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Well now knowing there exist these differences at the file management level, I'll dust off that Safari icon and see if I can live with it.. who knows, maybe I'll even come to prefer it?
 

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In the real world where there are budget and resource constraints, all websites will be build to IE's interpretation of the web standards

This statement disgusts me and is typical of one thing that is wrong in the web (development) community.
 
This statement disgusts me and is typical of one thing that is wrong in the web (development) community.

Well my statement only applies to web design in the context of e-commerce. In the world of business what would you expect? I do all my personal stuff in Flash so there are none of those issues.
 
Honestly, if you're developing websites, you should be developing to web standards... Where Safari is one of the most compliant browsers on the market—yes, even better than Firefox. If you code to web standards you will have a site that can only be MORE accessible to MORE people.

If you were going to develop for the majority you wouldn't care about Firefox either, you'd be developing for the notoriously finicky IE7 (or 6). Stop talking out of both sides of your mouth, please.

I agree about coding for the standard, I also agree safari is one of the most standard compliant browsers. But I do want to advise cautious against making judgement based solely on acid3 test.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_layout_engines_(XML)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_layout_engines_(XHTML)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_layout_engines_(graphics)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_layout_engines_(CSS)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_layout_engines_(DOM)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_layout_engines_(HTML5)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_layout_engines_(ECMAScript)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_layout_engines_(SVG)
 
OK, so just for my own amusement I wrote a little application to peek into exactly what Apple puts on the clipboard when you 'Copy' a file in the Finder. It turns out that they put no fewer than thirteen different representations of the file on the clipboard - including the file name, full path, file URL, even the file's icon and, in the case of a .jpg file, an image of the actual file contents. Pretty thorough :) So it's entirely up to the receiving application to choose the richest/most appropriate format. Terminal gets it right and pastes a full path. The path window only pastes a file name, which is so obviously wrong that it qualifies as a bug IMO. So forget the feature request - this deserves to have a bug filed against it.
 
I've yet to have a single problem with any webpage using Safari. But that's beside the point. The point being that you're using an inferior web browser that also happens to not have the one function in an OS that you can't live without because it's more popular on Windows than Safari. Perception, I guess, is everything.

you don't have lotus notes webmail then. ;)

imho the only reason the world pays attention to IE anymore is drm and big corporate monoliths with their heads stuck in the sand. once they get educated (which is happening these days, yay!) people will realize coding to standards that everyone follows rather than one heavy handed company (microsoft) will be the right way of doing things. there is no reason to bow to microsoft's absolute arrogance concerning web standards anymore.
 
Well my statement only applies to web design in the context of e-commerce. In the world of business what would you expect? I do all my personal stuff in Flash so there are none of those issues.

People still do entire flash websites, who would've thought. Do you use scan lines and outer glows too, don't forget drop shadows.
 
Well my statement only applies to web design in the context of e-commerce. In the world of business what would you expect? I do all my personal stuff in Flash so there are none of those issues.

i would expect businesses to conform to the standards that the more secure web browsers use and not the broken ones that the least secure web browser tries to force upon people to hold market share. ;)
 
Theoretically yes, but in the real world, it's all about cost vs reward,

...and right now, the reward of adding this behavior would be to satisfy exactly one (1) person who has expressed it being a problem. The cost/benefit ratio does not appear to be in your favor at the moment, sorry to say.


the ideal thing is to develop code for all the various browsers and account for all of their little intricacies..

Uhh, no. Not by any means is that ideal. To code for the idiosyncrasies of everyone's differing implementations is to eventaully end up with... well, Windows.


In the real world where there are budget and resource constraints, all websites will be build to IE's interpretation of the web standards,

IE's interpretation of web standards has nothing to do with budget and resource constraints. I know because I work in a budget constrained environment with a limited staff, and we develop web apps. The easiest, most cost-effective way to develop is to be standards-compliant, NOT functional to ie-only.

Then, it shouldn't matter what browser someone is using or whether it's the "dominant" browser or some obscure contraption. If it is standards-complaint, it will work. That's generally the embodiment of what it is to have a standard.

And for the record, our apps, which are tested against those standards, and work quite well on ie 7, Firefox and Safari 3. Imagine that.

In any case, all of this may be rendered moot. FireFox 3 on the Mac apparently follows the cocoa interface standards and behaviors, and uses more of the cocoa libraries. So drag will likely work in FireFox 3, and this "bug" will probably be fixed.
 
In any case, all of this may be rendered moot. FireFox 3 on the Mac apparently follows the cocoa interface standards and behaviors, and uses more of the cocoa libraries. So drag will likely work in FireFox 3, and this "bug" will probably be fixed.

I certainly hope so. I was testing it using Firefox 3 Beta 4. I haven't tried Beta 5, yet. I use Safari more often, though, so it doesn't actually matter to me that much, but it'd be awfully nice if the Firefox team adds this feature.
 
My frustration was not that OS X didn't behave like Windows, it was that it didn't perform a basic functionality that SHOULD be on both Windows and OS X. Unless Apple totally revolutionizes their next OS and abandon the tree/folder file management structure, dealing with folder/file paths are a crucial aspect of the usage of the OS.

