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Impressions from a first-time Mac user

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Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#411

Post by mmis1000 »

t00ny wrote: post #343
noway421 wrote: post #329

You don't need an app for window splitting. If you hold Option ⌥ key and hover over the green circle, there will be "Move Window to Left side of the screen" and "Move Window to Right side of the screen" options presented instead of "Tile Window to Left of Screen" and "Tile Window to Right of Screen" options. Those don't create a new virtual desktop.

TIL, thanks! This is an issue on MacOS, a lot of features like this one are not easily discoverable.

In the old days, OSs comes with a manual and tutorial, so it is not a big deal. But you don't have a manual now and Mac still treats you like you have one.

And it is a problem now.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#412

Post by zdw »

d3nj4l wrote: post #404
bigDinosaur wrote: post #368

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's interesting - I use all three major OS's (MacOS, Windows, various Linux distros) and I seem to have no problem switching between them at all. I don't even get bothered with the nonsensical UI problems such as some of finders limitations (with cutting and pasting folders I just never do that on MacOS, it makes you use a different flow or else you're fighting it). The only thing I dislike in a UI sense is alt-tab…

Cmd-Tab is annoying. There's multiple layers to why it's so annoying: 1. Cmd-Tab doesn't switch between windows, it switches between apps. This seems like not that big of a deal (you lose being able to quickly switch between windows of the same tab, you have to Cmd-` for that) until: 2. Apps can have multiple windows on multiple spaces, and Cmd-Tab preferences windows on your current space. Let's say you have apps A1…

I'll concur on how amazing Hammerspoon is - one Lua file that lets you write hotkey binds to literally anything you could possibly do on the system.

I use mine for resizing/throwing windows all around the system, for custom global hotkeys for controlling music playback, etc.

(also MacPorts > Homebrew, but that's a different discussion)

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#413

Post by freyr »

To be fair, my first time returning to a Linux desktop after 10+ years of MacOS was marked by feelings of contempt and disgust.

Not to say MacOS is objectively better or that it gets everything right. But any time you’re thrust into an unfamiliar workflow, it’s frustrating. You want things to work the way you’re used to. Eventually you learn to appreciate what works, and work around what doesn’t.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#415

Post by headsoup »

darkteflon wrote: post #304
agentgumshoe wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These responses are also tedious, in that a negative opinion can't be valid and the user just didn't 'do it properly.' The author went to the effort of providing the rationale for his opinion at least. Per your second point. Why is that not a Windows problem? Because a lot of other people don't experience it? Just because a whole heap of people can work with Windows might mean they just got used to it, rather than it…

I can see that my comment did look like it was accusing the author of TFA of engaging in a rant. That’s my bad - I was instead responding to parent’s second paragraph. As to your second point: I agree. Those specific discussions around what people like and dislike, and why, are interesting and thought-provoking. The low-effort “loll Apple drone” hot-takes that pop up on all of these threads, less so.

Ah ok, I see and yes agreed.

It is frustrating when interesting conversation/debate points are drowned out by the inevitable 'troll' comments that explode the threads into pointless arguments.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#416

Post by smaddox »

loginatnine wrote: post #297
smaddox wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Instead of minimizing windows, put them on a separate virtual desktop. Or close them. I never minimize windows on purpose. I think the only reason the concept exists is because it predates virtual desktop switching. Also, instead of Alt-Tab, flick four fingers up or down and select the window of interest.

Keyboard shortcuts are IMO superior to gestures and are objectively faster. The whole virtual desktop can get quite clunky fast when you have multiple windows opened or ephemeral programs that you temporarily need.

Not the way I lay out my windows. Most of the time every window is partially visible, and so I switch by clicking on the one of interest. Or I overlay them and scroll the partially obscured one without focusing on it. The only time I actually switch with mission control is when I'm searching for a particular desktop and window, or am reorganizing windows. In those cases mission control is far superior.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#417

Post by wlesieutre »

samatman wrote: post #260
Aardwolf wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not a mac user (but a linux user who chooses desktops with the windowing paradigms of like windows 2000 or so plus multiple desktops) so have no idea how it's like in practice, but: These days it's very common for more than half your work to take place in a browser, with many browser windows, each having many tabs Every window of the browser almost is like its own application for the user, yet they're all from th…

I have a few workflow solutions to this, but Control Down-Arrow or three finger swipe down is the most common. Also, windows are in a stack from least to most recently put in front, so if I know something is toward the back I start with command-~. I also happen to believe that there is such a thing as having too many browser windows open, so when these strategies start to become unmanageable, I will close some. The E…

And if you have so many windows open that it becomes difficult to manage, usually you can sort them into virtual desktops

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#418

Post by chipotle_coyote »

postingposts wrote: post #318
snorrah wrote: post #303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What a useless comment. The post is from someone new to Macs. You have completely failed to grasp the context and got immediately defensive.

Quoted post unavailable.

> everything is unified around that in MacOS by making the apps images and then leaving non-window apps to either daemons or console scripts

I have been using Macs since the late '80s and have no idea what you mean by "making the apps images".

Also, to me, "non-window app" sounds like "menu bar app".

> This person is new to computers in general and maybe is a longtime windows-user

Kinda feel like you have to pick one stereotype there or the other, pardner, but not both.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#419

Post by filchermcurr »

nneonneo wrote: post #256
urbandw311er wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok, so you can actually do this but the keyboard sequence is a bit bonkers. * Hold down Command and press Tab until the application icon representing the minimised window is highlighted. * Release Tab but DONT let go of Command. * Now press Option too so you are holding down Command + Option * Now release Command so you are just holding down Option * Finally release Option Amazingly this will then maximise the window…

This works, but it's (1) completely undiscoverable (how did you find out about this?), and (2) does not work for switching to a minimized window if the app has another unminimized window.

I don't know about natural discoverability, but Apple still has user manuals for its products: https://support.apple.com/manuals

I learned a few things from idly perusing them when I had nothing better to do.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#420

Post by vladvasiliu »

freyr wrote: post #413

To be fair, my first time returning to a Linux desktop after 10+ years of MacOS was marked by feelings of contempt and disgust. Not to say MacOS is objectively better or that it gets everything right. But any time you’re thrust into an unfamiliar workflow, it’s frustrating. You want things to work the way you’re used to. Eventually you learn to appreciate what works, and work around what doesn’t.

I think it also matters why and how you do it.

Around 2019, I had a new PC at work and wanted to try out Linux, after more than 10 years of macOS. I had wanted to try a TWM for a while, and the Mac implementations felt... weird. I used to use Linux with KDE as a daily driver up until around 2008, when I got my first MBP, so I was somewhat familiar with the possible quirkiness of it.

After the initial shock of "how do I do anything?!", I started loving it more and more, to the point that whenever I went back to the Mac, I got annoyed by all the animations, window borders taking up half the screen, etc. I went hunting to disable animations. It helped somewhat, but not completely.

I still love the Mac, especially the hardware, and how smooth an 8 yo laptop still is. But I guess that, to your point, I wasn't thrust into this unfamiliar environment, I went and looked for it, and was able to do it progressively. I also recognize I was lucky in that my computer was fully supported out of the box, and haven't had to fiddle with obscure settings or anything.

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