7 ms·

In case of emergency, break glass

88 points by microflash 1y ago

burnt-resistor 1y ago
Constant tweaks for the sake of justifying jobs when, finally, the essential functionality is broken so that someone else can fix it in a different way next year. Churn-oriented UX and swe. I already set Settings > Accessibility > Display > Reduce transparency to On to proactively refuse to participate in this pointless UI glitter.
- HPsquared 1y ago
  Like how US carmakers would redesign their cars (visually at least) every year in the 60s.
  - misiek08 1y ago
    Observing this now for years I think that is meaning of innovation in US, sadly.
- misiek08 1y ago
  And this probably was one or two man just having fun writing shader for the refraction on edges. Someone saw this, made it as biggest feature and cult goes on. All that while I can’t connect from macOS to iPhone's hotspot, because I split family account while MacBook wasn’t powered on. Bugs growing, but shiny stuff making big money from few FTEs won.
- PlunderBunny 1y ago
  What does the glass UI look like if Settings > Accessibility > Display > Reduce transparency is on?
seydor 1y ago
I don't even use iphone but screenshots feel like ai-generated images, artifacts, extra limbs, missing limbs and general wtf-ness
culebron21 1y ago
This whitewashing and hiding of everything essential is similar to Le Corbusier's aesthetics. He stripped buildings facades of any aesthetical elements, even pure geometrical ones, because he had some mental condition, that complex things bothered him. The same in the computer UIs has been going on for last ~15 years. Astonishingly it's the company that boasts usability/ergonomics that does it. And sadly, every desktop out there (KDE, MATE, Gnome) does its best to imitate Mac OS. I wonder if anyone in this part of "tech" industry does any sort of measurements of what they produce. I've recently been given a Mac laptop at job (they refuse to support Linux), and the Finder UI is terrible exactly as the author describes.
- gsf_emergency 1y ago
  Here's a walkthru of Corbu's own apt https://youtu.be/K4XM8GpGiss https://youtu.be/K4XM8GpGiss Seems quite normal for 2025, so it might have been an issue in 1935?
- varjag 1y ago
  For the buildings, facade decoration has very specific added cost per unit. For network-distributed software there is no such excuse.
  - guappa 1y ago
    The cost of not having decorated buildings is constant depression.
    - varjag 1y ago
      Sure, but it's entirely externalized.
      - guappa 1y ago
        Which is why municipalities have codes… except they prefer corruption to sense.
Animats 1y ago
The amusing thing about all these pseudo 3D interfaces is that real 3D interfaces for CAD and graphics programs are much cleaner, because the real content can be cluttered.
- zevon 1y ago
  Are you referring to interfaces for complex tools (such as those for making 3d things) in general or do you have a program in mind that employs "three-dimensionality" in its interface in an especially clean way?
  - Animats 1y ago
    > interfaces for complex tools (such as those for making 3d things) in general Yes. Interfaces where you have to be able to select, pan, rotate, and zoom in combination. Those are really tough.
pfortuny 1y ago
This useless lack of clarity in design is clearly an example of lack of work ethics. "Boss, this idea is shit and I am not implementing it. Either you change or I go." And before leaving, an email to the boss's boss or to the CEO.
- mft_ 1y ago
  Working in large organisations, my experience is that the proportion of people who care enough is small; and the proportion of those who are willing to fall on their sword vanishingly so. And the boss's boss or the CEO wouldn't listen anyway, as they'd ask their reports what was what, and receive an appropriate 'message'.
- bryanrasmussen 1y ago
  yeah, man, definitely it was a big mistake on my part to have these kids, also to age anyway and become the last guy anyone wants to hire - hey check out this CV, he has been programming for two decades, grandpa will yell at us all day about our dumb decisions, we better not hire grandpa!! Ooh grandpa quit because of the stupid idea instead of just yelling - yayyyyy! Wonder how he is going to earn money to survive, well not my problem - Now, let's implement this stupid idea! on edit: this comes up every now and then and there are all sorts of reasons why people can't take the high road, especially not on stuff that is just "stupid ideas", and I guess this time it falls to me to respond. Certainly people not quitting because your company is say, putting addictive chemicals in cigarettes or accepting a certain number of fatalities