15 things should not be in Mac OS X

Two of our top operating system editors, a Mac specialist and a Windows expert, compared the points Apple should reconsider when developing the Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard line.

There are many easy ways to find blame in Windows XP and Vista: just count the number of security vulnerabilities or user experience nightmares. When you are the Goliath giant of the OS (operating system), everyone wants to find some excuse to overthrow you. But what about the David guy, or in this case, the Apple computer of Mac OS X, which everyone knows? Searching for vulnerabilities in Apple's operating system is like picking on a tiny guy. Currently, Apple has built a very good user interface for its operating system and has a solid security platform.

After more than 18 months of birth, even so far, Mac OS X 10.4 or Apple's Tiger still gets more attention than XP and Vista. But this operating system is not perfect. OS X has some bugs and vulnerabilities, some minor annoyances. Some functions in Mac are not as flexible, easy to use and convenient as Windows.

Previously there were songs like " 20 points you didn't like about Windows Vista ", so learning about Tiger's weaknesses was nothing unfair. The points we point out here are not about making Apple's operating system work like Windows. All just to help Mac better improve its own condition and style.

There are many Apple components and features that have been added and will be added to OS X. But in this article we do not mention the missing components, but only focus on the 15 minor weaknesses already in OS X, the need for clarity more delicate or need to rethink. These unpleasant points are drawn from the daily experience of using Mac by many users.

15. Do not display the current date

At all utility components, one of the most obvious data points that both Mac and Windows perform quite appropriately is displaying the system date information. You know today is Thursday or Friday, but aren't you sure it's December 7 or 8? There is no information that people often forget more than today, what day is today. Because sometimes you have asked, but you have to do other things and forget and ask for dozens of times on the same day. Obviously this is very informative computer information.

Apple provides gray date information on the menu. It will open when you click on the clock face on the right side of the main menu. Windows shows it on a pop-up (the flow of information pops up) when you point your mouse at the clock in the taskbar. But in Vista, Windows still doesn't have its own calendar. People still have to use Windows XP's time and clock configuration dialog to check the date in the calendar. (As a result, they often change system date data by accident, making them likely to receive anti-piracy warnings from the WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) program of Vista.)

There are two choices in Apple. If possible (and we think it should), add a base 6-digit date zone to the main menu bar of the watch. It can be displayed as Dec-07, or 07-Dec. Considering all other programs that have a logo attached to this area, Apple will not regret using that space to display the system date. Ignore the day of the week if you have to do it, or make it optional. Or you can put the iCal icon into the Dock to display today's date information dynamically at any time. Information will be displayed automatically whenever iCal runs. This idea is not bad at all.

14. The widget is not properly placed on the Desktop

The dashboard is very beautiful, but its "all or nothing" approach is quite frustrating. We want to drag and drop individual wingsets to the desktop? Suppose we don't want to have too much on the screen? You may feel more interested if they are not too wide. Dashboard looks great, but sometimes you want to use spreadsheets to calculate, you won't get the full functionality you want. There are also some readout type functions (data out) you might like. Windows Vista's Sidebar is slightly better than Dashboard because it can display options at any time, or you have to set your own Sidebar Gadgets on the desktop.

13. Not consistent about how to use context menus

Apple should allow the use of all context menus in Finder and other Apple software. We are not saying that Apple should use context menu alone even on the small aspects of the user interface, which is a mistake of Windows and third-party developers. But context menus are useful program shortcuts more intuitive for experienced users. No one is forced to use them, so there is no reason that Mac users have to be sad about this change in OS X. They can choose one of two favorite ways to work with them.

12. Documents and applications on Dock

Dock does a smart job is to launch and monitor the applications that were started. But its disadvantages are revealed when tracking the text windows and program sessions. You can right-click on the program running on the Dock to see and choose between open windows associated with that program, but you only have one way to do it and some applications don't support this. Again, the context menu should never be the user interface (UI) for the purpose of accessing something. The dock in all other parts is quite subtle and is even considered "clever". But in this case it's pretty bad.

11. Manage window size

Window management program is quite rigid. Users cannot even resize the window just by dragging it. In Microsoft Word, you can drag any of the four edge frames. Moreover, you can stretch both sides of the window at the same time from any corner of its four corners. There are a number of times, when dragging a single window side, you can eliminate both adjustment elements on the Mac: the window is resized followed by a scrolling window. When using both operating systems you may find that Mac is less convenient than Windows when you want to resize the window. But the way Windows does some of the requirements that require precise mouse control can also be quite troublesome for users.

