Finder is lousy

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I am a new MaC user, I feel that finder is very lousy, many functions missing like CUT.

Compared to windows 7 explorer, Finder is a very low-tech design.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 26
    I'm not a fan of the Finder but it's certainly no worse than Windows Explorer. The cut and paste file feature in Windows is quite counterintuitive, so I can understand why it is not in the Mac Finder. If you are new to the Mac you should expect to spend some time getting used to some of the differences.
  • Reply 2 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by yplim2300 View Post


    I am a new MaC user, I feel that finder is very lousy, many functions missing like CUT.



    You really have no reason to want or need this.



    Quote:

    Compared to windows 7 explorer, Finder is a very low-tech design.



    Sure it is. When you have any legitimate arguments, please feel free to present them.
  • Reply 3 of 26
    Not only are you a troll, but you're a dumb one. Who told you that "cut" was missing? Steve Ballmer?



    Back in the day at AI, there were windows users who had completely legitimate complaints about Apple products. Now, Apple is a bigger company than Microsoft, so it would seem that those complaints have been resolved.
  • Reply 4 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by yplim2300 View Post


    I am a new MaC user, I feel that finder is very lousy, many functions missing like CUT.



    Scandalous, isn't it!

    And what's also missing is a steam engine!

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by yplim2300 View Post


    Compared to windows 7 explorer, Finder is a very low-tech design.



    Not everybody can either afford or handle a Lamborghini. Or pretend to. And while you're cruising around, flashing, try getting the kids to school in one. Or getting the groceries home for that party at the weekend.

    Most of us simple folk down here are very happy with our utilitarian Beemers, thank you very much.



    So run Windows 7 on your new Mac if that makes you happy. You can do that on a Mac. Legally and practically. But you can't run OSX on a Windows platform. Neither legally nor practically. Not the average PC user anyway.
  • Reply 5 of 26
    I agree the Finder is lousy in places, but more for 'burn a CD by ejecting it' and the 'maximize' aka 'WTF' buttons on windows.



    Or spending 5 minutes calculating how many items are to be copied, rather than actually copying those files in 2 seconds.
  • Reply 6 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 1337_5L4Xx0R View Post


    ...the 'maximize' aka 'fit to window content' buttons on windows.



    Fixed.
  • Reply 7 of 26
    Quote:

    ...the 'WTF' aka 'nobody really knows what it will do' buttons on windows.



    edited for clarity



  • Reply 8 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 1337_5L4Xx0R View Post


    edited for clarity



    The OS isn't going to screw with the way you have frames set in a window, so it's doing its best to match the content you have set. You have to pick a size of your own, hit the button, and then match height to your screen.



    Not that it will matter by next fall, anyway.
  • Reply 9 of 26
    Quote:

    Not that it will matter by next fall, anyway.



    Agreed. Looks like someone at Apple drank some sanity-juice.
  • Reply 10 of 26
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Lion should fix some of this stuff. People round here will call you an idiot until the day Apple changes said feature. Then, that's different. And yet still, you'll be somehow wrong.
  • Reply 11 of 26
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    The OS isn't going to screw with the way you have frames set in a window, so it's doing its best to match the content you have set. You have to pick a size of your own, hit the button, and then match height to your screen.



    Not that it will matter by next fall, anyway.



    I disagree. I think Windows maximize is better. Sometimes it's silly and fit to window would make more sense. But most of the time you want the whole screen for whatever you are doing. It's better to be consistent. I have to say this is one thing (out of very view) that Macs always did worse compared to Windows at least for my preferences. I have to say I've heard a lot of other people, both old-school Mac users and switchers that say the same thing.



    Finder seems to have not been worked on for a decade. Where is write support for FTP and NTFS. I agree Finder is/was good but hasn't improved since...10.0? Except QuickLook... Quick Look is nice but its interface is limited, almost spartan. Why can't I move from file to file in full screen? Controls in it are limited as well. Meh, who uses Finder to find things anyway, now that there's SpotLight! I loves me some SpotLight. Makes Windows look quaint. I'll take it over over sensible window maximize any day.
  • Reply 12 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aquatic View Post


    Finder seems to have not been worked on for a decade. Where is write support for FTP and NTFS.



