MacOS - Frustrations

Schorpio

I bought an M1 MacBook Pro on clearance when the M2 models launched. I had never owned an Apple computer before (of any kind) but since Apple revamped the MacBook Pro lineup, no other laptop on the market comes close in terms of hardware, imo.

A few months down the road, and I'm still thrilled with the hardware....but the software....oh, the software....

I'm guessing this will be sacrilege to long-time Mac users, but I find MacOS very unintuitive and frustrating. For context, I've been a Windows user for decades (mostly with work) and my personal laptop for the last 10 or so years has been a Dell unit running Linux Mint. Given that MacOS is a Unix-derived OS, I thought I would like it, but alas, no.

For starters, why does (almost) every app not close when you hit the close button?! (I know I can Cmd + Q, that's what I've learned to do). This seems to be historical - from a time when memory was scarce, so you didn't want to unload a program until you had something else to load in. But those days are long gone. If I'm running Firefox, and I close the last open window, I want Firefox to close. There is no reason for it to stay running. That applies to virtually every program. Windows and Linux do have programs which close to the taskbar (i.e. stay running with no visible presence), but that's the exception, not the rule.

Also, why does Mac software mostly seem to come on disk image files? And then you have a mickey-mouse splash screen which encourages you to drag the program files to the Applications folder. To me, this would be like if Windows programs came in ISO files, as we don't use physical disks anymore. There is no reason for it that I can see. It's just faff because you need to unmount the files, and you can even accidentally run the software from the mounted disk.

As for Applications themselves - the app folder and executable are the same thing. Double click and the program runs, or you can command click and navigate the program files. No. Just no. I don't want folders and applications to be the same. I like my files and folders to be transparent about what they are.

This is already a lengthy post (and I could go on - window sizing! program defaults!! Apple Music!!!) - but MacOS seems to want to be the iOS of the computer world. It doesn't really seem to want you to have a look behind the curtain, have you see where a program's underlying data is.

I dearly wish for the day I can stick Linux on this hardware. (I know there are some projects trying to do exactly this, but this is my main computer now, so I can't be an alpha tester).

Rant over!!

Colonel Panic

Guess you should’ve done more research!

Schorpio

Fair, but equally it's very hard to research the day-to-day usability of an OS. Particularily so when it's an Apple OS, and you can't run it on non-Apple hardware.

Colonel Panic

The main thing is if you’re used to using Linux tools, you can still use them all, even if the desktop experience isn’t what you’re used to.

unnamed

Good post and fair comments.

I use Windows, Mac and Linux every day. I don't think Mac OS is not worse; it's just different.

• Why do you need an installer when you can copy the application anywhere?
• Why separate the application binary from its dependencies and then need said installer? Why not keep them in one folder together? and they hide it so the users don't care,
• Why does closing a window mean that you are finished with the app?

To be clear, I'm not a Mac fanboy, there are just different ways of doing things.

Flinty997

I'm doing the same. Have just got a M1 air to play with. As it's the best hardware for a thin and light laptop. I'll be using it almost like personal chrome book. But the vast majority of my work is all windows and Microsoft development.

I thought Apple was trying to merge it's mobile and desktop experience in general. And it has the same quirky desktop handing of folders and files and windows Since I first used it on classic macs system 6,7 etc. So I was expecting that. Bit of a learning curve.

One minor task I do is so simple video edits to webinars. It's vastly quicker on the Mac. Not because of the hardware. But because the stock software just works so much better. Windows is very flaky doing this task.

I'm looking forward to trying something different.

RurtBeynolds

Those are all fairly minor complaints to be honest.

Schorpio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121136911#Comment_121136911

I think that's fair, and I do appreciate that if I were a long-time Mac user, everything I've complained about would feel normal.

Why do you need an installer when you can copy the application anywhere?

Absolutely agree. You don't need an installer. But you don't need a disk image either, with a splash-screen graphic incorporating a big arrow to hand-hold you to dragging the app into your applications folder. I downloaded an FTP client yesterday. Came in zip file. Eztracted and moved into the apps folder myself. Job done. No extra steps in mounting disks.

Why separate the application binary from its dependencies and then need said installer? Why not keep them in one folder together? and they hide it so the users don't care

Yeah, I can see this point, and there is a neatness argument to it. But where do shared dependencies live? I mainly don't like that the icons are two things at once. Windows tried to sort the neatness problem too, but incorporating the Program Files folder, and then making the start menu essentially a collection of shortcuts to the executables. That system has its flaws too, but at least everything is as it appears to be.

Why does closing a window mean that you are finished with the app?

It doesn't always, but I would argue that most of the time it does. If I close vlc and there's nothing playing, there's no reason for it to stay running. Likewise Firefox, if there's nothing downloading. There are instances where it is useful, I'm not saying that there aren't - after all similar functionality is built-in to Windows and Linux too. There's always the minimise button too, if you want an app to stay running but not have sight of it.

rathbaner

I'm a bit late to this OP but if you're used to Linux then there's no need to use the Mac GUI. Just install your favourite Unix shell (bash is standard on Macs) and crack on with the MacOS Terminal. And remember, the Mac UI was designed "for the rest of us" who used computers as tools to do other stuff rather than as a means of doing computer stuff, so the simplest imaginable was of doing things is usually the correct way.