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My thoughts thus far on Lion

Count me in as another heavy Spaces and never Expose user. It seems that heavy users of either are disappointed with Mission Control, so whom does Mission Control serve?

Addressing some of the OP's comments:

Heston said:
I have to admit, the Launchpad feature in my opinion is pretty worthless.
Click to expand...
It's there to attract iPhone/iPad/iTouch users with Windows computers to get them to switch. Luckily you never have to use it!

Another big problem that I have is connecting to 802.1x profiled networks. My school uses it for authentication, but I haven't been able to get it to work, despite using the iPhone Configuration route.
Click to expand...

Thanks for pointing this out. I've only tested Lion at home and need to connect to one of these networks on the outside. Now I know I need to check that out as well.

I haven't tried Airdrop, but it seems like an interesting concept. I've always created private networks and transferred files that way. I wonder how Airdrop will work with a network like mine at school.
Click to expand...

Airdrop creates an ad-hoc, peer to peer WiFi network and doesn't use any WiFi networks in the area. So your school network is irrelevant. Likewise Airdrop doesn't work over wired networks. In the presence of an existing WiFi or wired network you can always use the Public folders, just like earlier versions of OS X.

I don't know how much i'll actually use the fullscreen thing. Plus, it doesn't allow you to manually organize and arrange the windows in the order you want. it does it based on usage.
Click to expand...

I don't like it on multiple displays. There is an option to disable the auto-arrange. I've done that. You also don't need to use full screen but can maximize the size of an app and put it on a separate space.

I've found that existing (pre-Lion) full screen apps are multi-display friendly. This includes virtualization apps (I use Parallels and VirtualBox), Windows Remote Desktop, and Aperture. If these apps switch to using Lion's full-screen APIs I'll be screwed.

So far I like the global autocorrect feature, but i can see that getting annoying as well like it does with the iPhone. There are websites out there that explicating mock some of the stupid autocorrections made. This could turn to be somewhat annoying....
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Annoying but can be disabled!

I realize a lot of these features are capable of being turned off, but for the lay person that doesn't know how to do that, that's a shame. For example, the reverse scrolling? What the heck?? I don't care if we're trying to mimic the iPad experience. This is my laptop experience and retraining my mind to naturally want to do the opposite is just another annoying feature.[/quote]

Again, defaulted for switchers who have arrived via their iOS device.

No Rosetta. That's a problem, especially if you use Quicken and not Quicken Essentials.
Click to expand...

This is stopping me from upgrading as I need Rosetta for one application. Luckily the developer has promised a revision. Not Quicken in my case as I use the Windows version in a virtual machine.

I don't like the idea of not having a physical disk for the installation. Doing a clean install will be super time consuming with having to install Leopard first and then Lion. I am not a big fan of that. Will Apple allow us to burn an image to a disk? How would that work for those that aren't tech savvy?
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You can do that now, and it is simple. http://osxdaily.com/2011/06/08/create-burn-bootable-mac-os-x-lion-install-disc/

I'm looking forward to the versions and resume features. I think those will make the most difference, however they will require revisions to apps to enable the features. I'm hoping for at least a concurrent release of the iWork apps with Lion this July.
 
Heston said:
So I think the real million dollar question is this: have they poised themselves in preparation for a touchscreen laptop and/or iMac? I can see that it would definitely be more feasible with the operating system mimics between iOS and Lion. That's my hunch....I mean, why not? It be so easy to do now.
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There will be no touchscreen Laptops or iMac. The Apple design team already said it was clunky and not very ergonomic to be reaching and holding your arms up to keep touching the screen. All gestures were put into the track pad because its just easier.
 
Jagardn said:
There will be no touchscreen Laptops or iMac. The Apple design team already said it was clunky and not very ergonomic to be reaching and holding your arms up to keep touching the screen. All gestures were put into the track pad because its just easier.
Click to expand...

Ah yes grasshopper, but consider what a little tinkering with the iMac stand can do:

Imacfoldingstandpatent.jpg
 
labaom said:
Are you serious? You would rather have a few windows in every space? Expose is used MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH more widely than Spaces has or ever will be.
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Do you have actual numbers for that or are you (as is most likely) simply making things up? My parents don't use Spaces, no, but I use Spaces every single day, and multiple times per day.
 
I posted this in another thread, but thought
it would be applicable here as well. Have been
using LION on my iMac for a considerable amount
of time.

It's the most enjoyable OS I have ever used.

First and foremost, I think those that will mostly
benefit from LION are trackpad owners -- specifically
MagicTrackpad. LION is all about gestures. It's
really amazing how much finger swiping improves the
overall OS experience. You swipe through browser
windows and zoom in and out of open windows across
your desktop. It's just amazing.

Those with a MagicMouse will be able to use most of
the gesutres, but I think the MagicTrackpad takes it
to a whole new level.

Secondly, the animations are spectacular. You swipe
through browser pages as if you were moving from one
picture to another. Scrolling is greatly enhanced, and
there's a "Rubber Band" effect that makes the motion more
realistic.

