Pet peeves when switching from Windows to Mac?

[Virgil-TB2]

I've switched to Mac just recently and besides what others have already said (green button, closing an applications window is not closing the application etc.) this is one of the biggest pet peeves so far:

In Windows, when you have a folder with images, you can just doubleclick on one picture and open it, then to see the next image fullsize, you just hit the "next" arrow within the same window.Unless i'm missing something, that can't be done OSX.The only way is to mark *all* the images you wanna look at *before* hitting open.

This really bothers me to no end.

In Leopard, you hit the spacebar to get a quick view of the file, then using the arrow keys in the exact same way, you can navigate through the folder in the exact same way.

I don't think that was in Tiger though, so if you are talking about Tiger then you're right.

 

[inkswamp]

I don't know why everyone complains about missing the tree view from windows, as far as I can tell, the list view works almost exactly the same.
you can open folder inside folder inside folder by clicking the little triangles and isn't that just how windows tree view works?

No, not even close. There really is no equivalent for the "tree view" in Windows (which is actually called "folder view") although I find that column-view in OS X is almost as good for my needs. There are certain tricks you can pull off with Windows folder view that you can't do in any view on a Mac without a lot of effort.

For example, if you want to burrow down several folders deep and move a bunch of files back up into a folder at the root level, it's a matter of one quick drag-and-drop action on Windows. On a Mac, there are ways to do it, but it involves a lot more steps.

I've always been a Mac user, but there are several things I know I would miss if I had moved over from the Windows side.

1. The aforementioned folder view.

2. More trash/recycle bin options. I love how Windows allows you to permanently delete things from the trash while leaving other things behind by right-clicking on a file in the trash and selecting "delete." That's actually more useful that it might at first sound. On Macs, it's trash all or nothing.

3. Persistent network connections. On Windows, if you map a network share to a drive, it's persistent. Even if the connection is lost, you still have the connection icon there and can simply double-click it to reconnect. If a program tries to access it, it automatically reconnects. It's there even if you're disconnected. It's seamless and simple and, ironically, more Mac-like than the way Macs do it. On a Mac, if you mount a network share and the connection is disrupted, it just does this ditzy "I'm sooo confused and I don't know what to do" and makes the icon disappear completely. This is extraordinarily annoying if you work with lots of network shares.

4. Waaaaaaaay more convenient admin options on Windows compared Mac. You can do just about anything remotely to another PC if you're an admin. For example, simple things like viewing the system logs of another machine can be done from within your own PC without even logging into the other machine. On a Mac, you have to log in to the remote machine and dig down to the logs and view them. You can't view the logs of other machines via console (at least, that I'm aware of.)

There are other things, but they're minor.

 

[zephead]

At first, I wanted to swap the Ctrl and Cmd keys, since I was used to it on Windows, but now that I've been used to it for a while, I find myself wanting to swap the Ctrl and Alt keys when I use the PCs at school. 😛

Now that I think about it, isn't this thread pretty much the same thing as the "Things you hate about Macs" thread?

 

[surferfromuk]

3. Persistent network connections. On Windows, if you map a network share to a drive, it's persistent. Even if the connection is lost, you still have the connection icon there and can simply double-click it to reconnect. If a program tries to access it, it automatically reconnects. It's there even if you're disconnected. It's seamless and simple and, ironically, more Mac-like than the way Macs do it. On a Mac, if you mount a network share and the connection is disrupted, it just does this ditzy "I'm sooo confused and I don't know what to do" and makes the icon disappear completely. This is extraordinarily annoying if you work with lots of network shares.

Create an alias from the desktop mounted Volume - then drop it onto the sidebar in finder (I add mine under devices), (don't forget to keychain your password) - if it goes just click it again in the finder and it will re-appear.

 

[beatz01]

In Leopard, you hit the spacebar to get a quick view of the file, then using the arrow keys in the exact same way, you can navigate through the folder in the exact same way.

I don't think that was in Tiger though, so if you are talking about Tiger then you're right.

No, i am talking Leopard but what you have described is not the same as in Windows: The big difference is in Leo you can't navigate the images in *full size* that way but which you can in Windows and is exactly the feature i'm missing.

 

[VoodooDaddy]

No, i am talking Leopard but what you have described is not the same as in Windows: The big difference is in Leo you can't navigate the images in *full size* that way but which you can in Windows and is exactly the feature i'm missing.

