mac osx bugs
I don't follow daily, so you may get infrequent followups, if at all. But to answer some previous questions. The bugs were submitted to Apple. The problem is, many of the bugs exist since Snow Leopard (and probably earlier, I don't know because I started with Snow Leopard). The only things Apple will look at immediately is if it is labelled "Security" in your bug report, but they will change it to "Other Bug" if they don't want to fix it, even if it is a security bug.
To give an example, I filed the sharing ethernet over Wi-Fi as a security bug. (which it is... WPA2 is a security protocol). Then afterwards, they changed it to "other bug", and then ignored it for that last two Mountain Lion updates. It is a SECURITY bug because....
1) In the news you hear about Google driving by and collecting username and passwords over Wi-Fi from people who do not have secured hotspot. This is the SAME problem here. When you share your ethernet over Wi-Fi, and it is not protected, anyone can snatch ALL communications to your hotspot and grab whatever they want (including username and passwords that you enter into webbrowser, and any sessions from apps that do the same).
2) Anyone can hop onto your Wi-Fi and hacking away. Congratulations. Instead of a hotspot router, they have the direct IP to your computer (sharing Ethernet on a MAC, which is a computer).
3) Anyone can borrow your wi-fi communication and start spamming email and do illegal activity from your hotspot (because of no security). There was a case in the news where someone was caught doing this.
Are these Security Risks? Yes. Are they Security bugs? Definitely. WPA2 is a security protocol. It doesn't work when you are sharing Ethernet over wifi in Mountain Lion. Previously, Apple supported WEP security. But it was taken out in Mountain Lion. So what does this mean? NO SECURITY if you want to share the ethernet over Wi-Fi.
I would like to treat it as a regular bug, but Apple ignores bugs that they don't like to fix, or they deem it minor. Losing Wi-Fi sharing of Ethernet when you reboot exists since Snow Leopard because they think it is a minor bug.
They have no concept of how people may be using their products, and don't have a brain wide enough to accomodate the wide usage. They have designers think up a new way to do things (which is great), but sometimes their designs are too narrow in USABILITY scenarios, ending up doing more harm in the long run (which is bad).
Examples:
In the iOS devices, they have a Notes application. It allows you to enter important text (in lieu of scraps of paper). Most people use the app to jot down long sequence of numbers that is hard to memorize. (they have Reminder and Calendar and Contact for other stuff). But guess what? the Notes app DOES NOT SUPPORT a font that you can distinguish between o O 0 and 1 i l I. Example: in many URL shorteners, you will have these things. In the UK Postal code, you will have these. In most video sites you will have these things at the end. In most postal service tracking numbers you will have these things. I've jotted down a URL of a video and it ended up getting the wrong one because of a mixup between 1 and l (one and lowercase L). Imagine the more serious case where it is a serial number of something more important. I filed the report, and they said they weren't going to fix it. Guess all those corporations or people that may consider using an iPad or iPhone are not going use it for jotting down important stuff then right?
The magic trackpad requires 1000 times more pressure to click near the top than on the bottom. Guess what? The MacBook Pro has THIS SAME PROBLEM. It doesn't come with a regular mouse, so you are stuck. The default settings has no three finger drag, and the double tap and drag is hidden in accessories (which is buggy anyways, see my previous post). So how are you going to drag a window? The intuitive way would be light pressure click on a window title bar and move it to where you want and release. You can't do this in Magic Trackpad or MacBook Pro because the pressure is TOO GREAT near the top of the pad. And bummer, the title bar is near the TOP of your screen, so your finger WILL have to travel there to click which means near the top of the pad. It is also a bummer that the system menu is also stuck near the top of your screen since the first Macintosh. People will then say, well, keep a finger near the bottom of the pad at all times for clicking. But guess what? two fingers on the pad indicates a bunch of things... zoom. rotate. flip between pages in browser. open notification center. scroll window within a window. (with click: open menu, look up word). The best solution is: implement it right, make it light pressure on all areas of the pad. Or bring double tap to indicate click (so you can drag windows easily) without bugs. They never even consider these things when they design products, and force all these problems on people. Why is there STILL no wired magic trackpad? Because it looks cool without wires and you must change batteries.
Another example. iPhone allows you to keep multiple numbers for a contact. Lets keep it simple... Home number, a mobile number, and work number. These are common for 90% of the general population. If you store these numbers under one contact name (obviously), and they call you from those three numbers (home, then mobile, then work), in your recent calls list, it will show that person called three times and all three times will show ONLY ONE number (either home, mobile, or work). iPhone doesn't have the capability to create a separate entry for home, then mobile, then work. It will group all of them letting you think that person called from the SAME number. Now lets think of scenarios where this may harm people. Lets say a doctor receives a call from you at work, and home (on separate occasions). If he simply looks up the recent calls and call back it may be the WRONG number, thinking the patient is not there or dead. Because only one of the numbers will show, not all of them. What if it was the police? Firefighters? Etc. iPhone simply ignores the other numbers because it can't create a separate recent calls entry if it is from a different number from the last call (if under same contact name).
I have a feeling the designers are stuck in a bubble, with no concept of usability testing over long term in their process. I think this is the problem most governments are having, the rule makers makes rules they think up, but don't consider wide enough of the implications. Like the 1% making laws suitable for the 1% only? I don't know I can't think of a better analogy, maybe someone else can try.
You bash some people for automatically rejecting new ideas for being different. I bash you for blindly following apple. Are we both exaggerating? Yes. I think we can, and should, agree to disagree on this. I don't think either of us would be bothered / offended if apple simply gave us a choice in the preferences to enable or disable versions.
