Aqua's "Banded" Scroll-Bars...

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
I must say, that the scroll-bar is me LEAST favorite Aqua element. When I first saw screenshots of the OSX-Aqua UI Pre-Beta release... I thought it was just a mistake that would be corrected by release... but it turned-out that the "banding" on the scroll-bars was intentional.



I guess my personal taste would prefer to see them without the catepillar-like bands. What is their use...? They don't scroll with the bar and they look like a "Bad-Photoshop-repeating-tile".



I was hoping Jaguar would tone down the look... but it's still there as strong as ever. Am I the only one to not appreciate the "burned-out flourescent lamp" look of the scroll-bar widget...?



I would much rather see it more "glass-like", similar to the REST of the UI.



<img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" /> <img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" /> <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 24
    junkyard dawgjunkyard dawg Posts: 2,801member
    No, you're not alone. I don't get them either.
  • Reply 2 of 24
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    I like the effect when you're scrolling, and that's the main purpose of having the light and dark pattern. It matches the pattern of the progress bars, except the pattern for the progress bar moves, whereas in scrollbars the pattern remains stationary to act as a foil to the movement of the bar "above" it.



    I think it's kind of a neat effect, but there's more than one way to do the same thing.
  • Reply 3 of 24
    scott f.scott f. Posts: 276member
    [quote]Originally posted by BuonRotto:

    <strong>I like the effect when you're scrolling, and that's the main purpose of having the light and dark pattern. It matches the pattern of the progress bars, except the pattern for the progress bar moves, whereas in scrollbars the pattern remains stationary to act as a foil to the movement of the bar "above" it.



    I think it's kind of a neat effect, but there's more than one way to do the same thing.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Truth-be-told... I "get it"... but I just don't like it's implementation. It just has the feel of a "Theme-Hack" that wasn't thought-out. I think they can find a better way to display the scrolling paradigm.
  • Reply 4 of 24
    bradbowerbradbower Posts: 1,068member
    I 'get' it and like it quite a bit, actually. One of the neater Aqua elements that, the first time I saw it in person, made me think, ?Hey, wow, that's a neat little idea.?



    I'd be a little sad if Apple got rid of it, to be truthful.
  • Reply 5 of 24
    spartspart Posts: 2,060member
    Same here...I like the effect while scrolling as well. The little varying shade has never bothered me. I hope Apple doesn't take it out, or at least when they make a crisper version of it keep the effect.
  • Reply 6 of 24
    camcam Posts: 35member
    I would prefer the scroll bars to be plain and glassy until you click them. The scroll bar would respond to the click by showing the ripples and would undulate as they do now when scrolling.



    People often complain that the Aqua scroll bars don't "react" or darken when you engage them as they did in OS 9. This scenario would address that problem while also making the interface less busy.
  • Reply 7 of 24
    smirclesmircle Posts: 1,035member
    Originally posted by Scott F.:

    [quote]I must say, that the scroll-bar is me LEAST favorite Aqua element. <hr></blockquote>

    Absolutely.

    They don't react to clicks, they are much to 3D-ish, they have this faulty pattern - but only when active, inactive they are not glassy but opaque white.

    For whatever reason they look like glass-rods, I will never understand. They are neither liquid nor "buttonish" like in 9.



    They are just shitty.
  • Reply 8 of 24
    gambitgambit Posts: 475member
    [quote]Originally posted by CAM:

    <strong>I would prefer the scroll bars to be plain and glassy until you click them. The scroll bar would respond to the click by showing the ripples and would undulate as they do now when scrolling.



    People often complain that the Aqua scroll bars don't "react" or darken when you engage them as they did in OS 9. This scenario would address that problem while also making the interface less busy.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Now THAT is an idea I'd like to see implemented! Good call, my friend! Now that would truly be an Aqua interface.
  • Reply 9 of 24
    gambitgambit Posts: 475member
    [quote]Originally posted by CAM:

    <strong>I would prefer the scroll bars to be plain and glassy until you click them. The scroll bar would respond to the click by showing the ripples and would undulate as they do now when scrolling.



    People often complain that the Aqua scroll bars don't "react" or darken when you engage them as they did in OS 9. This scenario would address that problem while also making the interface less busy.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Now THAT is an idea I'd like to see implemented! Good call, my friend! Now that would truly be an Aqua interface.
  • Reply 10 of 24
    Hum, they really don't bug me that much. I'd much rather see menu opacity options or window boarders added to OS X.



