Just got a MBP...


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I'm still trying to see if I can get used to this thing...but it seems like I just keep running into little stupid UI hoops I have to jump though. For instance:

* If I find something using spotlight, why is it that I can only do the default action on it? For example, if I find an app, why can't I drag it on to the dock? Or if I find a file, why can't I right-click and open-with/copy/move/delete/rename? Or at least have an option to go to the containing folder in Finder so I can do whatever I want with it...

* In Finder, how in the world am I supposed to know where in the folder hierarchy I am? All it shows is the name of the current folder, with no why to go "up"

* Speaking of Finder, is there any way to do something like "Copy as Path" like in Windows? Between the lack of this functionality and no way to see where you are in the folder structure, it took me 5 minutes to type in a path to a file, even though I was staring right at it in Finder...

* The lack of "New _____" functionality in Finder drives me nuts - if I'm in the folder that I want to create a text file in, why do I have to go open TextEdit, only to navigate back to the same folder within the save dialog?

* On the topic of save dialogs, again, why is it that I can only save? Why can't I rename/move/delete/open other files from within the same dialog before saving?

* Font rendering still drives me nuts - sometimes it looks nice, but more often than not bold fonts are too bold, and normal fonts are blurry half the time

* What's with the stupid "drag the icon to the Applications folder" install process? Why can't I just double-click the thing?

* It's silly that there's only one gripper for resizing windows...

I know individually these are more minor complaints, but they add up to create a frustrating user experience. I seriously expected an OS this mature to not have so many glaring UI omissions...especially when coming from a company typically known for user-friendly UIs...

Edited by JonathanMarston
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Another thing I love about OS X is that it has so many little fun/useful surprises that users will stumble across every once in a while.

Funny you should mention that, because I'm starting to notice Apple's knack for hiding useful features myself...

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* In Finder, how in the world am I supposed to know where in the folder hierarchy I am? All it shows is the name of the current folder, with no why to go "up"

In Finder: View: Show Path Bar.

You can also right click on the Finder toolbar, choose Customize, and add a Path drop down button.

* What's with the stupid "drag the icon to the Applications folder" install process? Why can't I just double-click the thing?

If you double click it you are just running it, it's an executable not an installer. If you don't drag it over it will be gone when you unmount the .dmg file or left wherever you unzipped it. Most popular apps give you a shortcut to the applications folder when you open the disk image so it's usually not that big of a deal.

* It's silly that there's only one gripper for resizing windows...

Agreed.

I know individually these are more minor complaints, but they add up to create a frustrating user experience. I seriously expected an OS this mature to not have so many glaring UI omissions...especially when coming from a company typically known for user-friendly UIs...

To Apple, user-friendly means super simple. This works well for them with most people but with the things you are asking for it seems you are more of a power user. Most likely everything you want is included or available in some form, you just might have to search around. For example, I googled "Finder Copy Path" and it came up with a bunch of links about how to set up a custom script command to do it, a few minute process at most.

Edited by Stetson
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In Finder: View: Show Path Bar.

You can also right click on the Finder toolbar, choose Customize, and add a Path drop down button.

Thanks, that helps a lot! I also found if you right-click on a folder and select "Get Info" it gives you a copyable text representation of the folder's path. Windows Explorer's breadcrumb bar is still much better though...

I also just tried disabling LCD Font Smoothing, and it fixed the over-bold text issue, but it made normal text even more blurry since it's no longer using the sub-pixels for smoothing....

Edited by JonathanMarston
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I'm still trying to see if I can get used to this thing...but it seems like I just keep running into little stupid UI hoops I have to jump though. For instance:

* If I find something using spotlight, why is it that I can only do the default action on it? For example, if I find an app, why can't I drag it on to the dock? Or if I find a file, why can't I right-click and open-with/copy/move/delete/rename?

* In Finder, how in the world am I supposed to know where in the folder hierarchy I am? All it shows is the name of the current folder, with no why to go "up"

* Speaking of Finder, is there any way to do something like "Copy as Path" like in Windows? Between the lack of this functionality and no way to see where you are in the folder structure, it took me 5 minutes to type in a path to a file, even though I was staring right at it in Finder...

