Why is Big Sur so ugly?

[ignatios]

Well. As long as everybody keeps buying macs like crazy, whatever change is made, Apple and ANY corporation will keep on doing this.

Changes are made to keep up with today's standards. If we do not like something we shouldn't use it. Simple and plain.

Personally, I have been using Macs for many years, and though the machine is beautiful, for me, the OS was ugly. I always thought that it was old looking, designed with more than a five year delay, without continuous and well planned aesthetics.

Big Sur for me seems to be getting that to the right course. If you were to ask me, more than 10 things I would change pop into my mind. But that is the whole concept of designing something new.

You need to get someone out of their comfort chair and make them think.

 

[vddobrev]

yes, because a slighly-rounded finder icon is confusing as could be. what's that image mean? 🤣

meanwhile, the extraordinary differences between JonasO7's pictures is terrifying... (also: 🤣)

personally, the big sur picture has the better aesthetic. but they're not different enough to cause the heartbreak some here seem to be experiencing.

"how's your mac working?" "i don't know, i'm heartbroken over the menu bar icon spacing"

fisherking, why are you dramatising this? I expressed my opinion, it was not dramatic... your attitude is improper. I did not come here to be mocked, so please watch your language and respect others. Thanks!

 

[fisherking]

fisherking, why are you dramatising this? I expressed my opinion, it was not dramatic... your attitude is improper. I did not come here to be mocked, so please watch your language and respect others. Thanks!

breathe, it's not that serious. i expressed my opinion, that's all. improper? i've had worse things said to me on these forums.

unless you're my parent (btw, are you?), or a moderator, please don't lecture me. i respect everyone, i just think this thread itself is a perfect example of 'dramatizing' something...

 

[lambertjohn]

I think Big Sur is beautiful, and highly functional as well. Never had an issue with it.

 

[Feyl]

breathe, it's not that serious. i expressed my opinion, that's all. improper? i've had worse things said to me on these forums.

unless you're my parent (btw, are you?), or a moderator, please don't lecture me. i respect everyone, i just think this thread itself is a perfect example of 'dramatizing' something...

So you can leave if you find this thread basically worthless. All you do here is bringing people down for their opinion and call them dramatic or tell them to just use it without any critical thinking or feeling about it. Dude we get you, we should just focus on what we do on our machines and not mind anything else. You stated your opinion many times. Do you have something else to bring something to this thread?

 

[fisherking]

So you can leave if you find this thread basically worthless. All you do here is bringing people down for their opinion and call them dramatic or tell them to just use it without any critical thinking or feeling about it. Dude we get you, we should just focus on what we do on our machines and not mind anything else. You stated your opinion many times. Do you have something else to bring something to this thread?

do you? are you saying i can't express my opinion? that only the ones that support your point-of-view are allowed? and that only posts that, essentially, also say the same thing over and over are ok?

there are others on this thread who say the same thing over and over. why do they get a pass?? ah, because they conform to your POV...

big sur is ugly, big sur is beautiful; they're just opinions; there is no fact about this. so when some here explain why their "it's ugly" point-of-view is 'right'... i don't buy it, and feel free enough to express... my opinion.

 

[colourfastt]

This thread has devolved into "he said/he said"; it's a sad reflection of things in general in 2021.

In all honesty, some of us don't like the look of OS X since OS Crayon (or, like me, absolutely hate it); others like the look; and, yet, others really don't give a toss.

It's past time for this thread to get locked.

 

[nickdalzell1]

I’m hoping Big Sur is the ugliest iteration of this new UI and things improve with each OS update like they did after iOS 7 and Yosemite.

Speak for yourself!

After Yosemite and iOS 7 things took a drastic turn to the worst. I'd give anything to have iOS 6 and Mac OS X Mountain Lion available for current hardware. Or at least the UI design and features (cover flow, slide to unlock, etc)

Big Sur is doing a lame attempt to bring laptops to the mobile world just like websites with their stupid 'mobile first' crap (Facebook is one such example). Remember at the 2007 MacWorld Expo how Steve Jobs bragged about how the iPhone could browse 'full desktop sites with a full desktop experience?' Yeah, so do I. Back then, if you wanted a mobile site, you appended the URL with an 'm' or a 'wap' after the "http://". But in some weird effort of dumbing down for the mainstream, we're all stuck with mobile sites 24/7 even on laptops, and now our OS is trying to do the same.

