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Mac OS 26 Is Utter Garbage and Apple Has truly lost its way....
- Thread starter jsnuff1
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didn't you get the memo? it's about 'bringing joy and delight to even the simplest of interactions', a kind of Pavlov's Apple.
when it's intrusive? misleading? invisible?
i wouldn't know, as i have not (since 10.2) experienced an OS where the design 'infringes' on the capabilities... 🤷
bruv... let people vent in peace. MacOS 26 is Yosemite all over again. A late version of 26.x or 27 will have to fix this release.
Can the current MBP M4 Pro be safely downgraded to macOS 15 Sequoia?
Can anyone confirm this?
Yes you need to restore the mac to shipping software by popping the Mac into DFU mode and downloading the original software IPSW file.
Message me if you need help. You will need a second Mac to do it.
WTF. Why would you see that as a win for Windows?
Apple Lisa predates Microsoft Windows 1.0 by more than two years, so I guess that makes it forever plus two? 🤷♂️
WTF, macOS is UNIX 03–certified, and based on Darwin, which is open source.
I am sure Windows is preferable for gamers, but no self-respecting geek should be using it.
These days, of course, I cannot think of practically anything I would be prohibited from doing on macOS, Windows or Linux, it would just be more or less elegant and comfortable.
What control is it exactly you find lacking in macOS?
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wait, is that all this forum is now, a place to vent? what happened to discussion....
Perhaps it would be better to bring the discussion back to macOS (Let's dispel the myth that MacOS users don't know how computers work or how to use them... Before MacOS, I used Commodore Vic20/C128/Amiga, dozens of PCs with Windows and Linux... If I chose MacOS, there must be a reason.)
What works better in Tahoe 2.1 (in my case, installed with the full installer on top of Sequoia but with iCloud disabled) compared to Sequoia? (Let's leave the graphics aside.)
What does NOT work? I have a (test) MacBook M1 Pro with Tahoe (and two mini M4s with Sequoia)... I can test (within the limits of my configuration) an abnormal behavior in your configuration and see if it happens also on my end and submit a feedback. Let's TRY to improve Tahoe...
What works better in Tahoe 2.1 (in my case, installed with the full installer on top of Sequoia but with iCloud disabled) compared to Sequoia? (Let's leave the graphics aside.)
What does NOT work? I have a (test) MacBook M1 Pro with Tahoe (and two mini M4s with Sequoia)... I can test (within the limits of my configuration) an abnormal behavior in your configuration and see if it happens also on my end and submit a feedback. Let's TRY to improve Tahoe...
unless for backup, what do you need a second Mac for, don't you just reboot to factory settings?
This could not be a more naive or inaccurate statement. I can only presume that you don't understand that MacOS/OSX is essentially a UI overlay for Unix-like OS. It was developed from Mach and FreeBSD. The amount of control you have over the OS is exponentially greater than a Windows system. Windows has the gaming market cornered largely because of the breadth of graphics card options which Apple has never tried to match, and many game developers' reluctance to support more than one OS. The geeks and knowledgeable users you refer to are the ones running Mac clusters and actually using computers to their full extent. Your comment about Windows Registry tweaks fails to point out that those tweaks are only necessary because either the OS or the software running on it doesn't actually do what you need it to.
I held off upgrading to Tahoe here until yesterday. I’ve always wound up liking the UI overhauls in the past, even when I’ve been “told” to expect to hate it. Not this time. Liquid Glass really is an abomination. FFS, just folders alone. I can’t even make out the icon on the Apps folder and others. Fuzzier app icons? WHY???? It’s all just so bad. I’ll get used to it and in time surely it will get better, but that’s a far cry away from LIKING it. I feel like they felt they had to make a radical change to satisfy the haters who scream “stale” and “boring” and all that. Change for the sake of change is rarely a positive thing, and it ain’t positive here.
You can't be serious.
