Petition to bring back Old Expose in Lion as an Option!

[seetheforest]

The problem is that you can't actually find the specific window you are looking for in Mission Control because the windows cover each other up and spreading them doesn't uncover them if you have more than 3 windows. App Expose isn't a substitute because it takes you out of mission control and now you can't move you windows to a new space.

If mission control actually spread the windows out then it would be a subsitute for the Expose/Spaces of 10.5,10.6. But it doesn't spread the windows apart enough to actually see content. Try finding a specific set of finder windows out of 10 in mission control and moving them to a new space. It is not possible without a lot of headache.

So in my example I was not using Mission Control to select the exact window that I wanted.... I was just using it to select the application. So basically, I was using it as a fast application switcher. Here's my workflow if I am in Safari and want to switch to one of the three finder windows I have open....

Three fingers up --> Immediately click on the first "Finder" thing I see... (I don't care what window it is) --> During the animation that brings me back to the Desktop do three fingers down --> Boom. I now only see three isolated Finder windows and I can easily pick the window I desire.

Think that takes longer that doing normal expose and searching through all of the windows? I suggest you really try it. Because for me it is easily just as fast if not faster.

 

[seetheforest]

Looking for a minimised application? That is... oh... I guess I will have to right click on the application icon and find the specific window that was hidden. Of course I will then have to identify it by the title of the window and not what it looks like. I understand that you can use app expose but it takes longer to select the application and then activate app expose. Of course you can get them to show in the dock but I personally do not like that setting.

What happens if I minimise all windows in an application and want to access just one of them? As soon as I select the application to activate app expose, it would make one of the windows appear and probably the one I don't want, so I will have to show the window I want and then go back to the other one and hide it.

Mission control is good but so is expose. It would be great to get the best of both worlds. It would be great to have Mission Control similar to how it is now but make it possible to see minimised windows and make it so that expanding a stack of windows in an application can be done simply as if it activated app expose and not simply spreading them out a bit.

I have to agree Mission Control/App Expose is not as user friendly with minimized windows for sure. But on the other hand is it more friendly in giving some access to Spaces management and switching between applications with only one window (a la iPhoto). There's no silver bullet, but I do agree that the functionality of finding minimized windows has been reduced.

 

[labaom]

I have to agree Mission Control/App Expose is not as user friendly with minimized windows for sure. But on the other hand is it more friendly in giving some access to Spaces management and switching between applications with only one window (a la iPhoto). There's no silver bullet, but I do agree that the functionality of finding minimized windows has been reduced.

I still would never use spaces anyways.

 

[GuerillaTech]

All you have to do is use 3 fingers and swipe down and it displays exactly the same as your second image.

Now, that wasn't hard was it lol

Jason

for me, it's two fingers swipe up when selecting the finder window group.
it doesn't do exactly what he wants though but it helps a little bit.

 

[Steve's Barber]

Apple shouldn't make users how to do something. Or else they will not continue buying from the company. If anything Apple SHOULD BE LISTENING to their customers and accommodating us. I refuse to accomodate to the all mighty Steve Jobs.

Dude, you haven't been a mac user long have you?

Like it or not, Apple distinguishes itself by going against the grain and deciding most things for you. They always have. It's just a fact.

I was fair and tried Lion twice.. every time I deleted the partition out of anger. Its not just Mission Control.. it is everything.

I still run Lion off an external drive. Snow Leopard is still my main OS.

That said, I boot into Lion at least once a day and really "try" to use it. The more I do, the more I find the good things start to outweigh the bad.

 

[sine-nomine]

I'll sign, but only if by bringing back "old" Exposé, you mean Exposé as it was in Panther, Tiger, and Leopard, and NOT as it was in Snow Leopard.

 

[labaom]

I'll sign, but only if by bringing back "old" Exposé, you mean Exposé as it was in Panther, Tiger, and Leopard, and NOT as it was in Snow Leopard.

That would be even better. But I mean't Snow Leopard. I mean anything is better than Mission Control right?

 

[strausd]

I am not talking about speed. Sure it is possible to have the same speed in Misison Control. But the fact is.. its in a tighter space where it is harder to find stuff.