You do realize that part of the point of OS X and the whole Mac "way" is to hide the kind of folder tree file management structure as much as possible from the end user, right? You can see it in many, many aspects of Apple's programs and many, many parts of OS X. It's silly to completely do away with the structure, as the Unix core of the OS relies on this structure, but that doesn't mean the user has to deal with it when there are friendlier ways.

You can go through your entire OS X experience without ever seeing any kind of folder tree or having to type, copy, or paste in any file path names. That's the intention. When it comes right down to it, you're doing it wrong (in OS X), because you're used to Windows, where that kind of thing is necessary.

Yes, people still have to store their files in folders and things like that, but OS X tries to make sure people have to deal with folder structure as little as possible. Why do you think the icons look like folders? Because the user is supposed to treat them as folders. You open one, look inside it. If you want to, say, email a file in a folder, do you copy and paste the file location into the attachments or anything like that? Of course not! Think of it like this: if you were holding a real, physical file, and wanted to snail mail it to someone, would you tell the envelope the x,y,z coordinates of where your file is in relationship to your study? No! You grab the file from the folder and drop it in the envelope. Similarly, why would you want to tell your email the file path of your file when you can just drag and drop it right in? I realize, maybe you would prefer it the former way, but that's not the OS X way of doing things.

Look at iTunes and iPhoto. They're both apps that are especially designed to hide every facet of traditional file/folder structure from the user. You drop your songs into iTunes and it makes sure they're organized for you. You drop your photos into iPhoto, and it organizes them for you, too, and even tracks the changes you make to them as you go. If you use them right, you never, ever have to look for your songs in folders, or search through a file tree for that perfect picture. The applications have libraries already well-organized for you. Talk to the application like you would a librarian. Don't bother worrying where every individual book is or trying to keep track of the Dewey decimal system yourself; just like don't bother trying to organize 16GB or music or 10GB of photos on your own. Let the librarian/application handle that. Just tell it what you want, and it'll get it for you.

So Apple was already at that particular revolution. Get with it. File paths are so 90's. You don't need them anymore. Let go. You'll be a happier person. Let go, young padawan, and use the Force that is OS X.

I haven't had to deal with file paths or trees since leaving XP, and I'm a much happier computer user for it. You can do it, too. I believe in you.
 
If it helps anyone, I wrote an Applescript and saved to /Library/Scripts that copies the selected file's path to the clipboard. I then added a Quicksilver trigger to execute this script, making sure to only enable it for Finder.app - I bound Command+Shift+F as the keyboard shortcut, so whenever I highlight a file and hit that keyboard combination, I can paste its path anywhere.

I guess you could probably just as easily add it to the Services menu too, but I *heart* Quicksilver.

Here's a small video of it in action. http://www.jeremyronking.com/mr/CopyFilePath.mp4

Enjoy!

P.S. I should mention I have Quicksilver including my Scripts folder in the catalog, don't think this is included by defaul.
 

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So Apple was already at that particular revolution. Get with it. File paths are so 90's. You don't need them anymore. Let go. You'll be a happier person. Let go, young padawan, and use the Force that is OS X.

I haven't had to deal with file paths or trees since leaving XP, and I'm a much happier computer user for it. You can do it, too. I believe in you.

Well, good for you in your closed OS X world!

I work in a mixed environment (actually, we're a Windows shop) and if I want to communicate the path to a file to a Windows user, I don't drag and drop a file into email (that copies the file to the email, which is NOT what I want to do). I need to copy the path to the file to the clipboard, and paste it as text into the email.

There are PLENTY of reasons to want the path to a file. Ever work with MacPorts? Do anything from a terminal window? Ever write a technical white paper? Ever have to work and communicate about the work done on a Solaris, Linux, Windows or other non-Mac system? There are many, many Mac users who do this type of work daily.

I'm a "switcher" and I don't complain about OS X, but to say that people shouldn't want their OS to be flexible is very narrow-minded.

That being said, Windows only allows you to grab the path to the folder, not the path including the filename. So it's twice the work if you want to paste the path into documentation, email, a white paper, etc. Copy the path, paste the path, copy the filename, paste the file name. So Windows doesn't do it right either.
 
I work about 50/50 with Windows and Macs - overall they are pretty much the same. Some things are better on Windows, some are better on Macs ... some are just preferred by people for their own reasons. It isn't absolute. The strange thing is that some Mac users think the Macs are perfect and don't want to learn/adopt anything from Windows. Bit crazy - but such is life.
 
No resizing needed. In the Finder, click/hold the file you want to upload and Command-Tab to your browser. The file will held under the mouse pointer. Move mouse over upload box and drop. Voila!
You've really got to work on getting out of that Windows frame of mind. :)

Okay you guys have presented an easier way to do it then manually browsing thru the levels in the Open dialog.. I'll keep that in mind, thanks! However, I still contest that pasting the folder is easier because I'm working on a 13.3" MacBook and my desktop isn't large enough to simultaneously display the web browser and the finder window.. so wha? I'd have to resize the browser window and the finder window so they can be adjacent to each other? Or Alt-Tab it until the Finder window is on top of the open dialog? lame..
 
