Q: Dual monitors and fullscreen fiasco, is there a work around?

unfrostedpoptart wrote:

 

Just found these apps that solve the problem in different ways:

 

http://mac.appstorm.net/reviews/utilities/take-your-menu-bar-to-go-with-menupop/

 

MenuPop: http://www.binarybakery.com/menupop.html

SecondBar: http://blog.boastr.net/?page_id=79

Menu Everywhere: http://www.binarybakery.com/menueverywhere.html

 

At least with Lion, you can finally resize windows from any edge or corner!!!!

 

Wow, thank you so much David! I didn't think to look for an app for it. I guess there is always an app for that because Apple wouldn't do it themselves. Frankly, I think they desperately try not to mimick Windows UI. But there are some UI features in Windows that have no better alternatives, like the moving menubar, all edge resizing and intuitive multi-display full-screen behavior.

But easy resizing feature in Lion is a godsend. I don't get why Apple insists on doing some things the hard way.

Very well said!

Although full screen apps is less of a huge failure for me (not like it's more broke than it was in SL; it didn't exists..), I cannot agree more that Exposé all-windows view, and Spaces, BY FAR, were the most important UI aspects of OS X.  Their destruction, known as Lion, is an Omen that has the failthful running for the hills.  Something critical at Apple changed, some key product manager is gone, ... that is allowing design not worthy of Apple's name to be let out into the public.  During the last six months of Lion development, Apple's most famous person was on medical leave.... Maybe it is cause of effect or simply correlation... whatever it is, I fear the best days of Apple are already in the past.  Like The Chappelle Show before it, this may be greatness that burns far too bright to be sustainable. 

Try right click on the video and choose play video in iTunes window. Plays the video and you can continue to work on your second monitor

A most irritating feature. Here is a workaround which (while irritatingly complicated) does work.

http://www.tommedley.com/332/dual-monitor-full-screen-fix-for-osx-lion/

Full screen in Lion is utterly horrible.  There was nothing wrong with the way it used to work,  now it's broken.  

Worse than that,  Apple have broken the prime directive;  if it ain't broke,  don't fix it.  It wasn't broken,  now it is. 

Check out Menu Pop. They have a free trial version. It enables a quick-key pop up of main menu under your cursor for the active program. Great productivity tool for dual monitors, and not expensive.

I have just been on the phone with Apple support and they claim they have zero knowledge of this problem.  Apparently the only way to report this is to go through AppleCare and they claim that nobody has done this.

I don't believe it, but I am about to reinstal Lion and go through the online diagnostics with them.

Bah!

Meh, pretty sure they misunderstood you if they called it a "problem". If they understood what you were talking about they would've said this is a feature in Lion.

What baffles me is that it seems no one at Apple has the disadvantages we are having! Is this believable at all? No one at apple uses the same Macs we use with dual display setup? Don't they see this gigantic f--kup themselves?

I'm guessing Apple care calls are not the same thing as the feedbacks we sent in. Feedbacks are actually pretty useless. Its like a suggestion box. No one is obliged to read them.

I was wondering the same thing- I can't believe Apple engineers are content with being limited to a single display. I would think they'd want to be able have as many as they want. Could it be that we're suffering with poor external monitor support because Apple is actually developing the rumored TV/display, perhaps with iOS embedded in which case it could be like having a giant iPad connected to your Mac (sans touchscreen)?

See http://www.forbes.com/sites/benzingainsights/2012/04/13/proof-apple-is-building- a-tv/

I don't know- just wondering aloud.

A different story today from Apple.  They are now back to knowing about it and call it "expected behavior".

Please let me deliver the pink slip to whoever came up with this dumb implementation!

John Kitchen wrote:

 

A different story today from Apple.  They are now back to knowing about it and call it "expected behavior".

 

Please let me deliver the pink slip to whoever came up with this dumb implementation!

Thanks John for this update. I knew they would eventually say that, since Apple don't see it as a problem.

When I called Apple Care and they finally understood, they characterized this as 'expected behaviour'.

I think that's a cop-out and and avoidance technique.

Did either of you happen to ask them HOW you're supposed to use full-screen on the second monitor?! If the answer was "you are not" was your next question, "WHY can I go use full screen on my second monitor?!"

Most likely the guy/woman on the phone would just agree.  But maybe enough of those calls, where the stupidity of the situation is clearly articulated, would eventually get the attention of enough people to make a difference?!

Wishful hoping...

It seem obvious that someone at Apple has decided that ONE BIG SCREEN is the future. Personally I disagree and I offer my opinion that it is a mistake. However companies prusue a course until proven wrong, so now, after many years of using and buying Apple products, because they enbraced a better way of doing things,  I'm now resigned to looking at alternatives. Google seems like the big brained company these days, perhaps replacing Apple in that respect. Even the "other micro-company" has stated that they understand how important multiple monitors are to productivity. (Apple do you value the Enterprise market? - HELLO) Very sad that (1) the issue seems to be totally ignored in Cupertino and (2) dual monitor support is not mutally exclusive with the direction Apple is currently headed, it seems more like someones ego is involved than anything else.

I don't know a work around sorry, but I have the identical problem, I use a laptop with a large display connected at home. I connect to my server and like to have it's screen full screen on the external monitor, only that is now impossible with Lion.

You are prefectly correct, there should be an option to set which is the promary display or even be intelligent enough to go full screen on the display where the app currently appears... with Lion... NOPE!

Apple have screwed up, and as someone said here, the full screen stuff has been so carefully coded, that you can't believe they would have made such a blumder in the implementation.

Oh well, lets just hope they are big enough to swollow thier pride and fix the problem... what a waste the whole ting is for anyone with more than one screen in use

Guy