I don't believe you can get the same speed with Mission Control, heres why:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1193668/

 

[dukebound85]

bring back the leopard expose! I dont even like the expose in SL

 

[theappleguy]

Windows interface is different but it works. You can easily see your minimized applications. I liked Mac OSX Snow Leopard Expose more of course. But when I get forced to upgrade and I have no option I will find another option. In theory Snow Leopard could be supported as long as Lion because Lion has more external differences to SL where as SL to Leopard was more internal. But I know that Apple will find a way to screw users like me over in 2 years time.

I have to use Windows 7 at work. One of the most frustrating things is the fact it doesn't have something similar to Exposé. I think Lion sits half way between Windows 7 and Snow Leopard in that respect, so I wouldn't jump back to Windows too quickly unless in the meantime Microsoft comes up with something much better than what they have now.

On the other hand, I do think Mission Control is a poor replacement for all application Exposé. You can't see the windows properly as they all overlap, it doesn't show minimised windows, you can't drag windows between spaces etc. I have signed your petition as it probably the only thing in Lion that would actually make me go back to Snow Leopard (the other things are annoying but I can deal with them).

 

[Gen]

I can't clear our my Desktop.
SL = 4 fingers up clears all open windows and gives me my desktop.

I hate how I'm forced use full screens apps just to get my empty desktop easier.

Why they destroyed the old expose is beyond me.


edit; Command + Expose button is a pain, I liked 4 fingers up better

 

[djkinetic]

I feel that whoever came up with the implementation for mission control @ apple needs to be fired/shot immediately mission control is absolutely horrid.

 

[strausd]

I can't clear our my Desktop.
SL = 4 fingers up clears all open windows and gives me my desktop.

I hate how I'm forced use full screens apps just to get my empty desktop easier.

Why they destroyed the old expose is beyond me.


edit; Command + Expose button is a pain, I liked 4 fingers up better

I believe it is now a pinch to reveal your desktop. And you can still set it up as a hotcorner.

 

[genshi]

I can't clear our my Desktop.
SL = 4 fingers up clears all open windows and gives me my desktop.

I hate how I'm forced use full screens apps just to get my empty desktop easier.

Why they destroyed the old expose is beyond me.


edit; Command + Expose button is a pain, I liked 4 fingers up better

It's still 4 fingers to "clear out" the desktop, just a different way of swiping with the fingers. I suggest you take a look at the trackpad preferences and watch the videos of the gestures to see how this is done.

 

[klaxamazoo]

So in my example I was not using Mission Control to select the exact window that I wanted.... I was just using it to select the application. So basically, I was using it as a fast application switcher. Here's my workflow if I am in Safari and want to switch to one of the three finder windows I have open....

Three fingers up --> Immediately click on the first "Finder" thing I see... (I don't care what window it is) --> During the animation that brings me back to the Desktop do three fingers down --> Boom. I now only see three isolated Finder windows and I can easily pick the window I desire.

Think that takes longer that doing normal expose and searching through all of the windows? I suggest you really try it. Because for me it is easily just as fast if not faster.

Yes, but now you cannot drag windows to different spaces because you are back at your desktop. Some of us do complicated things like write our thesis on a computer. Being able to manage windows is important when you have more than iPhoto and a web browser open.

I've already upgraded back to Snow Leopard but it is a shame that Apple made it so that only simple work flows can be done on Lion while complicated work flows were easy on Leopard and Snow Leopard.

 

[moetownslick]

I don't know how much of an effect this petition is going to have. Apple's modus operandi is usually to take us all into their future kicking and screaming. If they have abolished SL's version of expose, then it's just gone, hacks aside of course.

 

[fried-gold]

I don't really want to get into the argument of SL expose vs mission control, I can see the benefits of both, but one thing that I like about mission control is it has the potential for new development whereas the old expose was really reaching a dead end. I'm not saying that mission control is perfect, I've got my gripes with it, but once you get used to it there are some really neat advantages.

For instance hoovering over a window and tapping space gives you a large preview - better than straining in to see what the windows are when you have a million open in the old expose - if this was combined with the ability to cycle through these previews (arrow keys / tab) it could be far more effective than expose ever was.


As for the inability to organise spaces I only hope this comes in an update soon.

 

[labaom]

I don't really want to get into the argument of SL expose vs mission control, I can see the benefits of both, but one thing that I like about mission control is it has the potential for new development whereas the old expose was really reaching a dead end. I'm not saying that mission control is perfect, I've got my gripes with it, but once you get used to it there are some really neat advantages.

