What do you want in Mac OS X 10.5?

[Cinematographer]

...and Finder.

Come to think of it: All applications capable of running multiple (identical or similar) windows should have the ability to be run in tabbed mode...

Path Finder can do that: Path Finder. That's how the 10.5 Finder should look like and operate.

 

[Thomas Harte]

What I really want in 10.5 is the option to delink menubars from the top of the screen and just leave them wherever you want - in a very similar fashion to the menubar designer in Interface Builder. Preferably the individual menus would be "tearable" as under NextStep.

 

[ebally]

There are quite a few things that i would like to see in Leopard:

• Human sounding computer voices. I am really surprised that Apple hasn't improved the voices on it's TTS applications for SOOO long.

• A resolution independant GUI.

• A new User Interface. Not too different from Tiger, but tweaked to look even better, with new effects, etc.

• The ability to change folder colours.

• For iCal's icon to ALWAYS show the current date.

• Higher resolution iTunes visual effects... especially when displaying the name and album art within the visual effects. At the moment it looks all stretched and pixelated.

 

[grapes911]

• For iCal's icon to ALWAYS show the current date.

I guess you mean even if iCal isn't open, you want the correct date to show? This isn't really possible. Well, it's possible, but only though bad programming. iCal changes that date. If iCal isn't open, then it won't change. If you gave some other program that task, then you'd have to open that program instead. Either way, something has to be open, so it's just better to leave it with iCal. Some people run OS X on older computers and don't want to have iCal eat up resources if aren't using it.

 

[ebally]

I guess you mean even if iCal isn't open, you want the correct date to show? This isn't really possible. Well, it's possible, but only though bad programming. iCal changes that date. If iCal isn't open, then it won't change. If you gave some other program that task, then you'd have to open that program instead. Either way, something has to be open, so it's just better to leave it with iCal. Some people run OS X on older computers and don't want to have iCal eat up resources if aren't using it.

In Panther, iCal's icon used to show the correct date even after the application was quit. In Tiger, it only shows the correct date while the application is running.

I don't see how difficult it would be for Apple to tie iCal's icon to the system clock so that when the computer is started the icon gets updated.

 

[faintember]

This isn't really possible. Well, it's possible, but only though bad programming.

Why not? Everyones Mac shows the date time in the menu bar, so why not have this functionality link to the icon? Honestly the iCal icon not showing the correct date is really an annoyance to me (although it is an anal annoyance..lol)

 

[grapes911]

In Panther, iCal's icon used to show the correct date even after the application was quit. In Tiger, it only shows the correct date while the application is running.

I don't remember that. Then again, I rarely used iCal until recently. Anyone else confirm this?

I don't see how difficult it would be for Apple to tie iCal's icon to the system clock so that when the computer is started the icon gets updated.

It wouldn't, but it would be using added resources. And IMO it would be bad programing to give the system clock (or any other program) access to iCal.

 

[jared_kipe]

SHHHSSS don't tell microsoft. Apple isn't releasing any great news to us so microsoft can't delay vista a year and copy all the features. Let them release vista then announce all the cool stuff they've been working on for 2 years.

 

[ebally]

SHHHSSS don't tell microsoft. Apple isn't releasing any great news to us so microsoft can't delay vista a year and copy all the features. Let them release vista then announce all the cool stuff they've been working on for 2 years.

I understand what you are saying, but I rather Microsoft did copy a few more things... as this will make Apple work even harder to make their next operating system even better. Everyone knows that competition is good.

Windows Vista wouldn't be half as good, if it wasn't for OS X, and Leopard won't be as good if it wasn't for Windows Vista. It is a win - win situation for all of us!

 

[jared_kipe]

I understand what you are saying, but I rather Microsoft did copy a few more things... as this will make Apple work even harder to make their next operating system even better. Everyone knows that competition is good.

Windows Vista wouldn't be half as good, if it wasn't for OS X, and Leopard won't be as good if it wasn't for Windows Vista. It is a win - win situation for all of us!

