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15 Things Apple Should Change in Mac OS X
richi writes "Two of Computerworld's top operating systems editors, a Mac expert and a Windows expert, compare notes on what Apple should reconsider as it develops Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Mac OS X 10.4, or Tiger, is (in their opinion) a noticeably better operating system than XP or Vista. But it is not perfect. OS X has its own quirks and flaws, and they set out to nail down some of the 'proud nails' for the next release." From the article: "7. Inconsistent User Interface. Open iTunes, Safari and Mail. All three of these programs are Apple's own, and they're among the ones most likely to be used by Mac OS X users. So why do all three of them look different? Safari, like several other Apple-made apps such as the Finder and Address Book, uses a brushed-metal look. iTunes sports a flat gun-metal gray scheme and flat non-shiny scroll bars. Mail is somewhere in between: no brushed metal, lots of gun-metal gray, and the traditional shiny blue scroll bars. Apple is supposed to be the king of good UI, and in many areas, it is. But three widely used apps from the same company with a different look? Sometimes consistency isn't the hobgoblin of little minds."
So, what you're saying is that if I don't like how something looks, acts, etc, I should just STFU, not care about fixing it, and drink the Apple Kool-Aid?
Just bow down to the All-Knowing Interface gods?
Sorry, that's the stupidest non-answer I've heard in a while.
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Linux is an OS as well. Albeit, the most difficult to use with the largest learning curve of almost any OS. You are just as much of a fanboy of bashing OS X as you claim other people are about liking OS X. So what you are is a complete hypocrite. And what you are saying is complete bullshit.
Your use of the term "Mac fanboys" doesn't lend much credibility to the claim that you really tried to learn the Mac. If you like Windows, then don't bother switching and go on your merry way. It's not too hard to come up with a list of criticisms of Windows, however, that make switching worthwhile for a lot of people, even it if takes some time to learn the "Mac way."
Unfortunately, the criticisms typically come from people who don't know what they're talking about. These same people then try switching elsewhere and staying there rather than admit they had made a bad choice. I purchased a Powerbook and used it as my primary, exclusive machine for over a year and still had to fight with it day in and day out. I purchased it to try out some new technology and sold it because it wasn't worth the trouble. I gained nothing but decreased efficiency.
Not that hard to think of some reasons. You might want to look at the contents of one window while typing on the other or easily drag contents from one window to another. You might want to be able to leave a process running in one app and observe its progress while working in another app. Multi-tasking you know.
Okay, now give me reasons that aren't random, individual exceptions. Everything you listed are things that are special occurances and easily (more easily) done on a Windows box than the Mac if for no other reason than the Mac expects these individual, random things to be the norm. I can click one button to give me more space, then one other to take it back fullscreen. On the Mac, I have to click, drag, resize, move, twiddle. Not more convenient in anyway.
Huh? No. The other space can get used by other apps instead of a bunch of white space by the app that you maximized.
Huh? If I maximized it, it's because there is no whitespace.
Funny, that's how I feel using Windows, since I don't have all the key commands committed to memory. I hardly touch the mouse when using my Mac (something that is important to me due to repetitive stress injury).
I can understand that. It is pretty difficult to remember that Alt-F brings up the File menu, Alt-V the View menu. If only there was a simple mnemonic people could use to remember such things. Or, better yet, somehow indicate the letter you need to press right there in the word on the screen.
Agreed. I just don't get why anyone would prefer Windows, but to each his own.
Yeah, performance, stability, ease of use, security, application availability, flexibility, hardware compatibility. I can see how those would be difficult for someone to get used to coming from the Mac world.
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An example of this is trying to use your macbook while waiting for a flight (or on a flight). I use a number of X11 applications (xterm being the most common, because the apple terminal app is horrible) which really wants a 3 button mouse.
Congratulations. You're one of the .000000001% of people who ever used a X11 application on a mac, while not having a three button mouse available, and while kknowing about and need ing the third mouse button features. I don't think it is reasonable to redesign the system in such a way that makes it harder for the novice and average user in order to accommodate such a rarity. Also, from the testing I've seen, with a trackpad the key combinations actually save time once you learn them since you don't have to move your non-dominant hand from the keyboard or move your hands at all. As a result, adding more buttons to a laptop only helps learnability, not overall usability. If you're using X11 applications with the third mouse button option, on a portable, learnability is probably not as important to you.