from cars instead of spending more money to make them safer or all sorts of moral issues is something that should be judged - but considering how often people don't do the right thing when even other people are going to die it seems a bit much to expect people will do the right thing when design sucks and is stupid, and it seems likely to expect that your claim that people should is issued from a position where you can completely afford to do so - most of the time people say "must be nice" at this point, but hey I spent a lot of my time at that position in life and I can confirm "yes, it is nice" and it really sucks to be in a position where one can't do that stuff anymore, but that's life I guess.
aaronbrethorst 1y ago
The macOS 26 screenshots all look profoundly amateurish to me. And I say this as a continuous user of this operating system since 2001, when I installed Mac OS X Public Beta on my iBook G3. I really hope Apple spends the next few months before release focused on making their new visual language usable.
- pjerem 1y ago
  At first glance, I found the aesthetic of liquid glass to be pretty nice. I actually like the visual effect of glass they managed to create. At least something different from flat design ! But then came the interface overhaul. That’s incredibly bad. Looking at the screenshots comparing Liquid Glass Finder vs, e.g. Snow Leopard Finder, it truly feels like Apple should be _ashamed_ to present this. It’s so wrong that it truly feels like Apple is making fun of me, the user. I tried the developer beta of iOS 26 out of curiosity and I swear it’s the first time I felt so wrong about a new iOS version. I know it will still be refined but in its current state ? It feels so wrong. There are bugs, ok that’s an early version, no issue. But the new UI ? The supposed next big thing ? It’s incredibly broken, inconsistent, chaotic, hard to read. I hope they are on a miracle to fix this but they seem to be so proud about it …
  - nlitened 1y ago
    I think it’s also interesting to keep in mind that in 2025 people don’t really use Finder as much as they did in 2009. It was an important part of the OS and of users’ workflow back then, but nowadays it’s just a browser for the Downloads folder, it’s time to admit that. No need to keep it fancy — file system power users will likely use other specialized software anyway
    - pjerem 1y ago
      That’s not my use case but even if it were true : is the current design broken ? Can’t even the Snow Leopard version do the job of "just browsing the download folder" and allow more "advanced" users to have a decent tool ? I mean, sure, usages changed (even if not for everyone) but even for someone "just browsing downloads", the new design is not better. Changing/modernizing the general theme of the OS ? Changing colors ? Textures ? Fonts ? I’m not against it and it’s an age old tradition at this point. But why mess with the general organisation / visual clues / layout to make it less functional especially when your users are already happy with the current design ? It’s change for the sake of change, not to build a better tool for the user.
HPsquared 1y ago
All the glass stuff reminds me of Windows Vista and the "Aero" style.
- troupo 1y ago
  The difference is: Aero only applied glass to large elements, never to content and buttons/toggles/etc.
matthewmacleod 1y ago
Among other things, Bosch manufactures washing machines, dishwashers, and microwave ovens — why do their interfaces differ? They’re all appliances made by the same brand! Because they have different purposes and you use them in different ways. Actually, as an owner of both a washer/dryer and a dishwasher from the Bosch “Serie 6” range, this makes the opposite point intended. The interfaces are bafflingly, irritatingly different for no good reason, and would really have benefited from some central alignment on UX patterns.
- mschuster91 1y ago
  Ha, Bosch, LOL. I own an old Series 4 VarioPerfect washing machine, and when I moved into a new apartment I treated myself to a clothes dryer. Ordered a Series 4 one... the font size is different and instead of the old tactile buttons it has a touch surface on physically printed labels that needs an arcane incantation combined with a precise way of holding your fingers while touching it, the door opens to a different direction - and the "official" stacker frame isn't compatible so I needed a third party stacker. Bloody ridiculous, but hey, some price to pay to the design gods for at least having a machine that works solidly and that I can repair should it ever be needed.
  - rahkiin 1y ago
    You can flip washing/dryer doors opening direction. It should be described in the manual.
