First day impressions of Lion

[acjohnson55]

Pros:
- Much, much better trackpad gesture, but the defaults are screwy. However, the new options provided almost completely remove my need to use BetterTouchTool. Almost.
- Mission Control feels great so far, for the most part. The ability to organize Spaces in two dimensions is gone, but it's less important now that Spaces are easier to create at will. It's much easier to move apps between Spaces now, too.
- Resize handles on all sides of the window! Now, was that so hard? Related to this, the new thin scroll bars are nice.
- I'm very excited about the new paradigm for handling documents, but since I hardly use any of Apple's applications, I guess I have to wait until third-party developers catch on
- Mail has won me back as a user from the horrible mess that is Thunderbird. TB is much more powerful, and I will miss my plug-ins, but its user interface is horrible and Mail's just improved dramatically.
- I like the new option to automatically cycle through desktop images. A 30-second option would be nice though, as would the option to animate.
- I can see full screen apps seem like a good idea for those programs I always keep open. Right now, that's just Mail, but I'm going to really be psyched when Evernote implements it, or when there's a good chat client that has it.

Cons:
- Launch Pad is pretty much useless. By default, it dumps all of your applications onto screens, more or less randomly. There is no easy way to organize things in batches, and it is not customizable
- Here's something that is really, really stupid: if you use multiple monitors, you would think you should be able to put a full screen app on one (like Mail, DVD Player, or something) and do your thing on the other screen, right? Wrong. Apparently, when you full-screen an app, the other screen gets the blank, gray linen Mission Control background, and you can't do anything on it until you exit full-screen mode. Unbelievable.
- "Natural" scrolling does not feel at all natural, especially because keyboard navigation still scrolls the viewport, not the content
- Can we get a Scanner app? It's weird to have to go through System Preferences to scan
- When in full screen in Mail, you cannot get back to your inbox while you are composing a message, not even in a split-screen mode
- No keyboard navigation in Mission Control
- All windows Exposé is gone. This came in handy at times. Mission Control probably obviates some of its usage, but why throw it out completely?
- Mission Control won't let me organize my Spaces/full screen apps as I see fit. It seems to be constantly shuffling my full screen apps, and I'm not sure I understand the logic it uses yet.

Wish list:
- Here's how multiple monitors should work, in my mind. Both screens should have access to Mission Control, and both screens should be able to access all the same desktops. Heck, put a little lock icon up there to lock the two together for mirroring. Now you have twice the flexibility.
- Please, can we finally have a Finder preference to put folders before files? It's such a simple thing, yet it's so annoying to not have a choice (just as I'm sure native Mac users are irritated about the lack of choice on this in Windows). I use TotalFinder to get this behavior in my Finder windows, but there's no way to change it for Open/Save dialogs.
- Options to change the Dashboard and Mission Control backgrounds would be nice. And how about a few more Dashboard options, like maybe extra Dashboards you can get to by swiping up and down?
- Apple is generally not shy about pulling the rug from under users and developers when they decide they want to "simplify" something. Well, it's about time they fix the horrible kludged up mess of shortcut keys. Some standardization would be much appreciated--Windows has a much more consistent scheme.
- Why can't I decide to let another app besides iTunes use my media buttons? It should be my call.
- Can Mail please get a more fine-grained setting for when to retrieve messages automatically? Or at least different settings per mail service? I want updates every minute for services that can support that, but some of my e-mail accounts won't let me update that often. I shouldn't have to choose the lowest common denominator.
- Full-screen iChat. But then again, I probably wouldn't like it and I'd just be waiting for full-screen Trillian, anyway.

 

[scottasu]

With Launchpad you can rearrange the icons and create folders exactly like an IOS home screen.

I actually love the new launchpad feature. To me it definitely reconciles my Macbook Pro and my iPhone/iPad together quite nicely.

And yes, I have way to many Apple products .

 

[ideal.dreams]

Cons:
- Launch Pad is pretty much useless. By default, it dumps all of your applications onto screens, more or less randomly. There is no easy way to organize things in batches, and it is not customizable

I like it but I only use it when I'm not using my magic mouse. It's stupid to have to go to Applications to open an app that essentially just opens another app.

- Here's something that is really, really stupid: if you use multiple monitors, you would think you should be able to put a full screen app on one (like Mail, DVD Player, or something) and do your thing on the other screen, right? Wrong. Apparently, when you full-screen an app, the other screen gets the blank, gray linen Mission Control background, and you can't do anything on it until you exit full-screen mode. Unbelievable.

I'm suffering the same problem myself. I have a 24" monitor that I use and it bothers me that OS X feels the need to shrink my apps down to a 17" monitor.

