Apple's bad design?

[miles01110]

Of course because you've already encountered the "flaws/inconsistencies" and dealt with them so they don't bother you anymore.

The problem is that almost every new Mac user will bang into the same wall.

By your argument Windows has "bugs" because it's not like OS X, further detracting from your argument that these UI issues are in fact in need of correction.

Operating systems are different. The sooner you understand this, the easier you'll find it to make the necessary adjustments.

 

[vitzr]

1) Another area that bugs me is the lack of "cut" in Finder. I use Totalfinder, which I mentioned earlier in this thread, to get around this minor limitation. So I'm not exactly disagreeing with you, it's just that I don't elect to use the word flaw to describe any of the behavior of OS X. This isn't simply because I'm "used to it" but rather because I think OS X struck a better balance between things done right and things done wrong.

<snip>

2) There is something to be said for a long run of no computer problems and excellent customer support to "smooth over" ruffled feathers and make fans out of skeptics. Apple does this better than any other company I know.

1) I too find that the lack of cut bugs me.

Thanks for mentioning Totalfinder, as I was unaware of this. Just Googled it and I like what I see. How long have you used it and do you have any feedback or tips you would like to share ?



2) Very well said, I could not agree more.

Cheers ...

 

[r0k]

1) I too find that the lack of cut bugs me.

Thanks for mentioning Totalfinder, as I was unaware of this. Just Googled it and I like what I see. How long have you used it and do you have any feedback or tips you would like to share ?



2) Very well said, I could not agree more.

Cheers ...

Totalfinder is a Finder plugin. This means whenever a new OS X update comes out, there is a risk that it breaks totalfinder. Fortunately it's easy enough to kill off totalfinder by deleting it from Login Items until whatapplebrokethistime gets fixed. On the up side, when you run Finder, you get totalfinder. It's not a separate application (like Pathfinder) you have to bother with.

I really don't like third party hacks of the OS because I think they make things less stable. But I use it for the availability of "cut" combined with a single tabbed finder window that keeps me from running to mission control every 5 minutes.

 

[Jolly Jimmy]

Thanks for mentioning Totalfinder, as I was unaware of this. Just Googled it and I like what I see. How long have you used it and do you have any feedback or tips you would like to share ?

TotalFinder is amazing. Tabs alone is a godsend. Cut/paste and a keyboard shortcut to show/hide hidden files are great additions too.

 

[vitzr]

Totalfinder is a Finder plugin. This means whenever a new OS X update comes out, there is a risk that it breaks totalfinder. Fortunately it's easy enough to kill off totalfinder by deleting it from Login Items until whatapplebrokethistime gets fixed. On the up side, when you run Finder, you get totalfinder. It's not a separate application (like Pathfinder) you have to bother with.

I really don't like third party hacks of the OS because I think they make things less stable. But I use it for the availability of "cut" combined with a single tabbed finder window that keeps me from running to mission control every 5 minutes.

TotalFinder is amazing. Tabs alone is a godsend. Cut/paste and a keyboard shortcut to show/hide hidden files are great additions too.

Thanks to both of you for the valuable feedback. I'm going to give it a try.

If it breaks with an update I really don't mind, after all these years of cross platform computing I'm used to that sort of thing...ha..ha..ha..

Cheers...

 

[yawns]

I've been a Linux user for about 10 years, bought a MBP ~6 months ago. I needed a new laptop for work, wanted a unix-like OS, and didn't feel like dealing with the maintenance, potential hardware incompatibilities, etc..

Anyway, there were a ton of things that bugged me when I first started using OSX. I can't remember what most of them are now. However!:

I dislike the way Finder obsessively puts dot files in every directory it visits. As far as I understand, .ds_store files store settings for special views, "labels," and other superfluous stuff. Why doesn't it just create the file when it's needed? I'll never use those things, so I shouldn't have the files. I feel like they took a pretty lazy approach with the dot file deluge. Like every time it came up, "How will we remember this setting?" "Screw it let's just use another dot file." I'm not saying there should be a, "registry," but they could have used a cleaner approach than, "Write a bunch of files everywhere even when we don't need them."

I really, really miss focus-follows mouse. I've honestly considered trying to put linux on here or using a virtual box as my primary OS just for that. Not an hour goes by that I don't want to interact with an application but not have to look at it or bring it to the front.

http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2008/04/settling-osx-focus-follows-mouse-debate.html

Keyboard shortcuts are pretty ridiculous, too. The screenshot shortcuts, for example, feel like someone just threw darts at the keyboard. I once saw a photo of a guy with six fingers on each hand captioned, "Future OSX user."

 

[bjett92]

Does pressing the red close button mean Cancel or Continue? Well of course it means Cancel.

Why does it mean Confirm in the System preferences dialog then?

the red button means CLOSE in all dialogs and windows. In your example, it closes the installation window. In system preferences, changes are applied immediately, not when you click the red button. The red button doesn't mean apply, it means close this window I've made the changes I want.

I won't even get started about the menu bar. That is the major difference between Windows and OS X. If you don't like the way that the menu bar works, then perhaps you never should have switched from Windows.

 

[dusk007]

Keyboard shortcuts are pretty ridiculous, too. The screenshot shortcuts, for example, feel like someone just threw darts at the keyboard. I once saw a photo of a guy with six fingers on each hand captioned, "Future OSX user."

True.
I am a big fan of short cuts and use them a lot all the time but Apples way of mapping them is odd at best an inconvenient at the worst.
What I really hate though is that there is no way (aside from using pathfinder) to set single key shortcuts. I don't want to rename something when I hit enter I want to open the folder or file. Keyboard navigation is very odd.
There is a dialog and you hit tab to highlight cancel or whatever other options there are but next you must hit space because enter still triggers the initial selections. WTF. It messes up the whole flow and I cannot see the point.

There are quite a few things on OSX that could be better but the annoying part is only that you are not left much choice to the matter. I don't use my computer like any idiot fool and I require different things and prefer different things, but there is little choice.
That is what I like so much about the Opera browser. It offers the best usability features and total flexibility in setting stuff up the way I want it in an easy simple and convenient way (other than FF). Safari is IMO the worst of all browser because the defaults are nuts at times and the flexibilty is bad as is addon quality.

 

[karlth]

If you don't like the way that the menu bar works, then perhaps you never should have switched from Windows.

I guess your life is all about menu bars.