I use a lot of software like the Adobe suite, office, scanning, managing and editing photos or my (linux based) server, etc.
macOS vastly superior search is worth a lot to me. So are built in features like bulk renaming files, merging pdfs and a fast built in pdf viewer, that isn’t a browser. I‘m also a huge fan of the stacks feature to keep my desktop tidy, something I never manage to do on windows. Also quick look is very neat, especially if you work with lots of images, videos or documents.
I also prefer Apple‘s office suite to Microsoft Office by a long shot. (Speaking of vertical space. MS Office takes up a lot through the ribbon bar). It’s not as feature rich but has anything I could need and is much cleaner and less bloated.
And for managing open programs: I just don’t. If I want a program to be closed I close it manually (cmd+Q), otherwise I just leave it open (the program, not the program window), especially for programs I use a lot. macOS is very good at RAM management, in my experience and the new window opening immediately is great.
Also, I prefer my programs running in full screen, especially on my macbook, and macOS easy gesture based navigation to switch between virtual desktops and to launch mission control to switch between apps quick and fluidly are great. Even works with my logitech mx master mouse. And with third party apps like magnet, there’s even window snapping.
The titlebar doesn’t bother me. If I need the space, I just go to fullscreen. Mostly I don’t because I have a rather large monitor and even on my MacBook screen it’s not that huge. It’s like a third of the thickness of the windows start menu and programs don’t need their own menu bar because it’s global.
And I’ve actually used windows a lot, even recently. I‘ve just this month finally replaced it with linux on my gaming PC. I miss the Windows 7 era because it was still bloat free, coherent, and a desktop OS through and through. Windows 8 was a joke and Windows 10 (which I downgraded to again, after 11 was even buggier) is fine in comparison but full of ads and Microsofts overemphasis on telemetry and pushing features and programs no one – or at least I don’t want (cortana, co-pilot, bing, edge, one drive, office 365, that weird weather/news widget in the task bar, etc.). They don’t even allow you to use a local account anymore, unless you use a workaround in terminal. Dealing with audio devices is a mess, double so, if you throw bluetooth into the mix. I’ve already mentioned the keyboard input problem in 11. For some reason, games tend to minimize from time to time, a few minutes after launching, …
The list goes on. Even small things like windows not being able to correctly use MB and MiB, which got defined by the IEC decades ago and is used correctly by any other noteworthy OS, get on my nerves.
macOS and windows have wildly different philosophies and well, if you’re used to one it’s not that easy to switch. But also, Windows’ shortcomings, combined with my own curiosity and knack for tinkering with PCs) drove me towards macOS, years ago, since I started using it on a hackintosh, that, in my memory, ran more stable and faster than Windows on the same machine… it was just a bit too much hassle to keep updated.
macOS vastly superior search is worth a lot to me. So are built in features like bulk renaming files, merging pdfs and a fast built in pdf viewer, that isn’t a browser.
Fair points, though if you do have to go back to Windows, pretty much all of these have been addressed through Powertoys which quite frankly seem like direct inspirations from MacOS: (PowerToys Run does MacOS style search, PowerRename does bulk renaming, and FileExplorer Add Ons let you preview pdfs in file explorer, no merging pdfs though).
Also, I prefer my programs running in full screen, especially on my macbook, and macOS easy gesture based navigation to switch between virtual desktops and to launch mission control to switch between apps quick and fluidly are great. Even works with my logitech mx master mouse. And with third party apps like magnet, there’s even window snapping.
The titlebar doesn’t bother me. If I need the space, I just go to fullscreen.
I would argue that you go fullscreen all the time because the titlebar does bother you.