    - mschuster91 1y ago
      Unfortunately, neither the washer nor the dryer supports flipping the door.
- SupremumLimit 1y ago
  Yeah, to bring up Bosch as an example of good UI is… an interesting choice. Their +/- time buttons operate like they were specifically designed to infuriate the user, for example.
mschuster91 1y ago
So to sum it up, a user (or let's be real, a consumer) has three choices for a desktop / laptop: - an ad-ridden, privacy invading hellhole that goes for "flat design" even worse than macOS's newest iteration (Windows 11), with machines mostly built out of cheap plastic, with the hardware being inadequately cooled and built on a CPU architecture that leads to guzzling power worse than an X-series BMW with its gas pedal floored on a German Autobahn. On top of that, AI slop everywhere. - a visual hellhole that, gotta admit it, still has by far the upper hand performance-wise thanks to a best-in-class-by-far hardware and excellent integration with the OS (macOS) - an "OS" that's more like 20 different ways of doing things, with not a single one achieving any sort of visual integration across at least the major applications because there's like a dozen UI frameworks and serious issues with hardware support across the board on top (Linux) Brave new world lol
- fsflover 1y ago
  > and serious issues with hardware support across the board on top (Linux) I'm tired of this myth. Just like with Mac and Windows, you choose the suitable hardware or, better, buy preinstalled. There are no compatibility issue with my Librem 14. Even suspend works 100% of the time. Also, GNU/Linux is not an OS but there are many very different OSes for different use cases and visual preferences.
  - mschuster91 1y ago
    > There are no compatibility issue with my Librem 14. Even suspend works 100% of the time. Can you walk into any big box store and buy that thing, or a Framework? No. I am talking about OS choices accessible to the general public, not to nerds with dedicated knowledge. The experience of installing Linux on anything available at a big box store is likely to result in a multitude of issues. No actor in Linux at large makes any effort to cater to the general public, and that's the point I'm making. > Also, GNU/Linux is not an OS but there are many very different OSes for different use cases and visual preferences. ... and the consequence of that multitude of How To Do Things is precisely what keeps Linux adoption so low. Steve Ballmer had a point in "developers developers developers" - it's no wonder that there aren't that many native software products viable for actual commercial use on Linux.
Marazan 1y ago
Article mention the "disappearing UI elements" mania that has tortured so many UIs. I absolutely loathe and detest the hidden-scroll-bar convention that is now de rigour
- IAmBroom 1y ago
  PREACH! Something that requires finesse in using the mouse to even access the least info ("About where in the document am I?"), and more for it's primary use. It's like having to take a sobriety test just to change the radio station.
mft_ 1y ago
Sadly, this feels like Google's approach to product management: change for the sake of change, driven behind the scenes by people chasing being noticed or their next promotion rather than by need and good sense, and (likely due to politics and power structures) no-one in a position to say "hold on, this doesn't work". I'm generally no fan of Steve Jobs, but what he did offer was a single point of (dictatorial) good taste, and a willingness to stamp on bad ideas. Unfortunately, it's exceptionally rare in modern business that you have someone (who is allowed to be) in such a position of power to act dictatorially when needed, and who also has the right set of taste/experience/knowledge such that their decisions are on balance more usually good ones. CEOs are far more usually MBA drones than product people, and it doesn't appear that we've figured out a way to 'scale' taste and good decision-making throughout an organisation in a reliable manner.
- vintagedave 1y ago
