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it seems at the end we're arguing a lot on preference. just a final note on the last part. I am aware that windows caches your recently run programs to some de

it seems at the end we're arguing a lot on preference. just a final note on the last part. I am aware that windows caches your recently run programs to some degree, but it's still not quite the same sense of control of knowing your app is running. (also, have you tried starting a MS office app on the mac? yikes) and windows 7 has definitely fixed a lot of the clutter that really annoyed me with the taskbar and makes it a lot less annoying to minimize a whole bunch of windows. and the whole "minimize to tray" was just a way to get around the taskbar clutter, but then you start getting system tray clutter... and that's another story. the list of running apps on OSX is fairly easy to tell for me from the "dots" under the dock badges. also, my fav trick for quitting apps is holding cmd, tabbing to the app you want, then pressing q to quit. anyway, it's mostly a matter of preference. it all felt foreign to me when i first made the switch too, but after getting used to it, i'll take OSX's quirks over windows any day

elblanco 16y ago
Yeah, lots of the differences are just differences. > and windows 7 has definitely fixed a lot of the clutter that really annoyed me with the taskbar and makes it a lot less annoying to minimize a whole bunch of windows. I agree, it really is a completely different way of operating. I used to spend a lot of time trying to get the old taskbar out of the way, with Win 7, it feels really nice, operates even better, and in many ways makes a lot of sense. > and the whole "minimize to tray" was just a way to get around the taskbar clutter Truer words were never spoken. The process tray is really quite abused. Do I really need 37 icons in there. At least with 7 you can configure the behavior a bit. I do like how OSX's dock operates, and how it indicates running programs and the like. I think Windows 7 copied very liberally from this in terms of function, but it looks quite a bit different, with some updated ideas. I still think Apple can optimize the dock and toolbar and notification area of OSX a bit more. > my fav trick for quitting apps is holding cmd, tabbing to the app you want, then pressing q to quit. Yeah, that's almost as nice as Chrome's tab closing operation.
- elblanco 16y ago
  One thing I also forgot was the way software on Macs handles choice buttons. On a Windows box it's usually, "OK" and "Cancel" or some such preceded by a question. "Do you want to do actions XYZ?" This can sometimes be confusing. In OSX land, there is a nice tendency to put a verb on the buttons like "Yes, Do XYZ" or "Not right now" or something descriptive and unambiguous and creates a nice cognitive binding between buttons and actions. It's a simple thing but is noticeable and I wish it would start to bleed over in Windowsland more.

elblanco 16y ago

Yeah, lots of the differences are just differences. > and windows 7 has definitely fixed a lot of the clutter that really annoyed me with the taskbar and makes it a lot less annoying to minimize a whole bunch of windows. I agree, it really is a completely different way of operating. I used to spend a lot of time trying to get the old taskbar out of the way, with Win 7, it feels really nice, operates even better, and in many ways makes a lot of sense. > and the whole "minimize to tray" was just a way to get around the taskbar clutter Truer words were never spoken. The process tray is really quite abused. Do I really need 37 icons in there. At least with 7 you can configure the behavior a bit. I do like how OSX's dock operates, and how it indicates running programs and the like. I think Windows 7 copied very liberally from this in terms of function, but it looks quite a bit different, with some updated ideas. I still think Apple can optimize the dock and toolbar and notification area of OSX a bit more. > my fav trick for quitting apps is holding cmd, tabbing to the app you want, then pressing q to quit. Yeah, that's almost as nice as Chrome's tab closing operation.

elblanco 16y ago
One thing I also forgot was the way software on Macs handles choice buttons. On a Windows box it's usually, "OK" and "Cancel" or some such preceded by a question. "Do you want to do actions XYZ?" This can sometimes be confusing. In OSX land, there is a nice tendency to put a verb on the buttons like "Yes, Do XYZ" or "Not right now" or something descriptive and unambiguous and creates a nice cognitive binding between buttons and actions. It's a simple thing but is noticeable and I wish it would start to bleed over in Windowsland more.