Apple Releases OS X Lion

[schweb]

I just realized that Lion will finally let you encrypt your Time Machine drive (or any external drive for that matter). Very nice addition.

 

[MYmacROX]

I don't know what the fuss is over too much iOS integration. I don't notice any at all.
I turned off reverse scrolling. But I hid the scroll bar because I like the clean look. Not because it was the iOS-way of doing things.
I adjusted gestures to my liking and those aren't anything like iOS. I swipe up to scroll up, etc.
I don't use launchpad at all and probably never will.
I am forcing myself to use the new layout of Mail for a week to see if it grows on me. But I have a feeling I'll go back to the view that I had in SL (also just a checkbox in Mail Preferences). Just because I grew so used to the "Outlook" style from all those years working in offices using MS.

I can't think of maybe one or two complaints that I've read over the last few days that are actually legit. Almost anything can be adjusted and customized in Lion. It's so not iOS at all.

 

[baggss]

i can't think of maybe one or two complaints that i've read over the last few days that are actually legit. Almost anything can be adjusted and customized in lion. It's so not ios at all.

that!

I'm actually amazed at the number of folks who have become quite upset by a few minor GUI changes in Lion, all of which can be modified fairly easily. I'm not a fan of change for the sake of change but the progression of an OS means things have to change as technology moves ahaead. If you want to see what happens when it doesn't, look at the old Classic MacOS. I see some minor iOS like things in Lion, many of them don't really make a difference and some are machine specific (gestures for example) so individual users will see different things depending on what Mac they are using and what peripheral they are using with that Mac. Lion, for me at least, is as stable as SL ever was and just as snappy on my iMac (have not spent much time with MB yet but I will over the next few weeks). I skipped throughout the ARS article a bit but intend to read it thoroughly when time permits to get a better grip on what Lion really brings to the table for all of us.

 

[bobtomay]

Only real difference I see so far is the Finder sidebar. And I've had show hidden items turned on for awhile, so not that big a deal.

iTunes was already getting us prepared for the gray icon look, but I've been changing those back to the colored icons with every update. Just need to figure out how to do that for the Finder now, except there are new icons, I'm sure that are not in the SL set.

Not upset enough to keep me from ordering my first new Mac today in almost 5 years though.

 

[schweb]

Only real difference I see so far is the Finder sidebar. And I've had show hidden items turned on for awhile, so not that big a deal.

iTunes was already getting us prepared for the gray icon look, but I've been changing those back to the colored icons with every update. Just need to figure out how to do that for the Finder now, except there are new icons, I'm sure that are not in the SL set.

Not upset enough to keep me from ordering my first new Mac today in almost 5 years though.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone creates something to change all that in the near future. A new skin, I know they already exist for Address Book and iCal.

 

[RavingMac]

Only real difference I see so far is the Finder sidebar. And I've had show hidden items turned on for awhile, so not that big a deal.

iTunes was already getting us prepared for the gray icon look, but I've been changing those back to the colored icons with every update. Just need to figure out how to do that for the Finder now, except there are new icons, I'm sure that are not in the SL set.

Not upset enough to keep me from ordering my first new Mac today in almost 5 years though.

When you figure out how to change to the colored icons, please post as I'm not thrilled about the monochromatic look either.

 

[bobtomay]

I wouldn't be surprised if someone creates something to change all that in the near future. A new skin, I know they already exist for Address Book and iCal.

I think you're right about that. I'm pretty sure that I will not be the only one that doesn't like "drab".

What I don't understand with pretty much everyone using widescreen displays, is why someone would want to go back to a non-widescreen mail app where you can't see but a fraction of both your list of messages and the individual message you have selected. I'd be more inclined to find a new mail app to use if the new Mail is not up your alley.

Nowadays I have to give most new stuff a couple of weeks for me to get use to it (except the reverse scrolling function - that just makes no sense to me on a non-touch display). Seems the older I get, the more I don't like changes, at least not until I've given them a longer trial than I use to need to.

 

[schweb]

I actually really like Sparrow for mail, but it doesn't support Exchange which I need for my school email. Otherwise, I'd probably just use that.

 

[dtravis7]

To 6String, I see nothing wrong with Safari in any way. It acts very much the same as the latest Safari in SL, except here it's blazing fast. I can notice the speed with every site I go to.