This is a simple idea and can solve 80% of problems. What if Apple created both lower corners for draggable Mac windows? What happens if done for all four corners? Just a suggestion, maybe it's not significant.

9. Backspace and Delete keys

The world has millions of computers with Backspace (delete left) and Delete (delete right). But in Mac laptops, there is only one Backspace key (also called "Delete" in the Mac). This is quite frustrating for users, especially editors and writers. Knowing that Fn-Delete also does the right erase function, it is not an effective solution for typists.

The world has long acknowledged that IBM's keyboard is the most widely applicable and popular standard. Why doesn't Apple accept that standard? Probably because no one really complained about the Apple keyboard.

For Windows users it is different. They are really annoyed with the Mac notebook keyboard, especially the problem of missing the right delete key. We recommend the free software Preference Pane called "Double Command" written by Michael Baltaks.

Using this program you can convert a key to the Delete key. Holding the Function key (function) and pressing the key to convert has a slash symbol, you will not lose that function. DoubleCommand also allows you to turn the Shift-Delete key combination into the following delete key. There are many other customizations that you may also like.

8. Install the printer

The printer configuration program in OS X is confusing. Because the printer configuration screens work is not the same as Apple's Mac style. You can do it better.

7. Inconsistent user interface (UI)

Open iTunes, Safari and Mail, all of them are Apple, but they look quite different. Safari is like any other Apple application (Finder, Address Book) uses a brushed-metal interface (spread over the train). iTunes has a gun-metal gray frame (gun type) and non-glossy scroll bars. Mail combines both gray brushed-metal and gun-metal with traditional shiny green scroll bars. Apple is said to be the interface king in many areas. But should these three applications from the same widely used company look so different? Sometimes consistency is also very interesting.

6. Matte laptop screen

You can change the screen light mode in Energy Saver, set it to fade before the computer shuts down. Or you can set up to use lower light when the battery is strong. (That's an energy-efficient way for laptop batteries). Unfortunately, the settings you do not always work as you want. The screen will remain dimmed for about 3-4 minutes whether you interfere, use a strong battery or AC power source. So far it can be said that automatic screen dimming mode cannot be configured for users. Apple builds the fading function when turned off quite smart even if you are watching a DVD. Unfortunately, it caused an annoyance that users could put it off.

5. Manage the Finder Columns function of Finder, problem number 1

Finder's "view columns" function provides an orderly display structure for adjacent folders that are quite nice and handy. You can see and understand immediately. It can also scroll automatically to the point you click at each successive level. But there are three unpleasant aspects here. The first is that sometimes the column range opens too narrow, making it difficult to read the contents of its directory and files. Apple just put the latch points at the end of each column. It is recommended to set up the entire column separator. At the very least, there should be key points at the beginning and end of each column.

4. Manage the Finder Columns View function, issue # 2

The second problem is that the columns try to automatically expand in size to fully (or fully) display the names of folders and files within them. If you press the Option key (optionally) while dragging a latch point to the right or left, the Finder will expand all columns at once. Those are some helpful help, but not ideal.

3. Manage Finder's View Columns function, issue # 3

The third problem may appear when the "Column view Finder" window (see column) is opened as part of the application dialog. In this setting, when you drill down into the directory hierarchy, you may find that the left side of the Finder window is taken out of the screen. That's because the starting points are anchored in the location of the application dialog. Sometimes you will also find that the buttons to be pressed (such as Save, Open, New Folder, etc.) are often in the shortcut screens somewhere whenever you navigate to the appropriate location in the folders. hierarchical. Although that didn't happen often, it was pretty bad.

2. Finder's Cut command

There is no way to Cut a file in the Finder. Common usage in Windows is Edit> Cut and Edit> Paste to move a file from one location to another. Finder makes it easy to drag and drop. But sometimes it's very inconvenient, especially on small Mac screens. In that case, to cut a file on a window, you should specify the direction to another window and paste the file with many options. Although Finder provides the Cut statement in its Edit menu, this command does not work on the file. If you use the keyboard command to replace (Ctrl + X and Ctrl + V for example), it will leave the original file in place. In other words, it executes the command Copy, not Cut.

1. Refresh Finder dynamically

One of the best features of Mac is that most of the changes you make are effective immediately and automatically updated for all open operating systems. In many places in the operating system, you do not have to click "Save" or "OK" or restart the computer for the changes to take effect. The only place we find is that it is not as synchronized as other Finder components, unable to automatically update the changes that are already in the open operating system. If possible, think Apple should upgrade so that all components are automatically updated 100%. If Mac manufacturers can't do that, they should at least add the Refresh option to the Finder.