Hey, something we agree on. That was one of the petpeeves I had with OSX at first also. Not being able to browse all pics in a folder from just clicking on one. I just got used to cmd+a to select all.

 

[inkswamp]

Create an alias from the desktop mounted Volume - then drop it onto the sidebar in finder (I add mine under devices), (don't forget to keychain your password) - if it goes just click it again in the finder and it will re-appear.

That's very close, but Windows still outdoes that. That requires human interaction. If you're running a program that needs to access the network share and the Mac has disconnected, you're out of luck. On Windows, if the program tries to access that share, it comes back.

 

[surferfromuk]

No, i am talking Leopard but what you have described is not the same as in Windows: The big difference is in Leo you can't navigate the images in *full size* that way but which you can in Windows and is exactly the feature i'm missing.

Maybe you could try switching to finder Coverflow and right-scrolling with the mouse ball ?

That kind of feels nice if that's the vibe your after..
🙂

 

[todd2000]

Ueber-admin: I simply want to move or copy some files to a specific destination in another user's account on the machine. In Windows, I log on as an admin, fire up Windows Explorer, and drag the files to the appropriate folder. Done. In OS X, I have to log on as me, copy the files to a network share or the other user's drop folder, then log on as that user and move the files to their final destination. A royal pain.

Sorry can't help you with the Permissions, but as I said just enable root for the second problem. You can log-in as root, and do whatever you want. Move files to other users folders etc.... Of course you can also mess up your system, but I assume you know better. Here are instructions http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20071025100950309

 

[inkswamp]

Sorry can't help you with the Permissions, but as I said just enable root for the second problem. You can log-in as root, and do whatever you want. Move files to other users folders etc.... Of course you can also mess up your system, but I assume you know better. Here are instructions http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20071025100950309

Right. That isn't so much an issue with OS X as it is a misunderstanding of what "admin" means on a Mac versus what it means on Windows. On the Mac, admins have more power than a regular user account but they still have some limits that keep things reasonably safe and secure overall. The Windows admin accounts are more like the Mac root account which gives you total access to everything, no exceptions.

 

[big_malk]

Ueber-admin: I simply want to move or copy some files to a specific destination in another user's account on the machine. In Windows, I log on as an admin, fire up Windows Explorer, and drag the files to the appropriate folder. Done. In OS X, I have to log on as me, copy the files to a network share or the other user's drop folder, then log on as that user and move the files to their final destination. A royal pain.

Maybe "Get Info" doesn't give you as many permissions options as you get in windows, but you can change the owner of another users folder to get access to it (you might have to do it for all the nested folders too), and copy from or save files to there.

Just remember to change it back when your finished, or you'll lock them out of their own folder 🙂

 

[mohammed]

Also recently switched to Mac...awesome so far😀

I do miss the maximise/full screen option. I can live with being able to drag only one corner, but it would be better if the green/plus button made the app "full screen", especially when working on a 13" screen with spreadsheets and internet. At least Safari "remembers" that I maximised the screen, so it always opens up full screen🙂 Tried pressing the green button now, but then had to manually make the app full screen again...

Also 2 mouse buttons would be cool. Having to put 2 fingers on track pad and then click the button is a bit weird. And setting the trackpad to 'click' has its moments. I can tap with 2 fingers for right-click, but when wanting to scroll with 2 fingers, the right-click menu sometimes comes up. Suppose a bluetooth mouse will make it easier🙄

Recently got a new Blackbook...its awesome...except is a bit of a finger print magnet. End up wiping it after every use🙂 Will get a case (Speck) soon, so that will take care of the outside. Will just have to wipe the inside then😀 Here in South Africa we dont get much accessories for Macs, like palm-rest covers, etc...its very hard to find🙁

Someone earlier commented about the application folder. Read a tip somewhere, which really makes life easier when switching from MS...drag your applications folder to your Dock, and it works like Windows😀 Just make sure to drag it next to the Trash can, on the right side of the line on the Dock. I've set mine to view as a list. The 'fan' option cant display all applications, and the 'grid' option opens the actual folder in Finder for apps with subfolders like iWorks.

