Misc. Stuff about the Mac
Posted in Observations,Rants,technology — by Don on 05/10/07

Ok, it’s been about a month. Here are my thoughts.

  • Still miss the forward delete key, but I have managed to work around it.
  • I first thought the display was pretty nice. But really, it’s too small, too bright (or dim when I adjust it) for me to see clearly. But, I am blind.
  • In OSx, why can I not click an icon and press the delete key on the keyboard to send an item to the trash? This is rhetorical, of course.
  • Why does it take 2 clicks to bring most apps back to focus? What I mean by focus is bringing an application to the front of the screen and being able to use it. For example, if I am running iTunes behind FireFox (and I can see the controls for iTunes) and want to pause the current track, I have to click the pause button twice. The first brings it to focus, the second triggers the button. It works this when when I apple-tab as well in many apps.
  • During drag and drop operations, the program where something is dropped should assume focus. Flickr uploader dev team are you listening?
  • With Windows programs, there is a standard for how things work. Focus, notifications and the like (not just menuing). No such thing as far as I can tell on the Mac and it’s making my head hurt trying to keep the app features straight.
  • Again with only having 2 USB ports. Wouldn’t be so bad if the mixer worked from a hub, but it does not. As it turns out, neither does the external keyboard I have.
  • The onboard keyboard is quite awesome. I really like the feel and the way it works. It’s also fast enough to keep up with me which in turn causes less typos.
  • I really need to learn my command line stuff. I find it annoying that I don’t know how to find my IP address without doing a google search first.

For the most part, as far as hardware goes, this is one sweet machine. I’m just having a very hard time adjusting to OSx. I really can’t wait to get Windows on here. Or Ubuntu. Or anything that I can be a little bit more productive with for that matter. But wait, there are some real gems that I’m beginning to not be able to live without.

  • iPhoto. By far the best way to manage photos I’ve ever seen. Previously held by Picasa, but iPhoto rules.
  • Quicksilver. Beats the windows run shell because it can open ANYTHING with a few key strokes. I plan on diving into the more advanced features of this very soon.
  • The way networking works. No delay, no waiting. Changes on the fly? Sure, no problem. All without a restart. Especially wireless. Very seemless, very nice.
  • Program install/uninstall is much easier than windows. Bonus is you don’t have to worry about leaving a stray .dll file laying around to bloat your drive.

One more thing that I am really tired of is the Mac community in general. I used to think it was the fanboys, which it is, kinda. It’s more the people that are overly appologetic about the way the Mac works and then the way they go into a whole thing explaining why this works that way or puffing up their chests about sales numbers or the iPhone. You know why Apple has such a low market share? People can’t relate to you. You scare them. You make them think “oh my. I definitely don’t want to be like that person. I think I saw a Gateway Laptop at Costco on sale”.

I told you, just because I have one I’m not going to be a fan boy. In fact, I really can’t wait to get Windows loaded on this. I keep hearing that it’s the best Windows laptop platform, and I plan to test it very soon.

Related posts:

« so maybe I am a joiner | Blog Main |  The Sunday Post VIII »
(16) comments
  • http://guapacha.com paul

    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! This is like buying a MINI Cooper S and removing the turbo and putting in a Kia engine. Well, its not but it damn well should be.

  • http://www.jwiltshire.org Joshua

    It’s like dressing Amanda Congdon in a potato sack and a Nixon mask!

  • http://guapacha.com paul

    Ok, I have one complaint that is driving me nuts though….. if you stop using the trackpad for a moment, the mouse pointer disappears from the screen, and it always seems like there is a big delay before it comes back when I use the trackpad again. Very irritating when surfing the pr0n.

    Not irritating enough to put Windoze on though.

  • db

    Yea, I don’t like the track pad either. But that’s not anything bad on the Mac as I hate trackpads in general.

  • http://guapacha.com paul

    its not the really the trackpad, its the fact that the mouse pointer gets taken off the screen when you stop moving it, and is then too slow to reappear when I want to move it.

  • http://www.red-omega.com/blog John W

    “In fact, I really can’t wait to get Windows loaded on this”

    But windows fanboy is ok? :)

  • db

    not a windows fan boy at all. You of all people should know that. sheesh ;)

    It’s just the little things that I expect an OS to do, that OSX doesn’t that windows does is all I’m saying. this is a great platform hardware wise, I just think that OSX isn’t all that and a bag of chip like the rest of you.

    For example, when I apple-tab between apps, why doesn’t the app that I pick come to focus? That’s just silly and drives me insane. If I can’t bring the app back using the keyboard, the clicking the X should really close it (apple-q), not leave it running like a service.

    at least that’s how windows works…

  • http://www.red-omega.com/blog John W

    I think the same sentiment goes both ways on OS’s. Each does things the other doesn’t but maybe should.

    When Apple-tab to an app it gets focus btw. unless it’s in another doesktop and I’ve told it not to change desktops. but otherwise it does work just like alt-tab for me.

    however multiple windows do act weird. but hey. expose is way better than alt or apple – tab.

  • db

    describe what you mean by focus.

    When I say focus, I mean I can see an apps main screen and it is ready to accept input from me. Currently I have iChat, adium, FF and iTunes running. When I apple-tab among those running programs and land on iChat lets say, I only get the menu, I don’t get the main program screen (which is a pain if I am trying to IM someone). Besides the apple-tab, now I also have to go into the Window menu to bring it to front.

    Here’s the other thing. The command to bring a program to front is NOT the same throughout programs. In fact, besides iChat, if I need access to a running program, I usually have to close it and then re-open it again to gain access to it, since there isn’t anyting in the Window menu to help me out.

  • db

    I just checked, this is the behavior if I click the X or mimimize it to the dock.

  • http://www.red-omega.com/blog John W

    Ah yeah. if you close the window that might be. I never do that :) like I said. it’s all about expose

  • db

    expose you say? hmmmm. I don’t know what this expose you speak of is, but I do have google assisted memory, so I believe I shall check it out.

  • http://www.jwiltshire.org Joshua

    Exposé is the reason that whenever I’m on a PC, I push the mouse all the way to the upper corners of the screen, and then get disappointed when nothing happens.

  • http://mini2.co.za Timmee

    db, your gripes are valid. i had the same issues, but they do not bother me any longer. i’ve been on a mac for 2 years now, and now get frustrated when using windows and my keyboard shortcuts don’t work! the networking on my powerbook is not great. switching from a wired to a wireless network causes the beach ball of death. i can’t have a wired and wireless network live at the same time and just unplug my network cable and continue working. a lot of swearing and a restart always results. bear in mind that the wired and wireless in this case is the same network. if i want to switch, i have to turn off wifi, then unplug the network cable, and then switch on wifi again. anything else results in immediate lockup. this is my biggest gripe with my powerbook…

  • db

    That is one of the few things, like I mentioned above, that is nice with the Intel MB. I can be cabled and wireless at the same time, disconnect one or the other and it still works. Switching between is painless as well.

    I’m learning my expose shortcuts and playing with that. Hopefully the frustration will stop soon!

  • http://www.red-omega.com/blog John W

    Yeah Timmee has a point. your gripes mostly are from a windows user coming to mac (had many of them even though I knew what to expect), but like anything become “the norm”

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