No resizing needed. In the Finder, click/hold the file you want to upload and Command-Tab to your browser.

well, that isn't exactly intuitive nor easy...mice+keyboard altogether....

whats wrong with clicking "browse" button? clean, easy.
 
There are PLENTY of reasons to want the path to a file. Ever work with MacPorts? Do anything from a terminal window? Ever write a technical white paper? Ever have to work and communicate about the work done on a Solaris, Linux, Windows or other non-Mac system? There are many, many Mac users who do this type of work daily.

Actually, I do have to use Terminal daily. I have to remotely log into a Scientific Linux machine to get my research work done, and all I have there is the Unix command line and some limited X11 forwarding. I have to communicate and send files back and forth with Windows all the time, too. My research depends on Terminal and X11, so I guess that would probably qualify me as a Mac user who does this type of work daily.

Oddly enough, I've never had a problem with it. And show me a Windows machine that copies full file path from drag and drop. OS X makes it easy.

I was a switcher, too, once, you know. In fact most of us were. Yes, there are some here that have used Macs since 1984, but they're the minority. Most of us have also come over from a Windows frame of mind. I bought my first Mac just last summer, and I love it. I don't miss anything from Windows.

Just because I feel this way doesn't mean I think OS X is perfect. I just happen to find nothing lacking in its implementation. If they added the ability to easily copy the full file path (which there actually is...as it's in the clipboard) that would be great. I guess they just need to add the option "Copy file path..." or something. Then we'll all be satisfied :)
 
No resizing needed. In the Finder, click/hold the file you want to upload and Command-Tab to your browser. The file will held under the mouse pointer. Move mouse over upload box and drop. Voila!
You've really got to work on getting out of that Windows frame of mind. :)

You can also drag and hover over the browser icon in the Dock and hit Space to bring it to the front.
 
I was a switcher, too, once, you know. In fact most of us were. Yes, there are some here that have used Macs since 1984, but they're the minority. Most of us have also come over from a Windows frame of mind. I bought my first Mac just last summer, and I love it. I don't miss anything from Windows.

When it comes to Mac OS X, we're all switchers :)

X was so different from the old Mac OS that switching to it was almost like switching to a completely different platform. A lot of muscle memory was lost and a lot of old habits had to be relearned. Some of us handled the transition better than others - there are still Mac users who keep their system loaded with dodgy utilities to make it work more like Mac OS 9. So to all the switchers who get exasperated at being told to give up their old habits and just learn the Mac way, don't feel bad - a lot of long-time Mac users have been through the same thing.

Just because I feel this way doesn't mean I think OS X is perfect. I just happen to find nothing lacking in its implementation. If they added the ability to easily copy the full file path (which there actually is...as it's in the clipboard) that would be great. I guess they just need to add the option "Copy file path..." or something. Then we'll all be satisfied :)

I'm all for Apple adding nice little power user features that less experienced users can ignore, and the new Apple has actually been pretty good about that. One of the big reasons OS X is my favorite OS is that it does such a good job (most of the time) of being slick and trouble free enough for my Mom, but sophisticated and geeky enough for me at the same time. Apple doesn't get enough credit for pulling that off - it's pretty impressive, I think.
 
to those of you asking why he isn't using spotlight to do this instead, i have to burst your bubble.

if you're using leopard, spotlight ignored file names if they don't look "interesting" enough.

if they have too many numbers, it will not return them as results unless you type in the entire file name from the beginning.

this "upgrade" has ruined several of my workflows from tiger, and so far, I have found no solutions. Everything just takes longer now.
 
Wow! I just discovered that YOU ARE able to use drag-and-drop to populate the Choose File when using Safari for Windows! Apple makes it easy in Windows too. :D

that's nothing.

you can also open multiple files from an "open" dialog box in Windows.

Or, you can right-click on a file inside an open/save/attach dialog box and rename/copy/move/paste or otherwise manipulate that file without ever leaving the dialog box.

very useful if you want to save a file as "file 1.jpg but you look in the folder you're working on and that file name already exists...you can rename the old version of the file just like you have an explorer (finder) window open, then click "save" and your new file will take the old file's name without overwriting it.

also, you can cut/paste in windows instead of having to copy/paste/delete.

You can go through your entire OS X experience without ever seeing any kind of folder tree or having to type, copy, or paste in any file path names.

funny, i could swear i had to type a pathname into safari to get to https://forums.macrumors.com

Did your mac come pre-loaded with links to every website you want to visit? or when you want to get to a new site that you don't have a bookmark for, do you have to play a game of "find the link i want on a page i have a link to already"? amazing.
 
Or, you can right-click on a file inside an open/save/attach dialog box and rename/copy/move/paste or otherwise manipulate that file without ever leaving the dialog box.

also, you can cut/paste in windows instead of having to copy/paste/delete.

gotta say, windows does offer "more ways" of doing some things, and I don't think OSX is particularly time saving when performing these type of tasks. Sure its do-able, just not that effective. Call that subjective if you want tho.

Im not very clear about fullpath in safari tho, are you saying you have to type in "http://"?
 
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