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Preview, the Mac app people forget about

fourth-wall.co.uk

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Re: Preview, the Mac app people forget about

#311

Post by cassianoleal »

SllX wrote: post #253
hnlmorg wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It is not a browser, or a file manager. It is a file selector. But you're selecting the file in a file manager and then dragging it into your "file selector". That whole dialogue then becomes completely redundant because you might as well just drag that file into the application window without having to click "open". > I get bitten at least a couple of times a week on Windows when I stupidly drag and drop the file…

It’s a shortcut that comes in handy when you operate in deep file hierarchies and can’t be bothered to memorize the path. That said there’s even easier ways to get there: Just navigate, the sidebar will reflect what’s in your Finder sidebar so you can use that as a shelf if you’re going into one specific directory a lot for your work. It’s a dynamic environment, you don’t have to treat it like it’s static. Or: hit Co…

> Dragging the folder in is for when you’re operating in the Finder and another application

Not only Finder! You can hover over the filename on the top bar of any application and drag the icon from there as well. It works for any application where you have a file opened.

Re: Preview, the Mac app people forget about

#312

Post by johnwalkr »

CyanDeparture wrote: post #31

One massive I'd add to this list that got added recently - being able to copy and paste text out of images. I'm so often sent a screenshot with a url in the url bar, I can now copy and paste that screenshot of a url. It's been massively the past month since I noticed it. Not sure how long it's been there, I assume not long, maybe last OS update.

iOS also recognizes text, and you can search your photo library from MacOS or iOS for text - a menu item or road sign you remember taking a picture of, for example.

Re: Preview, the Mac app people forget about

#313

Post by johnwalkr »

SamBam wrote: post #36

Signatures stamps are great, but the signature-creation method is absurd. Ok, there is something cryptographically special about a signature image, which means we can't just import a file, it has to be created while in the program, and it gets stored on the keychain. Fine. But then why not also give us the ability to add an arbitrary stamp from an image? Why have the only method for adding a stamp to a PDF be through…

I only just now put two and two together to realize it's stored on the keychain. I wondered why I haven't had to update it in years, across multiple MacBook upgrades.

Re: Preview, the Mac app people forget about

#314

Post by johnwalkr »

kitsunesoba wrote: post #136
atonse wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tell people this is one of those features which is why people are fans of macOS. Stuff is just part of the system for years and years and we take it for granted when other systems don’t have these kinds of features.

This is sometimes true on a hardware level, too. For example, I was using a Bluetooth Plantronics headset for voice chat on my iMac G5 in 2005 because Macs had come standard with Bluetooth for a year or two at that point. It wouldn't be for another 5 years or so for midrange-and-above prebuilt laptops to start coming with BT and it wasn't until the past 5 or so years that enthusiast motherboards and desktops started…

When you buy a Logitech bluetooth mouse or keyboard, it comes with a proprietary 2.4Ghz dongle as well. Unless it's the mac version, that doesn't come with an extra dongle. Presumably because bluetooth is almost guaranteed to be available and work on a mac. It will even work when you reboot into recovery mode.

AirPods plus a mac work well too. It's usually not a fun experience when using bluetooth headphones on a PC and the microphone gets activated.

Regarding thunderbolt, it's disappointing it's not on every system. I use it all the time to transfer files between macs using static IP addresses.

Re: Preview, the Mac app people forget about

#315

Post by drcongo »

reaperducer wrote: post #243
drcongo wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many many years ago, when this trend first appeared, I made the Tumblr Tab Closed; Didn't Read [0] - it got retweeted by some web luminaries like Eric Meyer and Tim Berners Lee and, while the vast majority of the replies I got were in huge agreement, there were a bunch of "growth hackers" absolutely furious that I'd made it and now everyone hates them. So I wrote this [1]. The key takeaway is that "growth hackers" on…

I find it ironic that your [0] link is guilty of the very sin it moans about.

Only ironic if you rush to post the snide comment without reading the disclaimer in the very post you're trying to whinge about.

Re: Preview, the Mac app people forget about

#317

Post by johnday »

2muchcoffeeman wrote: post #281
uhuruity wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Preview is one of those essential things that sets macOS apart from the other operating systems, and contributes to that “Mac has good UX” vibe. As I read this I thought of another such feature - how pressing Space with a file selected (in either Finder or any 'choose a file' dialog window) presents a quick preview of the contents of the file. Extremely low friction way to quickly check out the contents of a file,…

It also has better file puppet than Windows or Linux. I can hit space on an STL and it will show me a preview.

I believe that powertoys enables this.

Re: Preview, the Mac app people forget about

#318

Post by wrycoder »

jkubicek wrote: post #99

Lack of any equivalent Preview app on the iPad is the main factor that's prevented me from switching to an iPad as my full-time computing device. Filling in form PDFs, signing documents, performing some light editing is so easy in macOS and so challenging on iPadOS.

I was astonished it was not on my new iPad.

Re: Preview, the Mac app people forget about

#319

Post by SamBam »

r00fus wrote: post #70
SamBam wrote: post #36

Signatures stamps are great, but the signature-creation method is absurd. Ok, there is something cryptographically special about a signature image, which means we can't just import a file, it has to be created while in the program, and it gets stored on the keychain. Fine. But then why not also give us the ability to add an arbitrary stamp from an image? Why have the only method for adding a stamp to a PDF be through…

I think you answered your own question - both of the Apple-allowed methods described require a human in the loop. Your approach could more easily be automated and thus forged. Why this is a big deal? Not sure but it seems the best bet. Would love to see this confirmed.

My issue is mostly that they don't at least have a non-cryptographically secure method of simply putting an image or a stamp on a pdf. It's such a useful thing. Instead, to import a stamp like a green check mark into Preview, you'd have to print one out and then hold it up to the camera, which is absurd.

Re: Preview, the Mac app people forget about

#320

Post by alsetmusic »

333c wrote: post #213
alsetmusic wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I’m hoping that the post-Ive Apple - an Apple more comfortable with “pro” users and beauty in utility versus form - will try to fix that one… and bring back all the good Mission Control stuff from Snow Leopard (which IMO is the greatest OS ever released). I wouldn't hold my breath. They've been gradually hiding controls behind buttons and popovers. The proxy icon (folder or document icon in the title bar of a windo…

> I can't remember the name of the guy everyone blames for this, but he talks about minimalism and reducing app UI in favor of putting content forward during OS feature reveals I believe you might be referring to Jony Ive (who is named in the portion you quoted). He left Apple a few years ago, which is what the comment you quote is talking about.

No, the person I’m thinking of is his successor. Ive ruined a lot of UI, but I’ve known his name for many years.
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