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> But for other people's needs, Cmd-F using selected text may be quicker and easier. I agree. I don't think your analogy applies here: the parent doesn't ask

> But for other people's needs, Cmd-F using selected text may be quicker and easier. I agree. I don't think your analogy applies here: the parent doesn't ask if feature X exists, he complains about the fact that feature Y doesn't work like an hypothetical feature X and concludes that Mac text editors don't have feature X. My answer is that feature X is in fact available but that you don't access it like you access feature Y. Different features accessed by different means. Here, the features are not "Cmd-F" or "Cmd-E - Cmd-F", these are only interfaces or triggers or proxys or whatever you want to call it. The features are "searching for some arbitrary text" or "searching for the highlighted text". They are both different, present in the system without any hacks, accessible via shortcuts. If you want to use one you use it's shortcut, if you want to use the other you use its shortcut. Easy.

jamesrcole 15y ago
You're confusing the end with the means.
- johncoltrane 15y ago
  I don't think so. If the end is to search for arbitrary text there is a mean: Cmd-F. If the end is to search for another instance of the selected text there is a mean: Cmd-E - Cmd-F. There are actually more means for each end: the edit menu, right click, buttons in the toolbar… I'm not confused about them. Confusion happens when you think, wrongly, that one mean (Cmd-F) allows to reach another end than the one it's designed for. Confusion happens when you don't know the full capabilities of your tool and you use the most readily available mean, Cmd-F, to reach every conceptually related ends. Such a strategy is neither efficient nor sustainable at all. Confusion happens when you keep doing the same mistake over and over without searching for a better way and complain about the dumbness of your tool and by extension of its authors. But I think we are going to stick to our guns.

jamesrcole 15y ago

You're confusing the end with the means.

johncoltrane 15y ago
I don't think so. If the end is to search for arbitrary text there is a mean: Cmd-F. If the end is to search for another instance of the selected text there is a mean: Cmd-E - Cmd-F. There are actually more means for each end: the edit menu, right click, buttons in the toolbar… I'm not confused about them. Confusion happens when you think, wrongly, that one mean (Cmd-F) allows to reach another end than the one it's designed for. Confusion happens when you don't know the full capabilities of your tool and you use the most readily available mean, Cmd-F, to reach every conceptually related ends. Such a strategy is neither efficient nor sustainable at all. Confusion happens when you keep doing the same mistake over and over without searching for a better way and complain about the dumbness of your tool and by extension of its authors. But I think we are going to stick to our guns.