OK. Apple's single-minded devotion to simplicity also means that I can't:
1) Middle-click to open a new tab in Safari, nor can I type ahead find. These are two features in Firefox that SAVE ME TIME, because they're so efficient.
2) Easily see the path context in Finder or Spotlight. This forces me to spend more time to find the file.
3) Lack of configurable keyboard shortcuts for things like DSL and launching individual applications. This would also save me a great deal of time.
4) A way to interface with a dialog box (ex Save Cancel Don't Save) with my keyboard like in Windows. In these situations, I'm forced to use the mouse.
The functionality in 1), 2), and 3) can be switched off by default and tucked away in the "Advanced" part of the screen.
Apple's devotion to simplicity has yielded such truly wonderful innovations as Command-, (preferences), the Dashboard, and Exposé. However, Apple needs to do more to empower its advanced users. Sometimes they do an exceptional job in this regard, other times they fall short.
Quote:
Originally posted by Vox Barbara
This subjekt (simplicity) has been discussed in several
huge threads. However, Simplicity is indeed a very powerful tool.
The easier a particular task is accomplished, the more does
an average user lose fear to do something wrong, the more
self-confidence is achieved. This gains lust and motivation
to work cheerfully with your software (and hardware).
If an average user gets a lot of options to play with,
there are also inherently a lot of options to fail. This creates
psychological blocks and an unhealthy mood to avoid to work
with that troublesome software.
So Simplicity is Apples venture about very complex technology
under the hood. It is all about the user experience. This is
In OS9, I used to use an shareware UI utility that allowed dragging of icons and documents into the file menu. It was nice (until it caused a vid card driver problem) since you could navigate directory paths quickly and you didn't need to open a window or use aliases to get to specific directories. The closest I can get to this now, is putting a hd alias in the dock and navigating the menu to where I want to go. It'd be nice if Leopard integrated a similar feature.
Dashboard will undoubtedly see large improvements... multiple ones or some sort of navigation/sectioning of it would be a nice layer of functionality that you can call up at any time.
I'll add my name to the peeps looking forward to good ftp/sftp in the finder. Macheads have been waiting forever for this.
1) Middle-click to open a new tab in Safari, nor can I type ahead find. These are two features in Firefox that SAVE ME TIME, because they're so efficient.
I middle click all the time in Safari to have links open in new tabs. Just set up your mouse driver (be it Logitech, Microsoft or Kensington or whatever) to register a middle button (usually a scroll wheel) as a click with the command key pressed.
Quote:
4) A way to interface with a dialog box (ex Save Cancel Don't Save) with my keyboard like in Windows. In these situations, I'm forced to use the mouse.
In System Preferences, choose the Keyboard & Mouse Control Pane, then choose the Keyboard Shortcuts tab. At the bottom is an option for Full Keyboard Access. Switch it to ALL CONTROLS so you can use the keyboard to fully navigate Windows/Dialog Boxes.
Why the HELL has Apple left this out for so long. It is HUGELY important to notebook users. And notebooks now outsell desktops. OS X uses a lot of battery in "Sleep" mode. Way more than OS 9. Hibernate turns off the computer entirely, thus virtually not using any battery at all, and saves the RAM to the drive.
It can't be that hard to implement. It would make me a very happy guy. Oh and even worse...Windows had it first. By a longshot.
I was hoping Tiger would add Hibernate (or "Save and Shutdown")
[B]OK. Apple's single-minded devotion to simplicity also means that I can't:
1) Middle-click to open a new tab in Safari, nor can I type ahead find. These are two features in Firefox that SAVE ME TIME, because they're so efficient.
USB Overdrive. Middle-click is enabled in Safari and works great for me.
Quote:
3) Lack of configurable keyboard shortcuts for things like DSL and launching individual applications. This would also save me a great deal of time.
There are TONS of freeware and shareware apps for this, just check out Versiontracker.
I do agree, however, that Apple should include all these features with OS X. It is easy to simply hide the advanced features in a preference pane or in some cases just include them, for example keyboard shortcuts, and only the "power users" will use them.
I would add to your list that Apple is too stingy with their contextual menus. Without a doubt, Services should be included the CM, and the user should be able to configure services to show only those needed. The current implementation of Services is an example of how simple is sometimes more difficult to use, since it's buried in a menu and the user must wade through a sea of services he will never even use.
Intergrated, controllable, automatic iTunes music backup is a must. None of the third party back up solutions I have tried work well. This problem cries out for a SIMPLE Apple solution.
Capacity of drives should have a scroll bar or something as an option to just text. That or have a gradient feature that fades the drive out the fuller it gets... not to complete invisibility though. But that would look cool.
Capacity of drives should have a scroll bar or something as an option to just text. That or have a gradient feature that fades the drive out the fuller it gets... not to complete invisibility though. But that would look cool.
Are you thinking of the colours being on the actual icon? That would rock!
In System Preferences, choose the Keyboard & Mouse Control Pane, then choose the Keyboard Shortcuts tab. At the bottom is an option for Full Keyboard Access. Switch it to ALL CONTROLS so you can use the keyboard to fully navigate Windows/Dialog Boxes.
