Inside OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: a Preview of how Apple plans to revamp the toolbar

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 62
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Slurpy View Post


    I agree, the inspector is fucking annoying, and awkward to use, forcing you to click a dozen times and jump to so many different sections to make changes. IMO a better implementation would be a vertical sidebar that appear when pressing a button, kind of like the iPhoto edit panel, with everything laid out vertically in sections and viewable at once.



    Yes, the PS pallets work better. Partly because PS is a much more complex piece of software (and partly because I know my way around), but I am not sure about toolbars both at the top AND at the side. The ribbon thing may not be idea but it is pretty snappy. I haven't checked but I assume each ribbon is configurable so for people like me who care, I could just get rid of all the superfluous junk buttons. There is no perfect way and it is a moving target, but like you, I hate the Inspector.
  • Reply 22 of 62
    These are fine changes. Nothing to rock my world or make that big a difference in my daily use, but appreciated all the same. What I really want is color brought back back to the toolbar, sidebar across the OS. Even after all this time with the gray scale, I find myself clicking the wrong thing and just not liking the bland look.



    Does Mountain Lion at least give users an option to choose between colored or gray toolbar and sidebar icons?
  • Reply 23 of 62
    jlhjlh Posts: 3member
    Good article! I use Preview for most of my simpler image processing.



    Other things I'd like to see:



    1. Add OCR to convert text in images to searchable text; i.e., convert to PDF.



    2. Add SVG as an Open and Export option.



    3. Add graphics editing - let me move, add, and delete pdf objects.



    4. Add Applescript to Preview.



    5. Enable image/file conversion (pdf to png, jpg, svg and back) in an open file without the Save step; or at least make the conversion available in the clipboard so the conversion can be made Copy PNG and Paste to PDF, for instance.



    Preview has really speeded-up my ability to juggle images. These additions would speed it up even more.
  • Reply 24 of 62
    aaronjaaronj Posts: 1,595member
    I have to say that these articles on the various changes in ML are getting me excited for this summer. Sure, none of them, so far at least, have been earth-shattering. But it looks like an OS that has good, solid changes so far, ones that will make the entire OS more ... precise? I don't know.



    But I'm excited.
  • Reply 25 of 62
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


    What version of PS?



    CS6. I was able to remove everything but JUST Photoshop with CS5, so I imagine it's possible. I've likely forgotten how to do it or something. Ah, well.
  • Reply 26 of 62
    I agree with others above.



    The grey only is a bit much. The toolbar is visually quite large (in fact it seems it can get even bigger in ML with the drop down bit). Inspectors are terrible things that get in the way and are slow to use.



    As for preview becoming more useful, someone mentioned versions.



    Can this useful and f-ing worse than useless ability be turned off in ML or be optional? Versions has turned Preview from the fastest image processor into the slowest causing major havoc with your files at the same time.



    I am like NO, they are my original files, ARGH, I do not need my storage wiped out with 1000 images stored for a rotate then a resize then a image codec change. WORSE, please no I haven't finished the edit, DON'T stop the whole app to save the 1000 images yet.



    Versions, yeah I fully get it. Versions on the other hand has no idea how bad it is if you work with a) large files b) lots of files.



    So please, anyone. Has ML done anything about versions?
  • Reply 27 of 62
    I'd always considered M$'s Ribbon Interface as more or less a gesture of surrender, or a sign they'd given a pay cut to their UI/UX designers.



    Or fired them and let the engineers design things.
  • Reply 28 of 62
    No matter how they rearrange it this monochromatic os x hell is a usability hell. You scroll through the page and you get to the iWork screenshots and you cry out finally toolbar icons discernible in in milliseconds not seconds, one from the other, easy to form associations with and click on them next time.



    As TS said they can be muted backgrounds more akin to a new interface style for apple, but by god an an os that will go from monochromatic grey, to monochromatic anthracite, to monochromatic mustard colour for calendar etc. etc. will be sheer usability hell for most of us.



    Anyone at apple have the guts to go for this, or are the accountants running the show and rationalising iOS style interface design choices which are very ill suited to os x with things such as it's all about content? Does os x still have an identity?



    We shall see, but things don't look promising at all.



    So many people switched to os x because besides a host of robust underlying technologies it also had a great, minimal, usable and functional design. It will be a shame to have to stick to os x because it will be the lesser of two evils, the slightly better looking of two shit looking os's.



    I opted for os x because it was that much better than windows.



    Sadly what comes out of the os x team in terms of interface nowadays is not only what one would call hardly inspired, it's also what can be considered downright derivative and rubbish, mission control, iOS launchpad (since when discerning tens of miniscule icons within a folder become a usable way to quickly go to said folder...), monochromatic hell, poor customizability of system font style and size... It all tastes rather bland... Some might like some elements of the new interface, I can't seem to think they d be a lot of people who could successfully argue anything of it was inspired or cutting edge...



    No matter how much ai sugar coats mountain lion's interface features the sad truth remains that os x is heading in a direction of pandering to ios design, introducing tablet elements to it at hardly make sense in os x, and losing it's distinct identity for the sake of the marketing folk to attract more switchers. Had Jobs been in his prime by the time it was decided that ios would go into os x I am sure he would have opted for the gutsy way to make the two os's keep minimal similar elements when they are functional in both systems and each one to develop their distinct identities. Scott Forestalls apparent power play with an ailing Jobs at the helm did no good to os x it seems.



    Ad I said before even Microsoft followed vista with the gphalf decent windows 7, yet apple is rushing into mountain lion on the strength of notepad and reminders apps, when lion in itself has had such poor adoption rate compared to snow leopard, despite it being aggressively (and unfairly for the users) pimped on iCloud.