  I worked for nine years as a senior product manager, including a radical UX overhaul. I can speak to this. There is a saying among PMs: when you're not sure what to do, you do a UX refresh. (It's a bit like the same one for CEOs: if you're not sure what to do, drive an acquisition.) UX rework needs to be done with real care -- not primarily care for looks, but care for function. I _love_ Snow Leopard's UI. It was clear. Watching the videos on Liquid Glass, I was really hopeful we'd see a return to a similar design. Old OS X gave me joy, and I am sure I heard the word 'joy' used in the Liquid Glass video... and I was so happy! But what I see when I installed last night, and from this article, is glass and shadows in the background of windows, very low contrast ratios, and confusion between window areas. Backgrounds are the wrong place for fancy effects. You need to be able to see foreground content clearly. Foregound elements, like buttons, are great for fancy effects. They are small and isolated. That's why pinstripes were awful (difficult background) and Aqua as a whole was great (blue gel buttons were clear.) Look at the comparison screenshots in this article: a list view in Finder, which is sorted, has a blue header on the sorted column. That is a fancy gel effect, but it is isolated and readable. If liquid glass were used the same way in Tahoe, we'd really be on to something. It's what I hoped for, and what I don't see. However: one good thing in Tahoe is how fast UI elements interact. There is no animation on mouseover transition. It snaps in and out. This is excellent.
Marazan 1y ago
The most startling thing for me is that it just looks terrible. I cannot understand how anyone in the process looked at these screens and went "Yes".
calrain 1y ago
For me, this is a hard 'No'. This design requires far too much visual processing of my own brain to separate the 'liquid glass' animations from the content of the button. I find my eyes tracking content sliding under the controls and not looking at the objects in the controls. I was thinking of moving from Google to Apple with the next generation, but this new feature for me is a hard pass. Even watching the video about it from Apple is not a relaxing experience for my eyes.
molf 1y ago
The points about visual hierarchy are spot on, in particular on macOS. I think Apple has two realistic paths forward to resolve this mess: 1. Double down on the aesthetic and gradually redesign apps to improve the hierarchy. That would mean adapting UX across countless apps to serve the new look. 2. Tone down the glass effects and shadows drastically. Preserve existing app layouts without compromising usability as much. We'll be left with shimmering buttons and panels, a bit more blurred transparency than in the 'current' design language. My guess is they will end up choosing option 2, simply because it’s cheaper.
camillomiller 1y ago
I know quite well how Apple designers work, and I do not share the sense of emergency about this change. Like all change is scary, and Apple will inevitably adapt it. But the work is good and consistent. Give them time.
tobr 1y ago
We’ve been through this cycle before with Apple. They come up with a new aesthetic direction, and tries to follow through on it all the way. First version goes too far and impedes functionality. Then gradually, they dial it in, fixing the problems while keeping the soul of the new visual direction. See Aqua and iOS 7.
dist-epoch 1y ago
Apple stopped being cool. Looked too corporate and professional. Looked like "work". Author even makes the point: "how are you supposed to work for many hours on this?" This is their redesigning for the Alpha generation, the brainrot generation. Making it inconsistent and hard to read is exactly the point. That's the new aesthetic.
hermitcrab 1y ago
As someone who develops and sells software for Windows and Mac, I spend a lot of my time jumping through hoops created by Apple, Google and Microsoft. I guess this is going to create a load more work for me, with no benefit to me or (judging by the overwhelmingly negative feedback I have seen) my customers. <sigh>
bargainbin 1y ago
I don’t understand how a company that has effectively defined modern interfaces, which has the clout to hire the best of the best, has resulted in this. I fear the apple is starting to rot on the inside.
- gastonmorixe 1y ago
  I tweeted the same thing. Unbelievable. I think this may be the start of downfall. As an Apple's fanboy and UI Engineer this is really sad to witness.
Jotalea 1y ago
I've seen some people online compare this new design to windows vista, saying that "if vista was ahead of its time, now is the time". But, is it really?
tempodox 1y ago
From another of Mori's articles [1], where he quotes another source: Something IS indeed rotten in the State of Cupertino, but that rot is not new. To me, it feels like the Apple Intelligence fiasco is the accumulation of Apple’s software failures over the past 10–15 years finally coming to a head. They are just not very good at making software anymore. Just not good at making software any more. There is ample evidence over the last several years that makes this conclusion inescapable. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43375768 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43375768