    Ribbed scroll bars really don't hurt usability that much.
  • Reply 11 of 24
    evoevo Posts: 198member
    The thing that bugs me most about the scrollbars appearance-wise, are the scroll bar "tracks", where the bars slide on. It doesn't even look like a slot, it looks like a big tube beveled outward. They need to change that gray-&gt;white gradient and make it look more like something a scroll bar would scroll on.



    But I also don't like the scrollbar itself. I think it could be flatter looking (like the new tabs), and I wish it would darken when you click and hold on it.
  • Reply 12 of 24
    Dang, I didn't even notice that the pattern in the scroll thumb moved until I saw this thread. Now it's going to distract me for a week
  • Reply 13 of 24
    the g5the g5 Posts: 42member
    IT SuCKs.
  • Reply 14 of 24
    scott f.scott f. Posts: 276member
    [quote]Originally posted by BobtheTomato:

    <strong>Dang, I didn't even notice that the pattern in the scroll thumb moved until I saw this thread. Now it's going to distract me for a week </strong><hr></blockquote>



    Optical illusion - It DOESN'T move - That was my point... the pattern remains stationary while the scroll-bar moves... as if it were a "window" that you look through to see the pattern, or a masked Photoshop layer.



    It's not a "show-stopper" for me... I still love the overall Aqua-UI... I just don't like that one aspect. It doesn't appear "ribbed" as someone else put it... to me, it just looks sloppy.



    But then again- Opinions are like a**holes... we all have them, and we think everyone else's stink.



    <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
  • Reply 15 of 24
    spartspart Posts: 2,060member
    [quote]Originally posted by eVo:

    <strong>The thing that bugs me most about the scrollbars appearance-wise, are the scroll bar "tracks", where the bars slide on. It doesn't even look like a slot, it looks like a big tube beveled outward. They need to change that gray-&gt;white gradient and make it look more like something a scroll bar would scroll on.



    But I also don't like the scrollbar itself. I think it could be flatter looking (like the new tabs), and I wish it would darken when you click and hold on it.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    To me it looks like it's beveled in...not out. I don't see how you're getting that. I like every aspect of the scroll bars, and I like the nice bubbly Aqua as well.
  • Reply 16 of 24
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    [quote]Originally posted by Xidius:

    <strong>Hey, we need a forum for Suggestions for apple.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    The better suggestions tend to come out of ongoing discussions in out existing forums. So if you see one, send it to <a href="http://www.apple.com/feedback/"; target="_blank">http://www.apple.com/feedback/</a>; and they'll get it.



    I don't see a need for a dedicated forum.



    [ 07-02-2002: Message edited by: Amorph ]</p>
  • Reply 17 of 24
    serranoserrano Posts: 1,806member
    i understand the attempted effect, it doesn't work however. my vote is to get rid of them, besides, when looking at windows you're usually not scrolling.
  • Reply 18 of 24
    r@venr@ven Posts: 24member
    Hmmm, has anyone noticed that when you start Mac OS X that the progress bar is broken????



    If you look carefully about a third across it has a split in it!!!!!!
  • Reply 19 of 24
    ezloomerezloomer Posts: 2member
    Has anyone ever thought of the idea to implement the scollbar the reverse direction?



    Normally the scrollbar is on the top of a page, when you drag it down the page goes up. What if the bscrollbar is on the bottom, and when you drag it up the page goes up??



    Would that make sense <img src="confused.gif" border="0">
  • Reply 20 of 24
    senjazsenjaz Posts: 26member
    [quote]Originally posted by ezloomer:

    <strong>Has anyone ever thought of the idea to implement the scollbar the reverse direction?



    Normally the scrollbar is on the top of a page, when you drag it down the page goes up. What if the bscrollbar is on the bottom, and when you drag it up the page goes up??



    Would that make sense :confused: </strong><hr></blockquote>



    Nope, it doesn't make sense. You're looking at it backwards. It's the viewable area in a scroll pane you are changing and the viewable area is moving down the content when you scroll down. Just as your eyes follow text down a written page. (A lot of the original Mac interface layout was designed around the flow of text on a written page) Now instead of moving your eyes, move the paper insead. Would you say you are reading up the page just because you moved the paper instead of your eyes?



    Proportional scroll bars represent the size of the viewable area in proportion to the total size of the content and position of the bit you can see relative to the whole.



    If you reverse it the whole thing breaks down: the scroll bar would be at the top when you are viewing the bottom of the document. To move to the next page you would have to click above the scroll bar.



    All in all, not a good idea.



    [Edit: Must learn to complete sentences and not stop half]



    [ 07-04-2002: Message edited by: senjaz ]</p>
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