Just nothing left for the smart or geeks to enjoy. Because the mainstream are full of dumb lemmings we all have to suffer for the few. Android was once made by geeks, for geeks. Look at it today. It's horrendous. Now there's even less OSs to choose from. Windows, Mac, or Android or iOS. That's it. We don't really have any choice. Everything is homogenized pastuerized flat bland sterile kiddy-color garbage. It's almost as if developers have decided that anyone over the age of 30 is too old to be relevant. It's like Buick today. They've also changed. They were once the brand for older folks to enjoy but even they had to dumb everything down for the younger set.

 

[fisherking]

Speak for yourself!

After Yosemite and iOS 7 things took a drastic turn to the worst. I'd give anything to have iOS 6 and Mac OS X Mountain Lion available for current hardware. Or at least the UI design and features (cover flow, slide to unlock, etc)

Big Sur is doing a lame attempt to bring laptops to the mobile world just like websites with their stupid 'mobile first' crap (Facebook is one such example). Remember at the 2007 MacWorld Expo how Steve Jobs bragged about how the iPhone could browse 'full desktop sites with a full desktop experience?' Yeah, so do I. Back then, if you wanted a mobile site, you appended the URL with an 'm' or a 'wap' after the "http://". But in some weird effort of dumbing down for the mainstream, we're all stuck with mobile sites 24/7 even on laptops, and now our OS is trying to do the same.

Just nothing left for the smart or geeks to enjoy. Because the mainstream are full of dumb lemmings we all have to suffer for the few. Android was once made by geeks, for geeks. Look at it today. It's horrendous. Now there's even less OSs to choose from. Windows, Mac, or Android or iOS. That's it. We don't really have any choice. Everything is homogenized pastuerized flat bland sterile kiddy-color garbage. It's almost as if developers have decided that anyone over the age of 30 is too old to be relevant. It's like Buick today. They've also changed. They were once the brand for older folks to enjoy but even they had to dumb everything down for the younger set.

this is maybe your 40th post saying the same thing (and, to be fair, my 40th post pointing that out). reminds me of another 'old' concept: a broken record...

 

[qoop]

Speak for yourself!

After Yosemite and iOS 7 things took a drastic turn to the worst. I'd give anything to have iOS 6 and Mac OS X Mountain Lion available for current hardware. Or at least the UI design and features (cover flow, slide to unlock, etc)

Big Sur is doing a lame attempt to bring laptops to the mobile world just like websites with their stupid 'mobile first' crap (Facebook is one such example). Remember at the 2007 MacWorld Expo how Steve Jobs bragged about how the iPhone could browse 'full desktop sites with a full desktop experience?' Yeah, so do I. Back then, if you wanted a mobile site, you appended the URL with an 'm' or a 'wap' after the "http://". But in some weird effort of dumbing down for the mainstream, we're all stuck with mobile sites 24/7 even on laptops, and now our OS is trying to do the same.

Just nothing left for the smart or geeks to enjoy. Because the mainstream are full of dumb lemmings we all have to suffer for the few. Android was once made by geeks, for geeks. Look at it today. It's horrendous. Now there's even less OSs to choose from. Windows, Mac, or Android or iOS. That's it. We don't really have any choice. Everything is homogenized pastuerized flat bland sterile kiddy-color garbage. It's almost as if developers have decided that anyone over the age of 30 is too old to be relevant. It's like Buick today. They've also changed. They were once the brand for older folks to enjoy but even they had to dumb everything down for the younger set.

I wholeheartedly agree once more.

 

[opeter]

Speak for yourself!

