6 ms·

I just did a blind purchase. Partly because I hate osx finder that much, partly because I want to support people who ask the right price for their products, and

by bastijn 10y ago

I just did a blind purchase. Partly because I hate osx finder that much, partly because I want to support people who ask the right price for their products, and partly because it was the right time;I like to get up early tomorrow and install something new. And who knows, it might even replace my xplorer2 (http://zabkat.com/ http://zabkat.com/) on Windows..

Razengan 10y ago
Can people even explain why they hate Finder, or is it just a fashionable bandwagon to jump on? While I do prefer Path Finder [1] for file-heavy workflows, Finder is perfectly usable with a few tweaks here and there: - Get TinkerTool [2] to show hidden and system files, pathname in the window title etc. - Tweak and create your own keyboard shortcuts for Finder in System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Shortcuts -> App Shortcuts. - Trim the Finder Sidebar and Toolbar to only show you the most relevant items, or hide them outright. - Tags are your friends! Use them freely. They can be used to effectively store a file in multiple "folders", and are very handy in combination with Spotlight and even Siri. - Show the Comments column and use them too if you need to! (Comments are applied from the Get Info panel.) - You can customize icons for files and folders by Get Info -> Drag an .icns file to the icon in the Info panel. To delete a custom icon, click the icon in the Info panel and press Backspace. [1] http://cocoatech.com/pathfinder/ http://cocoatech.com/pathfinder/ [2] http://www.bresink.com/osx/TinkerTool.html http://www.bresink.com/osx/TinkerTool.html
- mherrmann 10y ago
  What I don't like about Finder is that it can't be used efficiently with the keyboard. It's the same with Windows Explorer.
  - lotsofcows 10y ago
    Navigate, open, close, cut, copy, paste, rename, delete - what's missing?
    - mherrmann 10y ago
      All these things are possible via the keyboard in Finder/Explorer. But Finder/Explorer aren't as optimised for keyboard usage as dual-pane file managers (of which fman is an example). Eg. to copy a file in a dual pane file manager, you usually use some shortcut to jump to the source directory in the left pane, then some shortcut to jump to the destination directory in the right pane, then press F5 to copy from left to right. In Finder, what you'd do (with keyboard only) is most likely [home directory] down-down-down to source directory, Cmd+C, up-up-up-down-down-down-down to destination directory, Cmd+V. It's hard to describe, but it just takes a lot more time.
      - lotsofcows 10y ago
        What's the difference between dual-pane and two windows? I tend to start with spotlight rather than with a home finder pane.
- nkkollaw 10y ago
  Finder is the best file manager that I've ever used. If anything, because it's the only one with column view that also sorts files in a rational manner (to me, at least): every element inside the parent directory is sorted alphabetically. It's got a minimalistic design versus Windows Explorer having a button for every operation you can perform, and it's easy to use via keyboard shortcuts. Its only defects is that it replaces directories instead of merging them in case of conflicts, but at least they finally implemented cut and paste a few macOS versions ago.
  - ababab 10y ago
    I'm not a Finder power user, but when I use it I always run into the same problem: I can't ever open Finder and make my way to a specific directory (e.g. ~). I work around it by opening a terminal and navigating there and doing `open .`. Is there something I'm missing? TL;DR: How can I open Finder and go to any specific directory I want?
    - throwanem 10y ago
      Type ⌘⇧G or select Go -> Go to Folder... for a field into which to enter a path.
      - lukeadams 10y ago
        Also supports tab completion!
    - thenipper 10y ago
      Try Alfred? https://www.alfredapp.com/ https://www.alfredapp.com/ I just open it up, type whatever folder name I need, hit enter and I'm where I'm at.
  - Razengan 10y ago