... in practice this seems to work from acceptable to ridiculously bad depending on dialog/window. For example: anything with a toolbar, how do you use the toolbar?
In a save dialog, it's nice I can at least input a path from the keyboard, but where's tab completion, and why can't I input the file name after that path but must hit enter, type filename, hit enter?
Which reminds me: using OS X' menubar from keyboard is horrible. Press Ctrl-F2. (WTF?) Now you have the apple highlighted. Arrow arrow arrow arrow arrow arrow arrow arrow arrow, and like Steve says, boom, there's your menu item. Of course you still have to press enter.
Honestly, not one feature here means much to me. One thing I think is totally unecessary is WindowShades. Expose and minimizing to the dock are far more useful. Besides, you can get shareware for that.
I also hear a lot of bitches about the UI that don't make sense to me. I'm not one of those Apple apologists or glass 1/2 full folks, but really...step back and get some persepctive:
Have you tried using OS 9 lately? I think, with all due respect, that given the average age of many posters here, that some of you have never used OS 9 full time. OS X has been out for 4 solid years, and if you have a Mac purchased after 10.1 came out, you've probably used it nearly full time.
My point is there is no comparison, and also that there has been huge progress made with X since it's introduction. If you have used X for a long while, chances are that you are totally addicted to both Expose and the Dock, for example. Go back and use OS 9 for awhile and see how limited you feel without either.
That brings me to bitching about the Dock, which I have never understood. The Dock, for me, is perhaps the most useful feature of X. It's versatile and unobtrusive. You can drag apps to it, minimize windows to it, switch applications with it, put folders in it, change its size and location, etc.
...and improving the OS in terms of features, reliability, and UI is important and necessary. OSX is great and I don't miss OS 9, 8, 7, or 6.07 (they were fond times though), but it needs work. There are a few extensions / OS features that I have used back in the day that don't yet have an equivalent feature in X. It'd make me more productive and happier to get those methods back. As we see with widgets, etc., Apple's not afraid to take concepts from developers and make them their own.
One thing that I've noticed about the suggestions so far... there's nothing that's like, "holy sh!t... Apple really needs to implement this feature." I'm wondering if we're not exploring all of the options available to us or Apple's OS is really hitting a point of maturity. If mean sure, some underpinnings here and ftp over there, but the additions to the OS feature set seems to be slowing.
Comments
1) Middle-click to open a new tab in Safari, nor can I type ahead find. These are two features in Firefox that SAVE ME TIME, because they're so efficient.
2) Easily see the path context in Finder or Spotlight. This forces me to spend more time to find the file.
3) Lack of configurable keyboard shortcuts for things like DSL and launching individual applications. This would also save me a great deal of time.
4) A way to interface with a dialog box (ex Save Cancel Don't Save) with my keyboard like in Windows. In these situations, I'm forced to use the mouse.
The functionality in 1), 2), and 3) can be switched off by default and tucked away in the "Advanced" part of the screen.
Apple's devotion to simplicity has yielded such truly wonderful innovations as Command-, (preferences), the Dashboard, and Exposé. However, Apple needs to do more to empower its advanced users. Sometimes they do an exceptional job in this regard, other times they fall short.
Originally posted by Vox Barbara
This subjekt (simplicity) has been discussed in several
huge threads. However, Simplicity is indeed a very powerful tool.
The easier a particular task is accomplished, the more does
an average user lose fear to do something wrong, the more
self-confidence is achieved. This gains lust and motivation
to work cheerfully with your software (and hardware).
If an average user gets a lot of options to play with,
there are also inherently a lot of options to fail. This creates
psychological blocks and an unhealthy mood to avoid to work
with that troublesome software.
So Simplicity is Apples venture about very complex technology
under the hood. It is all about the user experience. This is
what S.J. calls "the soul of the Mac is its OS."
My two cents.
For me, my ambitions are smaller:
1. Give us a decent iCal. iCal is pathetic and missing basic functionality that has been in calendar programs since 1994.
2. Just be much, much better than Longhorn. I want the press to crush Microsoft with how much better OSX is.
Originally posted by BWhaler
...
1. Give us a decent iCal. iCal is pathetic and missing basic functionality that has been in calendar programs since 1994.
...
Probably you can name some basic functionality.
Advanced network sharing i wouldn't call "basic need", if it
is that what you've got in mind. Well?
Originally posted by Jwink3101
Thats the best one so far
yes indeed! drag and drop ftp into the window!
Dashboard will undoubtedly see large improvements... multiple ones or some sort of navigation/sectioning of it would be a nice layer of functionality that you can call up at any time.
I'll add my name to the peeps looking forward to good ftp/sftp in the finder. Macheads have been waiting forever for this.
Originally posted by JavaCowboy
1) Middle-click to open a new tab in Safari, nor can I type ahead find. These are two features in Firefox that SAVE ME TIME, because they're so efficient.
