Since setting up OS-X on my PC, I’ve had little interest in using XP. And the binary fate that controls the digital universe decided to reinforce my OS-X use by smiting the power supply of my XP machine. I love OS-X, and as I get more comfortable with each aspect of the operating system, I’ve kept track of the things I like and dislike.
Dislike:
- The behavior of the Home and End keys is terrible on Macs if you’re used to Windows. In general though, I feel that the Home and End keys must take the user to the end of the current line. Command + Home/End should take a user to the top of bottom of a document. Even Linux follows this pattern.
- There is no real maximize button in OS-X. Yes, there is a green button that makes the window bigger, but programs never are truly maximized. There needs to be a nice blue button to the right of the green button that forces a program to use every last pixel of available screen real estate. There are times a user doesn’t want to see anything else.
- Application windows can only be resized from the bottom right hand corner. On more than one occasion I’ve used programs that had a height the went well beyond the bounds of the screen. Thankfully, Spaces allows you to effortlessly move application windows from any point to correct this, but it isn’t an intended behavior.
- When a file is selected, pressing the Enter button allows one to rename the file. This should open or launch the file. Poor behavior choice for the Enter key.
- Menu bars are supposed to be easy to access, but for some ill reason Apple has chosen to make the user press Ctrl + F2. They’ve made an affair of one button, in to an affair of two buttons, and there is no reasonable explanation.
- For keyboard shortcuts, the position of the Command button is better than Window’s use of the Control button. But it means when switching between the two operating systems, I’m constantly hitting the short cuts for the the other OS. There needs to be a key emulation option that switches this behavior.
Love:
- I’ve never had a problem with the Windows Taskbar (not counting Vista), but something about the OS-X dock makes me blissful. It is simple and well designed without being over the top.
- The ability to lock system settings. This is great, because if you’re logged in it means another person can’t edit your system preferences without knowing your password. No longer is your system subject to the whims and plots of co-workers, roommates, or housemates.
- The built in GUI utilities, such as ping, trace route, and disk utilities, make life much easier for tech support. Password recovery from the CD is great. And the disk utility is top notch – allowing you to image, partition, and even securely erase hard drives.
- The ability to boot from the CD, or the network, or a target drive, or a thousand other potential options is great. If there is a combination of hardware you want to boot from, OS-X supports it.
- The theme is well thought out. Microsoft had the correct idea with Vista, but then went too far. Vista is the Circus de Soleil, while Leopard is a gorgeous Monet.
- Spaces are great. Extra desktop space is great, and the fact that transitions between the spaces are seamless adds to the experience. Also, adding extra desktops has never been so easy. Click the add row or add column button, and viola.
- Dashboard’s beauty is that you never have to look at it you chose so, unlike Vista which forces everything to be in sight. While you’re waiting for the long installation to complete or process to finish compiling, you can spent your time watching Panda Cam, exploring Wikipedia, playing poker, and getting weather updates.
- Bringing a Windows machine in and out of sleep takes as long as shutting the system down and booting it up. But Apple has made sleep such an effortless action, that sleep is an option that is viable. I find it fun.
- Built in Spellcheck. Enough said.
- Installing programs is rarely more complicated than dragging and dropping an icon. And the process is much more uniform than the thousands of countless installers of Windows programs. A standard look, feel, and behavior for normal OS tasks is a must have.
Other Things:
- The way the mouse moves. At first I disliked the way the mouse moved. Now I love it, because it borders on giving the feeling of tactile feedback.
- The Mighty Mouse, though pretty, is a horrendous little mouse. The trackball is two small, and often staff I encounter who have a MM are unaware that it has both a left and a right click, due to the complete lack of visual clarification.
- Also, the Mighty Mouse is based on more of a lever than button design. Since the top edge of the mouse is curved, any excess cord that brushes the mouse will block clicking action.
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