> it feels like Mac's UI is optimized around the assumption most users won't expand windows to fill the whole screen, but rather leave them half-sized somewhere in the middle

IMO, this has been their assumption for years, and it actually turned me off when I tried getting used to Mac circa 2006-2007. Coming from Windows at the time, I just couldn't get over a weird anxiety that my application window wasn't maximized, because it didn't look like it completely snapped into the screen corners.

Now, using 34-inch ultrawide monitors almost exclusively, I never maximize anything... it'd be unusable.

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ffsm8 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

As a 38" ultrawide owner myself, I use vscode or intellij maximized most of the day, depending on the codebase I'm

Browsers only ever get maximized to the left/right half screen for me too

Which is something macos should really improve on though, the ux is pretty bad compared to Windows and Linux there

	▲	jmspring 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I split a vs code window and a browser or a browser and terminal window on my 13" mb air. Usually need additional context on the same screen.

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bobthepanda 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

While I don't maximize anything on a monitor that wide, I do appreciate Window's snap to half/quarter functionality for monitors that wide, and I wish Mac had the same ability natively.

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drivers99 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> I wish Mac had the same ability natively

Hover over the green button in the top left of the window. I recently found out about that menu for moving a window between screens, which is also an option it has. (I also just found them in the Window menu if you prefer that. I dont; the options take an extra level of hovering to get to.)

	▲	setopt 2 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		You can also long-click the button instead of hovering. Also, see the menu bar entries related to window management, which replicates these same functions but can be bound to keys in the system settings.
	▲	mjcohen an hour ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Damn. Never knew that. TIL

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pc86 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I can't speak to the quarters but you absolutely can snap windows to the left and right halves in MacOS.

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girvo 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I’m pretty sure it does? I haven’t installed anything and it has the ability to do half and some other layouts through the window menu and snapping IIRC

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nine_k 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I constantly stretch windows to maximum height.

I maximize windows of graphics and video editors.

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an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

[deleted]

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wingmanjd 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I just installed Kubuntu last week so I could get the additional shift-drag targets to split my 34" ultrawide into 3 sections, or bump to the edges for the half filled.

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cluckindan 2 hours ago | parent [-]

Install i3wm, it will change your life.

	▲	hombre_fatal an hour ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Something I realized after spending a few months in sway (i3) and then niri is that I only care about a few windows (code editor, terminal, browser, apps I use moment to moment). All the rest I'd prefer to just summon as-needed and then dismiss without navigating away from the windows I care about. sway/niri want me to tile every window into some top-level spot. Took me a while to admit it, but the usual Windows/macOS/DE "stacking" method is what I want + a few hotkeys to arrange the few windows I care about.
	▲	setopt 2 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		I’m currently using Krohnkite [1] to get dynamic tiling in KDE, and Klassy [2] to get i3wm-like pixel borders instead of full window decorations. [1]: https://github.com/esjeon/krohnkite [2]: https://github.com/paulmcauley/klassy