Making Lion Act More Like Snow Leopard

[quatermass]

Now if someone can tell me how to get Freehand to run in Lion, I'll upgrade. No more Rosetta = no Freehand = Bad Thing. That's the only part of Lion that I'd want to be like Snow Leopard - all the rest looks fine / bearable / easy to change.

And no, I don't want to "upgrade" to Illustrator instead - I enjoy being productive! I'd rather go back to scratching on the wall of my cave with a burnt stick than use that abomination!

 

[RatherDashing42]

Is there any way to disable the page turning animation in iCal? It's slow and annoying.

 

[iBug2]

Why upgrade an OS only to search tirelessly to get it back to how it was before? Seems pretty pointless. Also seems your contribution to this thread is pretty limited too, the irony being that people would skip over your comment.

Lion has tons of useful features and tons of stuff which irritates some people. Making some of the parts act like SL doesn't mean that you should stay with SL. Change things you don't like and use the rest.

 

[0098386]

This thread makes me want to give Lion another go.

Before I installed Lion I backed up my whole Snow Leopard drive onto an external drive. Tried Lion for 2 working days and really didn't like how much they changed the little things I relied on so I restored the backup. A lot of them aren't even advancements - they're just sidesteps or they doused so much with iOS-style skins and animations that it just looks horrible and performs poorly.

By all means keep the new features. But give us options to adjust the OS, like what Windows does, that don't require going into Terminal.


The jump between previous Mac OS' and even my own leap from XP to Windows 7 were all fluid transitions. I'm used to change and I love upgrading. But this leap hasn't been so great.

 

[RickyB]

I'd love to know how to do "Save As..." in Preview. Now when I look at a PDF from the web that I want to save in a different spot, I have to Duplicate, and then Save a copy.

Beforehand it was just "Save As..." and then rename.

Minor annoyance.

Install Adobe Reader and set it as your default.

 

[whooleytoo]

The best thing about Apple is their willingness to reject old methods and technologies and replace them with something new and improved.

The worst thing about Apple is their tendency to reject old methods and technologies, and replace them with something new and 'improved'.

Most of us are pro-change, that is until Apple changes a feature we personally liked. No significant OS update is ever going to please everyone, so the best method is to give users the choice of how to configure their OS/apps.

Unfortunately "giving users the choice" isn't always Apple's way of doing things. Thanks a lot for this list, Macrumors!

 

[DCJ001]

Front Row: Mad Hatter has instructions on how to re-enable FrontRow on Lion, though we've heard some mixed results about it working. - Use at your own risk, we've heard it has caused problems.

So you heard from one person on Twitter that, once he used the installer to install Front Row in 10.7, Mission Control stopped working. That's a pretty small sample size; isn't it?

I used it, and I'm not having any problems.

Maybe he's something else that's causing the conflict.

 

[GSPice]

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Answers like this don't require any critical thinking or intellectual honesty. It's the kind of stuff people skip over in google's search results.

Why upgrade an OS only to search tirelessly to get it back to how it was before? Seems pretty pointless. Also seems your contribution to this thread is pretty limited too, the irony being that people would skip over your comment.

Why accept responsibility for your own posts? Classic.

For any slightly-above average user, there's a bit more to Lion than the touchy feely stuff. Quit projecting the micro to the macro.

 

[frosty001]

Try the new features one at a time...

I too found all the changes a bit hard to get used to, but i disabled a few until i got to grips with reverse scrolling and mission control. Now i've enabled some more new features and the whole thing feels a lot easier. Reverse scrolling was maddening, but now using my girlfriend's laptop with natural scrolling is maddening...

One thing i think would also be useful to see implemented is a 'private' mode or 'clear history automaticaly' in Quicktime.

Now it gives you thumbnails of all your previously watched videos, which should be a choice. I know the first thing people with think of is porn, but more innocently you might watch PG+ films or shows that are not suitable for your kids, but no matter what folder you have tucked them away in, the app highlights them and gives easy access.

Like i said, it's neat feature and very useful for some, but how hard would it have been to have a preferences for Quicktime to set it to 'do not remember last viewed files'?