But also, Windows’ shortcomings, combined with my own curiosity and knack for tinkering with PCs) drove me towards macOS, years ago
It’s a little flabbergasting to me that someone with any desire for tinkering would go to MacOS, but building and continuing to run a hackintosh certainly does sound like a challenge, fair enough. The forced ads bother me alot, the telemetry doesn’t when it’s not being sold to advertisers, and in terms of stability, I’ve spent far more time trying to get Mac stuff working with third party accessories than I have had to deal with Windows stability issues, and I appreciate that my Windows machine can still work flawlessly with perfectly good PC accessories I bought decades ago, whereas Apple tries to break compatibility as often as possible. To each their own, but having to constantly work full screen and lose context for everything else I’m doing is not a workflow I see myself getting used to anytime soon.
pretty much all of these have been addressed through Powertoys
Fair. Powertoys are awesome but since they’re not part of the OS, I never much got into them. Might have alleviated some of my issues…
I would argue that you go fullscreen all the time because the titlebar does bother you.
Partially, maybe. But primarily also, because it also gets rid of the window top bar with the close icons and title and that’s something that windows just can’t do. Fullscreen on macOS hides it until needed. I would absolutely fullscreen programs on windows, if I could, in the way macOS does (fullscreen to new virtual desktop).
It’s a little flabbergasting to me that someone with any desire for tinkering would go to MacOS, but building and continuing to run a hackintosh certainly does sound like a challenge, fair enough.
Well, let’s just say, I came for the challenge and stayed for the peace of mind. When I started hackintoshing, I was still at school, but by now, I don’t really wanna think about stuff like that on my main computer. For example, on windows, I used to keep my libraries on a secondary HDD, because I didn’t trust windows to not fuck itself up to the point where I‘d need to reinstall it and that saved my butt a number of times. The yearly windows nuking was almost ritualistic. I don’t even think about that on macOS.
I’ve spent far more time trying to get Mac stuff working with third party accessories than I have had to deal with Windows stability issues, and I appreciate that my Windows machine can still work flawlessly with perfectly good PC accessories I bought decades ago, whereas Apple tries to break compatibility as often as possible
Well, I don’t have many accessories and such. And even macOS doesn’t break compatibility with storage devices, mice and keyboards. I have benefited from Windows‘ backwards compatibility in form of 20 year old driver software for a film scanner, however there is a modern third party program for macOS which also does the trick. Also, one point for macOS compatibility with stuff would be printers. Never had to track down any driver software for printers, as long as they’re new enough to support USB or network printing. Plug it in, macOS finds it and you just print. On windows finding old drivers is often enough almost impossible…
To each their own, but having to constantly work full screen and lose context for everything else I’m doing is not a workflow I see myself getting used to anytime soon.
I mean, you can splitscreen two programs in fullscreen and switching between multiple fullscreen apps is as easy as a swipe on the trackpad or a mouse gesture on my mx master or cmd+arrows. imo that’s much more efficient and quick on small screens. And on large screens like my 32“ monitor, the space you lose through the menu bar is so negligible, that it doesn’t matter. And then the also quickly activated mission control is great for quickly switching between open windows.
On the other side, I found Windows implementation of virtual desktops to be almost useless and I find it much more distracting to deal with a lot of open windows, on a laptop sized display, on windows, because you cannot easily put them on a secondary desktop and swipe from one to the other
Fair. Powertoys are awesome but since they’re not part of the OS, I never much got into them. Might have alleviated some of my issues…
I figured if utilities like Rectangle / Magnet / Middle were fair game, then PT certainly were :P
On the other side, I found Windows implementation of virtual desktops to be almost useless and I find it much more distracting to deal with a lot of open windows, on a laptop sized display, on windows, because you cannot easily put them on a secondary desktop and swipe from one to the other
I don’t know about opening windows on new virtual desktops, but you can easily switch virtual desktops with 3/4 finger swipes on a trackpad.
I think the biggest thing MacOS suffers with is supporting not just one screen (large or small), but multiple monitors. I personally use two 24" monitors, plus a 27" monitor, plus whichever laptop is driving them, and on that setup I find MacOS’ full screen and dock implementations pretty maddening as it is extremely easy to lose track of which window is open where.
