In an old thread titled something like "does anybody actually like the new mac os desktop?" i created a quick list of features/bug fixes i wanted to see in mac os x.
i have been keeping a list of these and have added to them and edited them over the last few weeks.
with all the speculation on mac os 10.2 lately i thought now might be a good time to unveil the ambitiouslemon bugfix/feature list version .2.
i tried to give credit where credit is due, but let me know if i screwed anything up:
from krishba there should be a filter field in the toolbar of a window. so i can go to customize toolbar and put a filter field there. when one types in the field the items displayed in the window are dynamically filtered according to what is being typed (like in iTunes). arn tells us one can do this in the terminal so perhaps it will not be so difficult to implement in aqua.
When a folder window is minimized to the dock you should be able to drag files to the minimized window and thereby drop files into that folder.
one should be able to save windows in the dock just as one saves links, apps, folders and drives. so that one can always open a particular folder just by clicking on the dock.
there should be an option to include drives, removable media (cds dvds), and servers on the dock. so with this option enabled i could insert a cd and have it appear in the dock much like a launched application would. this makes it much easier to access that cd or dvd when my desktop is cluttered with various windows.
windows should not open behind the dock. this should function just as the menubar does. it prohibits windows from passing behind it.
organization in dock in which apps, docs, windows, folders, and drives are kept separate and the user can choose the order in which these are arranged. a dock customization feature implemented just how the toolbar customization is set up could make this very user friendly.
from dantec - a cursor shadow. everything else in osx has drop shadows why not the cursor?
preference panel in which one can specify applications that auto hide the dock. so if i usually have the dock visible i could launch adobe photoshop (which i had chosen in my preference panel as an app to autohide the dock) the dock hides and responds just as it would if i had chosen to have it hidden. but when i quit or move to another app the dock comes back and responds just as if it would without the autohide feature.
(this one from mrtrumbe) windows and documents in the doc should have some sort of stamp indicating the application they are operating in. (mouse over only gives name not application). i think this could function in a way similiar to mail.app and adium's notifications. where a small graphical stamp is place over the window or file of choice.
finder (mac smiley) dock icon should provide notification of finder tasks such as copying files etc. notification should be along same model as previous item
apple should encourage software developers to create dynamic icons that provide vital information visually, much like the notifications of mail.app and adium. behaivior such as bouncing can annoy many users so visual cues are better. Visual cues like those provided by adium should be encouraged. adium is the perfect model of how all dock icons (apps, windows, finder icon) should behaive.
option to toggle the default folder behavior in the dock. by default now a single click opens a window and a click-hold or control-click opens a contextual menu. there should be an option to flip this behavior where the default could be a single click opens the contextual menu and a click-hold or control click opens a window.
a replacement for windowshade function. minimizing is a good tool but it is something entirely different from windowshade. either windowshade function exactly or something new that gets a window out of the way but keeps it on the desktop. those videos of the mini windows in 10.2 might pull this off, i think i will need to play with it for awhile before decided, but im leaning towards no since it seems like far too much work to get the same result a double click windowshade.
tabbed window browsing as in mozilla, adium, limewire, system preferences, and apple's website. this is a great way to have the function of multiple windows and the simplicity of a single window. this could be seen also as an evolution of the tabbed windows in os9. spring loaded folders and this could work by dragging an item to the tab of another folder and thus flipping to the other tab, or by actually moving through folder icons.
all icons on the dock should have the option of being removed, including the finder icon... its just staring at me, smiling and mocking me! "i am here forever, you cant move me!!!" it seems to say in its ghastly stare. but all joking aside, some people do not need/want the finder icon on their dock.
windows should remember their file size, and icon arrangement even after a restart. this seems simple. but whenever i open my applications folder it is not the size i left it. perhaps a "save window position" like in omniweb could be used to save a certain window position and size.
when navigating windows with the "always open folders in a new window" preference turned off the new window should open in its saved state, not in the state of the window that was previously open. in other words it should function much like opening a folding while holding down the option key, but retain the history in the back button. this seems to be what apple is getting at with the "keep window's view the same when opening other folders in the window" option, but it seems whether this is checked it or not the function decribed in that option is always used.
all windows should by default be set to global (this is what global means). one can then change all of one's windows by adjusting the global options. if one wants things different in a particular window then one uses the "this window only" option. third parties should provide power users with the option for multiple "global" settings, ie multiple sets of default window states. i would love to have one for my classic drive and one for my x drive. also the option for cascading window states as in the third party utility from os9 "window monkey" where the settings for one window automatically applied to all those enclosed (obviously this would need to be an option not set by default).