    All that should have raised flags and rang bells, but it seems all it's done so far is had them pre-empt the boos of the community by pre releasing it to arch wankateur Grubber to start off the pr machine to get the itoys kids, the minions, off to their soliloquies on how great everything is in forums while they also contemplate how it feels to not be a virgin...



    Ps. For f's sake make versions optional on a per app and per document basis.
  • Reply 29 of 62
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jinglesthula View Post


    I'd always considered M$'s Ribbon Interface as more or less a gesture of surrender, or a sign they'd given a pay cut to their UI/UX designers.



    Or fired them and let the engineers design things.



    I don't think you ve used it enough, it has a learning curve, to me it was one of the few inspired interface touches in windows, had they also given it more powerful customization iptions it would have been really great. But the way they Did away with basic menus, stuck the basic ones all within the window top left icon, then used the extra top space for very customisable quick access buttons and the ribbon with very well thought categorisations of functions was a great, and gutsy way, as well as a usability enhancing one to do away with various menus and submenus and one toolbar after the other.



    But it never translated well to the mac, for sure they should have ditched it altogether there, version one was such a failed mix and match, and v.2 a better effort but still a poor one.
  • Reply 30 of 62
    Mac OS X 10.3 was Panther, 10.2 was Jaguar
  • Reply 31 of 62
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jinglesthula View Post


    I'd always considered M$'s Ribbon Interface as more or less a gesture of surrender, or a sign they'd given a pay cut to their UI/UX designers.



    Or fired them and let the engineers design things.



    I chuckled at this. Cheers
  • Reply 32 of 62
    bugsnwbugsnw Posts: 717member
    I like subtle color. There must be a way to add a very slight hue to the window elements. And have it apply across the UI.



    I would love to see as much GUI consistency as practical across the system and apps.



    One thing that has changed in a few apps that I think is wrong is the placement of various icons and buttons. iPhoto now requires huge jumps in mousing to activate the edit functions. Why are they in the lower-right where no one mouses? Why can't I Esc out of edit views back to event views?



    Why must my cursor travel across millions of pixels when working with iTunes? I know you can often use a contextual menu for some functions, but I'd rather work with my content on the left and then have the Sync button nearby. Why is this common function in the lower-right, away from everything?



    The window resizing and other functions in a title bar should be grouped together. And while I'm at it, let's retire the Stoplight metaphor and pick some cool representative icons that perform predictable actions on windows!



    The most-used functions of an app should be nestled together, clearly visible and labeled. I shouldn't have to jayscroll across an apps window to access common functions.



    Even on the iPad, when viewing videos, the slider changes from the bottom to the top of the window depending on the view you choose. It's often difficult to operate an app with one hand consistently.



    I agree with some that it would be nice to see some thoughtful UI improvements that reflect a lot of thought on how people actually use their apps. And color.



    Didn't the iMacs blast off when SJ added color??
  • Reply 33 of 62
    Maybe I missed it, but how are you supposed to scale to 100% in this revision? Often I'll open something up in Preview (usually a graphic of some sort), and I have to type 100% into the scale field to get it to show up at it's native resolution. Any idea??
  • Reply 34 of 62
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    Preview is starting to turn into a very nice application. I still dislike that it is the default for many file types which I would rather open in CS applications but at least it is quite functional for people who don't have CS.



    You are kidding right? You do know you control what opens what on a Mac?
  • Reply 35 of 62
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    Preview is starting to turn into a very nice application. I still dislike that it is the default for many file types which I would rather open in CS applications but at least it is quite functional for people who don't have CS.



    You know you can change that, right?
  • Reply 36 of 62
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Slurpy View Post


    I agree, the inspector is fucking annoying, and awkward to use, forcing you to click a dozen times and jump to so many different sections to make changes. IMO a better implementation would be a vertical sidebar that appear when pressing a button, kind of like the iPhoto edit panel, with everything laid out vertically in sections and viewable at once.



    No need to 'click a dozen times' ... just open another inspector window and display the controls you want to use. You can open as many inspectors as you need 'laid out vertically' or anywhere you like 'and viewable all at once'.



    Apple have done a good job considering Adobe's patenting of palettes. Nice if Apple made them snap together like Adobe does, but I wouldn't want the deranged interface nightmare that's taken over the CS series to spread to Apple's offerings.
  • Reply 37 of 62
    The pulsating belly cartoon ad at top right of the second page was so distracting and made concentration so difficult I finally just quit reading.
  • Reply 38 of 62
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by scottyo View Post


    The pulsating belly cartoon ad at top right of the second page was so distracting and made concentration so difficult I finally just quit reading.



    Adblock?
  • Reply 39 of 62
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Slurpy View Post


    I agree, the inspector is fucking annoying, and awkward to use, forcing you to click a dozen times and jump to so many different sections to make changes. IMO a better implementation would be a vertical sidebar that appear when pressing a button, kind of like the iPhoto edit panel, with everything laid out vertically in sections and viewable at once.



    Inspector has a special place in hell right next to MDI. Especially when you add multiple documents in the mix. In regards to iWork, I'd prefer both a sliding panel and tabs on documents although it's hard to see how Apple can implement this and keep the clean look of iWork intact.
  • Reply 40 of 62
    As a non-power user (or, whatever), I find nearly everything they've done in Lion to be a welcome treatment. The fluidity and intuitiveness with which I can apply my knowledge of one UI to the other surprises me, and I believe that the same must be true for the majority of users. The monochromatic greyscale is a non-issue, and my usage as a student/private consumer is in no way impacted by half of the things that are complained about here. -- My one and only gripe is the lack of a cmd key to create a duplicate version of a document in iWork. The whole versions thing is unintuitive and I've stumbled over it more than once. I love the premise and functionality, but the implementation lends to confusion.
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