Gnome needs to add the maximize button back to the default title bar. Not the minimize button and the maximize button, only the maximize button.
Why is Re-adding this Feature so Important?
When a new user is booted into Gnome a common first struggle is—believe it or not—maximizing the current window. Although for a lot of people in the Linux community, the “Super+Up Arrow” shortcut is ingrained in their muscle memory, for the average user it’s simply not in their repertoire. Gnome should strive to be easily usable at a glance and I think adding the maximize button would help it achieve exactly that.
How it Bakes in with Gnome’s Design Philosophy
The maximization of windows is a feature I think most Gnome users use every day but have simply changed their workflow to use the keyboard shortcut of “Super+Up Arrow” instead. Although this shortcut is useful it should not replace the button. Replacing a button because a shortcut exists would also lead to the logic that the “x button” should also be completely erased because we have the “Ctrl+W” keybind.
Addressing Some Expected Counter Arguments
“It would clutter up the titlebar, directly going against Gnome’s principles to be sleek”
While I do understand this viewpoint I think you really need to ask yourself “does it”? In my opinion it looks the same while adding much needed functionality to the titlebar, why have so much space if you’re not going to use it in the first place?
“This feels like a use case that is immediately rendered useless as soon as the user learns the shortcut”
While I’m sure this may apply to many people, one of Gnome’s philosophies is for looking out for those with disabilities. And although we cannot account for them all one of them is people who only have one hand and have limited access to shortcuts based on their hand size. Now the option to double left click the titlebar does work it seems almost “hidden?” from the user in a sense.