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Windows Button Gap

Put a small gap between "expand" and "kill" windows buttons
  (+19, -1)(+19, -1)
(+19, -1)
  [vote for,
against]

A small thought. In the upper right hand corner of Windows windows, the "expand this window because I'm interested in seeing more" button is sandwiched between the "reduce this window to nothing" and "kill this window" buttons. The correct order should be Expand, Contract, Kill (to reflect a continuity of interest in the material contained in the window), but since MS couldn't possibly make such a radical change in its OS, all I want is a small gap between Expand and Kill buttons so that Expand has a little more slop space for mis-timed mouse clicks. It's not much, but it would make my life easier.
Bartlebooth, Feb 09 2002

MS: Make a Product Suggestion or Wish http://register.mic...wish/suggestion.asp
A form based wish or send e-mail to mswish@microsoft.com [bristolz, Feb 09 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

WindowBlinds http://www.windowblinds.net/
A utility to change your window decorations. [bookworm, Feb 10 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

The correct GUI http://www.apple.com/macosx/
Apple has had this for years. The "close" button was at one end of the title bar, while the expand/minimize buttons were at the other. Changed around in OS X though. [chibimagic, Oct 04 2004]

[link]






       Baked, in other window managers and in WindowBlinds.
bookworm, Feb 09 2002
  

       I imagine that MS could do just about anything it wants to its OS.
bristolz, Feb 09 2002
  

       It is certainly a horrid HCI error. But then this is Windows -- what do you expect? As bookworm points out, most windowing systems get it right.
pottedstu, Feb 09 2002
  

       Simple. Sensible. Croissant.
Guy Fox, Feb 09 2002
  

       There is a "small" gap. About two pixels, I think, and it doesn't respond to any sort of resizing of window border, title bar, etc. Perhaps what you want is a "larger" gap. >:*3
supercat, Feb 09 2002
  

       Better yet, you could put the kill button on the left hand side, similar to how it was in Windows 3 or the Mac.
cp, Feb 11 2002
  

       //Better yet, you could put the kill button on the left hand side, similar to how it was in Windows 3 or the Mac.//   

       Double-clicking the upper-left icon on a normally-behaving window will kill it. One might argue that it would make sense to simply do away with the upper-right kill-window icon entirely.
supercat, Feb 11 2002
  

       If you don't mind an extra mouse click then you can right click on the title-bar of your window and choose minimise, maximise and exit from a pop-up menu. Is there nothing about Windows that doesn't annoy somebody? Truly a design classic.
DrBob, Feb 11 2002
  

       Pretty much everything in Windows (and MS Office) can be done in one of three ways. Shirley you can find one that you like.
angel, Feb 12 2002
  

       Don't call me Shirley.
RayfordSteele, Feb 13 2002
  

       Another workaround (which admittedly doesn't address the core problem) is to enlarge the title bar icons.   

       Open the Display Properties, go to the Appearance tab, in the Item picklist choose 'Caption Buttons'. To the right of the picklist is a size spinner. Type or dial in the icon size you like (it goes up to 100, but 30 ought to be sufficient).
phoenix, Feb 13 2002
  

       I like it
kaz, Feb 13 2002
  

       phoenix: The caption button size is the same as the title bar size (changing either changes both). And the gap between the icons seems fixed at two pixels independent of size.   

       BTW, I don't feel like introducing a new 'idea', but does anyone know if there are any utilities for Windows that will allow one to move a window by, e.g., control-clicking any edge? Having to use the title bar can be difficult, especially if the window is mostly offscreen.
supercat, Feb 13 2002
  

       I know of no such utility, but if you right-click the window's icon in the task bar you should see a 'Move' option. If you select it, you can move the window with the arrow keys on your keyboard.
phoenix, Feb 14 2002
  

       If the windows really misbehaving, [Alt+Space],[M] then use the cursor keys. Same command as phoenix, just all with the keyboard. You can also move the window with the mouse, but for some reason, only after you've moved it using a cursor key first.
Rcomian, Nov 25 2003
  

       Good
kurtynlsn, Feb 22 2004
  

       BAKED: There is a small gap, of TWO pixels... plenty of space
Ossalisc, Mar 25 2004
  

       //Better yet, you could put the kill button on the left hand side, similar to how it was in Windows 3 or the Mac.//   

       Why not remove it and we can all ALT+F4, and if you don't know the hot keys you can right click on the title bar like a sucker.
skadaddy, May 25 2004
  

       Good Idea . But baked , in KDE (GNU//Linux), you can customise the titlebar buttons.
kamathln, Feb 07 2005
  

       What about the ability to slide the buttons around on the title bar? Then you could have them as far apart as you like.
nineteenthly, Feb 07 2005
  

       // it would make sense to simply do away with the upper-right kill-window icon entirely. //   

       Have to agree completely with [supercat] on this one. Just trash the close button.
kdmurray, Nov 10 2006
  
      
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