What does adobe have against sheets.

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
adobe seems to be the flagship of developers for the mac, i know there are probably bigger ones but when you think of good mac software usually adobe comes to mind.

so here's my question.

why doesnt adobe adhere to the guidlines of a mac os x application and use sheets? everytime i save anything in an adobe app there is no sheet, just that intrusive dialog box which haults my work in everything else in that app.

i've never understood it and perhaps someone has a good explination as to why there are no sheets in an adobe app to this day.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 50
    johnqjohnq Posts: 2,763member
    I assume it's because Adobe apps are Carbon and sheets are Cocoa-only?
  • Reply 2 of 50
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    I believe that sheets are available to Carbon apps too as of either Jaguar or Panther. My guesses are that either Adobe wants to have their apps run on pre-Jag or Panther systems without a hitch or that sheets interfere with their cross-platform code in some way.
  • Reply 3 of 50
    cowerdcowerd Posts: 579member
    Adobe uses their own brand of UI [crap]. They don't bother to follow Apple UI guidelines except where they see fit.



    Re cross-platform: Now means Adobe pays attention to Windows UI first and foremost.
  • Reply 4 of 50
    maffrewmaffrew Posts: 166member
    As a newb, i have to ask...



    What are sheets?
  • Reply 5 of 50
    johnqjohnq Posts: 2,763member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Maffrew

    As a newb, i have to ask...



    What are sheets?




    A sheet is a dialog box ("Save" usually) that is attached to the window it refers to. They are "non-modal", so you can go to other documents even though there may be other sheets waiting for your input.



    Try it:

    Open TextEdit, type something in a new document then try to close the window.



    A "sheet" drops down asking if you want to save. But you can still make a new document or do other things in the app to other documents. Previously a "save" dialog box would prevent the user from doing anything else.
  • Reply 6 of 50
    maffrewmaffrew Posts: 166member
    Aha, thanks for that. Very helpful explanation
  • Reply 7 of 50
    ionyzionyz Posts: 491member
    Well BBEdit didn't used to use sheets either. Then they asked the community where they should go, drop OS 9 and old code or keep up both versions. In the end everyone wanted a cleaner OS X port with the possibility of more features and drop OS X.



    BBEdit 8 (newest) features more OS X native features like sheets and multiple document capabilities (think Xcode).
  • Reply 8 of 50
    well i can see legacy stuff, but the new adobe stuff runs souley on os x so its not like they have os 9 junk to worry about.
  • Reply 9 of 50
    mr. memr. me Posts: 3,221member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by millhouse

    well i can see legacy stuff, but the new adobe stuff runs souley on os x so its not like they have os 9 junk to worry about.



    Adobe's newest Mac applications look like bad ports of Windows applications.
  • Reply 10 of 50
    jlljll Posts: 2,713member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by millhouse

    so here's my question.

    why doesnt adobe adhere to the guidlines of a mac os x application and use sheets? everytime i save anything in an adobe app there is no sheet, just that intrusive dialog box which haults my work in everything else in that app.

    i've never understood it and perhaps someone has a good explination as to why there are no sheets in an adobe app to this day.




    Because most of the apps allows you to have multiple windows with the same document/image/whatever and then you can't use sheets.
  • Reply 11 of 50
    a_greera_greer Posts: 4,594member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by cowerd

    Adobe uses their own brand of UI [crap]. They don't bother to follow Apple UI guidelines except where they see fit.



    Re cross-platform: Now means Adobe pays attention to Windows UI first and foremost.




    You all forget one key thing: all adobe products also run on windows, it is crucial to them to keep them the same - or as close as is reasonably acceptable, thus windows is holding adobe back from useing many of the "toys" that would unleash the beuty and power of OSX.



    This is why I fear that Adobe will not take advantage of core*, how would it look to the purchaser if a program that costs the same is light years behind on windows? how would Adobe justify the high cost of the windows version? Or could they bring the windows version up to par with directx or some hard core open gl work...

    Just my two cents.



  • Reply 12 of 50
    johnqjohnq Posts: 2,763member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by a_greer

    This is why I fear that Adobe will not take advantage of core*, how would it look to the purchaser if a program that costs the same is light years behind on windows?



    Fear? Rejoice. Apple will break from the Adobe monopoly once and for all. It'll suck at first, but Apple will enable themselves, users and better companies than Adobe to easily create such apps.



    Apple needs independence. If you can say "If Company X stops making App Y then Apple is doomed" then it's time for Apple to make their own version. No outside company should have that much clout, be it Microsoft or Adobe.
  • Reply 13 of 50
    messiahmessiah Posts: 1,689member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by johnq

    Fear? Rejoice. Apple will break from the Adobe monopoly once and for all. It'll suck at first, but Apple will enable themselves, users and better companies than Adobe to easily create such apps.



    Apple needs independence. If you can say "If Company X stops making App Y then Apple is doomed" then it's time for Apple to make their own version. No outside company should have that much clout, be it Microsoft or Adobe.








    Back in the real world.
  • Reply 14 of 50
    cowerdcowerd Posts: 579member
    Quote:

    You all forget one key thing: all adobe products also run on windows, it is crucial to them to keep them the same



    They are not the same. Acrobat is a festering sore on OS X compared to the windows version, and Adobe's last update of Acrobat brought us that crapalicious Office toolbar and icons even though its target Mac audience is designers. Not to mention dubious windows only features like importing AutoCAD layers that then can't be accessed in Illustrator or PS.



    PS still runs better on a Mac.



    and Illustrator should be thrown into the toilet on both platforms. Its too bad Freehand is so bad. So there you have it, best vector illustration program by default.



