Earlier quoted context omitted.
This! That was, IMO, a golden era for UI design. We've lost SOO much to the wild west experimentation brought on by the advent of touch interfaces. A really strong shared design language across apps and vendors is an unbelievably valuable productivity enhancer that lets people apply the intuition they've learned in one app to a UI in a different app that they've never seen before. When everyone tries to make their ap…
In the words of the old HIG: Consistency in the interface allows users to transfer their knowledge and skills from one application to another. Use the standard elements of the Aqua interface to ensure consistency within your application and to benefit from consistency across applications. Ask yourself the following questions when thinking about consistency in your product: - Is it consistent with Mac OS X standards?…
From 2026 HIG:
> Create a list of common terms, and reference that list to keep your language consistent. Consistent language, along with a voice that reflects your app’s values, helps everything feel more cohesive.
> Build language patterns. Consistency builds familiarity, helping your app feel cohesive, intuitive, and thoughtfully designed. It also makes writing for your app easier, as you can return to these patterns again and again.
https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guideline...
I'm sure there's others
But otherwise I agree I liked old MacOS design.