I put this aside for the weekend because it was so long. While I
certainly agree that Apple needs to FTFF, I don't see that most of
your complaints fall into that category. I believe that you are simply
not making full use of the efficiency that is built into the OS X user
interface. In fact I have rearranged my XP screen to be much more like
my OS X screen and I have found that it has significantly boosted my
productivity on Windows. It is to M$'s credit that XP could be muscled
around to a better configuration. But I have never seen anyone set up
their XP screen like I do. I imagine there was some saintly programmer
working away in isolation in some basement at M$ who added many great
things to XP that nobody knows about. His reward will come in the next
life.
On Dec 9, 2009, at 11:22 PM, db wrote:
* What's with having to scroll or expand your directory windows most
of the time you do simple drill down lookups etc and inability to
specifically direct exactly where you want a new folder created?
It is most efficient to use column view, the new file browser that
Apple introduced in OS X. It is very fast and easy to navigate. You
create new folders by right-clicking in a column and using the context
menu or clicking on the parent folder and using the Action menu. Not
terribly hard. You could also add a "New Folder" icon to the window's
toolbar.
* What's the usefulness of the Apple menu bar that morphs with each
application and leaves apps running and consuming memory and file
locking in place when you are done with the program but
unknowingly only close the app window. You have to be an
experienced user to avoid the complications unnecessarily and
clumsily caused by the archaic menu bar design.
What is the usefulness of having menu's in a consistent location at
the edge of the screen instead of having them scattered all over the
place? Wow. While I will admit that there is no accounting for taste
(some people love Marmite), the location of the Apple menu bar is
brilliant. The edge of the screen is a special location for speedy
access. You just move the mouse up and it stops at the right spot.
Consistent location takes advantage of muscle memory, an experienced
user does not even have to look to hit the right spot. Much better
than M$ menus in no particular location and with menu items that come
and go at the whim of the computer.
* What's with having to "stand on one foot and pat your tummy" every
time you want to find out what windows you have launched and where
the heck they got off to? (Metaphor: Do we have to look in the
glove box of our car in order to see what speed we are traveling,
how much gas we have or even to see down the road?) Window's
stupidly is now going out of its way to hide things too but at
least with the OS you can turn those hiding behaviors off.
Your bile rises to the point of incomprehension. I haven't a clue
about what you are complaining about. The Dock shows me what is
running and I can even access specific windows and key commands vis
Dock menus. Dock icons are in a consistent location (which I have full
control over and can move at will). Windows does whatever it wants and
I can not even move the buttons in the task bar. (Can I do that in W7
maybe, I haven't tried that?)
* What's with the taskbar icons frequently getting knocked off the
taskbar and going poof?
OS X has no taskbar. I think you mean the Dock? You make have a
neurological disorder causing a problem and I'm sorry about your
illness. The rest of us find it takes real effort to pull icons off
the Dock. This may be a problem unique to you.
* What's with not being able to access the bottom of your windows
because the taskbar thinks you are "talking to it."
OS X has no taskbar. I think you mean the Dock? Windows does that too
if you use that unfortunate feature. I don't use it on either Mac or
Win. I also keep my Dock on the left. I have observed that most
experienced users keep it on the left, some on the right. Bottom means
the user is a putz. I also keep my Windows taskbar on the left. Makes
Windows much more useable.
* What's with unmounting drives by throwing them into the trash?
Who is going to figure that out if they don't know it already and/
or you can't figure out how to right click on the mounted icon in
order to access context menus where ejects listed?
Normally one clicks on the eject icon that is to the right of the
volume's icon in the Sidebar. Volume icons on the Desktop and dragging
into the trash is old OS9 stuff. Only a putz would work with volume
icons on the Desktop, that's so 1999.
* What's with taking decades to acknowledge that one button mice are
primitive in usefulness and why hide the buttons now... is there
some advantage in keeping their existence hidden and known only to
those who know already?
Again you are back in 1999. Maybe you should buy an Apple Magic Mouse
and never look back. Nobody makes a mouse that is even close to Apple's.
* What's with adding so much cool functionality to mouse pads that
no one who doesn't know already what the various number of fingers
and swipes and touch locations will do can even use or touch the
mouse pads without unknowingly sending the computer's interface
convulsively to who knows where and why? Should we have to read
the manual before sitting down to use a Mac that has a mouse pad?
I think you mean track pad? A mouse pad was something from the days
when mice used a mechanical ball to detect motion. You know back in
1999? What Apple did with their track pad is brilliant. I hated using
laptops because track pads were such a pain to use. Apple solved all
that and continues to innovate. I'm sorry that you are stuck in the
past. I'm thinking more and more that this is a training issue. You
need to sign up for a remedial mousing class. (I saw one mentioned in
a Dilbert cartoon once long ago.)
* What's with cludging on all the new user interface and mousing
tools as work-a-rounds to these above known issues that could just
be solved by fixing Apple's menu and taskbar... the "dashboard"
tools where most all computer users look for such functionalities.
The essential Windows/ Linux windowing/taskbar design is elegantly
efficient in its intuitive and straight forward use and operation.
If you can't beat 'em, I say join 'em.
Again you are back in 1999. M$ has a slogan about innovation while
Apple does it. Some people love the Dashboard and use it a lot. I
almost never use it. Why should I deny it to people who love it. Same
goes for Spaces. Some people use it a lot. I don't need it. Why are
you so bitter about change and innovation? Why don't you improve your
skills with the user interface instead of just complaining about the
consequences of your poor skills?
Sorry, none of your objections are Apple caused defects. You need to
step up your skills.
A proper example of a FTFF defect is what happens when you click a
volume's eject button and get a message that the volume can't be
ejected because something on the volume is in use. Here two bad things
happen. First the message does not identify what is in use. Second
with some editions of OS X when you dismiss the message, the Finder
window closes, taking the eject button with it. Grrrr! the second is a
bug. The Finder did not used to do that. It used to close the window
only when the window was originally created by opening that volume and
only when the volume was actually ejected. Some idiot programmer broke
it and Apple need to correct the error.
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