Just thought of something else...I find the page up/page down/home/end buttons really usefully...how do I 'simulate' this on Mac? Tried the arrow keys with Fn/Ctrl/Option/Cmd...but get different results in different apps🙁

And finally...is there some way to disable the automatic sleep function when closing my MacBook? I preferred Windows where I could set up what to do when I close the lid, press the power button, etc😕

 

[PNW]

Sorry can't help you with the Permissions, but as I said just enable root for the second problem. You can log-in as root, and do whatever you want. Move files to other users folders etc.... Of course you can also mess up your system, but I assume you know better. Here are instructions http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20071025100950309

Logging in as the root user is an extremely bad idea. If you choose to enable the root user you should only access that account via a terminal session while logged in as another user. This is a huge security issue, and is the primary reason Macs don't and won't have the same security issues as Windows (where logging in as full admin was the default it XP and is too easy and tempting in Vista). The best way to handle this is for Apple to do what Linux does and allow users with access to an administrative password to run an instance of the file manager in "super user mode".

Edited to Add:
If you want to make a user's account accessible to everyone open up a terminal while logged in as an administrative user. and type:
sudo chmod 777 -R /Users/username
where username is the short name of the account you want to change (surf to Computer/HD/Users in Finder to get the exact name)
You will then be prompted for a password type in the password for the administrative account you are logged in as.
Once you've restarted finder (log out and log back in again ) you and (every other user) will be able to read and write anywhere in that user's directory. IF you just want to open up specific folders in the user directory just be more specific in the file path. To open up just the user Documents folder type:
sudo chmod 777 -R /Users/username/Documents

If you want to make the users folder read-only type:
sudo chmod 755 -R /Users/username
That will allow all users to read username's files but not to edit them. However if Finder can read a directory it will let you authenticate against an admin account to write to it. This would be a much better option than logging in as root. It should also be possible to use group permissions to enable only the admin user and username to read/write the files but that is probably more than you need and way beyond the scope of this thread.

 

[CWallace]

By far my biggest pet peeve is the lack of a "Home" and "End" key. I know they physically exist on the keyboard, but most Mac applications don't recognize them. I use both extensively in Windows and it really bugs me to have to use the mouse to reposition the text-entry point.

I have downloaded the "KeyFixer" applets, but only the one for Firefox works reliably. Most other apps seem to continue to ignore the one for "general" OS X applications.

Other pet peeve is the lack of the Windows Explorer functionality which I make it more difficult to move files around. So I usually just open two Finder windows.

Overall, however, I find OS X to be much more elegant then any version of Windows (And I have used them all).

 

[mslide]

Like others, the green button is the most annoying for me. Just maximize the window to fill up the entire screen, at least with safari. Having a mac equivalent to <windows>-L to lock the screen would be nice. I use that all the time at work. Lastly, the lack of two real mouse buttons on my macbook. At work, I'm constantly RDP'ing into windows machines and it would be nice to have the second mouse button there, instead of doing Fn-click, or whatever it is.

Most of the other annoyances I had when I first switched don't bother me anymore. In fact, with those, I'd prefer that windows did it the mac way, especially with the copy/paste shortcuts.

 

[danny_w]

I do miss the maximise/full screen option. I can live with being able to drag only one corner, but it would be better if the green/plus button made the app "full screen", especially when working on a 13" screen with spreadsheets and internet. At least Safari "remembers" that I maximised the screen, so it always opens up full screen🙂 Tried pressing the green button now, but then had to manually make the app full screen again...

I felt exactly the same was for about 3 months after I switched. Now I get annoyed by the "maximize" button when I have to use Windows, because I have gotten so used to the Mac way of maximizing only to the extent needed (and no more) that I prefer it that way now.

 

[ben.mcmahan]

fruit menu,
launchbar/quicksilver
-both can either help you replace(improve!) windows like functionality.

Fruitmenu lets you mod the contextual (apple and right click) menus

launchbar/quicksilver - each in their own way - let you rapidly launch apps, folders, files, servers, etc.
waaaaay better than a start bar (or the dock for that matter)
your hands never leave the keyboard!

 

[bpd115]

Yes, you are missing a great deal. Of course you can set permissions via the Get Info, but the tools given there are incredibly crude. Real-life example: I have a shared iTunes folder that stores music, etc. for the entire family (saves space vs. redundant storage for everyone, and allows easy sharing of purchased music, etc.). I want to set it up so that my wife and I have full control over the files, while my kids can access files, add files, but not delete files in those folders (I've lost a few when the kids have deleted songs from their library, and then clicked 'move to trash'). Also, I want to block access for the youngest child only to certain folders containing age-inappropriate content. All of this is (fairly) easy to do with NTFS permissions; try doing it with "Get Info."