Let's take 99 examples, from simple to more advanced ones:
| Windows | macOS |
| Right-click → “Open with Notepad” | No plain text shortcut; TextEdit defaults to rich text |
| Pin any file/folder to taskbar | Dock only supports apps |
| Resize windows from any edge | Resize limited to bottom-right corner |
| Snap windows with Win+Arrow keys | Requires third-party tools (e.g., Magnet) |
| Rename multiple files in Explorer | Available, but less intuitive in Finder |
| Tabs in File Explorer | Finder tabs exist, but less flexible |
| Ctrl+Shift+Esc opens Task Manager | No direct shortcut for Activity Monitor |
| Create shortcuts anywhere | Aliases exist, but less customizable |
| Alt+Tab switches all windows | Cmd+Tab switches apps only |
| Customize mouse pointer | Limited options |
| Install apps from any source | Gatekeeper blocks unsigned apps by default |
| Run portable apps from USB | Most apps require installation |
| Built-in Paint app | No native equivalent (Preview is limited) |
| Disk Cleanup tool | No direct equivalent |
| Control Panel access | System Settings more limited |
| Create local user accounts | Apple ID often required |
| Calculator with programmer mode | Lacks programmer mode |
| Win+R “Run” dialog | No equivalent quick launcher |
| Customize folder icons | Possible, but more complex |
| Clipboard history (Win+V) | No native clipboard history |
| File Explorer with preview pane | Finder has preview, but less configurable |
| Taskbar shows all open windows | Dock groups by app, not window |
| Right-click → “Send to” menu | No equivalent quick-send options |
| Set default apps easily | More restricted |
| Use .exe files directly | Not supported |
| Access BIOS/UEFI | Not user-accessible on Macs |
| Use legacy peripherals | Often lacks drivers |
| Customize login screen | Limited customization |
| Read and write to NTFS drives without any limitations | Read NTFS only |
| Built-in troubleshooters | No equivalent diagnostic tools |
| Use multiple taskbars (multi-monitor) | Dock only appears on one screen |
| Install unsigned drivers | SIP blocks this |
| Use system tray icons | Menu bar is more limited |
| Set per-app volume | Not natively supported |
| Use legacy software | No backward compatibility |
| Customize boot options | Limited boot control |
| Use keyboard shortcuts globally | Shortcuts are app-specific |
| Access recent files from Start menu | No unified recent files list |
| Use multiple user sessions simultaneously | Fast user switching is more limited |
| Built-in screen snipping tool | Screenshot tool is less flexible |
| Use third-party antivirus freely | Limited kernel access |
| Install from Microsoft Store or web | App Store is more restrictive |
| Use taskbar jump lists | No equivalent in Dock |
| Customize system fonts | Not allowed |
| Use legacy control panels | No legacy access |
| Access hidden files easily (Ctrl+H) | Requires terminal or Finder shortcut |
| Use multiple desktops with taskbar per screen | Spaces lacks taskbar per desktop |
| Use built-in voice recorder | Requires third-party app |
| Use Windows Hello (face/fingerprint login) | No Face ID; Touch ID only on supported Macs |
| Easily change file extensions | More hidden in UI |
| Full UI theming with third-party tools | Limited to built-in Light/Dark modes |
| Rainmeter widgets | No equivalent with same flexibility |
| Registry editor | No system-wide registry access |
| PowerShell scripting | AppleScript + Terminal (less powerful) |
| Global file association control | App-based, less flexible |
| “God Mode” folder | No master settings folder |
| F8 Safe Mode boot | Requires recovery partition access |
| Compatibility mode for legacy apps | No support for 32-bit or legacy apps |
| Virtual desktops with custom shortcuts | Mission Control (limited shortcut control) |
| AutoHotkey macros | No native equivalent; third-party tools limited |
| Native DirectX 12 games | No DirectX; uses Metal or wrappers |
| Game modding without Wine | Often unsupported or limited |
| Emulators like BGB, Cemu, PCSX2 | Some work via Rosetta/Wine, not all |
| SolidWorks, Revit | Not available natively |
| Windows Mixed Reality | Not supported |
| Xbox Game Bar | No built-in game overlay |
