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Impressions from a first-time Mac user

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451–460 of 756 posts

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#451

There's a lot of people in comments defending macOS saying that the difference in switching between operating systems will lead to a bad experience no matter what and people just need to power through and learn the new system. I'll say that I've used Windows and macOS both personally and professionally for two decades now (longer for Windows). I'd consider myself a power user in both OSes, I know the keyboard shortcu…

> It still bothers me that I can't cut and paste folders by default.

cmd c to copy

Then

cmd v to paste

cmd + option + v to cut and paste

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#452

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…

Cmd+` switches between windows of the same app, and it's actually more convenient (IMHO) than using Alt+Tab to switch between every one of your windows from every app. There are also a handful of trackpad gestures for showing all the windows in the current app or all of your windows.

As long as you haven't made the active window full screen, or the window you want to switch to, then yes, it works. But it is painful :P

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#453
post #7

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.

It’s worth noting that Microsoft has moved more towards an “application switching interface” with Windows 11. Multiple windows for a single application are always forced to be grouped in the taskbar. I hate it.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#454
post #60

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…

Sorry for the snark in advance: Are you for real? I do want IDE and documentation in browser next to each other on my 31.5" 1440 screen, thank you very much.

In your said use case, full screen mode with split windows would be a much better solution than snapping.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#455
post #447

I always found windows (not the os) to be pretty annoying. Having a full screen app, or two full screen apps side by side is way more usable than a window on top of another that keeps getting lost, or you have to move it around all the time to see what’s underneath.

On large (>24-inch) monitors I prefer windows, but on smaller monitors I typically prefer full screen apps, for the reasons you mention.

I think the title bars are pretty outdated too. They take up a lot of monitor real estate. The hide expand maximize buttons along can be hidden in the right click menu. Going all the way to the top of a window for those items is a waste of time. If you have to read a titlebar to see what app/file you’re working with, it’s a bad app.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#458
The funny thing is - many years ago, MacOS was ahead of Windows in window management for a long time.

Sure, that maximize button doing a weird thing was still there - my "favourite" app was iTunes, which randomly switched it to a different mode - but otherwise, Expose was something amazing that other systems later copied, as well as the Dock system.

However, it kind of stalled recently, and the "tile window to the left" is laughably bad; as if coming from iPadOS.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#459
I go between ubuntu, Mac, and increasingly rarely windows which for many years was my daily. I am not fully at home in any of them but they are all good enough now that it doesn't matter. most of my time is ubuntu machines through jump desktop

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#460
there is a hidden feature buried deep inside mac accesibility options whic let you do a double finger 'dobule click' with only one touch.

IT IS THE KILLER APP for macOS. If I hadn't discovered it years ago I'd be so distraught

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