88 points by microflash 1y ago

Constant tweaks for the sake of justifying jobs when, finally, the essential functionality is broken so that someone else can fix it in a different way next year. Churn-oriented UX and swe. I already set Settings > Accessibility > Display > Reduce transparency to On to proactively refuse to participate in this pointless UI glitter.

HPsquared 1y ago
Like how US carmakers would redesign their cars (visually at least) every year in the 60s.
- misiek08 1y ago
  Observing this now for years I think that is meaning of innovation in US, sadly.
misiek08 1y ago
And this probably was one or two man just having fun writing shader for the refraction on edges. Someone saw this, made it as biggest feature and cult goes on. All that while I can’t connect from macOS to iPhone's hotspot, because I split family account while MacBook wasn’t powered on. Bugs growing, but shiny stuff making big money from few FTEs won.
PlunderBunny 1y ago
What does the glass UI look like if Settings > Accessibility > Display > Reduce transparency is on?

seydor 1y ago

I don't even use iphone but screenshots feel like ai-generated images, artifacts, extra limbs, missing limbs and general wtf-ness

culebron21 1y ago

This whitewashing and hiding of everything essential is similar to Le Corbusier's aesthetics. He stripped buildings facades of any aesthetical elements, even pure geometrical ones, because he had some mental condition, that complex things bothered him. The same in the computer UIs has been going on for last ~15 years. Astonishingly it's the company that boasts usability/ergonomics that does it. And sadly, every desktop out there (KDE, MATE, Gnome) does its best to imitate Mac OS. I wonder if anyone in this part of "tech" industry does any sort of measurements of what they produce. I've recently been given a Mac laptop at job (they refuse to support Linux), and the Finder UI is terrible exactly as the author describes.

gsf_emergency 1y ago
Here's a walkthru of Corbu's own apt https://youtu.be/K4XM8GpGiss https://youtu.be/K4XM8GpGiss Seems quite normal for 2025, so it might have been an issue in 1935?
varjag 1y ago
For the buildings, facade decoration has very specific added cost per unit. For network-distributed software there is no such excuse.
- guappa 1y ago
  The cost of not having decorated buildings is constant depression.
  - varjag 1y ago
    Sure, but it's entirely externalized.
    - guappa 1y ago
      Which is why municipalities have codes… except they prefer corruption to sense.

Animats 1y ago

The amusing thing about all these pseudo 3D interfaces is that real 3D interfaces for CAD and graphics programs are much cleaner, because the real content can be cluttered.

zevon 1y ago
Are you referring to interfaces for complex tools (such as those for making 3d things) in general or do you have a program in mind that employs "three-dimensionality" in its interface in an especially clean way?
- Animats 1y ago
  > interfaces for complex tools (such as those for making 3d things) in general Yes. Interfaces where you have to be able to select, pan, rotate, and zoom in combination. Those are really tough.

pfortuny 1y ago

This useless lack of clarity in design is clearly an example of lack of work ethics. "Boss, this idea is shit and I am not implementing it. Either you change or I go." And before leaving, an email to the boss's boss or to the CEO.

mft_ 1y ago
Working in large organisations, my experience is that the proportion of people who care enough is small; and the proportion of those who are willing to fall on their sword vanishingly so. And the boss's boss or the CEO wouldn't listen anyway, as they'd ask their reports what was what, and receive an appropriate 'message'.
bryanrasmussen 1y ago
yeah, man, definitely it was a big mistake on my part to have these kids, also to age anyway and become the last guy anyone wants to hire - hey check out this CV, he has been programming for two decades, grandpa will yell at us all day about our dumb decisions, we better not hire grandpa!! Ooh grandpa quit because of the stupid idea instead of just yelling - yayyyyy! Wonder how he is going to earn money to survive, well not my problem - Now, let's implement this stupid idea! on edit: this comes up every now and then and there are all sorts of reasons why people can't take the high road, especially not on stuff that is just "stupid ideas", and I guess this time it falls to me to respond. Certainly people not quitting because your company is say, putting addictive chemicals in cigarettes or accepting a certain number of fatalities from cars instead of spending more money to make them safer or all sorts of moral issues is something that should be judged - but considering how often people don't do the right thing when even other people are going to die it seems a bit much to expect people will do the right thing when design sucks and is stupid, and it seems likely to expect that your claim that people should is issued from a position where you can completely afford to do so - most of the time people say "must be nice" at this point, but hey I spent a lot of my time at that position in life and I can confirm "yes, it is nice" and it really sucks to be in a position where one can't do that stuff anymore, but that's life I guess.