Not when 90% of desktop users look for features and see that Vista has the same features as MacOS.

 

[Heb1228]

2) Have X and gcc installed by default shipped on the image rather then just on the DVD.
3) Don't bloat it with extra software.

Not to nitpick, but this is an excellent illustration of why most of the "bloating" complaints aren't even worth listening to. People consider whatever they personally don't use as OS "bloat," but then they want features added that will only be used by a portion of consumers. Don't you see that adding these features would, according to your definition, just "bloat" the OS for some people? Of course Apple needs to find a balance, but of you don't need it, don't use it. And quit complaining.

 

[the-fish]

XP = approx. Mac OS X although looks less nice but is actually better than most people think
Vista > Mac OS 10.4 (they know how to copy creatively. Damn Sculley!)

Hopefully Apple know that because new Windows revisions are so... rare... they are important and that the new Mac OS must be awesome, so...
Vista < Mac OS 10.5

 

[decksnap]

Finder-
• Fix the speed issue of right-clicking on a large number of files. (Why does it take longer based on how many items you have selected?)

• Much better image preview and photo viewing in the finder. It still feels a little odd. Thumbnails can take a while, having to open a batch in preview is awkward, finder slideshow can be cumbersome, (See first comment), video and PDF previews can stall your system waiting to preview in column view.

Dock-
• should be able to be uncenetered, or split into two, and themed.

iPhoto-
what a mess. I won't go all through all my complaints, but spotlight and iPhoto do not play together at this point due to a few different reasons.

• Don't strip my spotlight tags when I import photos into iPhoto

• Let me rename photos' actual names in iPhoto, not just titles

• Let me keep my source photos organized how I want, not by date

Themes-
• Since there may be some value in having different apps look different (arguably easier to manage visually on a cluttered screen or through expose), allow users to manage themes on an app-by-app basis in System Preferences. Allow me to make Safari Plastic and iTunes metal if I want.

•*How about different colored 'plastics' options a la OS 9?

Quicktime:
• There should be a better way to manage, update, add codecs in Quicktime. (Why does VLC always 'just work' and Quicktime doesn't?)

• Full-screen for free (duh)

Mail-
•*Bring back my status info for when files are sending or being received. The spinning graphic doesn't really tell me anything!

• Better stability for large mailboxes.

 

[dornoforpyros]

I'd like to see an iTunes controller, much like what synergy & byte controller ad to OS X. Yeah both work great and really don't need to be replaced, I just find it odd that apple has over looked this function.

 

[starnox]

I think it would be cool if folders on your desktop got 'dusty' when you don't open them for a while

 

[Heb1228]

I think it would be cool if folders on your desktop got 'dusty' when you don't open them for a while

I'm pretty sure that one's one's original. At least I've never heard anything like it. I think it has some potential.

 

[Epicurus]

Some of the stacking options from Aperture would be nice within Finder. When I'm sorting a bunch of spreadsheets being able to organize them cleanly within the folder is a priority.

For image (JPG, PNG, GIF, etc) previews, the icon size should be scalable beyond 128x128. I understand that in general the folder/app icons arend't big enough, but pretty much everything in my Pictures folder is. Is a vector scalable GUI too much to ask for? Maybe by 2008.

Movie files should have the option (within Finder) to have frame grab icons (like in iTunes) and possibly an animated clip icon. The animated option might be too processor intensive to be really useful (try opening a folder with a few hundred movies and having all of them start playing!!). Having the animation run just for the one movie selected (and disabling the feature if you select more than one item) would be a decent workaround. The frame grab shouldn't be that hard to pull off (poster frame's can already be tagged in QT files).

Activity Viewer should absorb/replicate the MenuMeters functionality. I like to see what's going on with my network connection and if my processor is busy, but I don't want to waste space by keeping the Dock open all the time (and I want to monitor both things at the same time). Network speeds should be an option for the AirPort and Bluetooth Menu icons (I've got three options for the battery Menu icon, so its not like Apple has any strong moral objections to the idea).