* The lack of "New _____" functionality in Finder drives me nuts - if I'm in the folder that I want to create a text file in, why do I have to go open TextEdit, only to navigate back to the same folder within the save dialog?

* On the topic of save dialogs, again, why is it that I can only save? Why can't I rename/move/delete/open other files from within the same dialog before saving?

* Font rendering still drives me nuts - sometimes it looks nice, but more often than not bold fonts are too bold, and normal fonts are blurry half the time

* What's with the stupid "drag the icon to the Applications folder" install process? Why can't I just double-click the thing?

* It's silly that there's only one gripper for resizing windows...

I know individually these are more minor complaints, but they add up to create a frustrating user experience. I seriously expected an OS this mature to not have so many glaring UI omissions...especially when coming from a company typically known for user-friendly UIs...

- The Spotlight menubar interface doesn't perform regular Finder functions, just like the start menu interface doesn't perform regular Explorer functions. When you find something in Spotlight, hold down CMD and then click or press enter to reveal it in Finder where you can perform those functions you want.

- View -> Show Path Bar. Or right-click on the name in the titlebar.

- CMD+Shift+G or Go -> Go to folder.

- I agree, I had this problem as well. There are some contextual menu plugins that do mimic it though, such as NuFile.

- Similar to above, I had to use Default Folder X to get that functionality. It's not free though, so an alternative is to CMD+I in the open/save dialog and change the name from Name & Extensions.

- Font rendering is a personal preference, I personally enjoy it but you can try and adjust to your preferences. In Terminal:

Light: defaults -currentHost write -globalDomain AppleFontSmoothing -int 1

Medium: defaults -currentHost write -globalDomain AppleFontSmoothing -int 2

Strong: defaults -currentHost write -globalDomain AppleFontSmoothing -int 3

- Some applications use installers, most don't. I find it easier and more transparent to know what files are going in my system.

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- The Spotlight menubar interface doesn't perform regular Finder functions, just like the start menu interface doesn't perform regular Explorer functions.

Explorer functions aren't available, but just like everywhere else in Windows, the full context menu is available from the start menu, which includes things like open with, cut, copy, delete, send to, etc..

Light: defaults -currentHost write -globalDomain AppleFontSmoothing -int 1

This actually helped alot - thanks!

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Explorer functions aren't available, but just like everywhere else in Windows, the full context menu is available from the start menu, which includes things like open with, cut, copy, delete, send to, etc..

Just hit Command + Enter when you've got a selection in the Spotlight menubar interface. It'll go to the file in Finder, and then you can do all the normal stuff to it.

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I'm in the same boat at the moment. I reinstalled Leopard on my macbook pro last night just to give it another chance and it still amazes me how bad the OS... in certain areas.

I want to start developing iphone apps but the operating system is really annoying.

Back to windows 7 for me I think.

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i work with Windows machines all day, i use a mac at home cause i am stick of fixing windows machine during the day. The finder really does need sorting it, its not explorer and its right click options. If they can sort that out, then its another good thing in os x :)

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I like the random crashes with snow leopard when you move a running video around the screen. Bizzare.

Yes, that is bizarre. I just tried doing that with a bunch of movies and QuickTime X never crashed on me. :huh:

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Warcraft will randomly crash the whole OS (10.6) for me on my macbook, and I'll get more beach-balling then I did in 10.5.

10.5 = Window 7

10.6 = Vista

Least that's how I see it.

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take your Applications Directory in system, and drag it to the Dock, you now have a windows Like Start Menu, do the same with your Doc's directory/bla bla bla. i ignore Spotlight

to show where you are in Finder, open finder, then click View< Show Path Bar

to rename a file, click on it to highlight it, then click on the name to rename it

as far as teh save dialog, its the save dialog, if you want to move/copy/delete/whatever use finder, not save, its for saving

I'm still trying to see if I can get used to this thing...but it seems like I just keep running into little stupid UI hoops I have to jump though. For instance:

* If I find so... gripper for resizing windows...