For instance hoovering over a window and tapping space gives you a large preview - better than straining in to see what the windows are when you have a million open in the old expose - if this was combined with the ability to cycle through these previews (arrow keys / tab) it could be far more effective than expose ever was.


As for the inability to organise spaces I only hope this comes in an update soon.

Just because something came a dead end doesn't mean it has to be changed. For example the toilet. I hear Bill Gates whants us to reinvent it. But how can we reinvent it if the invention itself is perfect? Expose made sense and its simplicity stays true to Apple's vision. Simplicity. They are hypocrites.

 

[singhjeet29]

I don't really want to get into the argument of SL expose vs mission control, I can see the benefits of both, but one thing that I like about mission control is it has the potential for new development whereas the old expose was really reaching a dead end. I'm not saying that mission control is perfect, I've got my gripes with it, but once you get used to it there are some really neat advantages.

For instance hoovering over a window and tapping space gives you a large preview - better than straining in to see what the windows are when you have a million open in the old expose - if this was combined with the ability to cycle through these previews (arrow keys / tab) it could be far more effective than expose ever was.


As for the inability to organise spaces I only hope this comes in an update soon.

Actually the space bar zoom was there in SL expose and dare I say it was actually implemented better, if you pressed space it would zoom in the one window, but you could mouse around and it would zoom the windows you moused over, where as in Lion, it only zooms one window at a time and you have to zoom out and then choose the other window you want to see to zoom into. Which is A LOT slower.

I find these types of decisions very backwards. Because I don't see what would have been wrong with the space bar, mousing around zoom that SL had.

What I find most off-putting for Mission Control is that you can't actually smoothly go from Mission Control to App Expose (the vice-versa works smoothly though). In SL you could go from Full Expose to App Expose and back no problems, but from Mission Control you can't. Again, a decision which has gone backwards.

I like Mission Control, but these 2 things, which have been possible in previous versions of the OS I find really really backwards. I don't see why they couldn't have been implemented, as they have been there for quite a while now.

 

[iVeBeenDrinkin']

I prefer mission control, thus, I will not sign your petition. If this is such a huge deal to you, go back to SL. If there are other features you find useful in Lion, then move on.

 

[goomba]

Just because something came a dead end doesn't mean it has to be changed. For example the toilet. I hear Bill Gates whants us to reinvent it. But how can we reinvent it if the invention itself is perfect? Expose made sense and its simplicity stays true to Apple's vision. Simplicity. They are hypocrites.

The users are hypocrites.

When Exposé was first announced for Panther, old-time Mac geeks decried it as a limited, flashy gimmick that was inferior to the panel-based window management of OS 9

Now eight years Expose is championed as the gold standard and a new generation of "pros" demands that Apple caters to their own usage habits rather than improve the desktop experience. No wonder the company doesn't listen to its users.

 

[seepel]

It's still 4 fingers to "clear out" the desktop, just a different way of swiping with the fingers. I suggest you take a look at the trackpad preferences and watch the videos of the gestures to see how this is done.

I find this gesture incredibly difficult to actually preform. Most of the time just end up getting Mission Control... But overall I'm happy with the changes. Leopard's exposé was too cluttered to find things easily, and having all windows become the same size was pretty disorienting in Snow Leopard. I think though not perfect this is a step forward.

 

[Amblydoper]

I find this gesture incredibly difficult to actually preform.

Relax your fingers and hover your hand over the touch pad. Visualize all of your finger tips casually coming together to a single point, but stopping just before they collide. Now drop your hand so that your finger tips hit the pad, save the pinky finger. now, open your hand up, fingers spread wide like you are about to stick your palm in wet concrete.

Behold, your desktop appears.

 

[iVeBeenDrinkin']

Relax your fingers and hover your hand over the touch pad. Visualize all of your finger tips casually coming together to a single point, but stopping just before they collide. Now drop your hand so that your finger tips hit the pad, save the pinky finger. now, open your hand up, fingers spread wide like you are about to stick your palm in wet concrete.

Behold, your desktop appears.

Or use hot corners.

 

[HONDAxACURA]

Being a regular mouse user, I prefer expose. I love working with multiple windows of the same app, and the fact that each windows are stacked on top of another makes it annoying to find which window you want to see. I like to get an overview (show all windows)

App expose is ok, but I prefer all windows.

It feels Lion is a downgrade. I sort of regret it. We'll see how it evolves in the coming updates. I do hope Apple listens.