the green button should function properly even if i have snap to grid or keep arranged by checked. is it so much to ask that the green button work properly? when the "keep arranged by.." option is chosen and one trys to use the green button the right side of the window crops the window too close thereby forcing the windows aloong the edge to move to th next row. when the "snap to grid" option is chosen the green button resizes so that there is too much room at the top of a window. when none of these is checked then things crop properly to the right and bottom but it does not crop the left or top of a window. this seems like a very serious bug and i cant believe we are in version 10.1.3 and still have not fixed this. this is the number one reason osx feels like betaware.
springloaded folders
the ticks in the icon resizing preferences in the finder and in the dock should have a tick and list the corresponding pixels.
a contextual menu option to size icons individually independent of the size of the other icons in the window/desktop.
classic windows should be just as aware of the dock and menubar as aqua windows.
an option for a visual cue of the classic state and an easy way to start it up or shut it down. if not in the dock then in the menubar like the battery, monitor, sound,and ppoe status icons. its annoying having to be always opening preferences to see if os9 is running and to shut it down if it is. a small black and white icon in the menubar next to my battery icon would be very nice.
option to remove recent items from apple menu.
alias's placed in the dock should not display an alias arrow while in the dock. dock icons should be considered a whole separate entity, you have window icons and dynamic dock icons, so dropping a alias in the dock should display its dynamic icon not its window icon with the alias arrow. custom dynamic icons should be created using the method used by adium.
windows with a large number of files/apps should open in a reasonable amount of time. another of my big reasons for starting up in classic, sometimes i need to open folders with large numbers.
scrolling in windows needs to be accelerated (perhaps using some sort fo caching)
an option to "drop" a folder window onto the desktop. what do i mean by this? suppose on my desktop i have two word documents and a stuffit document. i then have a window open with various video clips that i will be working on for awhile. i should be able to (through a contectual menu or key command) automatically make the contents of the window appear on the desktop. i then work with these files off my desktop for a day, and then press the same keycommand or contextual menu option, and the items from that window are removed from the desktop and appear again as a window on my desktop. the items are originally on the desktop stay there while the ones from the window move back to the window. applications while saving or opening can save to desktop and will appear on the desktop or save to the folder being displayed on the desktop and also appear on the desktop (but these will be picked up when one picks the folder up while items saved to the desktop will remain on the desktop). this provides the functionality of taking a stack of papers out of ones desk or filing cabinet and spreading the files out on your desk as you use it.
i have been keeping a list of these and have added to them and edited them over the last few weeks.
with all the speculation on mac os 10.2 lately i thought now might be a good time to unveil the ambitiouslemon bugfix/feature list version .2.
i tried to give credit where credit is due, but let me know if i screwed anything up:
from krishba there should be a filter field in the toolbar of a window. so i can go to customize toolbar and put a filter field there. when one types in the field the items displayed in the window are dynamically filtered according to what is being typed (like in iTunes). arn tells us one can do this in the terminal so perhaps it will not be so difficult to implement in aqua.
When a folder window is minimized to the dock you should be able to drag files to the minimized window and thereby drop files into that folder.
one should be able to save windows in the dock just as one saves links, apps, folders and drives. so that one can always open a particular folder just by clicking on the dock.
there should be an option to include drives, removable media (cds dvds), and servers on the dock. so with this option enabled i could insert a cd and have it appear in the dock much like a launched application would. this makes it much easier to access that cd or dvd when my desktop is cluttered with various windows.
windows should not open behind the dock. this should function just as the menubar does. it prohibits windows from passing behind it.
organization in dock in which apps, docs, windows, folders, and drives are kept separate and the user can choose the order in which these are arranged. a dock customization feature implemented just how the toolbar customization is set up could make this very user friendly.
from dantec - a cursor shadow. everything else in osx has drop shadows why not the cursor?
preference panel in which one can specify applications that auto hide the dock. so if i usually have the dock visible i could launch adobe photoshop (which i had chosen in my preference panel as an app to autohide the dock) the dock hides and responds just as it would if i had chosen to have it hidden. but when i quit or move to another app the dock comes back and responds just as if it would without the autohide feature.