    Adobe can't even keep consistency across its own app lineup. PS vs. Illustrator vs. inDesign. When layers start to behave the same way across all their apps I'll shut up and go home.
  • Reply 15 of 50
    johnqjohnq Posts: 2,763member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Messiah





    Back in the real world.




    Um, what? Once Core Video/Image etc are available for developers (and some users) it'll be far less important to need Adobe's monolithic apps.
  • Reply 16 of 50
    messiahmessiah Posts: 1,689member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by johnq

    Um, what? Once Core Video/Image etc are available for developers (and some users) it'll be far less important to need Adobe's monolithic apps.



    I'm a Pro user who uses Adobe apps a min. of 8 hours a day. Like many Pro users I tend to be Adobe first and Apple second. We only buy Apple kit because it offers the best UI at the moment, and it's a UI that most people are familiar with.



    If we're given the choice between Adobe on Apple or Adobe on PC we'll pick Apple 10/10. If we're given the choice between Adobe on PC or UnprovenAlternative TM on Apple, we'll pick Adobe on PC 10/10.



    Photoshop is the best in its class - that is a FACT.



    Illustrator is wiping the floor with Freehand at the moment - that is a FACT. Every die hard Freehand user I know has switched to Illustrator in the last year.



    InDesign is superior to QuarkXPress in every way - that is a FACT - and its starting to gain momentum.



    Adobe are also responsible for the two bedrock technologies that our industry is founded upon - Postscript and PDFs.



    From my understanding of Core Video/Image, it's not really going to have an impact on they way that we use Adobe apps on a day to day basis. Sure it might make better use of the video cards and leverage a little more processing power out of the machine, but on a daily basis I'm more worried about DESIGNING and developing SOLUTIONS to clients needs.



    Adobe apps are on the whole, reliable. I'm at a stage now where I can visualize pretty much anything that I can think up. It's almost becoming second nature.



    If Apple announced that it was marketing its equivalent of the "Creative Suite" I don't think anybody would touch it. Apple just wouldn't have the track record within that field. And it's ALL about track record. Apple couldn't possibly justify the amount of expenditure and resources it would take to compete with Adobe.



    If Adobe announced that it was shelving Apple support, and moving to Windows, we'd all be up to speed on PCs within a month. I don't think we'd really look back to be honest...



    Like I say, Adobe first, Apple second.
  • Reply 17 of 50
    messiahmessiah Posts: 1,689member
    And what the hell is going on with my G5?



    The fans just decided to kick-in at full speed for a minute there...?
  • Reply 18 of 50
    rokrok Posts: 3,519member
    hey, while we're wondering about adobe apps and their mac os x agnostic UI, why don't they obey the standard hide and minimize commands, or even the command-~ to swap between open windows?



    that drives me nuts. even illustrator obeys command-~
  • Reply 19 of 50
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    Adobe is creating their own UI, their own platform of tools. They barely make use of native technologies.



    Frankly, I don't think a lot graphic designers have any idea of either what's happening or what's possible outside of Adobe's sphere. It's in Adobe's best interest to keep people dependent on Adobe stuff. Apple has many of the same underlying technologies (not most I don't think, but the big ones are there) working for all apps in OS X. Right now, Photoshop and other Adobe apps are doing redundant work that the OS does automatically and in the same way. Apple also has some advanced text features that Adobe hasn't tapped into. Of course, Apple's 2D engine has a lot of ties to Adobe's technology. The day Adobe starts using Apple tech for its own apps is the day Adobe starts tinkering with the open PDF specs, tinkering with their liberal policy regarding the .psd file format, etc. And obviously, there's a lot of technoloy and features that Adobe has that Apple has no equivalent of and no need for in their other apps at this point. It gets political for the tech that is shared.



    Adobe's application UIs are clearly closer to Windows than Mac OS at this point, but I think many graphics people are unaware of that because they don't use much outside of Adobe's Creative suite and because they haven't used Windows much. In that context, everything else is exceptional. Adobe knows that.



    The big, huge deal about the CoreImage library is that it does much of what Photoshop can do in real time, no tricky masking (Ok, not always that tricky ) or anything. Think about that. I don't think it's a shot across the bow, but it is a wakup call to Adobe that someone, whether using Apple technology or their own, will do pretty much everything Photoshop does faster and with less interface "stuff" in the way of design. That level of technology was bound to come sooner or later, so nevermind who got there first. It's huge deal in terms of productivity and revenue too. It will be interesting to see if anyone else can make a real run at Adobe or if Adobe's monopoly will stymie advancement of this technology until it works for them. They can afford to work on such a thing at a leisurely pace, enough to keep competitors at bay. In all fairness, they've earned that advantage for the most part (along with others' screw-ups along the way).



    Adobe has no interest in dependency on other platforms, nor do they have any interest in opening any Pandora's Box by doing so.



    Besides, Adobe by far makes more revenue from PCs, nevermind that most pro firms still use Macs. As Messiah said (in a sort of zealotrous tone, but we're hear that from others too ), the pros follow Adobe first, Apple second. I think Adobe is planning on dropping the Mac, at least hedging its bets. If they tie into it, it makes the transition away from Macs more difficult. If they do it, then development costs go up, and it speeds up the timeline when developing for Mac OS isn't worth the money.



    While Adobe IMO holds back advancement of the interface by constantly lagging behind or ignoring the rest of the OS, it is the surest way to keep Mac OS development viable for as long as possible.
  • Reply 20 of 50
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Messiah

    If Adobe announced that it was shelving Apple support, and moving to Windows, we'd all be up to speed on PCs within a month. I don't think we'd really look back to be honest...



    That's the move they've been preparing you for. Get ready.
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