Window management - indicate the possibility of restoring (unmaximizing) a window by changing the pointer when it is over the menu bar

[Benjamin Halbrock]

The cursor should indicate that a maximized window can be grabbed and dragged downwards in order to restore (unmaximise) the window.

The idea is to change the current behavior of the cursor on the top panel of a maximized window in something like in the attached mockup.

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Desired solution

- When a user moves the pointer over the dragable area of both a window title bars and (when a window is maximised) the top bar, the pointer should change to displaying the 'hand fingered' pointer. The pointer should revert to it's normal state as soon as it is outside of the dragable area.

- When the user presses the mouse or touchpad button the 'hand fingered' pointer should change to the 'grabbing hand'. When the user releases the button the pointer should return to being 'hand fingered'.

- The 'grabbing hand' is the hand that is currently displayed when a user holds the left mouse button down when over one of areas defined above.

[Omer Akram (om26er)]

this does not happen for non-maximized windows, why should it happen for maximized, also it does not happen in any other OS. Whats the main reason behind you idea?

[Benjamin Halbrock (kontakt-bennis-blog)]

I hope, I used the term maximized in the right context. ( I call the window in the mockup maximized )

As you can see in the mockup, I used maximized for windows, that have the top-panel as their window-decoration/window bar. ( not fullscreen windows!)

For normal windows it is clear, that you can drag them around by dragging this bar. (for me alt-drag is clear,too)

But for new users this dragging-option is not totally clear when the window ist maximized(as in the mockup).

[John Lea (johnlea)]

description updated