What do you still want back from OS 9?

nordstrodamusnordstrodamus
Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
Soundsets!



I want my group sharing prefs back. I'm sure there is a way to do it in OS X, but I miss the control panel.



I think I can finally part with windowshade, now that Expose is here.



I'd like to see something like pop up drawers implemented in the dock.



Am I missing anything?
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 47
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    Snappiness.



    Someone had to say it.



    Actually, I find Mac OS X Panther's UI speed good enough, especially when considering how much more it has to do compared to Classic Mac OS.



    One feature I guess I'd like: a smarter finder with regards to the Library folder. In Classic Mac OS, dragging, say, a font into the System Folder would present you with a dialog saying something like, "Fonts belong in the Fonts folder. Would you like this file put there?" I think it would really come in handy, just as an added convenience, to be able to drag a font or prefspanel or something else to my Library and have it automatically move things around. Calendars, ColorSync profiles, FontCollections, Fonts, Keyboard Layouts, Keychains, PreferencePanes, Printers, and Screen Savers are the ones that come to mind.



    Also, it would be nice if these folders had icons differentiating them like the various folders in Classic's System Folder.



    OT: speaking of icons, why does the Utilities folder still not have an icon? I mean, for crying out loud, Apple even made a system icon for the /Developer folder!
  • Reply 2 of 47
    bungebunge Posts: 7,329member
    RAM disks. I'd love to see a Dual 2 GHZ booting off of 8 GB of RAM.



    Easier backup of the 'system folder.' OS X feels too spread out, while the Classic OS was just a simple folder with everything inside of it. You can't just copy an OS X folder to an external drive and boot off of it.



    Better handling of creator codes. This may be coming with an updated meta-data full file system, but I miss the functionality of the old creator codes.
  • Reply 3 of 47
    hobbeshobbes Posts: 1,252member
    re: a smarter Finder re ~/Library



    Apple's done some nice work in this area for Panther, actually, though it could nicer still.



    I believe you can double-click 3rd party System Preference pref panes, or or drop and drag in and out of the System Pref app window now.



    Fonts you can double click to get a preview and then install with a click of the button, if you're prepared to use Font Book...



    As for screen savers... just try double-clicking.
  • Reply 4 of 47
    kcmackcmac Posts: 1,051member
    I think sounds made OS 9 seem even snappier.



    There is nothing that I want from OS 9.
  • Reply 5 of 47
    spookyspooky Posts: 504member
    What do I want back from 9?



    The feeling that my Mac is a Mac and not some geek boy piece of kit.



  • Reply 6 of 47
    kelibkelib Posts: 740member
    1) Snappiness

    2) Snappiness

    3) Snappiness

    4) Snappiness

    5) Snappiness



    And yes, I forgot one thing: Snappiness I also miss the Kaleidoscope schemes I had.



    What I don't miss:



    Restarting the puter 2 or 3 times a day
  • Reply 7 of 47
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    I'd like back the civilized file sharing capabilities (I don't have Panther yet, so I don't know if they made the cut) and the alias as the dominant way of creating a link to a file (Apple installers, I'm looking at you).



    Other than that, I don't miss OS 9 at all.
  • Reply 8 of 47
    bartobarto Posts: 2,246member
    Themes.... and unprotected memory. Now THAT was a feature.
  • Reply 9 of 47
    tnglandtngland Posts: 3member
    OneClick. In fact, I have one machine which is staying at 9.2.2 which is used by my wife. She's not very comfortable with computers & I have made a large number of OneClick buttons for her to simplify things.



    But for myself, I still really miss the ease with which OneClick could make a quick, reliable macro and the ability to make my palettes appear however I choose.



    Kaleidoscope was always fun too.



    Thomas S. England

    Decatur GA 30030

    Photojournalism Portfolio:

    http://englandphoto.com/portfolio//
  • Reply 10 of 47
    telomartelomar Posts: 1,804member
    Bit off topic but...