I middle click all the time in Safari to have links open in new tabs. Just set up your mouse driver (be it Logitech, Microsoft or Kensington or whatever) to register a middle button (usually a scroll wheel) as a click with the command key pressed.
4) A way to interface with a dialog box (ex Save Cancel Don't Save) with my keyboard like in Windows. In these situations, I'm forced to use the mouse.
In System Preferences, choose the Keyboard & Mouse Control Pane, then choose the Keyboard Shortcuts tab. At the bottom is an option for Full Keyboard Access. Switch it to ALL CONTROLS so you can use the keyboard to fully navigate Windows/Dialog Boxes.
Why the HELL has Apple left this out for so long. It is HUGELY important to notebook users. And notebooks now outsell desktops. OS X uses a lot of battery in "Sleep" mode. Way more than OS 9. Hibernate turns off the computer entirely, thus virtually not using any battery at all, and saves the RAM to the drive.
It can't be that hard to implement. It would make me a very happy guy. Oh and even worse...Windows had it first. By a longshot.
I was hoping Tiger would add Hibernate (or "Save and Shutdown")
1. incorporate some opensolaris technologies, like zfs and dtrace
2. make xnu a real mikrokernel
3. a better support for driver dev
4. never relase an intel version (sorry, i had to say)
Originally posted by jimbo123
I would like to see safari and mail intergrated, to me they go hand in hand.
That would be terrible; they do completely different jobs!
It's already bad enough that they merged a browser and an RSS reader...
Amorya
Originally posted by JavaCowboy
[B]OK. Apple's single-minded devotion to simplicity also means that I can't:
1) Middle-click to open a new tab in Safari, nor can I type ahead find. These are two features in Firefox that SAVE ME TIME, because they're so efficient.
USB Overdrive. Middle-click is enabled in Safari and works great for me.
3) Lack of configurable keyboard shortcuts for things like DSL and launching individual applications. This would also save me a great deal of time.
There are TONS of freeware and shareware apps for this, just check out Versiontracker.
I do agree, however, that Apple should include all these features with OS X. It is easy to simply hide the advanced features in a preference pane or in some cases just include them, for example keyboard shortcuts, and only the "power users" will use them.
I would add to your list that Apple is too stingy with their contextual menus. Without a doubt, Services should be included the CM, and the user should be able to configure services to show only those needed. The current implementation of Services is an example of how simple is sometimes more difficult to use, since it's buried in a menu and the user must wade through a sea of services he will never even use.
bob
Originally posted by Squozen
Bittorrent support for iTunes podcast downloading and System Updates :P
Amen!!!
Originally posted by iShawn
Capacity of drives should have a scroll bar or something as an option to just text. That or have a gradient feature that fades the drive out the fuller it gets... not to complete invisibility though. But that would look cool.
Are you thinking of the colours being on the actual icon? That would rock!
Originally posted by jabohn
In System Preferences, choose the Keyboard & Mouse Control Pane, then choose the Keyboard Shortcuts tab. At the bottom is an option for Full Keyboard Access. Switch it to ALL CONTROLS so you can use the keyboard to fully navigate Windows/Dialog Boxes.
... in practice this seems to work from acceptable to ridiculously bad depending on dialog/window. For example: anything with a toolbar, how do you use the toolbar?
In a save dialog, it's nice I can at least input a path from the keyboard, but where's tab completion, and why can't I input the file name after that path but must hit enter, type filename, hit enter?
Which reminds me: using OS X' menubar from keyboard is horrible. Press Ctrl-F2. (WTF?) Now you have the apple highlighted. Arrow arrow arrow arrow arrow arrow arrow arrow arrow, and like Steve says, boom, there's your menu item. Of course you still have to press enter.
Honestly, not one feature here means much to me. One thing I think is totally unecessary is WindowShades. Expose and minimizing to the dock are far more useful. Besides, you can get shareware for that.
I also hear a lot of bitches about the UI that don't make sense to me. I'm not one of those Apple apologists or glass 1/2 full folks, but really...step back and get some persepctive:
Have you tried using OS 9 lately? I think, with all due respect, that given the average age of many posters here, that some of you have never used OS 9 full time. OS X has been out for 4 solid years, and if you have a Mac purchased after 10.1 came out, you've probably used it nearly full time.
My point is there is no comparison, and also that there has been huge progress made with X since it's introduction. If you have used X for a long while, chances are that you are totally addicted to both Expose and the Dock, for example. Go back and use OS 9 for awhile and see how limited you feel without either.
That brings me to bitching about the Dock, which I have never understood. The Dock, for me, is perhaps the most useful feature of X. It's versatile and unobtrusive. You can drag apps to it, minimize windows to it, switch applications with it, put folders in it, change its size and location, etc.
/end rant
One thing that I've noticed about the suggestions so far... there's nothing that's like, "holy sh!t... Apple really needs to implement this feature." I'm wondering if we're not exploring all of the options available to us or Apple's OS is really hitting a point of maturity. If mean sure, some underpinnings here and ftp over there, but the additions to the OS feature set seems to be slowing.