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Impressions from a first-time Mac user

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Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#211

Post by FabHK »

olyjohn wrote: post #64
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 can't get used to the fact that I can't alt-tab to a minimized window. Nor can I figure out how to switch to any particular minimized window. You have literally no way of knowing that a minimized window exists other than right-clicking the dock icon, or going to the "Window" menu after you switched to the application. The dock was fine 20 years ago when they released OSX, but they've literally done nothing to make…

FWIW, I never minimise windows, just hide them (Cmd-H). Works fine (and you can Cmd-Tab to them).

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#212

Post by foobarian »

olyjohn wrote: post #64
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 can't get used to the fact that I can't alt-tab to a minimized window. Nor can I figure out how to switch to any particular minimized window. You have literally no way of knowing that a minimized window exists other than right-clicking the dock icon, or going to the "Window" menu after you switched to the application. The dock was fine 20 years ago when they released OSX, but they've literally done nothing to make…

The most annoying behavior for me is Alt-Tabbing an application whose windows are spread across multiple desktops. Alt-tab will not go back to the actual previous window, it will go back to the window of the previous application closest to the current desktop. Sigh. Luckily I don't have to put up with MacOS for very much.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#213

Post by ascar »

joeman1000 wrote: post #204

Nice article. Coincidentally we have the same computers, even the same specs. I’ve been on macOS for 11 years now, so I’m biased. On window snapping: why on earth would you want to obscure your desktop with two huge panes? I usually have ‘small’ applications on my desktop ‘workspace’ (terminal, reminders, messages, finder). I always see ex-windows users cluttering their desktop workspace and not utilising more worksp…

> Whenever I’m on windows I feel hampered by the lack of virtual workspaces

Windows 10 actually has workspaces built-in. But I don't think workspaces are a replacement for window-snapping and a "superior alternative". It's two different things. Sometimes you just want to see two things side-by-side and workspaces isn't providing that.

BetterSnapTool was one of the first things I installed when I had to use a mac and I've been both using Ubuntu and Windows a lot before and always utilized workspaces on Ubuntu.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#214

Post by FabHK »

fiddlerwoaroof wrote: post #194
urbandw311er wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok, so you can actually do this but the keyboard sequence is a bit bonkers. * Hold down Command and press Tab until the application icon representing the minimised window is highlighted. * Release Tab but DONT let go of Command. * Now press Option too so you are holding down Command + Option * Now release Command so you are just holding down Option * Finally release Option Amazingly this will then maximise the window…

You can also tab to the application, hit the up arrow and use the arrow keys to select the minimized window then hit enter. In fact, my command-tab workflow is: command-tab to open the Switcher and then arrows to switch application/window

Exactly. Cmd-Tab to open the switcher, arrow-left/right to select the desired app, arrow-up/down to show all windows, then arrows or mouse to select the desired window.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#215

Post by Jarwain »

joeman1000 wrote: post #204

Nice article. Coincidentally we have the same computers, even the same specs. I’ve been on macOS for 11 years now, so I’m biased. On window snapping: why on earth would you want to obscure your desktop with two huge panes? I usually have ‘small’ applications on my desktop ‘workspace’ (terminal, reminders, messages, finder). I always see ex-windows users cluttering their desktop workspace and not utilising more worksp…

As of more recent versions of w10, it supports virtual workspaces

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#216

Post by Aardwolf »

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.

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 the same application with the same name for the OS

How does an application switching interface, rather than window switching interface, work out for that, if a lot of what you want to switch between is different windows of the same browser?

(and what if in addition there would be also many terminal emulator windows, each also with many tabs, and maybe some code editors, spread across multiple virtual desktops)

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#217

Post by weaksauce »

systoll wrote: post #199
divbzero wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I miss most in macOS is Super + Left and Super + Right to tile windows left and right..

It doesn’t have a keyboard shortcut by default, but you can bind 'Move Window to the Left Side of the Screen' and 'Move Window to the Right Side of the Screen' in Keyboard > Shortcuts > App Shortcuts.

another thing to note is that you can add shortcuts to any application as long as it has a menu title... you just have to type the menu item exactly. this also works to effectively remove shortcuts from apps that hijack something that you use elsewhere and don't want available ever. you have to set it to something like control option command shift F15 or something that you'd never use.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#218

Post by KerrAvon »

brimble wrote: post #117
lbrito wrote: post #20

>you use what they give you, how they give it to you, using their workflows, barely customizing anything. Apple products are supposed to be revered the world over as the pinnacle of design, used by artists, engineers, professionals, and creators. Why do I feel like there are training wheels on a machine I use for productivity? Gosh, this is exactly how I felt in a similar situation. Really hit the nail on the head. I…

What are people doing with their computers that a Mac is so stifling? I'm late to the Mac game, have been on it for about a decade, and was a 15-year Windows and Linux desktop user before that. Still, I don't even know what it might be.

I've used Windows, Linux, Mac extensively for decades and I also frankly have no idea. The other responses to you as of this writing seem to be nitpicking and not anything truly foundational to the user experience.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#219

Post by lwkl »

ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #70
spicyusername wrote: post #28

> Package management This always floors me when I have to use a non-Linux computer. The difference between package management on Linux and other OSes is shocking. Dnf, Yum, Pacman are all so convenient and straightforward. I can't understand why Windows and MacOS don't have anything official that fills this gap.

>Windows and MacOS don't have anything Doesn't Windows have two official ones? Chocolatey and Winget?

Winget is the official one.

But Chocolatey exists too and is pretty nice. I have used both of them but I know Chocolatey a lot better. They both are basically used as wrappers for traditional package formats like msi or other commercial installers. I guess windows has msix and appx as well which are used in the Microsoft Store.

Re: Impressions from a first-time Mac user

#220

Post by FabHK »

foobarian wrote: post #212
olyjohn wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't get used to the fact that I can't alt-tab to a minimized window. Nor can I figure out how to switch to any particular minimized window. You have literally no way of knowing that a minimized window exists other than right-clicking the dock icon, or going to the "Window" menu after you switched to the application. The dock was fine 20 years ago when they released OSX, but they've literally done nothing to make…

The most annoying behavior for me is Alt-Tabbing an application whose windows are spread across multiple desktops. Alt-tab will not go back to the actual previous window, it will go back to the window of the previous application closest to the current desktop. Sigh. Luckily I don't have to put up with MacOS for very much.

Switching across multiple desktops (ie spaces) is really annoying. In particular, you switch (Cmd-Tab) to the app you want, realise the window is on another desktop, then Ctrl-arrow-left/right to the desired desktop, but there the windows are ordered as they were when you left, and you have to Cmd-Tab to the desired app again.

Alternative: Cmd-Tab to desired app, arrow up (while holding Cmd) to see all windows of that app, then pick the desired one (with arrows or mouse).

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