Postby Chalkie » Fri Sep 09, 2016 9:27 am
Sorry to resurrect but it's not madly old, and I have investigated both applications (Discord and Skype) and will present here my findings...
For reference/completeness(1)...
The taskbar is the strip along the bottom of the screen(2) with icons on it.
The System Tray is over on the right of the taskbar, and may include a "Hidden Icons" button which looks a bit like this [^] (but without the brackets)
The system tray also has icons in it, and they are typically smaller than taskbar icons.
Anyhow, most windows apps close when you hit the red [X] top-right. some don't e.g. Skype which instead just closes it's visible window(3). (not the same as ending the app). You can right-click the taskbar icon (or the system tray icon) and select "Quit Skype", but it still doesn't go. Instead you are asked "Sure you want to quit Skype?" with options of "Quit" or "Cancel", with "Cancel" pre-selected as the default button. If you press "Quit" it finally really goes.
Discord is similar, but not the same. when you hit the red [X] top-right, it closes it's visible window but it also removes it's taskbar icon, so it looks more like it has closed. (It hasn't). It does leave the system tray icon, from which you can right-click and select "Quit Discord" and then it does actually close.
Neither Skype not Discord have an option to fully close when you hit the [X] (that I have found, anyway). Skype always shows in the system tray (like Discord), and does have an option to be only in the system tray (i.e. not on the taskbar) when you close the visible window. This is under Tools...Options...Advanced..."Keep Skype in the taskbar while I'm signed in."
With both Skype and Discord you don't have to press the [X] first. They both fully close when you simply right-click the icon in the system tray and select Quit (except that Skype asks if you're really sure). With skype you can do the same from the taskbar (so long as the taskbar icon is enabled, see above). Discord has a similar-looking option in it's taskbar icon - "X Close window" but it's not the same as a quit, it's the same as pressing [X] top-right, i.e. doesn't actually close the application.
Alt+F4
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This is where it gets (mildly) interesting. The key combination Alt+F4 is another method for informing a Windows application that you would like it to close. Skype treats this the same as pressing [X] (as I expected) but Discord acts differently!
IN DISCORD, ALT+F4 CLOSES THE APPLICATION IMMEDIATELY.(4)
(1) Most people know this stuff, but some don't, or don't know the names.
You do, so I apologise for spelling this out.
(2) Yes, I know you can have your taskbar in different locations, but for most people it's along the bottom.
Even Microsoft refer to "bottom left" when describing the "Start" button.
And yes, if your taskbar is on the left or right then the system tray isn't on the right, its at the bottom.
(3) As a programmer myself, this annoys me, and is against the original Style Guide (so far as I recall).
(4) Sorry for shouting, but this is the bit people will want to know. The rest is tl;dr