aaronbrethorst 1y ago

The macOS 26 screenshots all look profoundly amateurish to me. And I say this as a continuous user of this operating system since 2001, when I installed Mac OS X Public Beta on my iBook G3. I really hope Apple spends the next few months before release focused on making their new visual language usable.

pjerem 1y ago
At first glance, I found the aesthetic of liquid glass to be pretty nice. I actually like the visual effect of glass they managed to create. At least something different from flat design ! But then came the interface overhaul. That’s incredibly bad. Looking at the screenshots comparing Liquid Glass Finder vs, e.g. Snow Leopard Finder, it truly feels like Apple should be _ashamed_ to present this. It’s so wrong that it truly feels like Apple is making fun of me, the user. I tried the developer beta of iOS 26 out of curiosity and I swear it’s the first time I felt so wrong about a new iOS version. I know it will still be refined but in its current state ? It feels so wrong. There are bugs, ok that’s an early version, no issue. But the new UI ? The supposed next big thing ? It’s incredibly broken, inconsistent, chaotic, hard to read. I hope they are on a miracle to fix this but they seem to be so proud about it …
- nlitened 1y ago
  I think it’s also interesting to keep in mind that in 2025 people don’t really use Finder as much as they did in 2009. It was an important part of the OS and of users’ workflow back then, but nowadays it’s just a browser for the Downloads folder, it’s time to admit that. No need to keep it fancy — file system power users will likely use other specialized software anyway
  - pjerem 1y ago
    That’s not my use case but even if it were true : is the current design broken ? Can’t even the Snow Leopard version do the job of "just browsing the download folder" and allow more "advanced" users to have a decent tool ? I mean, sure, usages changed (even if not for everyone) but even for someone "just browsing downloads", the new design is not better. Changing/modernizing the general theme of the OS ? Changing colors ? Textures ? Fonts ? I’m not against it and it’s an age old tradition at this point. But why mess with the general organisation / visual clues / layout to make it less functional especially when your users are already happy with the current design ? It’s change for the sake of change, not to build a better tool for the user.

HPsquared 1y ago

All the glass stuff reminds me of Windows Vista and the "Aero" style.

troupo 1y ago
The difference is: Aero only applied glass to large elements, never to content and buttons/toggles/etc.

matthewmacleod 1y ago

Among other things, Bosch manufactures washing machines, dishwashers, and microwave ovens — why do their interfaces differ? They’re all appliances made by the same brand! Because they have different purposes and you use them in different ways. Actually, as an owner of both a washer/dryer and a dishwasher from the Bosch “Serie 6” range, this makes the opposite point intended. The interfaces are bafflingly, irritatingly different for no good reason, and would really have benefited from some central alignment on UX patterns.

mschuster91 1y ago
Ha, Bosch, LOL. I own an old Series 4 VarioPerfect washing machine, and when I moved into a new apartment I treated myself to a clothes dryer. Ordered a Series 4 one... the font size is different and instead of the old tactile buttons it has a touch surface on physically printed labels that needs an arcane incantation combined with a precise way of holding your fingers while touching it, the door opens to a different direction - and the "official" stacker frame isn't compatible so I needed a third party stacker. Bloody ridiculous, but hey, some price to pay to the design gods for at least having a machine that works solidly and that I can repair should it ever be needed.
- rahkiin 1y ago
  You can flip washing/dryer doors opening direction. It should be described in the manual.
  - mschuster91 1y ago
    Unfortunately, neither the washer nor the dryer supports flipping the door.
SupremumLimit 1y ago
Yeah, to bring up Bosch as an example of good UI is… an interesting choice. Their +/- time buttons operate like they were specifically designed to infuriate the user, for example.