After Yosemite and iOS 7 things took a drastic turn to the worst. I'd give anything to have iOS 6 and Mac OS X Mountain Lion available for current hardware. Or at least the UI design and features (cover flow, slide to unlock, etc)

Big Sur is doing a lame attempt to bring laptops to the mobile world just like websites with their stupid 'mobile first' crap (Facebook is one such example). Remember at the 2007 MacWorld Expo how Steve Jobs bragged about how the iPhone could browse 'full desktop sites with a full desktop experience?' Yeah, so do I. Back then, if you wanted a mobile site, you appended the URL with an 'm' or a 'wap' after the "http://". But in some weird effort of dumbing down for the mainstream, we're all stuck with mobile sites 24/7 even on laptops, and now our OS is trying to do the same.

Just nothing left for the smart or geeks to enjoy. Because the mainstream are full of dumb lemmings we all have to suffer for the few. Android was once made by geeks, for geeks. Look at it today. It's horrendous. Now there's even less OSs to choose from. Windows, Mac, or Android or iOS. That's it. We don't really have any choice. Everything is homogenized pastuerized flat bland sterile kiddy-color garbage. It's almost as if developers have decided that anyone over the age of 30 is too old to be relevant. It's like Buick today. They've also changed. They were once the brand for older folks to enjoy but even they had to dumb everything down for the younger set.

I do not understand.

Why do some of you make a problem out of the fact that anyone, even one who does not have computer science knowledge, can use these services? After all, these services and everything related to them would not have expanded if they were not easily accessible and useful to the masses.

It seems that some would still prefer to use BBCs, perforated cards and carrier pigeons.

 

[nebojsak]

Just nothing left for the smart or geeks to enjoy.

One of the main reasons for my switch to Mac some 20 yrs ago was that I've had grown tired of being smart and geek with Windows, and wanted a "it just works ootb" system. It seems like a huge misunderstooding here on the topic, there are two kinds of folks regarding gadgets/cars/clothes/watches/whatever material. I'm more on the side of just getting the job done, and I feel that way even with my guitars, amps, synths and effects, contrary to the many of the musicians.

 

[xXRainKingXx]

Speak for yourself!

After Yosemite and iOS 7 things took a drastic turn to the worst. I'd give anything to have iOS 6 and Mac OS X Mountain Lion available for current hardware. Or at least the UI design and features (cover flow, slide to unlock, etc)

Big Sur is doing a lame attempt to bring laptops to the mobile world just like websites with their stupid 'mobile first' crap (Facebook is one such example). Remember at the 2007 MacWorld Expo how Steve Jobs bragged about how the iPhone could browse 'full desktop sites with a full desktop experience?' Yeah, so do I. Back then, if you wanted a mobile site, you appended the URL with an 'm' or a 'wap' after the "http://". But in some weird effort of dumbing down for the mainstream, we're all stuck with mobile sites 24/7 even on laptops, and now our OS is trying to do the same.

Just nothing left for the smart or geeks to enjoy. Because the mainstream are full of dumb lemmings we all have to suffer for the few. Android was once made by geeks, for geeks. Look at it today. It's horrendous. Now there's even less OSs to choose from. Windows, Mac, or Android or iOS. That's it. We don't really have any choice. Everything is homogenized pastuerized flat bland sterile kiddy-color garbage. It's almost as if developers have decided that anyone over the age of 30 is too old to be relevant. It's like Buick today. They've also changed. They were once the brand for older folks to enjoy but even they had to dumb everything down for the younger set.

I think you misunderstood me. I was agreeing with you! 🤣

I was trying to say that I hope Big Sur is the ugliest version of this new UI, in the same way that iOS 7 and Yosemite were the ugliest versions of that UI. I still find the iOS 7/Yosemite UI ugly but I do think it improved with each OS update, so hopefully the same thing will happen with the Big Sur UI.

For the record, I despise all this flat UI stuff and would be more than happy to return to good old days of iOS 6 and Mountain Lion.