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Warcraft will randomly crash the whole OS (10.6) for me on my macbook, and I'll get more beach-balling then I did in 10.5.

10.5 = Window 7

10.6 = Vista

Least that's how I see it.

I've had the exact opposite experience with Snow Leopard. It's performed incredible well for me (better than Leopard) and I've never had anything crash on it (unless it wasn't properly compatible with Snow Leopard in the first place). I don't know about Warcraft 3 (I never loaded it since I got my iMac), but WoW has never run better for me.

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WoW is the Warcraft I was referencing. If you brows the forums you will see that WoW locking up 10.6 isn't an isolated incident.

For an OS that is supposed to be a "tweaked" OS with a few changes it breaks a LOT.

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More gripes:

- The edges at the bottom are too sharp. If I try to use my MBP on a slightly elevated surface the edges start cutting into my wrists

- The handling of the 9400M/9600M is horrendous. You have to log out to switch between them in Mac OSX, and no 9400M support in Windows at all (which unnecessarily lowers battery life). Other PC notebooks with this configuration in Windows will automatically switch on and off the 9600M (without logging out) and will even run both GPUs in SLI to get better performance

- The indentation with which you open the screen happens to be in the same place as the built-in camera, which means you put smudges in front of the lens every time you open it

- The Boot Camp drivers don't let Windows 7 control the screen brightness, you have to do it manually with the fn key combination

- The glossy screen is very annoying. The slightest smudge is very visible, and glare is terrible

- Either I'm incapable of browsing Apple's web site, or there is no such thing as a docking station for a MBP, forcing me to plug-in/un-plug my keyboard and mouse, network cable, external HD, speakers, and second monitor every time go to/leave my desk

- No VGA or DVI port, which forced me to buy an adapter to use my external monitor

- Had to hard stop it (hold power button for 5 seconds) while running it in Mac OSX the other day because no apps would start, and it wouldn't shut down or restart since programs were running. Tried using Force Quit to close running apps, but after quitting the first couple apps, the Force Quit window just gave me the Spinning Gay Rainbow of "Sucks to be You." Never had these kinds of problems on my HP with Windows 7...

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I just got a MBP 17" through work (I've been assigned to start writing iPhone apps), and after 15 minutes I'm already hating Mac OSX. The hardware is ok in many ways. It's light, runs relatively cool, fast, bright screen, awesome speakers, but the tracking on the touch pad is pretty bad (setting the speed up helped some), no way to change DPI (text is just a little too small for me at 1920x1200 on a 17" screen), no new tab button in Safari (in fact, one would never know it even supported tabs without first knowing about the command+t key combo). It made me restart twice when first coming on. No end or home keys. Poor text rendering. Icons on the dock are not very distinguishable. No maximize. Text selection and navigation key combinations are different from Windows apparently for the sake of being different. No delete button (I mean delete like on a PC, not the inexplicably renamed backspace key). No ten key like my HP of the same size had. And I can't do anything on it since none of my programs work. Basically, I can't wait until tomorrow when I can put Windows 7 Pro on it and hook up a PC keyboard and mouse, at which point I'll start up in Mac OSX as little as possible. I've messed around with Ubuntu on several occasions and been more impressed with it than this...and it's free

With all the hype around Macs I was expecting much more...this really feels like someone's idea of a joke...

I have been a PC user all my life and even though I still have a PC and use Windows, I also have an iMac which I just bought about 1 month and a half ago and I haven't had any problems. I didn't like the Mighty Mouse that came with it so I went out and got a Microsoft Bluetooth mouse and I am happy. If you are not happy with the MacBook touchpad, don't complicate and aggravate yourself and go out and get a small wireless mouse and that's it. Use it instead.

Warcraft will randomly crash the whole OS (10.6) for me on my macbook, and I'll get more beach-balling then I did in 10.5.

10.5 = Window 7

10.6 = Vista

Least that's how I see it.

What are you doing playing World of Warcraft on a Macbook laptop in the first place? They are not designed for gaming. They are designed for work. Leave the gaming to a PC with Windows.