mschuster91 1y ago

So to sum it up, a user (or let's be real, a consumer) has three choices for a desktop / laptop: - an ad-ridden, privacy invading hellhole that goes for "flat design" even worse than macOS's newest iteration (Windows 11), with machines mostly built out of cheap plastic, with the hardware being inadequately cooled and built on a CPU architecture that leads to guzzling power worse than an X-series BMW with its gas pedal floored on a German Autobahn. On top of that, AI slop everywhere. - a visual hellhole that, gotta admit it, still has by far the upper hand performance-wise thanks to a best-in-class-by-far hardware and excellent integration with the OS (macOS) - an "OS" that's more like 20 different ways of doing things, with not a single one achieving any sort of visual integration across at least the major applications because there's like a dozen UI frameworks and serious issues with hardware support across the board on top (Linux) Brave new world lol

fsflover 1y ago
> and serious issues with hardware support across the board on top (Linux) I'm tired of this myth. Just like with Mac and Windows, you choose the suitable hardware or, better, buy preinstalled. There are no compatibility issue with my Librem 14. Even suspend works 100% of the time. Also, GNU/Linux is not an OS but there are many very different OSes for different use cases and visual preferences.
- mschuster91 1y ago
  > There are no compatibility issue with my Librem 14. Even suspend works 100% of the time. Can you walk into any big box store and buy that thing, or a Framework? No. I am talking about OS choices accessible to the general public, not to nerds with dedicated knowledge. The experience of installing Linux on anything available at a big box store is likely to result in a multitude of issues. No actor in Linux at large makes any effort to cater to the general public, and that's the point I'm making. > Also, GNU/Linux is not an OS but there are many very different OSes for different use cases and visual preferences. ... and the consequence of that multitude of How To Do Things is precisely what keeps Linux adoption so low. Steve Ballmer had a point in "developers developers developers" - it's no wonder that there aren't that many native software products viable for actual commercial use on Linux.

Marazan 1y ago

Article mention the "disappearing UI elements" mania that has tortured so many UIs. I absolutely loathe and detest the hidden-scroll-bar convention that is now de rigour

IAmBroom 1y ago
PREACH! Something that requires finesse in using the mouse to even access the least info ("About where in the document am I?"), and more for it's primary use. It's like having to take a sobriety test just to change the radio station.

mft_ 1y ago

Sadly, this feels like Google's approach to product management: change for the sake of change, driven behind the scenes by people chasing being noticed or their next promotion rather than by need and good sense, and (likely due to politics and power structures) no-one in a position to say "hold on, this doesn't work". I'm generally no fan of Steve Jobs, but what he did offer was a single point of (dictatorial) good taste, and a willingness to stamp on bad ideas. Unfortunately, it's exceptionally rare in modern business that you have someone (who is allowed to be) in such a position of power to act dictatorially when needed, and who also has the right set of taste/experience/knowledge such that their decisions are on balance more usually good ones. CEOs are far more usually MBA drones than product people, and it doesn't appear that we've figured out a way to 'scale' taste and good decision-making throughout an organisation in a reliable manner.