Ueber-admin: I simply want to move or copy some files to a specific destination in another user's account on the machine. In Windows, I log on as an admin, fire up Windows Explorer, and drag the files to the appropriate folder. Done. In OS X, I have to log on as me, copy the files to a network share or the other user's drop folder, then log on as that user and move the files to their final destination. A royal pain.

You are right, Get Info will not give you what you're looking for, but have you tried the new sharing preference in system preferences?

It allows you to specify a folder to share along with user permissions for that folder (read & Write, Read Only, etc.) based on user account.

 

[SmartIndianKid]

2. More trash/recycle bin options. I love how Windows allows you to permanently delete things from the trash while leaving other things behind by right-clicking on a file in the trash and selecting "delete." That's actually more useful that it might at first sound. On Macs, it's trash all or nothing.

Try right clicking (or control clicking, whatever fits your fancy) a file in the Trash next time. They'll delete just as easily as they will in XP.

At least in 10.4. I haven't had much contact with a 10.5 machine.

 

[danny_w]

Try right clicking (or control clicking, whatever fits your fancy) a file in the Trash next time. They'll delete just as easily as they will in XP.

At least in 10.4. I haven't had much contact with a 10.5 machine.

I never knew this. It didn't work that way in 10.3 and I haven't tried since (I have seen no indication that it changed).

EDIT: I just tried it and it doesn't work like that in 10.5.2

 

[bluedoggiant]

Try right clicking (or control clicking, whatever fits your fancy) a file in the Trash next time. They'll delete just as easily as they will in XP.

At least in 10.4. I haven't had much contact with a 10.5 machine.

Doesn't work.

 

[Bdx33]

i miss:
- maximize windows
- taskbar tabs to quickly move between open windows (even tho spaces helps a lot here)
- icons autoarrange
- msn messenger audio/vid (video works on amsn but nt audio 🙁 )
- Remote desktop connection ( i tried the latest version but its wayyyy slower than windows one and colors dont show correctly on it) ps: i need RDC for my job and im keeping my windows laptop only for this 🙁 i wish mac could get a good version soon.
- select a default application for a certain file type (even tho i set one it doesnt become default to all other files of the same extension)

 

[bluedoggiant]

i miss:
- maximize windows
- taskbar tabs to quickly move between open windows (even tho spaces helps a lot here)
- icons autoarrange
- msn messenger audio/vid (video works on amsn but nt audio 🙁 )
- Remote desktop connection ( i tried the latest version but its wayyyy slower than windows one and colors dont show correctly on it) ps: i need RDC for my job and im keeping my windows laptop only for this 🙁 i wish mac could get a good version soon.
- select a default application for a certain file type (even tho i set one it doesnt become default to all other files of the same extension)

In Get Info, change the "Open With" then click Change All.

 

[GroovyLinuxGuy]

Three things, mainly:

The ability to fine-tune file and folder permissions--absolutely primitive on OS X. (yes, I know OS X Server has a GUI similar to Windows, but I don't run Server. And I know these can be fine-tuned via the command line, but come on, this is 2008 and if it ain't happening in the GUI, it ain't happening for me).

The lack of an "ueber-admin" role with access to all folders on the machine..a real pain when I'm trying to maintain machines for the whole family. I realize this is a basic Unix thing, but I still don't like it.

I still don't like how printer settings work in OS X vs. Windows.


And I agree with earlier comments re: the Finder...an almost daily annoyance.

Uber-admin...you can sudo to root in a terminal

sudo su

enter your password and off you go!..all the power to manage your files and more at your fingertips (literally)

 

[GroovyLinuxGuy]

Ueber-admin: I simply want to move or copy some files to a specific destination in another user's account on the machine. In Windows, I log on as an admin, fire up Windows Explorer, and drag the files to the appropriate folder. Done. In OS X, I have to log on as me, copy the files to a network share or the other user's drop folder, then log on as that user and move the files to their final destination. A royal pain.

In a terminal

sudo su

cd /Users/someuser {this moves you into someusers home directory

cp somefile /Users/someotheruser {copies the file "somefile" from the directory you are in to another users home directory

cp -r somedirectory /Users/someotheruser {copies the directory "somedirectory" from the directory you are in to another users home directory (the "-r" means recursively...

And yes, this is 2008 and more computers than you can imagine are controlled via command line. Once you spend some time in a terminal, you would be surpised at how much you can accomplish in a shorter amount of time instead of clicking and pointing and pointting and scrolling and clicking...

🙂

Cheers!