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Impressions from a first-time Mac user

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Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#591

Post by neoneye2 »

nneonneo wrote: post #242
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…

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.

I prefer binding "Move focus to next window" to the F12 key. Since Cmd+` is a hard keyboard combo on non-american keyboards.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#592

Post by Lio »

count wrote: post #106
lbrito wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely agree. Build quality is meh, not even good. But the battery is seriously good. Like 10+ hours good.

10+ hours isn't 'seriously' good anymore. I routinely can get 18-20 hours on my M1 MacBook Pro.

Whilst that's true I dream of getting 10 hours battery life on my XPS 13 Dev Edition (9370).

I really miss all day usage that I had on my last Mac. If System76 can provide that again I think I could live with lower build quality.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#593

Post by prajwalshetty »

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…

I concur on "it sort of made sense to me" in regard to the windows management and I don't think this is due to the fact that I am getting used to the ways of macOS, at least this part.

When I use Windows occasionally, I miss the command+` to switch between windows of the apps, especially when they are far separated out in the Alt+Tab preview.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#594

Post by Lio »

pram wrote: post #225
lbrito wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess? System76 makes laptops. They come with their own Linux distribution called PopOS.

System76 doesn’t make laptops they just resell the same Clevos a hundred other places do: https://clevo-computer.com/en/laptops-configurator/purpose/b...

I believe the one value add they do provide is that they choose their components to work well with Linux and test to make sure that's the case.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#595

Post by jeltz »

Aardwolf wrote: post #216
rwc wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

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…

As a lobg time on and off Mac user: nnt very well. The Windows/Xfce method of switching between all Windows within the current workspace fits the modern way if working much better.

Yes, Mac also supports switching between Windows in the same application but that is rarely what I want either since I am a heavy user of virtual desktops

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#596

Post by GeekyBear »

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.

In addition, the classic user interaction method for Macs has always been drag and drop between multiple on-screen windows, while Windows users have traditionally kept every window maximized.

Personally, I think it goes back to early Windows originally supporting very low resolution graphics cards where you simply couldn't display more than a single widow's worth of content at once.

Remember that EGA was only 640×350. You had to have a user interaction method that worked at such a low resolution.

Having things optimised for drag and drop between multiple windows is the reason for Classic Mac OS to only maximize a window enough so that the entire contents of the window is visible, instead of taking up the whole screen.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#597

Post by jeltz »

wtetzner wrote: post #502
perryizgr8 wrote: post #442

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's still easy to understand because it is just one rule, with no exceptions. Comparatively the OSX model is filled with arbitrary rules that depend on many factors (is another window of this app open in a maximised mode?, does the last desktop you were on have no windows?). Even if, with time, you have become comfortable with it, it is still a more convoluted way to manage tasks.

Simple isn’t the same as convenient.

Sure, but Mac's solution is neither. At least in the modern world where almost everything is done in your browser.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#598

Post by plibither8 »

_aavaa_ wrote: post #167
ysleepy wrote: post #87

My recommendations for Mac Users: * Put the Dock left or right, vertical space is precious (trust me, do it for a week and then decide) * Setup Hot-Corners (Settings -> Mission Control -> Hot Corners) - Upper-Right Corner as Mission Control (Must be upper right so spaces are immediately shown) - Lower-Left Corner as Application Windows - just fling your mouse curser into the corner (use std. gestures on the trackpad)…

Some really good ones missed: - iStat menu (better looking MenuMeters) - Alfred (MUCH better spotlight) - BetterTouchTools (keyboard, gesture, and other UX customization and macros, oh and window snapping with mouse and shortcuts)

I've been using Raycast [0] as an alternative to Spotlight and Alfred. Super fast file search, good looking and very extensible with its large community. Plus, it's a YC company :).

[0]: https://raycast.com/

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#600

Post by jeltz »

cycomanic wrote: post #526
s__s wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On Mac you generally just don’t minimize windows unless you explicitly want that behaviour (sort of hidden and available manually through the dock). It’s just a different workflow.

This seems like a weird comment, what did people do before macs got virtual desktops (which was relatively recent compared to unix)? As a side note I remember discussion with apple users arguing that virtual desktops are not how one "should work" and are useless, now it's "you should use virtual desktops, obviously".

As someone who used Mac back then: mostly just complain about it and accept that OSX did not have any good way of stashing away windows. I am still not impressed but is less painful now that we have virtual desktops.
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