I figured if utilities like Rectangle / Magnet / Middle were fair game, then PT certainly were :P
Fair enough xD. And thank god there are people adding missing functionality to both OSes.
I don’t know about opening windows on new virtual desktops, but you can easily switch virtual desktops with 3/4 finger swipes on a trackpad.
Fair, but I find virtual desktops rather useless without an easy way to put windows there. In macOS it’s one click for fullscreen or a click and a drag for non fullscreen (which I rarely use. Usually it’s fullscreen)
I think the biggest think MacOS suffers with is supporting not just one large screen like you have, but having multiple monitors.
Possibly. It’s The Apple Way, I suppose. MacBooks and iMacs. And if you have multiple displays, they better be all the same Apple Studio Displays or Pro Displays. And in all fairness, I did notice, that, when I have multiple monitors connected, I tend to just use one, primarily and the second one just to dump a single program there, that I don’t need to touch, like discord, a website or document or a reference image. But I’m a one big monitor guy, through n through, anyways.
I use a lot of software like the Adobe suite, office, scanning, managing and editing photos or my (linux based) server, etc.
macOS vastly superior search is worth a lot to me. So are built in features like bulk renaming files, merging pdfs and a fast built in pdf viewer, that isn’t a browser. I‘m also a huge fan of the stacks feature to keep my desktop tidy, something I never manage to do on windows. Also quick look is very neat, especially if you work with lots of images, videos or documents.
I also prefer Apple‘s office suite to Microsoft Office by a long shot. (Speaking of vertical space. MS Office takes up a lot through the ribbon bar). It’s not as feature rich but has anything I could need and is much cleaner and less bloated.
And for managing open programs: I just don’t. If I want a program to be closed I close it manually (cmd+Q), otherwise I just leave it open (the program, not the program window), especially for programs I use a lot. macOS is very good at RAM management, in my experience and the new window opening immediately is great.
Also, I prefer my programs running in full screen, especially on my macbook, and macOS easy gesture based navigation to switch between virtual desktops and to launch mission control to switch between apps quick and fluidly are great. Even works with my logitech mx master mouse. And with third party apps like magnet, there’s even window snapping.
The titlebar doesn’t bother me. If I need the space, I just go to fullscreen. Mostly I don’t because I have a rather large monitor and even on my MacBook screen it’s not that huge. It’s like a third of the thickness of the windows start menu and programs don’t need their own menu bar because it’s global.
And I’ve actually used windows a lot, even recently. I‘ve just this month finally replaced it with linux on my gaming PC. I miss the Windows 7 era because it was still bloat free, coherent, and a desktop OS through and through. Windows 8 was a joke and Windows 10 (which I downgraded to again, after 11 was even buggier) is fine in comparison but full of ads and Microsofts overemphasis on telemetry and pushing features and programs no one – or at least I don’t want (cortana, co-pilot, bing, edge, one drive, office 365, that weird weather/news widget in the task bar, etc.). They don’t even allow you to use a local account anymore, unless you use a workaround in terminal. Dealing with audio devices is a mess, double so, if you throw bluetooth into the mix. I’ve already mentioned the keyboard input problem in 11. For some reason, games tend to minimize from time to time, a few minutes after launching, … The list goes on. Even small things like windows not being able to correctly use MB and MiB, which got defined by the IEC decades ago and is used correctly by any other noteworthy OS, get on my nerves.
macOS and windows have wildly different philosophies and well, if you’re used to one it’s not that easy to switch. But also, Windows’ shortcomings, combined with my own curiosity and knack for tinkering with PCs) drove me towards macOS, years ago, since I started using it on a hackintosh, that, in my memory, ran more stable and faster than Windows on the same machine… it was just a bit too much hassle to keep updated.
Fair points, though if you do have to go back to Windows, pretty much all of these have been addressed through Powertoys which quite frankly seem like direct inspirations from MacOS: (PowerToys Run does MacOS style search, PowerRename does bulk renaming, and FileExplorer Add Ons let you preview pdfs in file explorer, no merging pdfs though).