vintagedave 1y ago
I worked for nine years as a senior product manager, including a radical UX overhaul. I can speak to this. There is a saying among PMs: when you're not sure what to do, you do a UX refresh. (It's a bit like the same one for CEOs: if you're not sure what to do, drive an acquisition.) UX rework needs to be done with real care -- not primarily care for looks, but care for function. I _love_ Snow Leopard's UI. It was clear. Watching the videos on Liquid Glass, I was really hopeful we'd see a return to a similar design. Old OS X gave me joy, and I am sure I heard the word 'joy' used in the Liquid Glass video... and I was so happy! But what I see when I installed last night, and from this article, is glass and shadows in the background of windows, very low contrast ratios, and confusion between window areas. Backgrounds are the wrong place for fancy effects. You need to be able to see foreground content clearly. Foregound elements, like buttons, are great for fancy effects. They are small and isolated. That's why pinstripes were awful (difficult background) and Aqua as a whole was great (blue gel buttons were clear.) Look at the comparison screenshots in this article: a list view in Finder, which is sorted, has a blue header on the sorted column. That is a fancy gel effect, but it is isolated and readable. If liquid glass were used the same way in Tahoe, we'd really be on to something. It's what I hoped for, and what I don't see. However: one good thing in Tahoe is how fast UI elements interact. There is no animation on mouseover transition. It snaps in and out. This is excellent.

Marazan 1y ago

The most startling thing for me is that it just looks terrible. I cannot understand how anyone in the process looked at these screens and went "Yes".

calrain 1y ago

For me, this is a hard 'No'. This design requires far too much visual processing of my own brain to separate the 'liquid glass' animations from the content of the button. I find my eyes tracking content sliding under the controls and not looking at the objects in the controls. I was thinking of moving from Google to Apple with the next generation, but this new feature for me is a hard pass. Even watching the video about it from Apple is not a relaxing experience for my eyes.

molf 1y ago

The points about visual hierarchy are spot on, in particular on macOS. I think Apple has two realistic paths forward to resolve this mess: 1. Double down on the aesthetic and gradually redesign apps to improve the hierarchy. That would mean adapting UX across countless apps to serve the new look. 2. Tone down the glass effects and shadows drastically. Preserve existing app layouts without compromising usability as much. We'll be left with shimmering buttons and panels, a bit more blurred transparency than in the 'current' design language. My guess is they will end up choosing option 2, simply because it’s cheaper.

camillomiller 1y ago

I know quite well how Apple designers work, and I do not share the sense of emergency about this change. Like all change is scary, and Apple will inevitably adapt it. But the work is good and consistent. Give them time.

tobr 1y ago

We’ve been through this cycle before with Apple. They come up with a new aesthetic direction, and tries to follow through on it all the way. First version goes too far and impedes functionality. Then gradually, they dial it in, fixing the problems while keeping the soul of the new visual direction. See Aqua and iOS 7.

dist-epoch 1y ago

Apple stopped being cool. Looked too corporate and professional. Looked like "work". Author even makes the point: "how are you supposed to work for many hours on this?" This is their redesigning for the Alpha generation, the brainrot generation. Making it inconsistent and hard to read is exactly the point. That's the new aesthetic.

hermitcrab 1y ago

As someone who develops and sells software for Windows and Mac, I spend a lot of my time jumping through hoops created by Apple, Google and Microsoft. I guess this is going to create a load more work for me, with no benefit to me or (judging by the overwhelmingly negative feedback I have seen) my customers. <sigh>

bargainbin 1y ago

I don’t understand how a company that has effectively defined modern interfaces, which has the clout to hire the best of the best, has resulted in this. I fear the apple is starting to rot on the inside.

gastonmorixe 1y ago
I tweeted the same thing. Unbelievable. I think this may be the start of downfall. As an Apple's fanboy and UI Engineer this is really sad to witness.

Jotalea 1y ago

I've seen some people online compare this new design to windows vista, saying that "if vista was ahead of its time, now is the time". But, is it really?

tempodox 1y ago

From another of Mori's articles [1], where he quotes another source: Something IS indeed rotten in the State of Cupertino, but that rot is not new. To me, it feels like the Apple Intelligence fiasco is the accumulation of Apple’s software failures over the past 10–15 years finally coming to a head. They are just not very good at making software anymore. Just not good at making software any more. There is ample evidence over the last several years that makes this conclusion inescapable. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43375768 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43375768