| Microsoft Store + Xbox App | Not available |
| Full compatibility with game launchers | Some launchers lack macOS support |
| Optimized GPU drivers (NVIDIA/AMD) | Limited to Apple Silicon or Intel |
| Gaming peripheral config tools | Often lack macOS versions |
| Build-your-own PC | Not possible or options much more limited |
| Install on ARM, x86, x64 | Only on Apple Silicon or Intel |
| eGPU support | Deprecated on Apple Silicon |
| BIOS/UEFI access | No user-accessible firmware |
| Install on Steam Deck | Not supported |
| Legacy printer/scanner support | Often lacks drivers |
| Specialized USB device support | Limited by driver availability |
| Native DirectX SDK | Metal SDK (different API) |
| ASIO driver support | CoreAudio only |
| Industrial USB tools | Often Windows-only software |
| BitLocker encryption | FileVault (comparable) |
| Group Policy (GPO) | No centralized policy system |
| Advanced password policies | Limited to MDM tools |
| Application Guard | No browser isolation equivalent |
| WSUS update deployment | No centralized update server |
| Hyper-V virtualization | Parallels/VMware (not native) |
| Sysinternals Suite | No equivalent toolkit |
| SCCM/Intune deployment | Apple Configurator/MDM (less granular) |
| Advanced firewall rules | GUI limited; command-line needed |
| Assigned Access (kiosk mode) | Limited via parental controls |
| Full Visual Studio + .NET | Visual Studio for Mac is limited |
| Test on Internet Explorer/Edge legacy | Not available |
| WSL (Linux Subsystem) | Unix base, no Linux kernel |
| WinDbg for driver debugging | No equivalent |
| VirtualBox unrestricted | Apple restricts virtualization on ARM |
| Tools like Fiddler, ProcMon | Limited or unavailable |
| UWP app development | Not supported |
| Win32/COM API access | Not available |
| Chocolatey package manager | Homebrew (less system-integrated) |
| Windows | macOS (actually) |
| Right-click → “Open with Notepad” | Right-click -> Open with… |
| Pin any file/folder to taskbar | Dock supports file and folder in the right side |
| Resize windows from any edge | Windows can be resized from any edge, hold down cmd and option for different behaviors |
| Snap windows with Win+Arrow keys | Supported by default since macOS 15 |
| Rename multiple files in Explorer | Right-click -> rename is not intuitive? |
| Tabs in File Explorer | Less flexible how? |
| Ctrl+Shift+Esc opens Task Manager | Cmd-space -> write Activity monitor |
| Create shortcuts anywhere | How? macOS even supports three different types of links |
| Alt+Tab switches all windows | By design, there is still an option to cycle to windows, check the Windows menu |
| Customize mouse pointer | Oh geez |
| Install apps from any source | Like Windows 10 warn dialogs with hidden buttons |
| Run portable apps from USB | Most are self-contained bundles and don't require installation |
| Built-in Paint app | The end of the world |
| Disk Cleanup tool | No direct equivalent |
| Control Panel access | System Settings more limited |
| Create local user accounts | It's not, it's Windows the one that requires a Microsoft Account now, and just removed even more workaround in the last version |
| Calculator with programmer mode | It does not, did you even take three seconds to check? |
| Win+R “Run” dialog | Cmd-space to invoke spotlight |
| Customize folder icons | How is copy & paste complex? macOS 26 even introduced a list of glyph for the lazy ones |
| Clipboard history (Win+V) | Added in macOS 26 |
| File Explorer with preview pane | Define less configurable |
| Taskbar shows all open windows | That's by design |
| Right-click → “Send to” menu | Can be done by clicking on the windows title in document based apps, sharing options everywhere else |
| Set default apps easily | Not really, can be done |
| Use .exe files directly | No **** |
| Access BIOS/UEFI | There is no BIOS/UEFI anymore |
| Use legacy peripherals | NO **** |
| Customize login screen | The end of the world again |
| Read and write to NTFS drives without any limitations | Good lock reading and writing APFS on Windows without third part softwares |
| Built-in troubleshooters | The one that never works? There are quite a few assistant to in macOS too |
