how do i minimize

You don't :) You just close it.

Hi, you can simply click on its icon in the dock and it'll minimize.

Hi, refer to question #196809 if the thing you want is to have classic windows button arrangement. :)
in short:
install gconf-editor
open it
go to /apps/metacity/general/button_layout
set button_layout value to ":minimize,maximize,close"

It's "funny", that we have 3 obvious posibilities how to maximize a window (1. top right icon; 2. double click on window title; 3. push window to top of the desktop), but only one hidden posibility how to minimize it.

Minimizing is not so unusable as developers are trying to convince folks here. When I have long time running process in terminal for example, I don't wanna have it on sight all the time. Minimizing is right way how to solve such situations. Also there is a progress indicator for long copying in Pantheon Files, etc.

I love inventing of new ways how linux desktop should work, but in the same way I love traditional ways which just works. Don't try to be innovative at all costs. ;)

There is no point removing features if you can't come with something better.

Minimize is here to stay : you need to have apps working in background, or simply to run different apps at the same time (and do useful stuff like copy and paste), switching context, etc.
While phones are mono tasks (which, by the way, tends to be less and less true as the hardware gets better : screen size and available ram), desktop computers are inherently multi task environment.

As much as I love the effort of the elementary team to come up with something new and fresh, it would be a detrimental to alienate users by removing expected features.
And by users, I mean real users (designers, your girlfriend, your mom), not the elementary developers.

According to me, having no desktop and "hiding" the minimize feature are two main usability regressions.

I agree with the above comment, it's a highly needed and a often requested feature, why not add what your users want? There will never be a time when all apps adhere to your save state stuff.

Give us a minimize button please or a really simple way to add it back!

ctrl+alt+0 (try zero from numeric pad) to minimize

Here ctrl+alt+0 don't work :(
The others shortcuts Alt+F7, Alt+F8, Alt+F4 works perfec? Anyone also have this problem?

"When I have long time running process in terminal for example, I don't wanna have it on sight all the time."

So in that case, you should be able to close the Terminal app and it will be intelligent enough to know what you want to do. As it turns out, it doesn't at the moment, and that's considered a bug. See bug 1083306.

"There will never be a time when all apps adhere to your save state stuff."

In that case I guess we should just throw in the towel, right? We should never try to advance the UX because "there will never be a time when all apps adhere" to a better user experience.

Rather, we'll keep pushing in that direction. If an app doesn't adhere to an awesome UX, then that's a problem with the app and bugs should be filed accordingly (again, see bug 1083306). If the app never adapts, then perhaps it's time to consider an app that gives a better experience and doesn't make the user worry about whether or not there's enough memory to keep the app minimized or to close it.

"So in that case, you should be able to close the Terminal app and it will be intelligent enough to know what you want to do. As it turns out, it doesn't at the moment, and that's considered a bug. See bug 1083306."

O.o

For me it's absolutely unnatural. What about screen output of that terminal process? I can minimize and read output later. And it is not about terminal only. With minimized window, I have in awareness there is some running background process and I can move it to my focus everytime I want. It's powerful, expectable and established way of apps contol. With "close is not close really" I lost my certainty what will be done.

"In that case I guess we should just throw in the towel, right?"

We do not have to throw in the towel, because there is nothing for fight to. Close is just close, minimize is minimize. It's so clear and natural. I can't understand of needs why to change it.

Ok, I think I told my opinion, and there is sooo many requests in discussions for bring minimize back (even just optional), we can only hope that UX designers and developers consider it carefuly again.

Just one last note. With only close button (no minimize), you need to resolve one task. "What the user wants to do now? Close or minimize?". And you can never ever find this out, because both situations can be truth. Sometimes user wants to just stop the app (even with running process), sometimes he wants to minimize it only (even there is no background process, only for tidy desktop).

Some next thoughts I have:

- Without minimize, you need to offer easy way how to kill apps. Should power users bring Task manager on Plank?
- It seems to me, you are trying to degrade powerful multitasking desktop to one-window toy for stupids. Sorry about it.
- What about undo/restore. Will you save it on close in all apps too?
- I hate systems which tries to make decisions instead of me. It is inevitable that mistakes will be made.

Exactly all excellent points!

It is natural to expect the cross the close and the line to minimize its one of the most basic things people learn when using a computer.

I never said give up but you seem so stuck in your ways you seem to be ignoring all the perfectly valid points we bring up.

I would like to see what you say about the above points the other guy mentioned as it bugs me even more now.

Even gnome3 shell devs are adding a way to include minimize easily.

IDEA: How about use one middle-click on title-bar to minimize the window? That should solve the issue and keep the UI idea.

My solution: Install "gnome-tweak-tool" and set the middle-click to minimize windows. http://bit.ly/SJVodu