- "Natural" scrolling does not feel at all natural, especially because keyboard navigation still scrolls the viewport, not the content
I was skeptical of the natural scrolling at first but I like it more than I thought I would.

- Can we get a Scanner app? It's weird to have to go through System Preferences to scan
I agree on this as well, it's really annoying to have to open your systemwide preferences just to scan a document.

- When in full screen in Mail, you cannot get back to your inbox while you are composing a message, not even in a split-screen mode
- No keyboard navigation in Mission Control
- All windows Exposé is gone. This came in handy at times. Mission Control probably obviates some of its usage, but why throw it out completely?
You can set a gesture for it if you use a magic trackpad or you're on a notebook.

- Mission Control won't let me organize my Spaces/full screen apps as I see fit. It seems to be constantly shuffling my full screen apps, and I'm not sure I understand the logic it uses yet.

 

[farmermac]

For finder arrange by kind and it will put folders first

Lion is a mess, IMO I'm not a little kid. Back to SL.

 

[acjohnson55]

With Launchpad you can rearrange the icons and create folders exactly like an IOS home screen.

I actually love the new launchpad feature. To me it definitely reconciles my Macbook Pro and my iPhone/iPad together quite nicely.

And yes, I have way to many Apple products .

The thing is, there are places where a mouse interface really shines, and this should have been one of them. With a mouse you can right click, and you can can drag a box to select a bunch of items. I've got at least a couple hundred apps installed, and there's no better way for me to organize them but drag them from screen to screen, one-by-one? Come on now.

I had a lot of hope for Launch Pad. It's a good thing I don't need it anyway--Spotlight is the most convenient way to launch apps for me in almost all situations. I think the Android-style alphabetized drawer+customizable home screens model still beats the iOS home screen model, and I've yet to see anything quite as simple as the Start Menu.

- "Natural" scrolling does not feel at all natural, especially because keyboard navigation still scrolls the viewport, not the content
I was skeptical of the natural scrolling at first but I like it more than I thought I would.

I got used to it pretty quickly for the most part, after all, that's how pretty much every modern touchscreen interface works, but I kept finding myself tripping over it, and I think it's because I also use the keyboard a lot. I put it back to "normal", and now it feels like everything is right with the world. But at least there's an option--that's more than you can say for many changes Apple makes.

For finder arrange by kind and it will put folders first

Lion is a mess, IMO I'm not a little kid. Back to SL.

I've heard this before, but what I typically want is all folders, alphabetical, then all files, mixed and alphabetical.

 

[me_94501]

- Can we get a Scanner app? It's weird to have to go through System Preferences to scan

I agree on this as well, it's really annoying to have to open your systemwide preferences just to scan a document.

What about Image Capture?

 

[jman240]

What about Image Capture?

Preview. File -> Get image from scanner or something like that.

 

[dagamer34]

Control + Left/Right Arrow lets you navigate between full screen apps.
Control + Up Arrow brings up Mission Control.
Control + Down Arrow brings up App-specific Expose.

I feel I should also point out the obvious: Not all features will or need to be used by everyone. Launchpad may be "useless" to people on these forums but work great for your average user. It's not intrusive enough that you can't ignore it. Take the app off the Dock and you'll never have to use it again. The iCal and Address Book apps on the other hand, those ARE atrocious and can't be ignored.

 

[Kevenly]

The option for automatic cycling of desktop image has been there since Leopard.

 

[cschmelz]

The option for automatic cycling of desktop image has been there since Leopard.

First day? FLAWLESS.

I, as with many, hate the 'natural' scrolling behavior and turned that off. But installs across 2010 and 2011 iMacs and 2010 MBA were without a hiccup.

Anyone who is complaining about this release needs to read the ArsTechnica review. The overall changes are fairly subtle, but when you read about the deep down core level changes it all becomes just a little more exciting!

I'm very pleased with my tiny little $29 expenditure.

 

[cschmelz]

Oh yeah, and Safari 5.1 ROCKS...I'm actually switching back from Firefox...

 

[westonm]

- Mission Control won't let me organize my Spaces/full screen apps as I see fit. It seems to be constantly shuffling my full screen apps, and I'm not sure I understand the logic it uses yet.

In the Mission Control preference pane you can uncheck "Automatically rearrange spaces based on most recent use", hopefully alleviating your problem.

 

[acjohnson55]

What about Image Capture?

Preview. File -> Get image from scanner or something like that.

I stand corrected!

Control + Left/Right Arrow lets you navigate between full screen apps.
Control + Up Arrow brings up Mission Control.
Control + Down Arrow brings up App-specific Expose.

