Blog Post: The obvious difference between Mac and Windows applications.

Here's a little blog post I wrote about differences between Windows and mac apps. If someone has time to waste, check it out

The obvious difference between Mac and Windows applications.

It is common knowledge that Apple pays close attention to design of their hardware as well as software. Mac OS X Leopard is by far a better designed OS than Vista ever will be. Apple’s iLife suite has no competition and the Mac desktops and laptops are the best designed in the world. And don’t mistake design to be ‘eye candy’.........

.............Let’s take a look at some of the best apps in Windows and their mac counterparts. You be the judge (while I go on ranting). Mind you, I have not scourged the net finding the ugliest Windows apps and placed them against the pretty mac ones. I have googled my best to find the ‘best windows apps’ and compared them to what I feel are the best mac equivalents. Also, be sure to visit the respective websites. Mac app developers websites are 10 times cooler than their ugly cousins!.....

Click to expand...

I liked it, got a bunch of great apps for my Mac out of it, a bit biased but hey what can you expect, good post nonetheless.

Nice plug. It's an ok post. As Vindicat3d said, a bit biased and any novice windows user will tell you that you can easily change the looks of those applications. No idea about the coding stuff, I won't be touching those.

I miss SmartFTP, I was even thinking about how I need it yesterday when I needed to move files from one of my online folders to another. I also should let you know that my window, after fewer clicks than it takes for you to get to your site, looks nothing like your screenshot and is cleaner/simpler.

[edit]Skimmed through that site. Is all you do on it complain vehemently?

^^ Why would you say I complain vehemently? I hope you aren't just going by first page.

About the thing being biased, well of course it is! Read the title bar. It says something about an Apple Fanboy . As for that SmartFTP screenshot, I got it from the official website.

If all you did was take a screenshot from the website then that's even more biased and unobjective. You said "I don't know where to login" and it's clear as day if you spent 1 second to look over the layout. I'm using Cyberduck and it doesn't even have the login out there like SmartFTP does.

Spend just a few seconds and you'll find that those windows you're criticizing as if you've used them and you'll find that it's just as easy or easier/faster to navigate than mac equivalents. And this is coming from someone that actually uses both.

From a designers point of view I have always felt that the windows GUI is distracting, and far too many windows apps suffer from button mania - just witness the 3 rows of buttons on one of those apps.

You end up with a small area of the screen in which to do your work.

OS X just stays out of the way and lets you get on with what you are doing

My opinion anyway

also saw that you were downloading East is East - cool

EGGO said:

any novice windows user will tell you that you can easily change the looks of those applications.

Click to expand...

Yeah, good UI design usually requires users to customize things to make them useable.



I think the general point is valid: Cocoa and Apple's own UI design choices make most Mac apps look and feel quite a bit "cleaner" design-wise than their Windows counterparts. Obviously there are exceptions on both sides, but by and large I think that holds true.

And yes, I've used both (and continue to do so) for many years.

@EGGO: We have all been there. Most of us anyway. Windows was our sole means of using a computer until we 'switched'. Now just the other day I had to use Windows, so I downloaded FileZilla and used it for FTP. That was the app that triggered this blog post. It was pretty much like SmartFTP IMO. And what I meant by "I can't see where to login", I meant it is not clear. Sure I know its there on the top bar, but why all that clutter at the bottom when its not needed? You will then go ahead and say it can be customised as well, but why not make it perfect to begin with?

As for the rest of the apps, I have used most of them in the past. As in really used them so I'm not basing this on thin air. And features? You want to talk features? I just found out the other day that you can't drag and drop stuff from an explorer window to a remote server via the Dreamweaver FTP. You have to put it in the respective folder and then do it all via the DW interface. Coda is so much more functional. Besides, its SubEthaEdit features allow me and my buddy to work on the same project, same page at the same time.

The interface for the mac is thought out. Unlike windows where all the features are listed and then pasted like on a pasteboard.

Of course there is Yahoo Messenger 9 and Office 2007 which are pretty good interfaces, but such apps are very rare on Windows.

-----------
Btw, the post was carried by Myapplemenu.com and Macsurfer.com! Granted I don't think they are high profile sites, but it is nice to get 4k visits in one day

goobimama said:

Mind you, I have not scourged the net [...]

Click to expand...

yikes!!!

i think you meant scour (which is also not really fitting in this usage), not this:

Main Entry: scourge
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French escorge, from escorger to whip, from Vulgar Latin *excorrigiare, from Latin ex- + corrigia thong, whip
Date: 13th century
1: whip; especially : one used to inflict pain or punishment
2: an instrument of punishment or criticism
3: a cause of wide or great affliction

from m-w.com

someone from a Windows development side agrees with you goobimama

(last part of article)

http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/microsoft-learn-from-apple-II.ars/4

@eric: sorry bout that. Mistake became wrong. Wont' happen again.

@loushen: That is a really nice read! Some awesome jokes in there!

no, i know now, you are the scourge of the internet! ;P



maybe you should apologize to the unit...

eric said:

yikes!!!


1: whip; especially : one used to inflict pain or punishment
2: an instrument of punishment or criticism
3: a cause of wide or great affliction

from m-w.com

Click to expand...

Windows ME fits all of that! It was a punishment sent by Gates to punish the Windows users! Maybe it was Balmers idea instead!

Sorry, had to say it!

dtravis7 said:

Windows ME fits all of that! It was a punishment sent by Gates to punish the Windows users! Maybe it was Balmers idea instead!

Sorry, had to say it!

Click to expand...

Meh... at least ME mirrored the GUI aspects of Windows 2K, probably the last great OS from Microsoft. It's Vista that is Gates' retirement present to the world.

c'mon windows 7!

please be the reincarnation of w2k!

eric said:

c'mon windows 7!

please be the reincarnation of w2k!

Click to expand...

I honestly don't think Microsoft has it in them any longer. They're such a mess right now, with most of their development offshore and outsourced, it would be difficult to bring a coherent project team together.

just let me dream...

my company is still using xp widely for workstations and w2k and w2k3 server. i'm just hoping we can leapfrog right over that whole vista mess.