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UI Performance Decline – OS X Tiger to Yosemite [video]

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Re: UI Performance Decline – OS X Tiger to Yosemite [video]

#171
post #5

Interesting. The flashing at least seems to be an isolated System Preferences bug, as I don't remember seeing it in any other applications. Would be better to compare a larger number of UI interactions - Finder, Safari, Exposé/Mission Control, iTunes, etc., to more clearly establish a pattern rather than just claiming it anecdotally. Not saying the pattern isn't there, but proving it would be a breath of fresh in air…

It doesn't help that the styles updated to be super vibrant.

It highlights that the buttons are disabled then enabled when the animation has finished.

Re: UI Performance Decline – OS X Tiger to Yosemite [video]

#172

Not really sure what causes this, but I learned that Apple changed the layouting algorithm to Cassowary a few years ago [1]. Because languages have different word length (eg. German words tend to be much longer than English words) and UIs should be readable in every language. Apple now uses constraints to layout the UI and the algorithm tries to find a good solution through iteration and has to reiterate for every si…

As someone who has used it extensively, Auto Layout is not a cause for performance UI regressions. Not by a long shot.

Re: UI Performance Decline – OS X Tiger to Yosemite [video]

#173
post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I'm (we're) critical of the regressions when it comes to UI performance, switching to linux means giving up an entire ecosystem of apps, completely changing workflows, and in some cases depending on the kind of development that one does, making our jobs impossible.

That's why for me Linux is the only sensible choice of platforms. All the other platforms means giving complete control over my tools to a single company.

You're about to give it up to Red Hat, with systemd taking over everything, whether that's your cup of tea or not, that's what's going to happen.

Re: UI Performance Decline – OS X Tiger to Yosemite [video]

#174
post #22

Yosemite has been a major regression in almost every respect, I actually regret upgrading. Aside from the obvious and major performance and stability issues the major features are just plain broken. For example, try answering your phone from your computer. It takes way too long to actually pick up the call from the phone and then when you try to answer it bugs up so that in the end you can never actually answer the c…

I'm at my wits end with Yosemite. I'm very seriously considering switching to Linux or Windows. Of the numerous problems this OS has, my biggest problem is waking my rMBP from sleep. About 20% of the time, it just doesn't wake up and requires a hard shutdown. I never had that problem with Mountain Lion or Mavericks.

Why not downgrade to Mountain Lion? Security updates?

Re: UI Performance Decline – OS X Tiger to Yosemite [video]

#176

This isn't the first time that things have gone wrong with a new version of OS X. The shift from 10.6.8 to 10.7 was an absolute catastrophe from both a performance and a stability basis. 10.8/ML was slightly better, and, I've stayed on 10.8.5 waiting for 10.9/Mavericks to stabilize. From colleagues who use it, and the various KEXTs that I also have, it looks like Mavericks, and KEXT support for it, actually hit a pre…

One of the side effects of the lackluster speed bump the rMBP got for Mid 2014 is that you can get a cheaper, nearly identical Late 2013 model without Yosemite.

Re: UI Performance Decline – OS X Tiger to Yosemite [video]

#177
post #174
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm at my wits end with Yosemite. I'm very seriously considering switching to Linux or Windows. Of the numerous problems this OS has, my biggest problem is waking my rMBP from sleep. About 20% of the time, it just doesn't wake up and requires a hard shutdown. I never had that problem with Mountain Lion or Mavericks.

Why not downgrade to Mountain Lion? Security updates?

Just to check, do Apple only provide security updates to the newest OS X?

Re: UI Performance Decline – OS X Tiger to Yosemite [video]

#178
post #169
post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its especially bad on the 13" rMBP which has a relatively weak GPU. When using scaled resolutions the UI lag is very noticeable, i also get some redrawing issues of icons. You can improve the situation by disabling transparency effects, but that produces some graphical glitches. In the end i disabled retina resolution and am running native 1680x1050 now. Definitely not as crisp but i got used to it and system load is…

> In the end i disabled retina resolution and am running native 1680x1050 now. Definitely not as crisp but i got used to it and system load is considerably less (especially when playing back video and such) now and battery life improved as well. I don't think that 1680x1050 is native or even half-native on the 13. IIRC the Air is 1440x900 and the 13 rmbp is less than that (when you count the points). This is why I ke…

I used a 11" Macbook Air at uni before getting a rMBP. IT was buttery smooth, nothing could make it stutter on Mavericks. Great experience although the screen size was a tad on the small size. I eventually settled on a rMBP 13" (2014 edition) and couldn't be happier. Sure, i sometimes get stutter swiping through fullscreen apps or using Chrome on heavy pages but the retina and its scaling makes it so much worth it. Seriously, couldn't be happier. Reading text on this is phenomenal.

And it's not buyer's remorse or anything like that, i got it for free through a university programme and could have got the Macbook Air if i wanted to.

Re: UI Performance Decline – OS X Tiger to Yosemite [video]

#179
post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even "Reduce Transparency" has a nice big graphical glitch: https://twitter.com/Doomlaser/status/538539277978972160 Yosemite breaks rounded rect corners in UI overlays, like the ones triggered by volume and brightness changes. The masking is broken when the translucent blur shaders aren't applied. You'd think that'd something they would easily catch in QA before 10.10 shipped, but it's still broken even in 10.10.1.

In OS X 10.10.2 (14C81h), this does not seem to be a problem anymore.

Finally! I was sure they would never fix it. I'm actually considering downloading the beta now. Any other improvements?

Re: UI Performance Decline – OS X Tiger to Yosemite [video]

#180

While loitering in the local Apple store, I got on a new 5k iMac and started launching a bunch of applications with multiple windows, alt-tabbing and clicking around really fast, etc. Normal dev workflow stuff.. Discovering the glitchy flash in the system preferences pane was really unsettling. Almost a uncanny valley type situation. I'm still on Mavericks. I've been waiting for bug fixes from Apple and application s…

Honestly, I think it's simply because they tried to do way too much for this release. And everyone said that after WWDC. I remember thinking, "Wow. They just announced a TON of stuff, way more than any previous year. I wonder how they'll be able to execute on this."

Turns out, they can't.

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