    > It's got a minimalistic design versus Windows Explorer I recently installed Windows 10 to play a few games, the latest version available from Microsoft, hoping that it would have improved since the last time I saw Windows over a year ago, and I wish I could describe this without hyperbole, but the user interface remains a veritable nightmare.
- ams6110 10y ago
  I use ls, cp, mv in a shell. I don't get file managers.
  - codemusings 10y ago
    A fuzzy matcher for changing directories would be kinda cool though. I wonder if someone has worked on that.
    - unhammer 10y ago
      There are many. I use https://github.com/clvv/fasd https://github.com/clvv/fasd which is quite simple an unintrusive. I often type things like "z s" and end up in the right place =P There's also https://github.com/junegunn/fzf/ https://github.com/junegunn/fzf/ for a more "graphical" method.
- curun1r 10y ago
  Even if it was perfect in every other way, littering .DS_Store files all over the place would still make Finder an abomination. And thanks to the joys of version control, users on other platforms can enjoy some of the pain if you forget to add a Mac-specific .gitignore entry. And the frustrating part is that per-directory view settings are a feature I wish didn't exist in the first place...I would prefer that when I changed those settings, it applied to all directories. I have other annoyances, but that's the reason I hate Finder.
- apetrovic 10y ago
  > - Get TinkerTool [2] to show hidden and system files, pathname in the window title etc. You probably already know this, but just in case - starting from Sierra, you can display/hide hidden files in Finder with Shift+Ctrl+. (dot)
- deathanatos 10y ago
  > why they hate Finder I can never remember how to open a file; it should be easy, like Enter (rename?!) or Space (open a window with the icon made huge?) or maybe even desperately Shift+Space (same as Space, but animate it much more slowly and don't let you kill it until it's done animating many rage-inducing seconds later!) (It's Cmd+O.) Navigate to? (I don't think it exists.) Copy works, but move doesn't. There's no delete. Trash doesn't count. Instead of just dropping a "+" in the sidebar, it's completely non-apparent how to modify the favorites. Not on the list? The user's home folder. (It's configurable, but it's buried in the preferences, and even then, it's a set list. If your favorite isn't on the list, tough.)
  - adrianN 10y ago
    No offense, but you should RTFM. You can move and delete and go to folder. As with many Apple UIs these "advanced" features are not easily discovered.
    - Belphemur 10y ago
      I think his point are those aren't advanced feature but basic feature that should be intuitive.
    - dkersten 10y ago
      I've used many file managers on Windows and Linux and Finder is the only one I still (after a couple of years of use) have trouble doing things I would consider basic. Usually I just give up and use the commandline instead.
    - deathanatos 10y ago
      I Googled the open shortcut prior to writing the post; I'll admit I didn't Google them all. It seems that move is possible, it's ⌘+C, ⌥+⌘+V, but that really doesn't feel intuitive (though you might argue I'm too used to Win/Linux keyboard commands). Finder's own context menu only denotes ⌘+X, unless you hold ⌥, which I just learned after wondering how the search box was able to find this item in the menu that I'd never seen. Found some other ones. I didn't think moving or opening a file was an "advanced" feature. Opening in particular seems like such a prominent, common operation that it should have a more prominent place on the keyboard than ⌘+O > RTFM Is there a manual? The Help's search was a bit useful in pointing out some menu items I'd missed, but the menu really just has "Mac Help", which appears to be about the entire OS, not Finder.
- herbst 10y ago
  I dont come from a osx background and when it was forced on to me for half a year i found finder to not really be very intuitive. Gnome shells super key magic, which is way less than finder, is working way more intuitive for me. Finder always appeared to me like a tool i have to build my workflows for and not a tool that helps me with my existing workflows. May does not help that i am not used to using file explorers other than ls and cd at all.

