben2 12y ago
Tiles are useful. Using a tiling window manager or splitting Metro or vim with splits or emacs with splits you see what's useful. Windows is not imho; tiling very much is. Tiling with virtual desktops. Edit: To me Metro tablet size without desktop or iOS with tiling would be the best.

dragonwriter 12y ago

> However, here's the thing: Windows are useful. I'm increasingly convinced that overlapping Windows are not particularly useful (they are better than one-thing-maximized-is-the-only-option), but tiled windows are very useful.

daigoba66 12y ago
That's a really interesting observation. Coincidentally, if you look at pre-Win3.1 it only supported tiled windows. Tiling support has always been there since, but largely ignored until Win7 gave us Aero Snap (which I love btw). I know Win10 is suppose to further improve on this feature.
Rusky 12y ago
I'm torn between tiled and overlapping windows. A lot of the time I just don't have a big enough screen to go fully tiled, because it forces things to squish when I would rather just keep one partially visible underneath (e.g. a browser window, a text editor, and a terminal). One thing that makes overlapping windows infinitely nicer for me is a feature in a lot of Linux WMs where window borders "catch" on other windows and the edge of the screen when being moved or resized. That, and having a key to move windows from anywhere, rather than just the titlebar. edit: And focus-follows-mouse/x-mouse.
- Zancarius 12y ago
  > One thing that makes overlapping windows infinitely nicer for me is a feature in a lot of Linux WMs where window borders "catch" on other windows and the edge of the screen when being moved or resized. That, and having a key to move windows from anywhere, rather than just the titlebar. I also like the feature of using the scroll wheel to change window position (above/below), especially if I'm browsing and have a few related windows open on a desktop. I didn't realize how much I missed the feature until I tried Plasma 5 on KDE briefly (it has it, too, but it didn't migrate my configuration).
  - Rusky 12y ago
    Ah, yes. I should have included focus-follows-mouse, that's pretty crucial to how I work too. There's actually a registry setting to enable it on Windows, but so many things are so completely unaware of it in their design that it breaks a lot of stuff.
LukasMathis 12y ago
Yes, precisely!

tluyben2 12y ago

Tiles are useful. Using a tiling window manager or splitting Metro or vim with splits or emacs with splits you see what's useful. Windows is not imho; tiling very much is. Tiling with virtual desktops. Edit: To me Metro tablet size without desktop or iOS with tiling would be the best.