    Quote:

    Originally posted by tngland

    Photojournalism Portfolio:

    http://englandphoto.com/portfolio//



    Some of that is quite impressive work.
  • Reply 11 of 47
    valmadvalmad Posts: 49member
    All the money I spent on os x, plus bootable CD
  • Reply 12 of 47
    dr vannostrandr vannostran Posts: 110member
    Ever since OS X came out I have been hoping that Apple would include 2 things that they left behind in OS 9, Window Shade and Labels. Now that Labels are back in Panther I only have one thing left that is missing. Oh, and like everyone else the snappiness of OS 9.
  • Reply 13 of 47
    francisg3francisg3 Posts: 168member
    The "Put Away" command. If I'd put something in the Trash by accident, I could select it, hit "Command Y," and the item would go back exactly where it used to be.



    In OS X, if I find something in the Trash that shouldn't be there, I have to manually plow through all the folders to put it back.
  • Reply 14 of 47
    jwilljwill Posts: 209member
    Yes, the Put Away command was great to have.



    I'd also love sound sets too (no I don't mean Xounds), and the nice 20 colors we all had in the past. I'd love OS X's speed to match OS 9's (that'd be so great) as well.
  • Reply 15 of 47
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    I agree that "smart" drag-n-drop into your or the system's Library folder was quite nice and while it's much better in Panther, it could be better still. And I do think OS X can improve on public/multiple user access to files (show only the files that others have permissions for in a given folder?), though of course Classic is a bit too accessible on the other end of the spectrum. There is a middle ground to be sought between uber-secure Unix and uber-exposed Classic.



    Panther is Teh Snappy? for me at least, and RAM disks seem superfluous when the system stuffs everything it can into RAM already. I don't miss Windowshade at all, especially with Exposé. Hell, I never minimize windows any more even on my small monitor.



    Hm? I'm having trouble thinking of anything else?
  • Reply 16 of 47
    neurokidneurokid Posts: 108member
    [QUOTE]Originally posted by Nordstrodamus

    [B]Soundsets!



    Definitely sound sets!

    And of course, snappiness -- but I have to admit that OSX is (finally) getting better in this area (esp on faster machines). But I agree that a clever use of sounds from time to time would go a long way toward improving "perceived" snappiness.
  • Reply 17 of 47
    gizzmonicgizzmonic Posts: 511member
    I'd like:



    1) Widgets in the right place (close on the left, resize/minimize on the right)



    2) Decent open/save dialogues.



    3)Stability in GUI environment



    What I mean by #3 is that we are seeing yet another change in the GUI with Panther. The "Classic" Mac OS GUI rarely changed; although default font and folder looks changed, it was essentially the same all the way to OS 9.



    With Mac OS X's flashy new GUI, some good things were introduced and a lot of bad things were introduced. Between 10.0 and 10.2 a lot of the good things from Mac OS 9 returned, but some of them inexplicably have not. Instead of having the decent open/save dialogs from the "classic" OS, Panther adds this "favorite places" sidebar that adds complexity without representing the filesystem faithfully.



    Basically it boils down to Apple creating a problem by switching a lot of the UI for no good reason in the OS 9->OS X transition, then refusing the fix the bad UI elements with the simplest solution (using the OS 9 methods). As a result, complexity is added to the UI...Very Microsoftish, I must say!
  • Reply 18 of 47
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    Excellent suggestions everyone and I hope they all make the cut, especially Put Away! Spring Loading carrying in to the Dock would be nice, I remember an App that added that to Menus, Glidel, I believe.



    Yes to the icons and assistance with the "Library."
  • Reply 19 of 47
    kirklandkirkland Posts: 594member
    I don't care about having anything from the actual OS 9 -- good riddance to it. What I would like to have for the first time is the "Live Search Folder" feature that would have been in the theoretical Gershwin OS 9 that was mapped out in the mid-1990s. They would be great if implemented as "Smart Folders" in the left pane of the new Finder.
  • Reply 20 of 47
    leonisleonis Posts: 3,427member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by kelib

    1) Snappiness

    2) Snappiness

    3) Snappiness

    4) Snappiness

    5) Snappiness







    So you want to crash faster?





    Anyway, I hate OS 9 with passion. If it wasn't OS X I would be using Windows full time right now
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