I just picked up OS X a week ago, an already I am in love with it. Sure it has it's minor problems (resizing windows, some Finder speed issues,..etc) but big whoop! I new that there were some problems in my future being an 'early adopter'.
Comments:
1. Great idea about the alias in Dock to act as spring-loaded folders. I miss them for organizing files! But this will work just as well, if not better ; )
2. I have had no problems with my volume and eject keys, except... sometimes when I hit the volume down key, the volume jumps up before it goes down. But it only lasts for a split second. I have found that in order for the eject key to function correctly, Finder needs to be the active app or better yet, select the disc you wish to eject in a window.
I only have my internal 20gig hard drive, so I never go to the top-level of my file system. The world of my computer is my 'home' folder in the /Users/ file. I don't keep drives on my desktop, I got rid of the computer icon on my Finder toolbars, and simply click my 'home' icon whenever I need anything that high in the system.
I love the Dock, in general. I think it is a great one-stop place to interact with you system. I think it is better that the control strip, application menu, and apple menu separately. It is unbelievably customizable (and easy to boot), it is easy to see what is going on with your system.
Much of the criticisms I've read have been over-the-top examples:
1. People trying to minimize absurd amounts of windows and then scream at how tiny the icons were. As if windowshading the same number of windows would be any more fun?!
2. People trying to store ALL of their applications in the Dock, instead of their most used one's.
3. People complaining about Memory Muscle because things move around in the centered Dock. As if items didn't move in the floating Application palette? Even the Finder icon was moved down a notch when Sherlock was launched. I think that's why their is a 'genie' effect and other animations all over X--to give visual notification of changes. When I minimize a window or an app launches, the animation clues me in to the fact that the Dock has changed (even if noticed only in peripheral vision), and I know exactly where things are. When items do look similar, I have adopted the new habit of throwing my pointer to the bottom and then moving either left or right. The scrubbing produces labels, and it seems to be much quicker than trying to hit something dead on with a simple mouse throw (in X or 9).
I find that a lot of what is criticized is put in a harsh light because it requires new behaviors or habits. But if we honestly think about it, some of the things we use on a regular basis suck. Personally, I can't stand the end-all-beat-all GUI item, the 'menu'. I mean, for chrissakes, you have to move your cursor all the way up to the top of the screen, click on your item (that takes a while to determine a specific apps menu organization), then drag all the way back down, then perhaps to the right, then down, and then to the right, and then down,... then let go (or click again). I mean, the only efficient thing about a menu is that it takes up little space when not in use. Other than that, it is a lot of mousin' around for, often times, little effect (or nothing). I mean, thank god Apple recommends that menus only go five levels deep! I can't even imagine what bad app designers would try to do to us if Apple hadn't had the sense.
Oh well, I guess I've ranted enough!
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"Death to the desktop!"
G4 Cube (450MHz)
320MB RAM
20 GB / DVD
Pro Speakers, Keyboard, Mouse
SONY 17" Trinitron
Mac OS 9.1 / OS X
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