Apple's "New" GUI

[.Neo]

I am sure they will adjust it so these aren't problems. As people have suggested, it looks like this UI was slightly rused for WWDC.

Yeah it looks rushed. Many interface bugs like I stated before. Especially when it comes to buttons and such. Apple also needs to do a lot of cleaning up work when it comes to old resource files.

[Quillz]

I am sure they will adjust it so these aren't problems. As people have suggested, it looks like this UI was slightly rused for WWDC.

Considering the Wi-Fi icon is pulled straight from Tiger, and has no transparency or darker colors to blend into the menu bar at all, this UI was most definately rushed. I would imagine the next beta refresh, due out in July, will fix a lot of UI bugs and glitches. The good thing about the WWDC beta is that most of bugs I've seen, from the Desktop to Photo Booth, don't look like that difficult to fix. Most of the Photo Booth effects, for example, glitch out when as soon as it captures a picture of the background, meaning it's just some kind of (again) graphical glitch, easily fixed.

it puts the feed inside ur mailbox.on a side note, where did you get your mail icon from

Here's the Mail icon...http://orange.quickshareit.com/share/mailcaf82.zip

[mattrobs]

Here's an idea: Seeing how the menu bar's trying to 'adapt' to the wallpaper to appear less conspicuous, why don't they get it to choose the most common colour from the wallpaper and colour it.

E.g.:

[Menge]

that does look nice, mattrobs :)

the transparent thing, though... does not :s

[osirisX]

That's pretty. That could be extended so that the user could chose whatever colour they want.

[Aperture]

Here's an idea: Seeing how the menu bar's trying to 'adapt' to the wallpaper to appear less conspicuous, why don't they get it to choose the most common colour from the wallpaper and colour it.

E.g.:

Surprisingly effective too!

Good idea man.

[Rahul]

apart from the see through menu bar , all looks cool

[Quillz]

Surprisingly effective too!

Good idea man.

That's actually a very good idea, you should submit that idea to Apple. But, really, I think once people start using Leopard as a serious OS (a week or more,) you'll start to agree with me that the transparent really isn't so bad. You know it's there but it doesn't attract attention, it just sort of disappears until you need it, I think that's about as effective as anyone could ask for it to be.

[mattrobs]

That's actually a very good idea, you should submit that idea to Apple.

Someone feel free to.

[.Neo]

@mattrobs

While it works OKish for those two extremely simply desktop pictures you used as an example I doubt it will look as good with complex photos and such. Which is the whole point behind the new Menu Bar.

I for one prefer real transparency over one-solid-color adaptation. Apple just needs to make adjustments to how the Menu Bar applies the effects. At current levels it isn't strong enough.

[KeR]

I have to agree, the transparency as is right now in the Beta is not great...I found myself unable to use certain Wallpapers because it was almost impossible to see the text in the menu bar. I think they will need to do a bit of coding to give the menu bar some kind of minimal AI in order for it to be able to adapt to different kind of wallpapers.

[Quillz]

I have to agree, the transparency as is right now in the Beta is not great...I found myself unable to use certain Wallpapers because it was almost impossible to see the text in the menu bar. I think they will need to do a bit of coding to give the menu bar some kind of minimal AI in order for it to be able to adapt to different kind of wallpapers.

Really, all they need to do is just surround the black text with some kind of white or bright outline. That's what they do with the transparency on the Vista taskbar, IIRC, so that it can always be seen, if not just the white outline.

[XiXora]

@mattrobs

While it works OKish for those two extremely simply desktop pictures you used as an example I doubt it will look as good with complex photos and such. Which is the whole point behind the new Menu Bar.

I for one prefer real transparency over one-solid-color adaptation. Apple just needs to make adjustments to how the Menu Bar applies the effects. At current levels it isn't strong enough.

To be fair, I think Vista's 'Glass' effect works well for these things...

[Koyder]

Does any of you know if Quartz 2D Extreme is enabled by default in Leopard?

[Elliott]

To be fair, I think Vista's 'Glass' effect works well for these things...

That's a good point. The blur doesn't let the detail get in the way.

[.Neo]

To be fair, I think Vista's 'Glass' effect works well for these things...

Yeah, I already made that point a few pages back. The blur effect is one of the few things about Aero that Microsoft thought well through. The current effect used by Apple on the other hand isn't.

Edited July 6, 2007 by .Neo

[Quillz]

Here's another problem with the transparent menu bar on the current Leopard beta...

Looks like someone forgot to make the icon transparent, it's been ripped straight from Tiger! Actually, I think they should consider colorizing the icon, maybe making it green or something so it shows up stronger against the menu bar.

BTW, speaking of AirPort, the menu is a little different in Leopard now, it can now detect both open and secure Wi-Fi networks.

There aren't any networks near me, which is why nothing else shows up, but note that while my network is a secured one, Leopard makes no mention of it. You'd think it would have a (Secured) next to the currently active network.

[.Neo]

Here's another problem with the transparent menu bar on the current Leopard beta...

Looks like someone forgot to make the icon transparent, it's been ripped straight from Tiger!

There are tons of icons throughout the OS that haven't been updated yet to match the new standards. I guess it's called a BETA for a reason. ;)

[Quillz]

There are tons of icons throughout the OS that haven't been updated yet to match the new standards. I guess it's called a BETA for a reason. ;)

The Wi-Fi/Airport icon is the only one that really sticks out, what else hasn't yet been updated for Leopard?

[Quillz]

Hey, here's another really subtle addition to Leopard... The Help menu is now based entirely on Spotlight! Check this out, for example...

If you go to help and type "bo," for example, it will look for all help related articles with "bo" in them, in this example, anything related to bookmarks. You then mouseover one of the results, and a big gray arrow will show you where in the application menus you can find where what you're looking for is located. It's really neat, and can come in handy for apps like Photoshop that have hundreds of options scattered all over the place.

[suspiria]

I love how menus are slightly round at the corners. Something different.

[.Neo]

The Wi-Fi/Airport icon is the only one that really sticks out, what else hasn't yet been updated for Leopard?

Other Menu Extras items and many folder icons.

Hey, here's another really subtle addition to Leopard... The Help menu is now based entirely on Spotlight! Check this out, for example...

That has been there for quite some time now. It's pretty nifty.

I love how menus are slightly round at the corners. Something different.

Yeah, it looks pretty cool.

[osirisX]

One thing that looks odd in that, because the Help menu is still open it has pushed the Bookmarks menu across. The rounded corners look great. A small but nice touch.

[osirisX]

Ten things you may or may not have known about Leopard: http://apcmag.com/6595/ten_things_you_didn...w_about_leopard

1. Curved menus.

2. Location menu item in the Apple menu doesn't appear if you don't have more than one location.

3. Help menu has been greatly improved.

4. Get Info windows features an improved Sharing and Permissions section.

5. iCal has an improved interface with inline editing.

6. Stacks are really cool and useful.

7. Coverflow is useful when browsing an images folder.

8. Contextual Menus now have Automator and other things stuck in a "More" menu (Stupid decision).

9. Smarter AirPort menu.

10. Applications can be bound to a particular Space.

[mattrobs]

Ten things you may or may not have known about Leopard: http://apcmag.com/6595/ten_things_you_didn...w_about_leopard

Now when you right-click on a file (for all you Windows users that's where you use the right mouse button instead of the left ;-) you'll see..

:( They didn't have to cheap shot Windows users.