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Things from windows that you all would like in OSX

T

Timepass

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 4, 2005
1,051
1
Ok first off please dont turn this in to a flame thread and bashing windows. Have a real discusion. Also lets assume the ideas would be put in place with out huge bugs or problems that may or may not be in windows right now (no should we talk about those problems because it would turn it in to a flame thread).

Things I would like to see

Ablity to turn any window to full screen. (so that button that currently changes bettween user defined and the OS best guess could add a third one that goes to full screen) It would be nice for some apps that I would not want to see anything from the desktop at times example Word, Photo shop, Web browsers, some folders and so on)

Something like system restore, Please note system restore has a lot of very nice uses when it works. Say either you or some young kid mess with some setting that really messes everything up and you dont know how to undo the damage or fix it (even OSX is not immuned to Users stupidity). Just simplely go back in time to a time when everything was set the way you like it. Among other things. Saved me a few times at home when a couson messed with my gaming rig and I did not want to figure out what they did. Just system restore and boom fixed. Among fixing my own stupidity in messing around in areas of windows that I shouldnt of been. But this feature it more to cover the tweaters and the ones with little kids.

I would like an opition to put all the pull down menus on the active window I am using (like in XP). everything at the top is good for most stuff but becomes more bother some when I start using 2 monitors. I need something from the file menu but the window I am using is on the 2nd monitor just a time waster. But it an opition for people who dont want it.

Something I do like from windows is the abilty to turn any open folder into a web browser (it IE which sucks but sometime it a nice way to jump really quickly to check a sight that i trust) Allow some finder windows to jump to a safari window.

Hibernation. It is an OS level thing. It does not have anything to do with the hardware. Nice feature that I know people with apple laptops have been wanting for a while. It also can be nice on desktops at times but not as offen.

I pretty sure there is more but i can not think of things. Something I know MS is working on is improving fast user switching even on what t here final goal for it will be is allowing 2 users to be active users at the same time (one over remote desktop) Be something cool if apple could do the same some time and improve there remote desktop capiblities.

I pretty sure some people have some things that would like to see OSX pick up. And please dont turn this into a flame thread on lets bash M$.
 
A system restore type thing would be nice. I would also like to see a much larger gaming market for the Mac platform. Other then those two things I would only like to see more animation effects when resizing windows (like having the windows "grow" when the green button is pressed).

EDIT: a refresh in finder would be nice too as janey said
 
some sort of rossetta type application that runs .exe's without VPC or an equivelent. almost like darwine but supports exe.

Also, as benjamin stated above, more games!
 
yankeefan24 said:
some sort of rossetta type application that runs .exe's without VPC or an equivelent. almost like darwine but supports exe.
Click to expand...
Great idea but unfortunately that would also allow viruses to run too

I've just thought of one other thing too, although this isn't in Windows (its actually from 10.2 and 10.1), when a window is inactive it should go slightly dimmed or transparent. Another nice thing to have would be some themes built in, it would solve everyone's complaining about a non-unified look. There could be a theme for all brushed metal, a theme of all smooth metal (iTunes 6), a theme for all unified (Tiger Mail), and a theme of just regular aqua.
 
Mac's already have Hibernation, its called "Safe Sleep" and comes standard on the lastest Powerbooks and MacBookPro's. It can also be activated on older PB's like my 1Ghz 12" PB which is about 2 1/2 years old.
 
Benjamindaines said:
Great idea but unfortunately that would also allow viruses to run too
Click to expand...

didn't think about that. good point.

dr_lha said:
Mac's already have Hibernation, its called "Safe Sleep" and comes standard on the lastest Powerbooks and MacBookPro's. It can also be activated on older PB's like my 1Ghz 12" PB which is about 2 1/2 years old.
Click to expand...

how did you activate that. i thought you could only do it on the last rev PBs and MBPs.
 
I always liked Windows XP's picture viewer program (not sure whats its called exactly). It took me a bit to get used to preview, but it would be nice if it worked like the Windows one that allows you to cycle through pictures in a folder by just opening one (Jview is close but if you associate picture files with it, you lose picture preview in finder).
 
20rogersc said:
A 'Filmstrip' thing in Finder, for viewing a folder of photos.

::20ROGERSC::

EDIT:Think this is what tag is going on about.
Click to expand...

Doesn't tiger already include that. I thought I saw some screenshots of it... maybe it was Leopard.

System restore is ok sometimes, but there needs to be something more robust, I think. I also wish there were a way to maximize something to take up every bit of space. I like the zoom and I find it is the better way most of the time. Having a true mazimize option would be great for that other part of the time.

@ Timepass: tying the browser to the core of the os is why windows has so many security flaws. Holes in IE are exploited and allow the core of the os to be compromised. That's why its a good thing that MacOS X doesn't do it.

What I'd like to see: a little more control over the theme/look/color scheme of OS X. Windows isn't perfect, but it has a unified theme across all windows (take note Apple) and it allows the user to tweak the colors of the OS without a 3rd party (paid for) application. For instance, I'd really love a black gloss theme for OS X (as opposed to aqua (good) or graphite (better)), but without shapeshifter, I'm out of luck.
 
20rogersc said:
A 'Filmstrip' thing in Finder, for viewing a folder of photos.

::20ROGERSC::

EDIT:Think this is what tag is going on about.
Click to expand...

Ah yeah I was rambling a bit. :) I was more referring to when you open one picture you can use the picture viewer to scroll through the rest of the pictures in a folder (whereas in Mac you have to highlight all the pictures in a folder and open them all with preview at once).

Though I do agree with you, the filmstrip thing at the bottom of a picture filled folder is really nice too. I forgot about that. (been a while since Ive actually used XP)
 
All these have been mentioned, but I'm gonna say 'em again:

1. Windows Fax and Picture Viewer - fantastic - I really miss this
2. Full screen window resize - esp in Safari
3. More OS colours than just blue and graphite - not much to ask, eh?
 
The only thing I'd like is the ability to rename/delete files from the Open/Save dialogues. I realise there are big GUI guidelines/usability/safety of data issues with this but I do find it useful in Windows.

I loathe full screen. My Windows box at work is generally not full screen. With current screen resolutions, there's just too much wasted space. I just wish it handled it as elegantly as my Mac.

System restore would be good - although with a good backup philosophy, you can almost do that. It's certainly easier to restore from a clone in OS X.

Windows Picture Viewer? Yikes... perhaps it's just the implementation of it in my office but I hate it. When viewing images from an email, there's no inkling of what you might end up with next (oh, for Tiger's screenshow from email) and there's no way to manipulate the image - even a basic rotate is beyond it.
 
jdechko said:
@ Timepass: tying the browser to the core of the os is why windows has so many security flaws. Holes in IE are exploited and allow the core of the os to be compromised. That's why its a good thing that MacOS X doesn't do it.
Click to expand...


well another trick is making it one way only. So it couldnt go from Browser back to the OS. Just OS to browser

but also rememeber this is not talking about problems with said thing but it is done correctly.
 
How about a keyboard shortcut to move stuff in the finder. Like how cut works in Windows Explorer. I know there have been huge debates on the forums about the naming of the feature, but I just want a way to move a file quickly without using spring folders, or having to folder open (I have a 12" PB, not a lot of screen space).
 
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