Something that always bugged me about OSX versus Windows was maximizing windows.
In Windows, if I can recall, it was Alt + Space + X. Pretty simple. I couldn't
find a way of doing that in OSX until now though. It's by using a program called
Divvy.
If you watch the walkthrough video it explains it pretty well and even how to make shortcuts to have windows be half the dimension of the screen, in specific corners, or whatever.
It's pretty easy. Install the app. Open it from your menu bar and attach a
shortcut. I use Shift + Command + Space. Then, whenever you're in an
application and you want to maximize it, hit your shortcut. A modal popup will
appear and you can use your mouse on the modal to choose where and how big your
window should be.
Better yet, add an additional shortcut (eg. mine is the letter f when the modal popup is open) and define what screen-range should be covered. Then, press your combo, hit the f key, and maximized. Golden.