 

[drdudj]

One of the main reasons for my switch to Mac some 20 yrs ago was that I've had grown tired of being smart and geek with Windows, and wanted a "it just works ootb" system. It seems like a huge misunderstooding here on the topic, there are two kinds of folks regarding gadgets/cars/clothes/watches/whatever material. I'm more on the side of just getting the job done, and I feel that way even with my guitars, amps, synths and effects, contrary to the many of the musicians.

i feel the same way, now. in the early days, mid 90's it was all about having various themes for the desktop, the browser, the mail program, "live" fish swimming in the aquarium or ocean waves crashing on the beach, with 3 or 4 widgets for weather, ram usage, music players, etc. but now, give me a unit that is clean without all that garbage, let me get on, do what i need to do, and get on with the day. but at the same time i can understand others who go the other way. to each his own.

 

[usagora]

fisherking, why are you dramatising this? I expressed my opinion...

breathe, it's not that serious. i expressed my opinion, that's all...

So you can leave if you find this thread basically worthless. All you do here is bringing people down for their opinion...

do you? are you saying i can't express my opinion?...

I just want to state for the record that every opinion on this thread, including my own, offends me deeply, and I am outraged.

There, now it's fair.

Seriously, though, I do find that people in forums tend to straw-man what other people say. For instance, in another forum not related to Macs, someone had approvingly posted a picture of a sign outside a business where the owner was basically saying they neither wear nor require customers to wear masks and if someone was "scared" that they could leave and then made some melodramatic remark about not "living in fear" and "freedom" and "home of the brave." I pointed out that I thought that was a ridiculous sign that was very condescending towards people who were simply taking wise precautions and that I don't like it when business owners use their business to propagate their personal political agenda. Some other guy (not the one who posted the picture) jumps in and starts going ballistic on me, saying I called freedom ridiculous and that was just my stupid opinion, that business owner has every right to post that sign, etc. 🙄 🤦‍♂️ Well of course I never called freedom ridiculous nor did I say the owner didn't have the right to post the sign.

 

[AL2TEACH]

I miss the days when one had options for the UI. Now Windoz has the options, lol.

 

[fisherking]

I just want to state for the record that every opinion on this thread, including my own, offends me deeply, and I am outraged.

There, now it's fair.

Seriously, though, I do find that people in forums tend to straw-man what other people say. For instance, in another forum not related to Macs, someone had approvingly posted a picture of a sign outside a business where the owner was basically saying they neither wear nor require customers to wear masks and if someone was "scared" that they could leave and then made some melodramatic remark about not "living in fear" and "freedom" and "home of the brave." I pointed out that I thought that was a ridiculous sign that was very condescending towards people who were simply taking wise precautions and that I don't like it when business owners use their business to propagate their personal political agenda. Some other guy (not the one who posted the picture) jumps in and starts going ballistic on me, saying I called freedom ridiculous and that was just my stupid opinion, that business owner has every right to post that sign, etc. 🙄 🤦‍♂️ Well of course I never called freedom ridiculous nor did I say the owner didn't have the right to post the sign.

i would be grateful if you could clarify what your point is, am not seeing the connection. (or, would be equally grateful if we all just moved forward). otherwise: huh?

 

[usagora]

i would be grateful if you could clarify what your point is, am not seeing the connection. (or, would be equally grateful if we all just moved forward). otherwise: huh?

Seems fairly obvious to me. I was first making a light-hearted, obviously sarcastic quip in light of all the back-and-forth about people's opposing opinions. I then made a serious point about the common occurrence of people putting words in people's mouths on forums or exaggerating what they said like @Jamalien and @vddobrev were touching on. I then gave a personal example.

 

[fisherking]

Seems fairly obvious to me. I was first making a light-hearted, obviously sarcastic quip in light of all the back-and-forth about this people's opposing opinions. I then made a serious point about the common occurrence of people putting words in people's mouths on forums or exaggerating what they said like @Jamalien and @vddobrev were touching on. I then gave a personal example.

anyway, not really getting it; seems (to me) that everyone here is pretty clear about their point-of-view, speaking for themselves; even the people who get mad at me (for example). thanks, tho...