    NTFS write is built into Snow Leopard, just not enabled by default.
  • Reply 13 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    NTFS write is built into Snow Leopard, just not enabled by default.



    http://ntfsmounter.com/ does this for you.
  • Reply 14 of 26
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by talksense101 View Post


    http://ntfsmounter.com/ does this for you.



    Thanks talksense101! That's cool. I'd read about it being present but not enabled...so it isn't official yet...have you used this a lot? Is it stable or is it not official yet for any good reasons? I'll play around with this and report back here on it.
  • Reply 15 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aquatic View Post


    Thanks talksense101! That's cool. I'd read about it being present but not enabled...so it isn't official yet...have you used this a lot? Is it stable or is it not official yet for any good reasons? I'll play around with this and report back here on it.



    I don't use NTFS mounts directly. I access them only via Samba. Let us know how your analysis goes. In my opinion, Apple hasn't enabled write due to licensing issues. Linux has NTFS write support for a long time, so I don't think it is hard for Apple to do.
  • Reply 16 of 26
    What's up everyone, I'm new to the forum and just wanted to say hey. Hopefully I posted this in the right section!
  • Reply 17 of 26
    dfilerdfiler Posts: 3,420member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by yplim2300 View Post


    I am a new MaC user, I feel that finder is very lousy, many functions missing like CUT.

    Compared to windows 7 explorer, Finder is a very low-tech design.



    Cut is a more complicated concept than it might first appear.



    In the context of data within a document, it is fairly straightforward. That data tends to be under the sole control of the editing application, the application from which the cut command is executed. This means that the cut data tends to be static between when it is cut and when it is pasted. And when it isn't static, if it gets modified, the application at least has the opportunity to address that scenario. What happens when you paste the data which has been edited between cutting and pasting... ?



    That same scenario is more problematic when dealing with files. The user "cuts" an iconic representation of the file, not a visible and explicit set of data/information. So which is it? Did the user cut the reference to the data or the data itself?



    Also, there are so many file types that the finder would stand no chance of knowing how to deal with data that has changed between being cut and pasted.



    On top of that, even if the finder could deal with those changes, it becomes a real performance problem. For instance, what happens when a 7.3GB file is modified or deleted between being cut and pasted? Should that file be duplicated in memory such that both versions exist? Consider the disk thrashing that would occur, etc.



    Finally, that the file being modified might not even exist on the local system.



    Make no mistake about it, Apple purposefully left the concept of "cut" out of the file system. It isn't because they were lazy or couldn't implement it the way it is done on other systems. But rather, Apple saw the problems that are caused by "cut" files and chose not to provide such dangerous functionality.



    Other than that, you'll be glad to know that bitching about the finder is a long standing pastime of Mac users. FTFF! (For an explanation of that, google: FTFF)
  • Reply 18 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by yplim2300 View Post


    I am a new MaC user, I feel that finder is very lousy, many functions missing like CUT.

    Compared to windows 7 explorer, Finder is a very low-tech design.



    The secret is... On the Mac, you don't need to use the Finder. With Spotlight and other techniques, you actually shouldn't worry about where files are and how you organise them. Throw your files anywhere in the Home Folder. Don't micromanage. Just Time Machine your whole hard disk to a large external drive. That's all you need to worry about. Don't micromanage where things go. Just get stuff done. Sounds crazy, but those using a Mac for more than say, 3 years, know exactly what I am talking about. It is a challenge even for myself to believe, sometimes, but I know it is possible.



    Let go of your fear. Free your mind. There is no spoon.
  • Reply 19 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by yplim2300 View Post


    I am a new MaC user, I feel that finder is very lousy, many functions missing like CUT.

    Compared to windows 7 explorer, Finder is a very low-tech design.



    BTW maybe you can try http://raskinformac.com/ ...Looks interesting...
  • Reply 20 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    The OS isn't going to screw with the way you have frames set in a window, so it's doing its best to match the content you have set. You have to pick a size of your own, hit the button, and then match height to your screen.



    Not that it will matter by next fall, anyway.



    I actually use RightZoom on my Mac for Finder, Safari, and select other programs. Option-Green Button in iTunes maximises fully to the screen, BTW.



    Some Windows habits will never die, such is my fate. I can bend the spoon but I can't make it disappear.
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