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Expose
New Window Management
By: David K. Every
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OCt 21,2003
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 onestly, I haven't been horribly thrilled with OS X (Aqua's) Human Interface. There are quite a few nice things; especially about the look (the Graphic Design side). However, Human Factors isn't as much about the look as it is about the consistency and behaviors. Aqua standards (behaviors) have been weak, inconsistent, and few true innovations. Some of the changes are even steps backwards, but most were just changes for changes sake. Don't get me wrong; it is usable and better than Windows, but mostly it sacrificed the Macs consistency and predictability for an improved version of NeXT's sex appeal, without enough steak behind the sizzle and smoke.
The good news is that some of that may be changing; I saw the first real major change in the GUI in quite a few years; that's Expose.
Don't get me wrong, there have been many small changes and improvements along the way. Native PDF's as the lowest level graphic standard has been very nice change for cross platform interaction, but you can't really call a new graphics engine as pioneering interface and that was just borrowed from NeXT. Some better uses of animation, transparency improvements (with a few steps backwards), and so on. The Dock was a way to make a visual version of the Application menu, but the implementation has fallen well below what I'd hoped, and wasn't exactly a new concept. The same with a few other things like the Finder, column view, the shelf (er toolbar). These changes are not all bad, but not all good either, and certainly nothing really knock-your-socks-off revolutionary. Many of the added features that we have been getting are just re-adding features and functionality that we'd lost in going to OS X in the first place; spring-loaded folders, labels, better searching, and the like. The rest were just changes, with tradeoffs and not many gains; like re-arranging menus, integrating the control-strip into the menubar (to make sure it is overcrowded like Windows), and so on. Most just forced me to adapt to the way that the Computer wanted to work and not as much of adapting to me. Again, where's the beef? I want something that really improves my productivity and changes the way I work, and that I can't live without, and doesn't get in my way. Enter, Expose.
       
Expose is simply the best innovation to Window management since overlapping Windows was created.
The basics are simple; hold a button down, and the windows will all shrink and make themselves visible. Release the button and they fly back; cleaning up after themselves. And if you move the mouse over different Windows (in shrunk / picker mode), when they fly back, that Window will be the front-most. There are a few other variations on the theme; like show only the applications menu, or move out of the way to see the desktop. But you get fast dynamic window selection.
Temporary re-arrangement is one of those simple epiphanies for Window Management that someone should have thought of years ago. But even if they had, we may not have had the graphics horsepower to do it as effectively. There have been pathetic attempt to arrange windows, but not to return them back when done. Once you've got it, it can quickly become a habit. And once you've got a habit, you can't imagine what you'd do without it.
Honestly, I did something; create many virtual workspaces (modes), that dramatically reduced the number of simultaneous Windows. This has reduced the need for multiple Window management; but that is a separate article - and the point is that even so, it is still a handy function. In just a few weeks, I find my hand reaching for it at least a few times a day. And already, I've caught myself using machines that didn't have it; and pressing the magic button and after a delay (while the recognition of user error sets it), then I realize that this is an anachronistic OS from before the days of dynamic window management. How barbaric and primitive; why not just rip away my mouse and keyboard, and give me a hammer and chisel instead?
 
Of course you can't expect the first implementation of anything to be perfect; and Expose doesn't disappoint (or slightly does; depending on your point of view).
The most obvious glaring hole bit me in 15 seconds of use. Expose doesn't work with hidden Windows or Apps, and there's no setting or option to fix it. Some of us who don't like having our machines cluttered with 40 Windows that we have to keep moving around and paging through, so we have developed habits to keep hiding things we aren't using (like hiding things that aren't in immediate use). Then the natural new habit is to go to Expose to pick among all the windows, including the hidden ones, so that we can grab something else. But that would be way too convenient to actually work. Oh, well, something for 10.3.1 or at least 10.4. I imagine an attribute will be added sooner or later to help with that; but I'm saddened that they didn't figure that out before they released it.
Another minor hole is that you can assign only one hot key. For most functions, this isn't a big deal. But for something used as often as this, it is more so. Imagine this; I assign the fn key on my PowerBook to show all the Window; this is much easier to reach that the digital gymnastics required to get to F9. However, I also work with many other desktops that don't have a fn key, and that may have the default key assignment of F9; so in this case, double assignment would help. Of course the placement of the Expose keys is less than convenient to begin with; however, there aren't any better easily reachable keys available, and Expose hasn't proven itself enough to warrant dedicated keys or buttons on the mouse (yet).
     
Expose is actually very simple. But the simple things are sometimes the best.
Window management has been done in the past with global Window menus, better ways of hiding windows (shrinking, collapsing or docking), and so on. But having a simple, fast, and very visual way of picking among all the open windows (and having them return when done) is the first major Human Interface innovation I've seen from Aqua. It also uses all the features of Aqua quite well; keeping the Windows as large as possible is brilliant, excellent use of shadow and transparency, even the animation is well done and helps with the natural feel. The feature just feels immediately natural; which reflects on the quality and polish.
Epiphanies like this are rare; look how long it's been since the last major innovation. However, I suspect in a few years, people will not remember a time when they didn't have rapid visual window management (right after Microsoft borrows it for Foghorn, er, Longhorn); proving its significance. Other capabilities of Aqua give this an excellent look and feel; and empowered this kind of functionality. Hopefully, Aqua's power, and the quality of this feature are just foreshadowing of future innovations that are yet to come.
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