by bastijn 10y ago

Razengan 10y ago

Can people even explain why they hate Finder, or is it just a fashionable bandwagon to jump on? While I do prefer Path Finder [1] for file-heavy workflows, Finder is perfectly usable with a few tweaks here and there: - Get TinkerTool [2] to show hidden and system files, pathname in the window title etc. - Tweak and create your own keyboard shortcuts for Finder in System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Shortcuts -> App Shortcuts. - Trim the Finder Sidebar and Toolbar to only show you the most relevant items, or hide them outright. - Tags are your friends! Use them freely. They can be used to effectively store a file in multiple "folders", and are very handy in combination with Spotlight and even Siri. - Show the Comments column and use them too if you need to! (Comments are applied from the Get Info panel.) - You can customize icons for files and folders by Get Info -> Drag an .icns file to the icon in the Info panel. To delete a custom icon, click the icon in the Info panel and press Backspace. [1] http://cocoatech.com/pathfinder/ http://cocoatech.com/pathfinder/ [2] http://www.bresink.com/osx/TinkerTool.html http://www.bresink.com/osx/TinkerTool.html

mherrmann 10y ago
What I don't like about Finder is that it can't be used efficiently with the keyboard. It's the same with Windows Explorer.
- lotsofcows 10y ago
  Navigate, open, close, cut, copy, paste, rename, delete - what's missing?
  - mherrmann 10y ago
    All these things are possible via the keyboard in Finder/Explorer. But Finder/Explorer aren't as optimised for keyboard usage as dual-pane file managers (of which fman is an example). Eg. to copy a file in a dual pane file manager, you usually use some shortcut to jump to the source directory in the left pane, then some shortcut to jump to the destination directory in the right pane, then press F5 to copy from left to right. In Finder, what you'd do (with keyboard only) is most likely [home directory] down-down-down to source directory, Cmd+C, up-up-up-down-down-down-down to destination directory, Cmd+V. It's hard to describe, but it just takes a lot more time.
    - lotsofcows 10y ago
      What's the difference between dual-pane and two windows? I tend to start with spotlight rather than with a home finder pane.
nkkollaw 10y ago
Finder is the best file manager that I've ever used. If anything, because it's the only one with column view that also sorts files in a rational manner (to me, at least): every element inside the parent directory is sorted alphabetically. It's got a minimalistic design versus Windows Explorer having a button for every operation you can perform, and it's easy to use via keyboard shortcuts. Its only defects is that it replaces directories instead of merging them in case of conflicts, but at least they finally implemented cut and paste a few macOS versions ago.
- ababab 10y ago
  I'm not a Finder power user, but when I use it I always run into the same problem: I can't ever open Finder and make my way to a specific directory (e.g. ~). I work around it by opening a terminal and navigating there and doing `open .`. Is there something I'm missing? TL;DR: How can I open Finder and go to any specific directory I want?
  - throwanem 10y ago
    Type ⌘⇧G or select Go -> Go to Folder... for a field into which to enter a path.
    - lukeadams 10y ago
      Also supports tab completion!
  - thenipper 10y ago
    Try Alfred? https://www.alfredapp.com/ https://www.alfredapp.com/ I just open it up, type whatever folder name I need, hit enter and I'm where I'm at.
- Razengan 10y ago
  > It's got a minimalistic design versus Windows Explorer I recently installed Windows 10 to play a few games, the latest version available from Microsoft, hoping that it would have improved since the last time I saw Windows over a year ago, and I wish I could describe this without hyperbole, but the user interface remains a veritable nightmare.
ams6110 10y ago
I use ls, cp, mv in a shell. I don't get file managers.
- codemusings 10y ago
  A fuzzy matcher for changing directories would be kinda cool though. I wonder if someone has worked on that.
  - unhammer 10y ago
    There are many. I use https://github.com/clvv/fasd https://github.com/clvv/fasd which is quite simple an unintrusive. I often type things like "z s" and end up in the right place =P There's also https://github.com/junegunn/fzf/ https://github.com/junegunn/fzf/ for a more "graphical" method.
curun1r 10y ago
Even if it was perfect in every other way, littering .DS_Store files all over the place would still make Finder an abomination. And thanks to the joys of version control, users on other platforms can enjoy some of the pain if you forget to add a Mac-specific .gitignore entry. And the frustrating part is that per-directory view settings are a feature I wish didn't exist in the first place...I would prefer that when I changed those settings, it applied to all directories. I have other annoyances, but that's the reason I hate Finder.
apetrovic 10y ago
> - Get TinkerTool [2] to show hidden and system files, pathname in the window title etc. You probably already know this, but just in case - starting from Sierra, you can display/hide hidden files in Finder with Shift+Ctrl+. (dot)
deathanatos 10y ago
> why they hate Finder I can never remember how to open a file; it should be easy, like Enter (rename?!) or Space (open a window with the icon made huge?) or maybe even desperately Shift+Space (same as Space, but animate it much more slowly and don't let you kill it until it's done animating many rage-inducing seconds later!) (It's Cmd+O.) Navigate to? (I don't think it exists.) Copy works, but move doesn't. There's no delete. Trash doesn't count. Instead of just dropping a "+" in the sidebar, it's completely non-apparent how to modify the favorites. Not on the list? The user's home folder. (It's configurable, but it's buried in the preferences, and even then, it's a set list. If your favorite isn't on the list, tough.)
- adrianN 10y ago
  No offense, but you should RTFM. You can move and delete and go to folder. As with many Apple UIs these "advanced" features are not easily discovered.
  - Belphemur 10y ago
    I think his point are those aren't advanced feature but basic feature that should be intuitive.
  - dkersten 10y ago
    I've used many file managers on Windows and Linux and Finder is the only one I still (after a couple of years of use) have trouble doing things I would consider basic. Usually I just give up and use the commandline instead.
  - deathanatos 10y ago
    I Googled the open shortcut prior to writing the post; I'll admit I didn't Google them all. It seems that move is possible, it's ⌘+C, ⌥+⌘+V, but that really doesn't feel intuitive (though you might argue I'm too used to Win/Linux keyboard commands). Finder's own context menu only denotes ⌘+X, unless you hold ⌥, which I just learned after wondering how the search box was able to find this item in the menu that I'd never seen. Found some other ones. I didn't think moving or opening a file was an "advanced" feature. Opening in particular seems like such a prominent, common operation that it should have a more prominent place on the keyboard than ⌘+O > RTFM Is there a manual? The Help's search was a bit useful in pointing out some menu items I'd missed, but the menu really just has "Mac Help", which appears to be about the entire OS, not Finder.
herbst 10y ago
I dont come from a osx background and when it was forced on to me for half a year i found finder to not really be very intuitive. Gnome shells super key magic, which is way less than finder, is working way more intuitive for me. Finder always appeared to me like a tool i have to build my workflows for and not a tool that helps me with my existing workflows. May does not help that i am not used to using file explorers other than ls and cd at all.