My favorite enhancement is Apple Mail. This was a much
needed overhaul that Apple ignored for years. It's going
to put the WIDEMAIL plug-in and SPARROW out of business.
The mail now looks exactly as it does on iOS. It's rather
astonishing to see how nicely threaded replies are handled
whereas each reply is properly numbered and all the text
junk is removed, leaving only the important parts of the
message. It's hard to explain, but those who have seen
the keynote now get it.

Since I had been using a program called WINDOWSHADE X
for the past few years, I was rather pleased that LION now
enables you to have several windows open at once and you
can immediately get to whatever is behind another window
simply by using a 3-finger gesture downwards to zoom out
and give an "ariel view" on your desktop and then zoom back
in on any window that you want.

Those of you who think this is just a minimal upgrade to
Snow Leopard have got it all wrong. Apple has done an
excellent job of giving us an operating system that works
very close to iOS 5. At first, I did not like the concept of
having a desktop OS that looked like a mobile one -- but
now seeing that I can arrange my application icons into
folders just like I do on the iPhone, I am really pleased.
After all, iOS is a very successful and popular platform and
I can totally understand Apple's attempt to have all their
devices work as one.

Really, I think LION is pretty incredible. Again, I think
anyone with a Macbook or MagicTrackpad is going to see
the immediate benefits.

I can't wait for the final release, and I wish Apple would
throw out a date for us to salvate over.
 
NJRonbo said:
Since I had been using a program called WINDOWSHADE X
for the past few years, I was rather pleased that LION now
enables you to have several windows open at once and you
can immediately get to whatever is behind another window
simply by using a 3-finger gesture downwards to zoom out
and give an "ariel view" on your desktop and then zoom back
in on any window that you want.
Click to expand...


You do know that previous versions of OS X all did that right? It was called Exposé and now it's called Mission Control.
 
NJRonbo said:
Apple has done an
excellent job of giving us an operating system that works
very close to iOS 5.
Click to expand...

And this is one of the reasons I am not looking forward to Lion, if I wanted to use an iOS interface I would buy an iPad
 
NJRonbo said:
First and foremost, I think those that will mostly
benefit from LION are trackpad owners -- specifically
MagicTrackpad. LION is all about gestures. It's
really amazing how much finger swiping improves the
overall OS experience. You swipe through browser
windows and zoom in and out of open windows across
your desktop. It's just amazing.

Those with a MagicMouse will be able to use most of
the gesutres, but I think the MagicTrackpad takes it
to a whole new level.

Secondly, the animations are spectacular. You swipe
through browser pages as if you were moving from one
picture to another. Scrolling is greatly enhanced, and
there's a "Rubber Band" effect that makes the motion more
realistic.
Click to expand...

You sound like you only like fluid and natural animations and not how an OS adapts to your workflow.
 
If Apple were to add every feature that everyone wants and make it so they were all configurable, it would be too damn confusing. The Preference app would have 20+ pages of info to sift through. No thanks. It would be like trying to find a setting on an Android phone </troll>;)
I haven't used Lion personally, but Mission Control looks great to me.
 
Lion for TrackPad Users

Apple enjoys so much success in iOS and they think OSX should benefit from it. Wrong.

Touching and swiping are excellent for mobile devices, for they give the users a direct experience of using the devices right on the display.

Touching and swiping on a trackpad is not direct. In fact, it feels confined. Using the trackpad on a desktop platform is never a good experience, unless certain applications require it. Trackpad comes with laptops because of the need for portability and unity, and their users reach for a mouse whenever it's accessible.

A mouse is much more intuitive and simplistic than a trackpad. Knowing when to use 1 finger, 2 fingers, 3 fingers, or 4 fingers on the trackpad is only tiring and confusing.

So much for multi-gestures in Lion.

LaunchPad? The dock already carries more than you need to click on in a day. More is not always better.
Mission Control? It's Exposé complicated. More is not always better.
Full Scree Apps? The desktop is lost.

The iOS is admirable since it's natural and simple. In trying to advance with new ideas and developments, Apple may be complicating things rather than solidifying them.

The Lion will share the same fate as the Tiger.

A macPad will need to come to save OSX.
 
Last edited:
macguy2 said:
Touching and swiping on a trackpad is not direct. In fact, it feels confined. Using the trackpad on a desktop platform is never a good experience, unless certain applications require it. Trackpad comes with laptops because of the need for portability and unity, and their users reach for a mouse whenever it's accessible.
Click to expand...

I used to feel the same way. In fact, the first two notebook computer I've had (a Toshiba and a Dell) both came with the little joystick button because I could never get the knack of a trackpad! However the multitouch, button-less and large trackpads on the Apple notebooks completely changed my feeling. I have a mouse but rarely plug it in. Still use a mouse on the desktop system, but I can see getting a Magic Trackpad for Lion.
 
I have been using the TrackPad for about the last 4 months

For browsing through documents, Safari, Pages etc it is great

For anything else I much prefer a mouse

trying to adjust sliders in LightRoom or Photoshop with a trackpad is just a painful experience
 
Exactly.

When I first saw the MagicTrackpad, I though
"Ewwww....trackpad." A lot of people get negative
vibes from using them on laptops.