 

[macphipsi]

Why do so many people care about how others are using Lion?

I personally like it, it works for me. If it doesn't work for you, I completely understand and respect the fact that you aren't compromising. The OS should always be making your life easier. If it doesn't then change the settings.

But all the people condescending about how another user is implementing the OS needs to just get off their soapboxes.

 

[JustinDaigle]

Any way to enable Legacy FileVault without having to have SL installed first?

Once I get an iMac in a couple of months, I don't want to have to downgrade it to SL, then upgrade it back to Lion, just to enable this.

Also, don't ask me why I want to do this.
The new FileVault is a disaster on a multi-user system. The old FileVault allowed you to secure your data easily from the other users of your computer, but the only way to do that with Lion is to not allow the other users to boot the computer, which is a headache to say the least.

 

[talmy]

Now it gives you thumbnails of all your previously watched videos, which should be a choice. I know the first thing people with think of is porn, but more innocently you might watch PG+ films or shows that are not suitable for your kids, but no matter what folder you have tucked them away in, the app highlights them and gives easy access.

This is why you can set up multiple accounts -- to keep stuff private. And then you can use the parental controls to limit the kids accounts.

The new FileVault is a disaster on a multi-user system. The old FileVault allowed you to secure your data easily from the other users of your computer, but the only way to do that with Lion is to not allow the other users to boot the computer, which is a headache to say the least.

When you enable Lion's FileVault, you can enable access for other user accounts on the machine. Indeed, it would be pretty useless not to do that!

 

[JustinDaigle]

When you enable Lion's FileVault, you can enable access for other user accounts on the machine. Indeed, it would be pretty useless not to do that!

Yes, but that gives them access to the encryption keys, and therefore the ability to decrypt my files, which is a gaping security hole, and completely defeats the point of encryption.

 

[Mavimao]

While I can understand people wanting the key repeat back, I'm very happy with the change.

Now if you want to insert accents or special letters (é, æ, etc.) all you have to do is press the letter and hold. Instead of the letter you're holding repeating, there's a menu that comes up where you can click on the character you want or type the corresponding number and it will fill it in for you.

Hadn't heard about this feature — it's very useful for people typing in foreign languages on a US keyboard and is reminiscent of the feature on the iPhone where you hold the letter to select accented letters.

Glad I read this article and tried it out to see what happened when you try to do key repeat. It's good that there's a way to revert to the old behavior for those who want to, but I'm happy with the new feature that replaces it.

Yes, but Macs have been able to do accents on US keyboards using very easy key combinations.

For example, to do é you just hit option+e and then E again. To do à, hit option+` and then A. I find this option to be a lot quicker than holding down and waiting for a menu.

But of course, I can understand how I'm a minority seeing as I speak and write in both English and French. And that I can imagine an American just wanting to add an accent to a word now and then (ex: fiancé) will find this method much more intuitive.

 

[talmy]

Yes, but that gives them access to the encryption keys, and therefore the ability to decrypt my files, which is a gaping security hole, and completely defeats the point of encryption.

As long as only you have an account with administrator privileges, the file system protection mechanism will protect you. For anyone with administrator privileges, even the older FileVault wouldn't provide protection because the files are accessible when the user is logged in. For really sensitive data where nobody can be trusted there is no real choice other than a private computer that only you can access and with an encrypted drive (either FileVault will do) for theft protection.

 

[Morod]

Here's an idea, rather than make Lion act like Snow Leopard. Stick to Snow Leopard.

I really do want to stick to SL, but I also want MobileMe/iCloud access. They are mutually exclusive, so I need to upgrade to Lion.
I just wish I could pay for MM/iCloud access while keeping SL.

 

[scottsjack]

The "problem" is you need to adapt to the new paradigm.

OMG, what kind of nonsensical, brainwashed, psychobabble is that?

 

[AppleDroid]

Now if someone can tell me how to get Freehand to run in Lion, I'll upgrade. No more Rosetta = no Freehand = Bad Thing. That's the only part of Lion that I'd want to be like Snow Leopard - all the rest looks fine / bearable / easy to change.

