Is there a way to disable minimising windows with the yellow button in OS X?

Question

Coming from the Windows world, I am used to minimising windows in OS X, then using Cmd-Tab to get back to the app to re-open them. However, this doesn't work on OS X, and the approach for re-opening them with Cmd-Tab once minimised is driving me slightly round the bend as I try to contort my fingers into place (plus, I typically forget to do this, then have to go round the Cmd-Tab loop again). Instead, I've taken to hiding windows with Cmd-H when I can, which does work when using Cmd-Tab to get them back again. Nevertheless, I don't always remember to use this, and sometimes minimise them instead.

Is there a way I can disable minimising windows entirely, ideally by removing or disabling the yellow minimise button from the window header (I don't use ⌘M)? Alternatively, can I convert the yellow button so it behaves like "hide" instead? Ideally I'd like to avoid paying money for an add-on, but if there's one that works, that may be an acceptable answer.

Answer 1

You can disable ⌘M by running this and reopening applications:

defaults write -g NSUserKeyEquivalents -dict-add Minimize '\0'

If the menu item was assigned to nil, pressing L would trigger it in some applications like Audacity.

If you remove Dock.app, the minimize buttons stop working. But it also disables full screen windows, Mission Control, the Notification Center sidebar, the application switcher, Launchpad, and Dashboard, and makes desktop backgrounds gray.

NuKit can change the zoom and close buttons, but I don't know any application for changing or disabling the minimize buttons. There is another question about it at Super User.

I didn't find any hidden preferences for it using strings or gdb.