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Created October 8, 2015 10:04
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OS X annoyances from a Windows user who made the switch
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osx-annoyances.md

OS X Annoyances

From a Windows user who made the switch.

Updated 10/8/15, 3+ years after the switch

OS X UI / UX

  • The green button! I'll never understand the logic behind it. I just want to maximize the application window to fit the screen without entering fullscreen mode, why is it so hard! Fixed with BetterSnapTool. As of El Capitan the default green button functionality is to now make an application run in fullscreen and/or split screen mode and one has to alt-click just to get the prior wonky functionality back.

  • No window snapping by dragging an application window to the edge of the screen or by hotkey. Fixed with BetterSnapTool. Its unbelievable such a useful UI feature isn't available natively. As of El Capitan one can now split the screen using full screen mode, but that hides your menu bar and dock, which I don't always want to do. Still, better than nothing.

  • Mouse scroll direction is reversed. This initially drove me nuts, but I've gotten used to it and think the natural scroll direction makes more sense, especially when using the trackpad. The scroll direction can be reversed in System Preferences -> Mouse.

  • No mini calendar when you click on date/time in the menu bar. Fixed with Itsycal or the more functional Fantastical.

  • No way to change order of or hide menubar icons. Fixed with Bartender.

  • Macbook refuses to stay awake when in lid is closed, even when plugged in. In windows you can specify what the computer will do when the lid is closed. Fixed with Caffeine.

  • Uninstalling apps is a mess, some apps have uninstallers, others don't. Uninstallers are located all over the place. Dragging an app to the trash leaves files scattered all over the place. This process needs to be unified for all applications! Partially fixed with AppCleaner.

  • It is not possible to assign a middle mouse click action for the trackpad to a three finger tap. Fixed with BetterTouchTool.

  • It is not possible to increase the font size globally without changing the screen resolution. Not fixable.

  • Mac App Store purchases from one region are not available to download in any other region, you must purchase them again. Not fixable.

Finder

  • Folders are not listed first and are instead mixed in with files while sorting by name. This is something I still cannot get used to no matter how many times I try and don't see why the developers wouldn't add this as a preferences toggle. I use folders heavily for organization and I like to have them listed above files, especially in folders with many files. The only existing partial fix is to sort by kind, but that isn't exactly the same thing and still will sort documents before folders. This was once fixable with TotalFinder, but as of El Capitan is no longer possible without disabling SIP.

  • In column view the columns do not resize to fit the width of the content. I am constantly having to expand them manually to see the full file names. This was once fixable with TotalFinder, but as of El Capitan is no longer possible without disabling SIP.

  • Arranging and sorting is flat out broken in some modes, especially when arranging by Kind and sorting by Name. Sometimes items are sorted alphabetically, sometimes they are not. Also, setting the global default sort options isn't intuitive and does not always work either.

  • Difficult to show/hide hidden files quickly. Fixed with BetterTouchTool.

  • Items added to the sidebar cannot be renamed without renaming the source folder. Also, why can't folder aliases be added to the sidebar?

  • In Icon view you can not select files consecutively by using shift+click. This is the only finder view where this is not possible. You must select by mouse drag and cmd+drag.

  • .ds_store files everywhere! Ugh. These need to be done away with once and for all. They are especially annoying when creating zip files for cross platform usage. This was once fixable with Asepsis, but as of El Capitan is no longer possible without disabling SIP.

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