Re: metallized interface
Re: metallized interface
- Subject: Re: metallized interface
- From: Keith Pritchard <email@hidden>
- Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 23:18:45 +0000
On Thursday, October 31, 2002, at 08:41 pm, Nicholas Riley wrote:
On Thu, Oct 31, 2002 at 06:18:06PM +0000, Keith Pritchard wrote:
I'm not considering earlier versions of macos because they had enough
GUI problems IMHO so as to make any discussion about metal or
otherwise
insignificant.
OK, all I can say is that I disagree with you here. OS X's UI is
downright sloppy compared to what came before it.
We'll have to simply disagree.... OSX gui has some issues that I wish
Apple would address. Most of those issues are because they've tried to
make macos 9 people comfortable rather than being courageous and doing
something totally new but better.
The gui also has some bugs I'd agree. It's early days and I can live
with it just fine whilst they're fixed.
At least when I have 5 terminal windows open and I click on one, only
that one is brought to the front now not all 5. That alone would be
enough for me not to use the earlier os.
So everyone else is like you?
I don't believe I said that? but I do believe the community is
receiving lots of attention from people who aren't the traditional mac
user/developer base.
(thank goodness, everyone isn't like me, I'm the first to agree with
that :)
The vast majority of people using Mac
OS X are going to have used Mac OS 9 and earlier before, expecting
continuity in UI design,
every now and again you have to re-invent and clear the decks.
OSX has differed from macos9 *THANKFULLY* in all sorts of ways and so
it should. For Apple to compete I believe it needs more market share
and it won't get that by sticking to the way macos9 worked.
and they include the same "professional
users" who are -not- buying Mac OS X because it's still slow, flaky
and cumbersome to use, despite whatever garbage Apple might say about
them waiting for QuarkXPress.
they also include lots of new professional users from other platforms
who are coming to it because it works well, has a proper unix core and
is better than they had before. Win some lose some.
Out of the traditional macos9 users, there are many who simply don't
like the change. Some are annoyed by the slowness because they feel
they gain nothing in trade. Others just don't want to change and use
various excuses.
Apple I'm sure would love to take everyone with them.... I'd encourage
them to work out the best GUI possible and trust that in the end, if
they've got it right, people will be won over.
If you're used to Windows, try running
Windows 2000 or XP on hardware equivalent to a current Mac and observe
how much more responsive it is. These people are going to have to
upgrade their hardware after January, and if OS X isn't ready for
them, Windows already is.
How much more responsive windows 2000/xp is ? seriously?
I have no great love for any hardware/OS player. I'll be with whoever
provides me with what I need....
I have a 1.3ghz athlon with XP next to an 800mhz macosx powerbook at
this minute. Give me macosx on the powerbook every single time! Even
though its unix, less HD thrashing, more stability and I can't say
since 10.2 I've ever been bugged by slowness on macosx (other than the
rediculously inadequate help viewer)
I'll admit, my macos9 owning friends seem to tell me that 9 is much
faster than osx... for me, the benefits I get from osx far far outweigh
any speed issues.
...however, already people are asking how to make all the windows
metal
irrespective of the "guidelines" so it's well worth pointing out why
it's a bad idea as a user experience.
There have always been Mac programs with horrible interfaces. People
just don't buy them for the most part, unless they have no other
choices.
I've been involved with pcs before windows... having watched windows
evolve I've seen ms dither and change their mind over the gui many
times. MDI vs SDI and various other examples. Anything less than total
certainty of purpose and design will allow people to become confused
and develop interfaces with different looks and behaviour.
I'm betting that macosx apps will go the windows way if we're all
(apple too) not very careful.
As I started with, I'm conflicted. I rather like the metal window look
though I find metal with pinstripe auxiliary windows inconsistent (like
the original poster does)... but I'd find all metal too much. That's
why I think it's a poor design and it introduces doubt as to how best
to use it (or whether to use at all).
Time will tell I guess!
Keith
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