when you press the keyboard shortcut to close a window, it should
@Vierkantor macOS's Finder is annoying because you can't close it with the Command-Q shortcut or hide it with the Command-H shortcut. Instead, you have to press Command-W to close it.
I used to use Windows before I got a Mac, and I could use Alt + F4 to close everything.
The best compromise for me, that saves time, is to not close any apps and just log out of the computer when I'm done.
@vital876 That's an interesting perspective! I grew up with Mac OS (before there even was an X in the name). Back then, the Finder was very different from other programs like a text editor, so not being able to quit made sense. I definitely see how it does not make much sense nowadays.
@Vierkantor I just read your post, by the way. I spent this whole time writing that.
@vital876 no worries! I happened to already know this, but I'm sure someone else can learn something when they scroll through.
@Vierkantor My first operating system was Windows Vista on a 2005(?) Dell desktop computer.
The only time I would use a Mac is when I would go to one of the libraries me and my Mom used to go to. I would spend a lot of time on Google Earth on that computer.
A year ago, I got a Macbook as my first laptop that was for me (not a family computer). I've been learning the differences between Windows and macOS for a while now. They're similar in some ways, but completely different in others.
@Vierkantor (p1) If you're not a #macOS user, you might be unfamiliar with how macOS doesn't close a program if you close its window. They are treated as separate.
@Vierkantor (p2) On Windows, there are minimized windows, maximized windows, windowed mode windows, and that's it. If you close a window, it closes the entire program of that window. A program and its window are treated as one in the same. If you close one, it closes the other, which is good because on Windows it's a good idea to close programs because your computer will run slowly.
@Vierkantor (p3) On macOS/OS X, there are fullscreened windows, zoomed windows, unfullscreened windows, minimized windows, and hidden windows. If you press close on a window, it closes the window but not the entire program. You can close a window's program by "focusing" on the window, navigating the menu bar, and "quitting" the program.
@Vierkantor (p4) Why does macOS not close the program when you close its window? Good question! Apparently, it was more useful in pre-OS X versions of the Mac operating system, but I don't know how. macOS has a "menu bar" that lets you access specific things within programs, even though it's outside of that program's window on the top of the screen. Most things in Windows are accessed within the window of the program you're in.
@chloekek you mean something like after a window is open, I could right-click on the close button, select "attach script" and write whatever I want there? or is it more shared between different windows?
@Vierkantor 1 press: close, unless there's things like unsaved work that better be saved, but by default, just close
2 presses: ignore the above warning
3 presses: kill -9
@Vierkantor I've been thinking a bit about the problems with closing immediately, but I think they are solvable. I'll have to post them separately...
@Vierkantor 1. Security when you really need the window gone: Just add another shortcut to make it permanently gone. Having this option system-wide and unified might actually offer better security than what we have now, where some apps can undo closing windows/tab but they aren't consistent with each other.
@Vierkantor 2. Unsaved changes: This is an artefact of an older age when saving was expensive. We can auto-save now. If it's an incomplete thing, save it as a draft. Just make it always safe to close the window. As a bonus, this can prevent data loss during a crash!
it would also be very cool to have a system-wide undo key, which would go well with option 1