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The most bizarre thing about OSX so far to me is... pressing Enter to rename files (Select them, hit enter). I've been been so dumbfounded by an OS in my life. On every single computer since... 1981 hitting enter on a selected application/file opens the file.

The glossy screen is very annoying. The slightest smudge is very visible, and glare is terrible

Yeah, It's one of those things that looks lovely in store, but when it comes to using it in practise, it's horrible. Can you not request the matte version from work?

What are you doing playing World of Warcraft on a Macbook laptop in the first place? They are not designed for gaming. They are designed for work. Leave the gaming to a PC with Windows

Yeah, that's totally why Apple added dual GPU's to the macbook pros :p

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The most bizarre thing about OSX so far to me is... pressing Enter to rename files (Select them, hit enter). I've been been so dumbfounded by an OS in my life. On every single computer since... 1981 hitting enter on a selected application/file opens the file.

Opposite for me. I go to Windows and am dumbfounded as to why Enter opens an application. :laugh: People will always have preferences.

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I realize most of my initial reactions are due to my familiarity with Windows - and I posted them partially to bring up the kinds of things a Windows user would first run into when using a Mac, but there are a few things I find inexcusable:

1. Text rendering. It's just so blurry

This should explain the difference for you: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000885.html

3. I get the idea of zoom vs maximize, but seriously, when I don't have a 30-inch screen, I want to be able to quickly take advantage of what screen space I do have!

Actually, it's obvious that you don't get the idea. Zoom enlarges the window to fit the content. If it enlarged it any more, you would simply have white space around the content. How is that taking advantage of your screen space?

4. It may just be my Windows-user-ness coming out again, but the dock really seems inferior to the superbar - sure it's better than pre-Win7's taskbar, but I seriously miss aero-peek!

Haven't discovered Expose' yet, have you?

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More gripes:

- The edges at the bottom are too sharp. If I try to use my MBP on a slightly elevated surface the edges start cutting into my wrists

- The handling of the 9400M/9600M is horrendous. You have to log out to switch between them in Mac OSX, and no 9400M support in Windows at all (which unnecessarily lowers battery life). Other PC notebooks with this configuration in Windows will automatically switch on and off the 9600M (without logging out) and will even run both GPUs in SLI to get better performance

- The indentation with which you open the screen happens to be in the same place as the built-in camera, which means you put smudges in front of the lens every time you open it

- The Boot Camp drivers don't let Windows 7 control the screen brightness, you have to do it manually with the fn key combination

- The glossy screen is very annoying. The slightest smudge is very visible, and glare is terrible

- Either I'm incapable of browsing Apple's web site, or there is no such thing as a docking station for a MBP, forcing me to plug-in/un-plug my keyboard and mouse, network cable, external HD, speakers, and second monitor every time go to/leave my desk

- No VGA or DVI port, which forced me to buy an adapter to use my external monitor

- Had to hard stop it (hold power button for 5 seconds) while running it in Mac OSX the other day because no apps would start, and it wouldn't shut down or restart since programs were running. Tried using Force Quit to close running apps, but after quitting the first couple apps, the Force Quit window just gave me the Spinning Gay Rainbow of "Sucks to be You." Never had these kinds of problems on my HP with Windows 7...

Too sharp? Your palms must be huge.

Yeah OSX doesn't do SLI or CrossFire, it'd be nice if it switched automatically, maybe in 10.7.

Again, big palms and gigantic fingers?

So? Fn keys are fine, you're just nit picking.

Depends on the environment, but matte is just as bad if you can't see it at all.

MDP allows for more combinations without taking up more space.

What apps were you running when you had to hard stop?

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Too sharp? Your palms must be huge.

Yeah OSX doesn't do SLI or CrossFire, it'd be nice if it switched automatically, maybe in 10.7.

Again, big palms and gigantic fingers?

So? Fn keys are fine, you're just nit picking.

Depends on the environment, but matte is just as bad if you can't see it at all.

MDP allows for more combinations without taking up more space.

What apps were you running when you had to hard stop?

Bootcamp control panel allows you to change it to how they work in OSX too.

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