Pet peeves when switching from Windows to Mac?

[AppleFan360]

If you switched from Windows to an iMac (or any Mac for that matter), what are your pet peeves? What do you miss?

For some reason, I miss the start menu. Don't ask me why. Yeah I know, there are work arounds.

Another is while working in an application and moving to the top menus, I have to verify that the menus are for the application I'm working in.

 

[tmelvin]

I've only been on a Mac since late March, but don't really have any peeves. I don't think it's a matter of what I miss, but how I've changed the way I work. I've been a Windows guy since 3.0. I'm a Windows Admin/Manager, so old habits are hard to break. But I have to admit I've been missing out. I think the way a Mac works is very logical. It's not perfect, no OS is, but it's far more efficient, and cleaner than Windows.

My 2 Cents...

 

[Sky Blue]

I'll answer for others:

- how come green button doesn't make it full screen?
- how come enter key doesn't open files?
- how i make full screen?
- how come can't delete without shortcut?
- what's the green button for?

 

[jciapara]

Green Button

I don't know about you guys or why does work this way for me, but the green button maximizes every application to fullscreen - (dock size).

 

[LeahM]

I don't like the wobbly stacks. It just bothers me. I suppose I could change it though. But definately the enlarging, I would like to grab the closest corner and drag but it only works on the lower right hand corner. Bummer

 

[Detektiv-Pinky]

Finder

I am using Tiger and XP simultaneously now since a little over a year.

I must say I still hate the finder.
I miss 'tree-view' from Explorer, where you can easily copy files around in the folder hierarchy, without loosing your current focus or having to open two windows.

I am a big fan of Keyboard-Shortcuts and I find the Mac shortcuts lacking and/or using to much keys simultaneously in order to be helpful or to be remembered easily.
They also tend to be inconsistent (e.g. full-screen in quicktime, dvd-player and other applications)

The German keyboard-layout for the Mac is a joke. I did a lot of tinkering to fit this to my muscle-memory in that I simulate the right Alt-Key on the right Apple-key. However, this does not work for Aquaemacs

I really hate Microsoft for their 'not-quite' compatible Office implementation and lacking support for Outlook .pst-files.

 

[big_malk]

I must say I still hate the finder.
I miss 'tree-view' from Explorer, where you can easily copy files around in the folder hierarchy, without loosing your current focus or having to open two windows.

I don't know why everyone complains about missing the tree view from windows, as far as I can tell, the list view works almost exactly the same.
you can open folder inside folder inside folder by clicking the little triangles and isn't that just how windows tree view works?

 

[mkrishnan]

Mmmm,

- The fact that data CDs and DVDs are single session by default and how cumbersome multisession is (but then I switched five years ago, when USB keys were much smaller capacity and much less reliable -- I could care less about this now).

- The fact that there are separate minimize and hide functions that don't have consistent keyboard shortcuts

- Copy and paste, etc, inside file dialogs (which I can honestly live without just fine, but if honest is honest, I did use this occasionally

- The fact that pressing Enter on a file in Finder renames it by default (which still annoys the hell out of me. )

 

[Senor360]

Not a particular peeve of mine, but..

I can see how some new users to Leopard would find it so. Closing an application doesn't mean it's gone. You have to make sure to Quit that application to make sure it's no longer running. Command-Q is your friend.

 

[BlackMax]

I'm not a switcher, but have used both platforms for years.

The two things I would like to see added/enhanced on OS X is an uninstall feature and more functionality with the trash can.

I realize you can simply drag applications, folders/files to the trash can, but this doesn't always get all the associated files and after time you end up with orphaned junk on your system. This type of uninstall feature isn't restricted to Windows either, on many Linux systems you have this functionality in the form of the RPM package manager.

Also, it would be nice to be able to remove items (with all their various associated files) from the trash can and have everything automatically go back to its original location if I later decide to keep them.

 

[fhall1]

Remembering it's not CTRL-C and CTRL-V for cut/paste any more, but it's (Windows)-C and (Windows)-V

 

[Mousse]

Others have said the same thing I'm going to say: The ability to resize a window from any edge. As far as I can remember, Mac can only resize from the bottom right corner.

I've used both Mac OS (since System 5) and Windows (since 3.1, Win 1&2 was even less usable than Vista). I can honestly say, this is the only feature where Windows tops the Mac OS.

 

[ucfgrad93]

Another is while working in an application and moving to the top menus, I have to verify that the menus are for the application I'm working in.

Yeah, this one took me awhile to adjust to.

 

[SilentCrs]

Without a doubt, clicking the green button. I've been buying Macs for relatives and this is the number one thing they have a hard time getting used to. I'm still irked by it (and I've been using a Mac regularly for a few years now). At the very least, the icon when you hold your mouse over it is misleading (it's always a "plus", whether it's going to make the window bigger or smaller).

In my mind, it was a convention carried over from OS 9 and before that made sense at the time but not now (it's pretty rare that the OS can actually tell what the "right" size of the window should be -- especially on things like Internet browsers).

 

[Detektiv-Pinky]

I don't know why everyone complains about missing the tree view from windows, as far as I can tell, the list view works almost exactly the same.
you can open folder inside folder inside folder by clicking the little triangles and isn't that just how windows tree view works?

Well, it might be almost the same and than, it is not.
Maybe you should try it out yourself, however, if you are happy the way it works now, there is no need to make you unhappy

I like the Explorer tree view, because it uses 2 columns. One for your folder structure (and it displays only folders there, no files). In the other column you get the currently selected folder with all the files and folders in it. Since the first column only displays the folder structure, you usually can display the full hierarchy you are planning to access without any need of scrolling and you can easily jump back and forth and pick-up and drop files where you want them. I also like the conceptual clarity here, because it only shows the structure, not the content. I am a big fan of structure and the finder with it's jumbled view of files and folder simply makes it hard for me to access things...