For goodness sakes, there should be a good way to keep multiple Macs in sync!! .Mac sync doesn't even come close for me (plus it isn't free with the OS as it should be). If I put my Two Macs on the same network Bonjour notices them right away, and several 3rd party apps take advantage of this and the .Mac Sync frameworks to sync some features. Apple needs to really build on this to make it a total solution. Keeping folders in sync should be effortless for even the novice out of the box. Something as simple as right clicking on a folder to select the option, plus one dialog box to pick the sync location on the other computer(s) where it should go. Backup should be pulled out of the .Mac package as well. iDisk is nice and all, but simple CD/DVD/FW HDD backup shouldn't cost extra. .Mac has enough features now (probably more to come) that it can stand losing some of the Sync and Backup aspects need to come for free.

 

[TheZeppo]

I think it would be cool if folders on your desktop got 'dusty' when you don't open them for a while

I really like that

Careful, thinking up original ideas like that can get you kidnnaped by Microsoft, who desperately need something original these days.

 

[BWhaler]

I would pay 200 bucks if Apple did one simple thing:

Made iCal & Address book have the same basic features that are available in every other PIM program on the market.

Two disgracefully ignored applications. And the 3rd party solutions don't integrate as nicely as the iApps. Apple should be ashamed of themselves.

 

[dr_lha]

In Panther, iCal's icon used to show the correct date even after the application was quit. In Tiger, it only shows the correct date while the application is running.

Not really, it stayed the same, as opposed to going back to Jul 17th. Which meant it read the correct date for the rest of the day, but as soon as midnight came around, was then wrong. I prefer Tiger's method of reverting the icon, because the iCal icon reading yesterday's date because I quit it yesterday was sometimes confusing.

 

[sunfast]

10.5 should have Front Row and an option for a transparent dock

 

[yankeefan24]

OSX:
• automatic undo delete from trash that puts the files back where they were
• being able to change the background picture at certain times not just intervalls and be able to specify as many pictures/times as I want like the options for smart lists (for a night/day rhythm for example)
• be able to isync entire home directories between computers
• better speech recognition and voices
• truly resolution independent GUI
• Dictionary.app for the 5-6 main languages

Mail:
• scheduled sending of emails
• let mail recognize nicknames from adressbook for autmatic email adress completion
• prevent mail from changing entries in adress book
• mailing lists
• icards from mail

Quicktime:
• playlist for movies
• remember volume after closing
• better handling of other file formats (built in divx encoder for example) more formats

iChat:
• ichat to be able to use nicknames instead of full names out of the adress book
• ichat to use tabs
• ichat to use msn
• re-login after lost connection
• different sound for buddies going away and offline
• option to show pics/buddy icons only



I'd be more than content with this. Though most of this should have been in Tiger already...


Oh... and please change these things back!

i like how you think. iChat and Mail are my second and thrid (respectivly) most used applications. One of my friends hacked in animated icons, and it distracts me. When it changes, i always look cause i htink that someone new logged on. One thing that i find annoying in iChat, if i lose connection, it stalls before it logs in, and then i push apple-l (log in/out) and then it will log in, then out. That has to be fixed. Also, when i fast user switch out, i set it to change to away. The only problem is that with my available message, I'm here, its sets that to my away, instead of my normal away, i'm not here. Alot of ppl have asked me why my away is I'm here, and until recently, i didn't even know it did that.

 

[the-fish]

I really don't know what I want Leopard to entail but it'll really have to leap ahead - Vista looks like it's caught up to Tiger (with a little creative copying...) and now we have to regain the lead. However, what I expect is the implementation of the themes being introduced in the new iLife/iWork and Pro apps - a similar Inspector window, solid (instead of brushed) metal, the aforementioned Aperture style stacking and other stuff. The only thing I really want is... well, fix the f***ing Finder!