But I was surprised as to how MagicTrackpad
elevates that experience to new levels. There is
a much larger field of real estate to work with and
once you learn the new gestures in Lion, you will
find yourself controlling most every aspect of it with
simple swipe commands.
 
NJRonbo said:
Exactly.

When I first saw the MagicTrackpad, I though
"Ewwww....trackpad." A lot of people get negative
vibes from using them on laptops.

But I was surprised as to how MagicTrackpad
elevates that experience to new levels. There is
a much larger field of real estate to work with and
once you learn the new gestures in Lion, you will
find yourself controlling most every aspect of it with
simple swipe commands.
Click to expand...

I still think dragging and doing something like a screen shot is a pain with the track pad. In fact, when I take screen shots for notes, I end up having to do it more than once because I run out of trackpad to get the full thing I want.

For dexterity, the mouse is still the way to go unfortunately. It's more precise with movements, especially in gaming. I don't there's a single gamer out there that feels comfortable putting his COD rankings at risk by playing with a trackpad.

I like most of the gestures, but some them are clunky. Like the four finger and thumb gesture. Not very enthusiastic about that one. Rotating a picture still gives me a little trouble too.

Here's my breakdown of why the new OS falls short of what it tries to do. The iPad, iTouch, iPhone all require direct manipulation of tactileless objects on a screen. The mind is able fill the gap between the fake object and the illusion of manipulating that object fairly easily when there's direct action upon that object. However, with a laptop or an external trackpad in a different plane that the object is in, concept of manipulating objects is another step removed from actually doing so because there's now NO direct action upon that object. This is where I think Lion fundamentally fails to create the iPad experience and probably never will unless there's a touchscreen computer. And as everyone has said, that too is not a comfortable experience.
 
Heston said:
I still think dragging and doing something like a screen shot is a pain with the track pad. In fact, when I take screen shots for notes, I end up having to do it more than once because I run out of trackpad to get the full thing I want.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if it's a setting or not (it requires tap to click, I think), but you can momentarily lift up your finger and replace it to continue a drag.

As for your other points, I agree on the gaming/accuracy front, but for your other points, I disagree. I have been using BetterTouchTool for a month or two and it has revolutionised (I didn't want to use the word, but it's true) how I use my MBP; I see gestures as being highly intuitive and easy to access/use keyboard shortcuts than anything else, not simply a novel and gimmicky faux-reality interface. Granted, if I was on an iMac/Mac Pro I probably wouldn't be very interested in them at all. I guess it's a good thing that notebooks are the biggest market for Apple at the moment.

I don't think Apple should be touting them as one of the big new features of Lion, largely because they're not new (aside from them adding a couple of things by default). However, the average person is probably clueless about them, so I understand why they are doing it.
 
Last edited:
NJRonbo said:
Exactly.

When I first saw the MagicTrackpad, I though
"Ewwww....trackpad." A lot of people get negative
vibes from using them on laptops.

But I was surprised as to how MagicTrackpad
elevates that experience to new levels. There is
a much larger field of real estate to work with and
once you learn the new gestures in Lion, you will
find yourself controlling most every aspect of it with
simple swipe commands.
Click to expand...

There are two things about a trackpad on a laptop that create the negativity towards them. Size, and accidental input.

With the Magic Trackpad you obviously get a larger size that is also nicely angled. And more importantly, it isn't in front of your keyboard while you try to type.
 
roland.g said:
There are two things about a trackpad on a laptop that create the negativity towards them. Size, and accidental input.

With the Magic Trackpad you obviously get a larger size that is also nicely angled. And more importantly, it isn't in front of your keyboard while you try to type.
Click to expand...

Maybe we could get rid of the CD drive (I know some people would dislike that) and relocate the mouse to the side by having the trackpad popout. Probably would be too cumbersome to use it on your lap though. I remember the old monochrome Toshibas that had the attachable ball mouse (anyone remember that??) - those were weird to use.
 
roland.g said:
There are two things about a trackpad on a laptop that create the negativity towards them. Size, and accidental input.

With the Magic Trackpad you obviously get a larger size that is also nicely angled. And more importantly, it isn't in front of your keyboard while you try to type.
Click to expand...

I really like my Magic Trackpad for its ability to handle some basic, but common, keyboard commands. I do keep a wireless mouse plugged for areas of use where the trackpad is cumbersome (mainly spreadsheets).
 
Benjamindaines said:
Try adding your applications folder to your dock and see if you still like LP then.
Click to expand...

The folder has been there for a while. I just removed the Applications folder from it today, because I'm not using it anymore.

I never liked it being there, anyways; the icons are crowded, not enough are shown, and it just seems less intuitive. One four-finger pinch (sounds complicated, might be bad for people with RSI or arthritis, but I have no problems with it) and then a two-finger swipe to whichever screen it's on works better for me.

For each their own, but luckily (and this is something that I think is overlooked because it's "cliché" to hate on LaunchPad), you can completely hide it. You can remove the icon from your dock, you can probably even remap the four-fingered pinch gesture to something else. And then it's basically gone.

Just like Dashboard. I hate it; totally useless to me. But guess what? It's easily hidden, and doesn't get in my way. So I'm fine with it in the end.
 
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