| Use multiple taskbars (multi-monitor) | By design |
| Install unsigned drivers | SIP can be disabled |
| Use system tray icons | I never understood people who decorate the menu bar like a Christmas tree |
| Set per-app volume | That's actually one of the few true thing of this weird list |
| Use legacy software | macOS can run software from 2009, obviously not as good as windows |
| Customize boot options | What boot options do you need? |
| Use keyboard shortcuts globally | For example? |
| Access recent files from Start menu | Apple menu -> recent items |
| Use multiple user sessions simultaneously | Oh geez |
| Built-in screen snipping tool | Like what? |
| Use third-party antivirus freely | This is actually and advantages |
| Install from Microsoft Store or web | Software can be installed from everywhere |
| Use taskbar jump lists | No equivalent in Dock |
| Customize system fonts | … |
| Use legacy control panels | This is a pro |
| Access hidden files easily (Ctrl+H) | How is this even in this list |
| Use multiple desktops with taskbar per screen | You already wrote this |
| Use built-in voice recorder | Voices Memo app or QuickTime player can both record audio |
| Use Windows Hello (face/fingerprint login) | Windows Hello is not secure on 99% of PC |
| Easily change file extensions | It's not |
| Full UI theming with third-party tools | … |
| Rainmeter widgets | Really? |
| Registry editor | Configurations are stored in .plist file usually, editable by hand of with the defaults cli command |
| PowerShell scripting | Ahah, good one, oh is zhs or bash less powerful? |
| Global file association control | Each file can be associated to a different app |
| “God Mode” folder | What the heck? |
| F8 Safe Mode boot | Really guy |
| Compatibility mode for legacy apps | You already wrote this |
| Virtual desktops with custom shortcuts | You can set custom shortcuts to switch to virtual desktops |
| AutoHotkey macros | You can assign an AppleScript to a hotkey |
| Native DirectX 12 games | Sigh |
| Game modding without Wine | Sigh^2 |
| Emulators like BGB, Cemu, PCSX2 | Did you even tried it? |
| SolidWorks, Revit | Oh well |
| Windows Mixed Reality | Please, let me die |
| Xbox Game Bar | Sigh |
| Microsoft Store + Xbox App | You already wrote this |
| Full compatibility with game launchers | This is getting boring |
| Optimized GPU drivers (NVIDIA/AMD) | You want drivers for unusable hardware? |
| Gaming peripheral config tools | Ever looked at System Settings? |
| Build-your-own PC | Maybe you shouldn't buy a Mac |
| Install on ARM, x86, x64 | see above |
| eGPU support | see above |
| BIOS/UEFI access | duplicate, you already wrote this above |
| Install on Steam Deck | duplicate, you already wrote this above |
| Legacy printer/scanner support | duplicate, you already wrote this above |
| Specialized USB device support | duplicate, you already wrote this above |
| Native DirectX SDK | duplicate, you already wrote this above |
| ASIO driver support | This is actually a pro |
| Industrial USB tools | duplicate, you already wrote this above |
| BitLocker encryption | FileVault (comparable) |
| Group Policy (GPO) | I had enough of this list |
| Advanced password policies | I had enough of this list |
| Application Guard | I had enough of this list |
| WSUS update deployment | I had enough of this list |
| Hyper-V virtualization | I had enough of this list |
| Sysinternals Suite | I had enough of this list |
| SCCM/Intune deployment | I had enough of this list |
| Advanced firewall rules | I had enough of this list |
| Assigned Access (kiosk mode) | I had enough of this list |
| Full Visual Studio + .NET | I had enough of this list |
| Test on Internet Explorer/Edge legacy | I had enough of this list |
| WSL (Linux Subsystem) | I had enough of this list |
| WinDbg for driver debugging | I had enough of this list |
| VirtualBox unrestricted | I had enough of this list |
| Tools like Fiddler, ProcMon | I had enough of this list |
| UWP app development | I had enough of this list |
| Win32/COM API access | I had enough of this list |
| Chocolatey package manager | I had enough of this list |
90% of the entries of this list makes no sense. Maybe try to use macOS first.