 

[Jamalien]

I just want to state for the record that every opinion on this thread, including my own, offends me deeply, and I am outraged.

There, now it's fair.

Seriously, though, I do find that people in forums tend to straw-man what other people say. For instance, in another forum not related to Macs, someone had approvingly posted a picture of a sign outside a business where the owner was basically saying they neither wear nor require customers to wear masks and if someone was "scared" that they could leave and then made some melodramatic remark about not "living in fear" and "freedom" and "home of the brave." I pointed out that I thought that was a ridiculous sign that was very condescending towards people who were simply taking wise precautions and that I don't like it when business owners use their business to propagate their personal political agenda. Some other guy (not the one who posted the picture) jumps in and starts going ballistic on me, saying I called freedom ridiculous and that was just my stupid opinion, that business owner has every right to post that sign, etc. 🙄 🤦‍♂️ Well of course I never called freedom ridiculous nor did I say the owner didn't have the right to post the sign.

With social media, the most inciteful comments, no matter how non-sensical they are, tend to garner the biggest emotional repsonse and thus engagement - hence the cesspool of twitter and pretty much any other forum. Its a combination of attention seeking and people releasing their pent up anger behind a keyboard, where there's no repurcussions like the real world.

 

[nebojsak]

but at the same time i can understand others who go the other way. to each his own.

I can understand that too. But there are options around. I'm surely not a fan of this dumbing-down direction for grannies and tik-tokers, with all that closed-system-do-not-touch crap, which is intended solely for grabbing money from customers every year or two. But it has a little to do with GUI overtweaking.

Also, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Being a graphic designer myself, I've never been a fan of fake 3D, eye-candy, fat drop shadows and stuff. But as I said, there are options, highly customizable Linux distros, Windows, Android and so on.

 

[nickdalzell1]

One can say that Apple made it harder for those types to use. By ditching the buttons, and making everything white it made it harder for those grannies to use. My Grandmother, who's 93, can't even use a smartphone. We struggled to find a phone simple enough for her to use, and I had to work around an issue with AT&T hotlining her SIM card over it (couldn't just put it in the phone even if it was unlocked) but figured it all out and she's happy.

If they kept the skeuomorphism and such I bet it would be even more accessible to those types. But they just had to go all out on the gesture controls and flat UI.

Why not treat tablets and phones and laptops different and have a proper UI for them? This whole attempt to converge them into one was what killed Android tablets in the end. No one wants to write a few pages of a Word document on a tablet, and conversely, no one wants to browse a mobile site or mobile OS on a laptop. These devices are different not the same.

Sure, there are other OSs, but since flat UI design became a standard there is no escape without root, disabling all the protection (which is a pain and only there because some idiot messed up his or her system, so now we all must suffer) and even then it's only skin deep. Soon as you launch an app it's back to flat land.

Skeuo made the device enjoyable to use and easier to look at. I loved how my iPhone became that device quite literally. Then Apple takes it away for no reason! The UI was not broken. They could have added Control Center and so on without taking what made it an Apple product away. Now all OSs, devices act and look the same, flat, rounded corner UI and all. And worse, it's so idiot proof it's harder to root or jailbreak, and even if you can, it's far more limited in what you can do afterwards.

What benefit to Mac OS was there in taking the dashboard away? That's another change for change's sake that made no sense. Eventually the UI should be left alone, just as cars have four wheels and such, it shouldn't change just for the sake of it. Why reinvent the wheel?

 

[zakarhino]

40 pages in of arguing. I'm here to bring the unity:

We can all agree the move to square icons on mac is ugly, functionally regressive, and unnecessary, right?

 

[nickdalzell1]

It's far beyond the icons, but thanks for playing!

It's something that dates back to iOS 7 and OS X Yosemite. Big Sur is but the latest abomination. I'm still waiting for our pendulum to switch back to skeuo.

 

[fisherking]

40 pages in of arguing. I'm here to bring the unity:

We can all agree the move to square icons on mac is ugly, functionally regressive, and unnecessary, right?

haha. we can all agree that you believe that.... 👍