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Finally, Found the touch bar useful, Well.. somehow

B

bo-waleed

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 15, 2009
609
21
upload_2018-9-21_12-38-48.png


It shows video progress when playing video on IINA, To let me know when the video ends instead of moving the mouse to check HUD, lol.
And forwarding/back-warding too.


I did find TB useless and gimmick but I admit it makes the keyboard looks cooler then a nonTB keyboard.


Do you know any Apps that makes the TB more useful ? Or some tips for using it ?

One tip I can give is to make the TB shows Apps Controls only, And pressing 'Fn' to show Control Strip.
It's much better this way for me.
 
I think it has some minor uses and quirks, what kills it for me though is the need to use F keys/escape keys a lot (when programming in some mainstream IDE's) and it's like typing on an iPhone basically, no feedback/actuation and many more errors. I think if I was a graphic designer or someone who just used a machine casually, it wouldn't really bother me much at all.
 
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I really like certain aspects like adjusting lighting and sound volume. No more up or down st predefined steps. Just press and an infinitely adjustable slider appears and you move you finger left and right to adjust.
 
jerryk said:
I really like certain aspects like adjusting lighting and sound volume. No more up or down st predefined steps. Just press and an infinitely adjustable slider appears and you move you finger left and right to adjust.
Click to expand...

What's funny about that is, I actually liked the fixed increments - as in, sometimes I want it to be at 20% or 40% etc, I don't think I've found having the ability to finetune it beneficial. Plus, it can go a long time before I change the brightless at that. For volume it properly is a bit better but again sometimes I did like a dedicated media keys to increase/decrease volume in increments too.
 
Ma2k5 said:
What's funny about that is, I actually liked the fixed increments - as in, sometimes I want it to be at 20% or 40% etc, I don't think I've found having the ability to finetune it beneficial. Plus, it can go a long time before I change the brightless at that. For volume it properly is a bit better but again sometimes I did like a dedicated media keys to increase/decrease volume in increments too.
Click to expand...

It is personal taste. I am used to the fine adjustments of my audio equipment, so prefer that.
 
I really like the tb but completely understand why someone who uses the esc key (or f keys) frequently would dislike it. My affinity for the tb comes w/a caveat; Better Touch Tool

BTT saves you from having to double 'touch' the brightness slider and other functions which is a pita.

With BTT I have an icon that opens 'documents' - a brightness slider - app switcher - and a volume slider all at the ready. When I tap the control key, a battery indicator telling me how much time is left -or- how long until full charge while on charge. I'm actually a bit surprised Apple hasn't acquired the app from the developer..it's that good.

Give a try and I think it'll change the mind of many who are dismissive of the tb.

btw - the scrubbing function for music & videos is quite handy as well.
 
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Porkchop Sandwich said:
BTT saves you from having to double 'touch' the brightness slider and other functions which is a pita.
Click to expand...

I haven't tried Better Touch Tool yet, though I might in the future if I don't find any compelling reasons to use the touch bar as it comes from the factory.

Did you know, though, that you don't have to double-touch the brightness or volume sliders? Just press once, hold, then move your finger left to right. Works really well, and it's one thing that I think the touchbar does better than the keys it replaced!
 
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grillface said:
Did you know, though, that you don't have to double-touch the brightness or volume sliders? Just press once, hold, then move your finger left to right. Works really well, and it's one thing that I think the touchbar does better than the keys it replaced!
Click to expand...

No, didn't know that but tried it after you shared..that's pretty cool. BTT still takes the tb to the next level though..check it out, I think the newest version comes with a 45-day trial period and the developer's pretty good about updating the app.
 
Ma2k5 said:
I think it has some minor uses and quirks, what kills it for me though is the need to use F keys/escape keys a lot (when programming in some mainstream IDE's) and it's like typing on an iPhone basically, no feedback/actuation and many more errors. I think if I was a graphic designer or someone who just used a machine casually, it wouldn't really bother me much at all.
Click to expand...
There is lots of feedback, what’s wrong with your fingers?
 
Porkchop Sandwich said:
I really like the tb but completely understand why someone who uses the esc key (or f keys) frequently would dislike it. My affinity for the tb comes w/a caveat; Better Touch Tool

BTT saves you from having to double 'touch' the brightness slider and other functions which is a pita.
Click to expand...

What do you mean by double touch the sliders?

On mine I just put my finger on the brightness or sound button and after 1/4 sec or so a slider appears. I can then move finger left or right and the slider follows along, even though my finger is not on the slider.
 
jerryk said:
What do you mean by double touch the sliders?

On mine I just put my finger on the brightness or sound button and after 1/4 sec or so a slider appears. I can then move finger left or right and the slider follows along, even though my finger is not on the slider.
Click to expand...

Read posts #8 & #9. grillface kindly pointed that out to me but, thank you for doing so, again. Nonetheless, IMO, btt takes the tb to a higher level of usefulness.
 
I completely removed the volume and brightness sliders – two-fingered drag changes volume, three-fingered brightness. Plus, of course, BTT. I now have everything I actually use on the TB, including keyboard layout changes (I write in four languages) (no, I'm not fluent at any of them). I have Spotify controls plus "currently playing", keyboard layout changer, emoji window launch, screenshot launch, volume mute/unmute, clock, and current weather. With Fn key I have next calendar appointment and free space on the internal drive. I seem to be the only person who's not employed by Apple and loves the Touch Bar.

With exception of the space key. Why they couldn't keep THAT one is truly beyond me. Ugh, Jony.
 
1096bimu said:
There is lots of feedback, what’s wrong with your fingers?
Click to expand...
With normal F-keys, you can place your fingers on the keys and actuate them multiple times by pulsing the pressure. With touchscreen keys it's all-or-nothing because there's no "securely on the key, but not actuating it" state.

@Ma2k5 mentioned programming IDEs. Stepping through code in a debugger is a great example of a situation where the above distinction makes a big difference, because you pulse multiple F-keys when doing that.

[doublepost=1537693423][/doublepost]
jerryk said:
I really like certain aspects like adjusting lighting and sound volume. No more up or down st predefined steps.
Click to expand...

Ma2k5 said:
What's funny about that is, I actually liked the fixed increments - as in, sometimes I want it to be at 20% or 40% etc, I don't think I've found having the ability to finetune it beneficial
Click to expand...

We've always been able to do fine adjustment that's not limited to the big white blocks. Hold Opt+Shift when pressing the volume/brightness keys.
 
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