And no, I don't want to "upgrade" to Illustrator instead - I enjoy being productive! I'd rather go back to scratching on the wall of my cave with a burnt stick than use that abomination!

Ok I know some of my fellow designers out there cannot let go of dead software but Freehand is your big issue? A piece of software that was abandoned over 8 years ago?

 

[GenesisST]

The most stupidest things that i ever hear is articles "how make new thing work like old". Apple always was company with advanced technology. If Apple change something they always know why and because. The things like that "make new works like old" the same if you says: I hate new internal combustion engine! I want to make it work like steam-engine!!

New scroll is offbeat only for 1-2 days maximum! Than it will becomes a habit.

I use 3 macs and a windows machine: MBP on Lion, home Imac (core duo), work iMac (which stays on SL until further notice). The different would cause me to be committed... :-D

"Turn off Lion's stupid ban on key repeating"?? I you kidding me?? This is the one of the small and useful function, than F.. Windows will never had.

Agreed, never noticed it had changed...

"Disable resume in Lion"! Sure! Thank Steve, that you add disable function for your new great OS, now all people around the world can turn it off!! Btw who can tell me how to disable stupidest touchscreen on my iPad?

I haven't been encumbered, by it, but disabled for the time being. There are some apps, I don't what this (browser for "online banking" (wink wink) for example).

So, dear Mac users, if you are true user remember - all new functions is always look strange (because they new), but after some time, you will accustomed and THIS new functions became a great canyon between your Mac and others pfsht.

So, you are only a true user if you don't modify any of the default settings? So why bother with System Preferences then? Why a Command-, why "defaults"?

Probably the same philosophy that says that switchers are not real users... You're only a real user if you had the 1984 Mac...

 

[dakwar]

this is exactly what apple does to us....annoys the cr*ap out of me!

really? you have involuntary bowel movements when you're annoyed? sounds bad.

 

[knownikko]

The issue I see with UI changes like arbitrarily reversing the scrolling behavior is the "installed base" problem.

I may work differently than most others, but throughout the course of the day I sit down and work at any variety of computers and devices, and there are certain things that my brain automatically "expects" to behave a certain way. Scrolling is one of those things. Keyboard would be another.

Yeah, you can get away with switching to a dvorak keyboard if 1) you pretty much only ever use your own computer, and 2) others pretty much never use your computer. I see scrolling behavior to be basically the same, if not to the same degree.

Maybe it will change in the future (though I strongly doubt it), but right now switching to the alternate scrolling behavior in Lion puts you and your workstation out on its own little island. You likely will be able to switch your own behavior in a couple of days, until you have to sit down at another computer to do something and override all of your newly conditioned behavior.

Too much of a pain for me to bother. Much the same as learning a more efficient keyboard layout.

 

[Kid A]

Here's an idea, rather than make Lion act like Snow Leopard. Stick to Snow Leopard.

No. Because, iCloud.
(But thanks for playing).

 

[iliria]

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Correction:
• Natural Scroll: This change seems to have generated the most outcry. In Lion, Apple has reversed the normal scrolling direction for trackpads and scroll wheels. In the past, the metaphor has been that swiping down has caused the page to scroll down. Now, swiping down means scrolling up. It takes a few days to get used to, but if you can't there's an option to revert back.

Can I just clarify because I am getting confused about this scrolling issue. I use a Bamboo Pen and Touch trackpad using 2 fingers to scroll. When I move the two fingers down (towards me) the screen moves up (i.e. if I were reading post 1 in a forum I would be going toward post 9 for example). Is that not the case in Lion?

By the way I use SL at the moment.

 

[cargath]

Does anyone know how to disable the animation when opening folders in the Finder by clicking on that arrow beside their icons?

 

[Kevin L.]

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The one thing I do wish is that the scroll bars appeared on hover... I find it awkward that I have to start scrolling before they'll even appear.

Easy fix: just go to the System Preferences and look under "General". You'll see "Show Scroll Bars" with three options, one of which is "Always". (This was one of the first settings I adjusted because I use the visual presence of the scroll bars to know if a finder window has icons that I have to scroll over/down to find.)