Oh, and than I can navigate the whole thing using 'Backspace', 'Enter', 'Up' and 'Down'. No need for multi-key navigation shortcuts!

 

[deputy_doofy]

Remembering it's not CTRL-C and CTRL-V for cut/paste any more, but it's (Windows)-C and (Windows)-V

I always liked this one. The reason is because Macs were ALWAYS command-c, command-x, and command-v (copy, cut, paste), whereas Windows 3.0 (and probably before) started out using something like control-insert, shift-delete, and shift-insert, respectively. I think, as of 3.1, they copied Mac and went with the 3 letters that most GUI users were already used to.

 

[Satori]

I really miss the long coffee breaks waiting for my machine to reboot and having a great excuse for my lack of work productivity

 

[ZiggyPastorius]

To be honest...I can't think of any. I remember when I went back to Windows (temporarily of course), I tried to drag a file through a bunch of folders, and got pissed because it didn't automatically open that folder when I highlighted it for a few seconds. *cry*

There's probably something I'd miss somewhere, but nothing I've used as of yet. I can honestly say I've never ever touched the green button on a Mac. Ever. I've never even done it to see what it does, I've just never needed it.

 

[Nordichund]

I really don't miss anything from Windows. I do use one or two programmes in Parallels and occasionally I boot into Boot Camp. However the only problems I seem to have with software on my Mac are when I use Windows. I'm finding that I'm using Windows less and less and when I have to go into Windows I keep trying to think of excuses not to open it

 

[VoodooDaddy]

Its been 2yrs since I ditched Windows for OSX. Im sure there were things that bugged me at the time, but now I cant remember what those were.

 

[danny_w]

I'm not a switcher, but have used both platforms for years.

The two things I would like to see added/enhanced on OS X is an uninstall feature and more functionality with the trash can.

I realize you can simply drag applications, folders/files to the trash can, but this doesn't always get all the associated files and after time you end up with orphaned junk on your system. This type of uninstall feature isn't restricted to Windows either, on many Linux systems you have this functionality in the form of the RPM package manager.

Also, it would be nice to be able to remove items (with all their various associated files) from the trash can and have everything automatically go back to its original location if I later decide to keep them.

Totally agree on both counts.

 

[danny_w]

Well, it might be almost the same and than, it is not.
Maybe you should try it out yourself, however, if you are happy the way it works now, there is no need to make you unhappy

I like the Explorer tree view, because it uses 2 columns. One for your folder structure (and it displays only folders there, no files). In the other column you get the currently selected folder with all the files and folders in it. Since the first column only displays the folder structure, you usually can display the full hierarchy you are planning to access without any need of scrolling and you can easily jump back and forth and pick-up and drop files where you want them. I also like the conceptual clarity here, because it only shows the structure, not the content. I am a big fan of structure and the finder with it's jumbled view of files and folder simply makes it hard for me to access things...

Oh, and than I can navigate the whole thing using 'Backspace', 'Enter', 'Up' and 'Down'. No need for multi-key navigation shortcuts!

Agreed. This is my favorite feature from windows that is missing in Mac OS X.

 

[VideoFreek]

Three things, mainly:

The ability to fine-tune file and folder permissions--absolutely primitive on OS X. (yes, I know OS X Server has a GUI similar to Windows, but I don't run Server. And I know these can be fine-tuned via the command line, but come on, this is 2008 and if it ain't happening in the GUI, it ain't happening for me).

The lack of an "ueber-admin" role with access to all folders on the machine..a real pain when I'm trying to maintain machines for the whole family. I realize this is a basic Unix thing, but I still don't like it.

I still don't like how printer settings work in OS X vs. Windows.


And I agree with earlier comments re: the Finder...an almost daily annoyance.

 

[LeahM]

I can see how some new users to Leopard would find it so. Closing an application doesn't mean it's gone. You have to make sure to Quit that application to make sure it's no longer running. Command-Q is your friend.

I LOVE this feature! Because then I don't have a million windows open. I can "close" itunes and just have the safari window open

But yea, I was wondering why I couldn't shut down, it would always say there was a program still running. Luckly I remember reading about the command Q

 

[todd2000]

Another is while working in an application and moving to the top menus, I have to verify that the menus are for the application I'm working in.

Yeah, this one took me awhile to adjust to.

Well if your working in an Application, then it is obviously active, which would mean that it's menu would be on top.

Others have said the same thing I'm going to say: The ability to resize a window from any edge. As far as I can remember, Mac can only resize from the bottom right corner.

I really don't see the big deal, and why everyone always complains about this? Is it really THAT much harder/more work to move your mouse to the bottom right corner to resize a window? It might take you an extra .5 seconds.

Three things, mainly:

The ability to fine-tune file and folder permissions--absolutely primitive on OS X. (yes, I know OS X Server has a GUI similar to Windows, but I don't run Server. And I know these can be fine-tuned via the command line, but come on, this is 2008 and if it ain't happening in the GUI, it ain't happening for me).

The lack of an "ueber-admin" role with access to all folders on the machine..a real pain when I'm trying to maintain machines for the whole family. I realize this is a basic Unix thing, but I still don't like it.

Unless Im missing something you can set file/folder permissions of a file using the "Get Info" dialog?

As for the "uber-admin" role, with access to all files, if you really need it, just enable the root user, but there really isn't a need to do that? Out of curiosity what do you need to do that would require an "uber-admin" account?