Oops...my bad. There is (I think) supposed to be a distinct switch control...but I don't see it there. I suppose that the switcher control could possibly be a special case of the new tab control, but without the additional container view rendered - like the different styles of NSBox, for example.
The way Tabs show what's frontmost is intuitive however when there are so many options you need rows then it becomes awkward. I agree with Eugene, hopping Tabs on Windows make me hopping mad!!!!!!! Stay put bastards! This new arrangement is interesting but just doesn't look right. I have a feeling they'll change it. I hope. It just looks wrong. But about catering to new users: they don't exist in the US. Everyone has used Windows and for that matter is used to and even expects a two button scroll wheel mouse. The computer is not new anymore and Apple needs to get this. Ease of use can still be achieved while providing a powerful interface. Like in Safari and iTunes. I mean the new Tabs will clash with the Panther Tabs, won't it?
I was gonna start a new thread but it hardly seems worth it: The .mac site has started its panther makeover, adding those new ying-yang shadow buttons used for brushed metal apps:
I think for consistency sake they should make all buttons in Panther have the same "yin-yang" style as the brush metal appearance.
I was gonna start a new thread but it hardly seems worth it: The .mac site has started its panther makeover, adding those new ying-yang shadow buttons used for brushed metal apps:
Am I the only person that finds those buttons difficult to read?
I think a logical end to this let's-tweak-that-ugly-button frenzy, which is obviously going on inside Apple, would be to provide a real system-wide theme support. There are opposite opinions on themes, but, seeing Aqua buttons change their look so often that the dev team can't keep them consistent, that would be a wise move. Like 'No fuss. No sense. Just design zen.'
I think a logical end to this let's-tweak-that-ugly-button frenzy, which is obviously going on inside Apple, would be to provide a real system-wide theme support. [/B]
Apple has the technology in place since System 8, however, when the NeXT-guys took over, it was scrapped since Cocoa now was the ruling technology. Unfortunately, the theme manager was never fully ported to MacOS-X.
But this is not the real problem, imho. It seems, the software teams at Apple have much too much UI-freedom lately and are allowed to develop new UI-concepts that are adapted by other teams at will. A firm leadership seems to be missing in this area.
Yeah, it's pretty bloody dense, but it's not new and it is in the HIG. Apple has provided for sideways tabs since OS X's inception... at least that's what I remember from the Aqua guidelines book. I think they're actually used in the current Project Builder. Someone can yell at me if I'm wrong.
I think they're actually used in the current Project Builder. Someone can yell at me if I'm wrong.
Your right, Ever since OS X came to be you can put tabs on any side; top, left, right, bottom. Apple did this since programers were just creating there own UIs when they needed this type of thing.
On the topic of these new tabs; they can be rather confusing when you only have two of them since it is not very obvious which one is selected.
One of the main things I don't like about the new tabs is purely aesthetic. In the above shots, the tabs were originally set so that the rule was pressed right up against a square control, and now there's a bit of a gap between the list box and the tab container.
Also, now the tab container isn't square anymore, you get that really weird border that doesn't really fit around square objects.
The way Disk Utility is using that tab pane on the left is definitely a hack. I imagine that either Disk Utility or the tab appearance itself will be updated before the final version of Panther. It's just a sloppy job right now.
By "hack," I meant that the use of it was forced, not that the elements themselves are "faked" from the standard toolbox or anything. It's just really odd to have the bounding box on a list like that, seems redundant and unfinished. The new tabs are probably something they still have to work on, it looks like they haven't thought out all the scenarios of how and where they'll be used. There's another instance of tabs somewhere in the Panther screenshots that shows a better solution: the character palette (damn, I can't find the sceenie to prove it).
Yeah, that's fuglacious. What's 'wrong' with normal tabs? These new 'tabs' are unintuitive, no matter how you dress 'em up. A tab is not a button and vice versa. While I first thought my dislike for them was the shock of the new, it's been a while, and I still dislike them.
Comments
Originally posted by BuonRotto
(I might be reading that one wrong.)
Yup. That thing is just a switch button (check box). The switch control simply replaces the tab control:
http://funmac.com/attachment.php?postid=14811
Oops...my bad. There is (I think) supposed to be a distinct switch control...but I don't see it there. I suppose that the switcher control could possibly be a special case of the new tab control, but without the additional container view rendered - like the different styles of NSBox, for example.
Originally posted by sCreeD
Hm, wonder what the 'Assist Me' button does?
Screed
Etc. - it just sets up a Location with the Network settings.
Originally posted by stupider...likeafox
I was gonna start a new thread but it hardly seems worth it: The .mac site has started its panther makeover, adding those new ying-yang shadow buttons used for brushed metal apps:
I think for consistency sake they should make all buttons in Panther have the same "yin-yang" style as the brush metal appearance.
Originally posted by stupider...likeafox
I was gonna start a new thread but it hardly seems worth it: The .mac site has started its panther makeover, adding those new ying-yang shadow buttons used for brushed metal apps:
Am I the only person that finds those buttons difficult to read?
I believe that they should do something more 3-d for a beter visual cue.
I'm thinking something along the lines of how the "fast user-switching" works where it does the cube transition between tabs.
Now that would be cool eh?
Take the usage of Quartz Extreme to the Extreme. (sorry couldn't help using it lke that)
Originally posted by G-Dog
I believe that they should do something more 3-d for a beter visual cue.
I'm thinking something along the lines of how the "fast user-switching" works where it does the cube transition between tabs.
You may get your wish. Panes in System Preferences cross-fade while changing size. Perhaps there will be a transition-animation type to set in IB?
Apple's really breaking out of the constraints of the HIG!
Originally posted by costique
I think a logical end to this let's-tweak-that-ugly-button frenzy, which is obviously going on inside Apple, would be to provide a real system-wide theme support. [/B]
Apple has the technology in place since System 8, however, when the NeXT-guys took over, it was scrapped since Cocoa now was the ruling technology. Unfortunately, the theme manager was never fully ported to MacOS-X.
But this is not the real problem, imho. It seems, the software teams at Apple have much too much UI-freedom lately and are allowed to develop new UI-concepts that are adapted by other teams at will. A firm leadership seems to be missing in this area.
Originally posted by 1337_5L4Xx0R
Wow. Check out these SIDEWAYS tabs!!
Apple's really breaking out of the constraints of the HIG!
Gosh, that's terribly hard to read. And confusing to boot, too.
Originally posted by Mac The Fork
I think they're actually used in the current Project Builder. Someone can yell at me if I'm wrong.
Your right, Ever since OS X came to be you can put tabs on any side; top, left, right, bottom. Apple did this since programers were just creating there own UIs when they needed this type of thing.
On the topic of these new tabs; they can be rather confusing when you only have two of them since it is not very obvious which one is selected.
Also, now the tab container isn't square anymore, you get that really weird border that doesn't really fit around square objects.
It's all just a little bit untidy...
Neil.
a.k.a. Arnel
Still looks messy, though ;-)
Neil.
a.k.a. Arnel
http://www.angelfire.com/ut2/inactionman/CaminoTabs.jpg