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Impressions from a first-time Mac user

loganmarchione.com

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Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#131

Post by legitster »

THANK YOU!

I was recently forced to switch to a Mac for work. After 6+ months I am still relatively unimpressed.

I feel like such a big baby, and I know it's because I am familiar with something else, but I cannot express enough how much I hate Mac's window management. I constantly have to split up my work between multiple Chrome windows and I am now resigned to losing track of everything all the time.

(Hardware wise - I might actually disagree. The device feels nice, but I've found it to be fairly fragile and delicate. Whereas you can drop a Thinkpad down a flight of stairs into a pool of ice cream, a 6-inch fall onto a hard surface might total the screen on the MacBook. But special shoutout to the speakers which still impress me.)

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#132

Post by IncRnd »

moonchrome wrote: post #118

I've had a long background of Windows and Linux usage but I've used MacOS a significant time as well - I'm daily driving a 2018 MacBook Pro 15 and use a Windows Desktop for WFH because it's much more powerful an silent. And I'm also developing on .NET core right now which is a Microsoft tech. With that said I would say MacOS grows on you. On my 34 inch screen using snapping is just not practical - I just move windows…

I constantly use window snapping on my desktop Mac with two widescreen monitors. But, I use keystrokes to do so, using Rectangle, not the mouse.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#133

Post by brimble »

dont__panic wrote: post #79
spicyusername wrote: post #28

> Package management This always floors me when I have to use a non-Linux computer. The difference between package management on Linux and other OSes is shocking. Dnf, Yum, Pacman are all so convenient and straightforward. I can't understand why Windows and MacOS don't have anything official that fills this gap.

Blows my mind that Apple doesn't buy up homebrew and turn it official. I use it for everything, even my web browser!

Pretty much the only time I install something and it's not through Homebrew (unless it's a dependency of a project, which I manage separately, because I like having an easy life and I'd do the same on Linux, for the same reasons) is when it's some sub-100-stars GitHub project. And half the time, those are on there, too.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#134

Post by pmontra »

rwc wrote: post #7
ChicagoBoy11 wrote: post #2

Despite the warning, I didn't find it nearly as "ranty" as the author cautioned, and instead seemed like a fairly comprehensive and fair take on his experience. Having gone through the same thing myself several years ago, the UI aspect of it is something that I'd be curious to see how it develops for the author. I think it is not uncommon for Windows folk to find the windowing experience on macs rather painful, at le…

Not that it's right or wrong, but the behavior dates back to the very first implementations of Mac OS and Windows. Mac OS has always been an application switching interface, and Windows has been a window switching interface. Takes getting used to the paradigm shift.

Having used the very first Mac, it made sense on that tiny screen. One application per time was almost more than it could accommodate. The monitor got bigger after a few years and the menu on top and the full screen interface started not to make sense compared to the Windows PC next desk.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#135

Post by cudgy »

> The entire design of macOS feels like the Gnome desktop: you use what they give you, how they give it to you, using their workflows, barely customizing anything.

The user just started to use the OS: of course they have little knowledge of customization plus they are using a computer subject to corporate policies. Not a fair criticism.

However, the critique of the window snapping mechanics is correct. Very frustrating to have the window go full screen when removing one half of the previously split screen.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#136

Post by loganmarchione »

lou1306 wrote: post #23
traceroute66 wrote: post #17

The author makes a big deal of lack of snapping. Frankly I've never seen the utility of it on OSs that do have it, infact I've always felt it more of a hinderance than a help (gets in the way, tries to snap when you don't want it to). The author makes a big deal that you have to do Command+Tab to switch applications, and then Command+` to cycle between windows in that application. Well, frankly I think thats the bett…

> The author makes a big deal of lack of snapping. Frankly I've never seen the utility of it on OS's that do have it, infact I've always felt it more of a hinderance than a help (gets in the way, tries to snap when you don't want it to). It may be useful for users of large external monitors, allowing to make better use of the screen real estate. Then again, Macos lacks per-application menu bars, which means you canno…

> It may be useful for users of large external monitors, allowing to make better use of the screen real estate

OP here. This is exactly why I want snapping (I'm using a 27" 1440p monitor)

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#137

Post by josho »

spicyusername wrote: post #28

> Package management This always floors me when I have to use a non-Linux computer. The difference between package management on Linux and other OSes is shocking. Dnf, Yum, Pacman are all so convenient and straightforward. I can't understand why Windows and MacOS don't have anything official that fills this gap.

They do. On Windows it's msi, and Mac it's pkg. But, for whatever reason folks have preferred to build their own package solution instead of learning the OS native approach. I'm guessing because building your own makes for an easier end user CLI experience.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#138

Post by jack_pp »

zamalek wrote: post #89
jack_pp wrote: post #31

I tried the m1 mini when it came out because I was hyped by all the m1 HN talk. This was my first time using macOS and besides the window management what I loathed was having to re-learn all the shortcuts I've been using for 20+ years, how no one mentions this is baffling to me. I tried to make it work more like "normal" windows / linux but I didn't find any good options and I always felt like I was running with my s…

Put Asahi on that M1, it's apparently great even though the work they have done with the GPU is still disabled.

I returned it a long time ago and have no reason to replace my work thinkpad t490

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#139

Post by thatswrong0 »

brimble wrote: post #107
divbzero wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I miss most in macOS is Super + Left and Super + Right to tile windows left and right..

I've used Spectacle with the defaults, for years. It's not actively developed but still works. There are actively-maintained alternatives, but since it has zero times done anything weird or glitchy for me, even with multiple monitors, I've not switched yet. "brew install spectacle", start it, give it accessibility permissions it needs in the Settings panel, set to start at login (check a checkbox in Spectacle's setti…

Spectacle is a must have IMO.

I set mine up to be Shift+Ctrl+(QWE/ASD/ZXC).. where Q/E/Z/C are for the corners, A/D left and right halves, W/X for top and bottom halves, then S in the middle for full screen. The mnemonic of the "box" formed by those keys on the keyboard is easier for me to remember.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#140

Post by jack_pp »

Veen wrote: post #65
jack_pp wrote: post #31

I tried the m1 mini when it came out because I was hyped by all the m1 HN talk. This was my first time using macOS and besides the window management what I loathed was having to re-learn all the shortcuts I've been using for 20+ years, how no one mentions this is baffling to me. I tried to make it work more like "normal" windows / linux but I didn't find any good options and I always felt like I was running with my s…

It just takes time to get used to. I used Linux for a long time before switching to a Mac about seven years ago. I nearly returned my new MacBook to the store because I felt hamstrung by the UI. But in a few weeks, once I'd become accustomed to the application-centric windowing model, the keyboard shortcuts, and especially the touchpad gestures, it all clicked and I wouldn't go back now.

My linux workflow is almost entirely keyboard-driven, there's no need for a touchpad than maybe doing things in the browser.
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