6 ms·

It’s amazing to me how Apple got this basic setting so wrong. It would be interesting to see the decision process that was used and if it was decided correctly

It’s amazing to me how Apple got this basic setting so wrong. It would be interesting to see the decision process that was used and if it was decided correctly maybe overridden by an individual?

layer8 3y ago
I don’t know how it works on macOS, but on Windows copying to the clipboard can provide content in multiple formats (like multiple MIME types) at the same time, for example simultaneously as rich text and as plain text. The receiving application then decides which format it understands and selects for pasting. If both sides understand rich text, this results in rich text being transferred. (It basically works like HTTP content negotiation.) You have to artificially add a man-in-the-middle to force a different format.
- eyelidlessness 3y ago
  This is exactly how it works on macOS too. And that’s actually the mechanism used by “paste and match style” AIUI.
duxup 3y ago
It’s that way in Windows and windows apps too.
bilekas 3y ago
I do find myself still annoyed with Apple's persistence towards doing things different, just be different. Why can't I just have a navigation bar in the finder window that I can manually add in. Why do I have to google a keyboard combination just so I can view hidden files and folders. So many little things but they can add up. And it's not a Microsoft v Apple thing. Unix distros dont have a special 'command' button just for them to confuse things.
- mthoms 3y ago
  It's not obvious, but finder allows you to put scripts, apps and shortcuts in the toolbar. https://osxdaily.com/2023/05/25/how-to-add-apps-to-macos-finder-toolbar/ https://osxdaily.com/2023/05/25/how-to-add-apps-to-macos-fin... You can create a shortcut (or applescript) that does the things you mention.
Someone 3y ago
In 1984, easily transferring styled text between applications was a novelty. Apple also aimed for simplicity, and when copying between MacWrite and MacPaint (the only two applications everybody had), keeping formatting was the best option. Add a few decades of people getting used to that behavior, and changing it takes guts, and will upset quite a few users who know how to repair formatting after pasting, but won’t easily learn about the new keyboard combination. I also am not sure stripping formatting by default is the best choice today. See for example https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38142074 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38142074, who wants something in-between. Maybe, paste should keep only formatting of entire units being pasted? So, it would keep bold, italic, etc, but only keep line height, margins, etc. for entire paragraphs being pasted? I can see people getting highly confused about that, too, though, especially about the difference between selecting all characters in a paragraph and also selecting the paragraph boundaries.

It’s amazing to me how Apple got this basic setting so wrong. It would be interesting to see the decision process that was used and if it was decided correctly maybe overridden by an individual?

layer8 3y ago

I don’t know how it works on macOS, but on Windows copying to the clipboard can provide content in multiple formats (like multiple MIME types) at the same time, for example simultaneously as rich text and as plain text. The receiving application then decides which format it understands and selects for pasting. If both sides understand rich text, this results in rich text being transferred. (It basically works like HTTP content negotiation.) You have to artificially add a man-in-the-middle to force a different format.

eyelidlessness 3y ago
This is exactly how it works on macOS too. And that’s actually the mechanism used by “paste and match style” AIUI.

duxup 3y ago

It’s that way in Windows and windows apps too.

bilekas 3y ago

I do find myself still annoyed with Apple's persistence towards doing things different, just be different. Why can't I just have a navigation bar in the finder window that I can manually add in. Why do I have to google a keyboard combination just so I can view hidden files and folders. So many little things but they can add up. And it's not a Microsoft v Apple thing. Unix distros dont have a special 'command' button just for them to confuse things.

mthoms 3y ago
It's not obvious, but finder allows you to put scripts, apps and shortcuts in the toolbar. https://osxdaily.com/2023/05/25/how-to-add-apps-to-macos-finder-toolbar/ https://osxdaily.com/2023/05/25/how-to-add-apps-to-macos-fin... You can create a shortcut (or applescript) that does the things you mention.

Someone 3y ago

In 1984, easily transferring styled text between applications was a novelty. Apple also aimed for simplicity, and when copying between MacWrite and MacPaint (the only two applications everybody had), keeping formatting was the best option. Add a few decades of people getting used to that behavior, and changing it takes guts, and will upset quite a few users who know how to repair formatting after pasting, but won’t easily learn about the new keyboard combination. I also am not sure stripping formatting by default is the best choice today. See for example https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38142074 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38142074, who wants something in-between. Maybe, paste should keep only formatting of entire units being pasted? So, it would keep bold, italic, etc, but only keep line height, margins, etc. for entire paragraphs being pasted? I can see people getting highly confused about that, too, though, especially about the difference between selecting all characters in a paragraph and also selecting the paragraph boundaries.