I meant actually navigating Mission Control with the keyboard. Does it work for you? On a similar note, Exposé and Spaces used to flow back and forth in a really neat way. Mission Control, doesn't. Not a big deal though, just an eye candy downgrade.

It's not intrusive enough that you can't ignore it. Take the app off the Dock and you'll never have to use it again.

Thank goodness that's true! Removing that icon was one of my first official acts upon installation.

The option for automatic cycling of desktop image has been there since Leopard.

Huh, I guess I missed it. I downloaded a widget to run my screensaver montage as a desktop background on Snow Leopard, but it also did a pretty cool Ken Burns effect. Of course, that's just a massive waste of cycles, so I only fire that I'm when I'm feeling down

In the Mission Control preference pane you can uncheck "Automatically rearrange spaces based on most recent use", hopefully alleviating your problem.

Great tip, thanks! Another option I missed. I guess that's why they don't give us options, haha. The nice thing about Windows is even when they don't give you options, they leave all the little registry Easter eggs so that you can get your TweakUI on.

I'm very pleased with my tiny little $29 expenditure.

Obviously, I have my complaints, but on the whole, I agree!

 

[gnagy]

Here's something that is really, really stupid: if you use multiple monitors, you would think you should be able to put a full screen app on one (like Mail, DVD Player, or something) and do your thing on the other screen, right? Wrong. Apparently, when you full-screen an app, the other screen gets the blank, gray linen Mission Control background, and you can't do anything on it until you exit full-screen mode. Unbelievable.

I agree with almost everything you stated. I just wanted to highlight this one bullet point. This is the single biggest issue in Lion for me. Unbelievable is right!

It's not like the 2nd monitor goes black. It's not like this is just a mistake that was overlooked. I'd be cool with it if it was just a bug. It actually renders a linen table cloth on the 2nd display! Someone at Apple put thought into this and realized that's the best use for the 2nd display.

 

[Keleko]

It's called "full screen" and not "full screens" for a reason...

I'm actually trying to use "natural" scrolling. I may not stick with it, but I'm giving it a go. I even downloaded a driver for my Windows 7 work system that let me reverse the scroll wheel on my mouse so I don't get confused between work and home. It'll take some adjustment, but I think I'll get used to it. Scrollbars are going out of style, so the reversed direction for scrolling is going to make less sense in the future.

 

[acjohnson55]

Someone at Apple put thought into this and realized that's the best use for the 2nd display.

It's called "full screen" and not "full screens" for a reason...

I've been thinking about this one a lot, and it just makes no sense to me. If you have two monitors hooked up, that means you want the ability to work on two things at once. There are somethings that work well the way they do on phones and tablets because of the limitations of those platforms. Of course you can only see one thing at a time on those screens, so it makes sense to make things completely modal. But when you have multiple monitors, a multi-modal approach makes a ton more sense. At least make it an option.

I'm actually trying to use "natural" scrolling. I may not stick with it, but I'm giving it a go. I even downloaded a driver for my Windows 7 work system that let me reverse the scroll wheel on my mouse so I don't get confused between work and home. It'll take some adjustment, but I think I'll get used to it. Scrollbars are going out of style, so the reversed direction for scrolling is going to make less sense in the future.

You know, I thought I'd give it a try too. And it didn't feel "unnatural", but it still wasn't as natural as before. And then I was like, "why am I even bothering"? What does "natural" scrolling actually bring to the table? I thought for a bit that maybe it feels better with some of the new gestures, but as I soon as I turned it off, everything felt completely normal. Unfortunately, as people start upgrading computers, more and more public computers are probably going to work the "natural" way. It's just unnecessary, in my opinion, but if it works for you, great.

 

[aristobrat]

The thing is, there are places where a mouse interface really shines, and this should have been one of them. With a mouse you can right click, and you can can drag a box to select a bunch of items. I've got at least a couple hundred apps installed, and there's no better way for me to organize them but drag them from screen to screen, one-by-one? Come on now.

I don't disagree with you, but I see the target of LaunchPad being the millions of people who aren't technical, don't own Macs, and already understand the iOS-method of app management (from owning a iPhone/iPad/iPod touch). I think having LaunchPad on a Mac handle apps exactly like iOS is a brilliant marketing move, because it makes the Mac that much more "familiar" to someone who's never used one before.

Oh yeah, and Safari 5.1 ROCKS...I'm actually switching back from Firefox...

x2. Once I figured out how to install Safari Extensions (the proper way, vs. googling around from them), I've totally been in love with it. I had been using Firefox for the last few years.