(this one from mrtrumbe) windows and documents in the doc should have some sort of stamp indicating the application they are operating in. (mouse over only gives name not application). i think this could function in a way similiar to mail.app and adium's notifications. where a small graphical stamp is place over the window or file of choice.
finder (mac smiley) dock icon should provide notification of finder tasks such as copying files etc. notification should be along same model as previous item
apple should encourage software developers to create dynamic icons that provide vital information visually, much like the notifications of mail.app and adium. behaivior such as bouncing can annoy many users so visual cues are better. Visual cues like those provided by adium should be encouraged. adium is the perfect model of how all dock icons (apps, windows, finder icon) should behaive.
option to toggle the default folder behavior in the dock. by default now a single click opens a window and a click-hold or control-click opens a contextual menu. there should be an option to flip this behavior where the default could be a single click opens the contextual menu and a click-hold or control click opens a window.
a replacement for windowshade function. minimizing is a good tool but it is something entirely different from windowshade. either windowshade function exactly or something new that gets a window out of the way but keeps it on the desktop. those videos of the mini windows in 10.2 might pull this off, i think i will need to play with it for awhile before decided, but im leaning towards no since it seems like far too much work to get the same result a double click windowshade.
tabbed window browsing as in mozilla, adium, limewire, system preferences, and apple's website. this is a great way to have the function of multiple windows and the simplicity of a single window. this could be seen also as an evolution of the tabbed windows in os9. spring loaded folders and this could work by dragging an item to the tab of another folder and thus flipping to the other tab, or by actually moving through folder icons.
all icons on the dock should have the option of being removed, including the finder icon... its just staring at me, smiling and mocking me! "i am here forever, you cant move me!!!" it seems to say in its ghastly stare. but all joking aside, some people do not need/want the finder icon on their dock.
windows should remember their file size, and icon arrangement even after a restart. this seems simple. but whenever i open my applications folder it is not the size i left it. perhaps a "save window position" like in omniweb could be used to save a certain window position and size.
when navigating windows with the "always open folders in a new window" preference turned off the new window should open in its saved state, not in the state of the window that was previously open. in other words it should function much like opening a folding while holding down the option key, but retain the history in the back button. this seems to be what apple is getting at with the "keep window's view the same when opening other folders in the window" option, but it seems whether this is checked it or not the function decribed in that option is always used.
all windows should by default be set to global (this is what global means). one can then change all of one's windows by adjusting the global options. if one wants things different in a particular window then one uses the "this window only" option. third parties should provide power users with the option for multiple "global" settings, ie multiple sets of default window states. i would love to have one for my classic drive and one for my x drive. also the option for cascading window states as in the third party utility from os9 "window monkey" where the settings for one window automatically applied to all those enclosed (obviously this would need to be an option not set by default).
the green button should function properly even if i have snap to grid or keep arranged by checked. is it so much to ask that the green button work properly? when the "keep arranged by.." option is chosen and one trys to use the green button the right side of the window crops the window too close thereby forcing the windows aloong the edge to move to th next row. when the "snap to grid" option is chosen the green button resizes so that there is too much room at the top of a window. when none of these is checked then things crop properly to the right and bottom but it does not crop the left or top of a window. this seems like a very serious bug and i cant believe we are in version 10.1.3 and still have not fixed this. this is the number one reason osx feels like betaware.
springloaded folders
the ticks in the icon resizing preferences in the finder and in the dock should have a tick and list the corresponding pixels.
a contextual menu option to size icons individually independent of the size of the other icons in the window/desktop.
classic windows should be just as aware of the dock and menubar as aqua windows.
an option for a visual cue of the classic state and an easy way to start it up or shut it down. if not in the dock then in the menubar like the battery, monitor, sound,and ppoe status icons. its annoying having to be always opening preferences to see if os9 is running and to shut it down if it is. a small black and white icon in the menubar next to my battery icon would be very nice.
option to remove recent items from apple menu.
alias's placed in the dock should not display an alias arrow while in the dock. dock icons should be considered a whole separate entity, you have window icons and dynamic dock icons, so dropping a alias in the dock should display its dynamic icon not its window icon with the alias arrow. custom dynamic icons should be created using the method used by adium.
windows with a large number of files/apps should open in a reasonable amount of time. another of my big reasons for starting up in classic, sometimes i need to open folders with large numbers.
scrolling in windows needs to be accelerated (perhaps using some sort fo caching)
an option to "drop" a folder window onto the desktop. what do i mean by this? suppose on my desktop i have two word documents and a stuffit document. i then have a window open with various video clips that i will be working on for awhile. i should be able to (through a contectual menu or key command) automatically make the contents of the window appear on the desktop. i then work with these files off my desktop for a day, and then press the same keycommand or contextual menu option, and the items from that window are removed from the desktop and appear again as a window on my desktop. the items are originally on the desktop stay there while the ones from the window move back to the window. applications while saving or opening can save to desktop and will appear on the desktop or save to the folder being displayed on the desktop and also appear on the desktop (but these will be picked up when one picks the folder up while items saved to the desktop will remain on the desktop). this provides the functionality of taking a stack of papers out of ones desk or filing cabinet and spreading the files out on your desk as you use it.