Why are you not using Windows if you want Windows. Why would a different operating system implement Win32/COM for example? That makes no sense. If it did it would be called Windows.
This stupid list and big part of this thread in whole is a reason why most of internet is increasingly turning into useless heap of useless non-informational noise like e-mail turned into most effective spam machine once its' insecurities (e-mail was not initially intended for use over public internet) were "harnessed" to this use.
This is the reason why internet search engines are increasingly struggling in finding actually usable information. Rise of AI-generated pseudo-content will make this even worse in future...
This is the reason why internet search engines are increasingly struggling in finding actually usable information. Rise of AI-generated pseudo-content will make this even worse in future...
By the way - I do agree that "Apple has lost its way", but in much wider sense than Tahoe appearance might let many of us know.
The list shows an unawareness of how to achieve many things that are in fact there as features. Whether you want to chalk it up to discoverability or user inertia is a valid discussion. For example, the various window manipulation options when holding cmd/option or finding them in the Window menu.
that's because it's chatGPT
100% agree
I regret going on line these past 2 years
there is not a single source quote as people now newsreporters can just type what ever they feel.
seems to me that simple searched like "lady driving car side view" clip art is impossible to get results.
then the content, I just read an article how a new NYC mayor will improve the city via bicycles as the writer gloated how great this is while me cycling there knows what pipe-dream that is.
I do cringe when I see that red mark on the bell an hope that is not a start of a thread war.
we have sunk into an analytical abyss of nothingness!
There's no need to go further than these 3 items to understand that it is AI slop generated from random ramblings from the internet.
1. It is up to Textedit settings, not the shortcut itself.
2. It is easy to notice that any folder from Finder sidebar can easily be added to Dock (there's right-click option for this).
3. This "limitation" has been gone so long that it is impossible to remember precisely when it disappeared - it was probably more than 10 years ago.
A casual glance shows quite a number of those examples are extremely false, as others are pointing out. But I'm going to focus on that first one:
| Windows | macOS |
| Right-click → “Open with Notepad” | No plain text shortcut; TextEdit defaults to rich text |
It's trivial to create a Service item that provides for that exact same action as in Windows (I should know... I did it myself). I can also trivially assign a system-wide shortcut to trigger it if I so desired rather than right-clicking. That aside, files that the system already recognizes as compatible with TextEdit will have TE available on the Open With submenu. The Service item I made is for file types that the system doesn't recognize as compatible.
Oh, and at least in Sequoia and Tahoe, TextEdit CAN be set to default to plain text.
Windows Home versions are almost impossible to set up without Microsoft account. Using Apple ID instead of local account is just a suggestion which can easily be skipped in initial setup.
Windows Pro versions have almost same limitation as Home versions, but device can be set up to use business 365 account and added to Entra ID/Intune device management.
For both versions this comparison is almost completely false.
Windows Home versions do not have Bitlocker support at all so your device is completely unsecured. This is madness in era where every pocket-size smart device is encrypted out-of-the box.
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no. It will still use the and boot the recovery partition which is Tahoe. You need to completely remove the OS and the recovery partition. The only way is to do a DFU method.
When to revive or restore in DFU mode
When should you put your Mac into DFU mode, hook it up to another Mac running Configurator, and revive or restore it?
eclecticlight.co
Erase All Content and Settings does what it says
It throws away the encryption key for the Data volume, effectively wiping all its data. It doesn’t alter the System volume, SSV, or the macOS installed.
eclecticlight.co
I am more than deadly serious. However, I was referring to actual control of the OS, not a bunch of shortcuts and application support comparisons. But let's play your game. Why on earth would anyone want Visual Studio on Mac? Conversely, you can't run Xcode on Windows. Yes, either can be done with VM's, but that's not what we're talking about here. Let me know when you can actually create a list yourself though, instead of relying on ChatGPT or the like.