 

[WordMasterRice]

I don't disagree with you, but I see the target of LaunchPad being the millions of people who aren't technical, don't own Macs, and already understand the iOS-method of app management (from owning a iPhone/iPad/iPod touch). I think having LaunchPad on a Mac handle apps exactly like iOS is a brilliant marketing move, because it makes the Mac that much more "familiar" to someone who's never used one before.

That might be true. I've only been using OSX for about a year and a half but I have to say, the iOS-ification of OSX is already pushing me back to Windows. I'm not a toddler and I don't need anyone to hold my hand around an OS.

 

[aristobrat]

I have to say, the iOS-ification of OSX is already pushing me back to Windows. I'm not a toddler and I don't need anyone to hold my hand around an OS.

IMO, there's nothing iOS-ification-wise in Lion that is that forcibly grabbing your hand and treating you like a toddler, either.

If you don't like LaunchPad adding another method for managing apps to your Mac, drag the icon off of your Dock and continue to use whatever method you have been using for the last 1.5 years.

AFAIK, Lion didn't change any of the old app management methods. With LaunchPad, it just added another one.

The day that LaunchPad becomes the *only* way to manage apps on OS X, then I'm switching back to Windows too.

 

[ecschwarz]

That might be true. I've only been using OSX for about a year and a half but I have to say, the iOS-ification of OSX is already pushing me back to Windows. I'm not a toddler and I don't need anyone to hold my hand around an OS.

I wouldn't jump so soon yet…although Apple implements some new features, there are ways to reverse almost every "bad" change Lion adds (either through System Preferences or Terminal commands), and nobody's forcing you to use the simpler items (like Launchpad). Is there anything in particular that is really bothering you?

 

[mcmlxix]

It's much easier to move apps between Spaces now.

I disagree. Overall, Mission Control is too cluttered. You used to be able to move a window to another space using hot corners without having to go into Spaces first. Also now, moving windows from space to space is dependent on what was Expose. It just seems right to me to rearrange windows by dragging them from space to space. And even on a high end MBP, Mission Control is jerky.

Mail's just improved dramatically.

Truth.

Launch Pad is pretty much useless.

I thought that it would be, but I will definitely use it for applications not on my Dock, and I’ll be able to clean up my Dock as a result. I used to use Finder to access my non docked apps, but using Launch Pad will be easier. And when it comes to things like Adobe CS, moving all of the unused parts of CS to an Adobe “junk” folder will tidy things up too.

Here's something that is really, really stupid: if you use multiple monitors...

Ooop, that was a major faux pas Apple.

"Natural" scrolling does not feel at all natural.

Agree. It’s optional now, but my fear is that it won’t be in the next OS.

Please, can we finally have a Finder preference to put folders before files?

I agree. My work around has always been to prepend folder names with an underscore.

 

[acjohnson55]

IMO, there's nothing iOS-ification-wise in Lion that is that forcibly grabbing your hand and treating you like a toddler, either.

If you don't like LaunchPad adding another method for managing apps to your Mac, drag the icon off of your Dock and continue to use whatever method you have been using for the last 1.5 years.

AFAIK, Lion didn't change any of the old app management methods. With LaunchPad, it just added another one.

The day that LaunchPad becomes the *only* way to manage apps on OS X, then I'm switching back to Windows too.

Although, the word on the street is that if there's currently a race going on to see who can make their OS more phone/tablet-like, Windows 8 is supposed to be getting ready to outflank OS X.

I disagree. Overall, Mission Control is too cluttered. You used to be able to move a window to another space using hot corners without having to go into Spaces first. Also now, moving windows from space to space is dependent on what was Expose. It just seems right to me to rearrange windows by dragging them from space to space. And even on a high end MBP, Mission Control is jerky.

My old method was to grab a window with the mouse, press Ctrl+whatever desktop number, then release. In Mission Control, you simply grab the window you want, and drag it to where you want, or drag it to the + sign to put it on its own new desktop. I like this, because now, I only need to create as many desktops as I actually want to use at a given moment, rather than always having my static 2x2 grid of Spaces. I just wish there was a way to grab a whole window group in Mission Control to move it to a new desktop, maybe by holding a keyboard modifier.

I thought that it would be, but I will definitely use it for applications not on my Dock, and I’ll be able to clean up my Dock as a result. I used to use Finder to access my non docked apps, but using Launch Pad will be easier. And when it comes to things like Adobe CS, moving all of the unused parts of CS to an Adobe “junk” folder will tidy things up too.

I'm sure Launch Pad will be nice for some, but I guess what it comes down to is that I was hoping Launch Pad would have more to offer me.

I agree. My work around has always been to prepend folder names with an underscore.

Yeah, that option is completely unacceptable to me.