Perhaps to prevent users from closing the window or application inadvertently?
But is it also a distraction because the color of red stands out? Any insights?
Answer
Red might be distracting but it also has a definite cultural association with "stop" or end, and that makes it intuitive right away.
Often intuition is more important than power, or even ease of use. This is why we still see anachronistic icons like diskette to indicate save - of course the argument can be made that such a button is not intuitive to the newest users.
It is worth noting that the button is only red for active windows, so it can also become a very visible indication of which window is in use when a large desktop is used, multiple monitors or any other situation where the screen is not populated by one maximized window.
Opinion wise I think any time intuition encroaches on long-term usability there should be a way to disable that feature, even if it is only accessible to more savvy users (as by then, those users have less need for the intuition as they are more familiar with the functionality).
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