I would argue that you go fullscreen all the time because the titlebar does bother you.
It’s a little flabbergasting to me that someone with any desire for tinkering would go to MacOS, but building and continuing to run a hackintosh certainly does sound like a challenge, fair enough. The forced ads bother me alot, the telemetry doesn’t when it’s not being sold to advertisers, and in terms of stability, I’ve spent far more time trying to get Mac stuff working with third party accessories than I have had to deal with Windows stability issues, and I appreciate that my Windows machine can still work flawlessly with perfectly good PC accessories I bought decades ago, whereas Apple tries to break compatibility as often as possible. To each their own, but having to constantly work full screen and lose context for everything else I’m doing is not a workflow I see myself getting used to anytime soon.
Fair. Powertoys are awesome but since they’re not part of the OS, I never much got into them. Might have alleviated some of my issues…
Partially, maybe. But primarily also, because it also gets rid of the window top bar with the close icons and title and that’s something that windows just can’t do. Fullscreen on macOS hides it until needed. I would absolutely fullscreen programs on windows, if I could, in the way macOS does (fullscreen to new virtual desktop).
Well, let’s just say, I came for the challenge and stayed for the peace of mind. When I started hackintoshing, I was still at school, but by now, I don’t really wanna think about stuff like that on my main computer. For example, on windows, I used to keep my libraries on a secondary HDD, because I didn’t trust windows to not fuck itself up to the point where I‘d need to reinstall it and that saved my butt a number of times. The yearly windows nuking was almost ritualistic. I don’t even think about that on macOS.
Well, I don’t have many accessories and such. And even macOS doesn’t break compatibility with storage devices, mice and keyboards. I have benefited from Windows‘ backwards compatibility in form of 20 year old driver software for a film scanner, however there is a modern third party program for macOS which also does the trick. Also, one point for macOS compatibility with stuff would be printers. Never had to track down any driver software for printers, as long as they’re new enough to support USB or network printing. Plug it in, macOS finds it and you just print. On windows finding old drivers is often enough almost impossible…
I mean, you can splitscreen two programs in fullscreen and switching between multiple fullscreen apps is as easy as a swipe on the trackpad or a mouse gesture on my mx master or cmd+arrows. imo that’s much more efficient and quick on small screens. And on large screens like my 32“ monitor, the space you lose through the menu bar is so negligible, that it doesn’t matter. And then the also quickly activated mission control is great for quickly switching between open windows. On the other side, I found Windows implementation of virtual desktops to be almost useless and I find it much more distracting to deal with a lot of open windows, on a laptop sized display, on windows, because you cannot easily put them on a secondary desktop and swipe from one to the other
I figured if utilities like Rectangle / Magnet / Middle were fair game, then PT certainly were :P
I don’t know about opening windows on new virtual desktops, but you can easily switch virtual desktops with 3/4 finger swipes on a trackpad.
I think the biggest thing MacOS suffers with is supporting not just one screen (large or small), but multiple monitors. I personally use two 24" monitors, plus a 27" monitor, plus whichever laptop is driving them, and on that setup I find MacOS’ full screen and dock implementations pretty maddening as it is extremely easy to lose track of which window is open where.
Fair enough xD. And thank god there are people adding missing functionality to both OSes.
Fair, but I find virtual desktops rather useless without an easy way to put windows there. In macOS it’s one click for fullscreen or a click and a drag for non fullscreen (which I rarely use. Usually it’s fullscreen)
Possibly. It’s The Apple Way, I suppose. MacBooks and iMacs. And if you have multiple displays, they better be all the same Apple Studio Displays or Pro Displays. And in all fairness, I did notice, that, when I have multiple monitors connected, I tend to just use one, primarily and the second one just to dump a single program there, that I don’t need to touch, like discord, a website or document or a reference image. But I’m a one big monitor guy, through n through, anyways.