Slower than SL? Not here. Not in the least. In fact boots faster, shuts down faster and all the 64 bit Apple apps are faster. I have both SL and Lion installed side by side (Dual Boot) and I can see the speed increase in Lion every time.

The things that you are talking about like the scrolling can all be disabled.

I really like Lion. All the negative comments I see really bug me as in 95% of the case, there is a way around it or people are doing something wrong as I do not have those issues here.

Just like so many saying Chrome does not work. Yes it does. It just does not use a couple of the new features and Google is working on it. I am with Van on that. Chrome works just fine.

I am going to a friends house in the mountains to help him upgrade to Lion. He wants my help. We will have to drive to Starbucks to download 10.7! His internet is 26400 Dialup at home! Grin PAINFUL!

 

[vansmith]

I am forcing myself to use the new layout of Mail for a week to see if it grows on me. But I have a feeling I'll go back to the view that I had in SL (also just a checkbox in Mail Preferences). Just because I grew so used to the "Outlook" style from all those years working in offices using MS.

Give it time. I was used to the "old" style (reading pane on the bottom) but grew to love having it on the right. The same thing happened with me and the Dock - I tried moving it to the right of the screen once to see what it was like, gave it a few days and now I can't imagine it anywhere else even though having it on the bottom is "traditional".

 

[cwa107]

What I don't understand with pretty much everyone using widescreen displays, is why someone would want to go back to a non-widescreen mail app where you can't see but a fraction of both your list of messages and the individual message you have selected. I'd be more inclined to find a new mail app to use if the new Mail is not up your alley.

That's about the only thing that I really think is a huge improvement. Just about everything else is pretty "meh" at this point.

 

[bobtomay]

When you figure out how to change to the colored icons, please post as I'm not thrilled about the monochromatic look either.

Lion broke what I had been doing for iTunes to get the color back. It still works, as far as giving you the icons, but it deletes the full screen option and for some reason the close, minimize, maximize buttons disappear.

 

[Doug b]

There are definitely work arounds for things I was used to in SL, but there are also really big fails in Lion where efficiency is concerned. A big example is the way windows are stacked in Mission Control. Try opening more than 4 Safari windows (yes, I know.. most people simply use tabs but this is an example only) and attempt to figure out in a timely manner which window is which.

There are two methods which are meant to help one see which window is which, and neither work very well. The first method is to hover over the stack and two finger swipe up on it, which will kind of separate the stack a little bit.. but with something like 6 windows open, it's practically useless. The second method is to hover over each window and press the space bar, which will bring the currently hovered over window to the front with Quick Look. But the problem here is that the windows are usually stacked so close together, that it's sometimes really really difficult to make sure you're hovering on a specific window. Sometimes you just miss it completely.

That feature needs some serious refinement. As it stands it's a really poor implementation of expose.

Doug

 

[randalthor]

There are definitely work arounds for things I was used to in SL, but there are also really big fails in Lion where efficiency is concerned. A big example is the way windows are stacked in Mission Control. Try opening more than 4 Safari windows (yes, I know.. most people simply use tabs but this is an example only) and attempt to figure out in a timely manner which window is which.

...swipe 4 fingers downward. Voila. Exposé as you remember it.

mission control is meant to give an overview of which space has which window, not to be a replacement for exposé.

 

[Jeff Dias]

Doug B, when in Mission Control, if you hover all the pages and then do a 2 finger gesture up you will see all the windows in a better way, it`s still hard to know, but they will sparse a little, see image.



Maybe, I already know that.

 

[Garoolgan]

A little word for Maytobe: You're spot on the older you get the less you like changes. At 68 I can assure you that's 1000% correct!
I've been reading through all these pages about Lion and I think I'll stay with SL a little while more ........ just to be safe.
What I'm worried about is loss of speed and maybe data.
My next MacBookPro will be around the end of the year but at least I'll still have my SL machine in case.
So sorry but I've nothing very constructive to say but at least it's the honest truth.
Thanks for all your inputs even if some of it goes over my head.
Garoolgan

 

[MYmacROX]

What I don't understand with pretty much everyone using widescreen displays, is why someone would want to go back to a non-widescreen mail app where you can't see but a fraction of both your list of messages and the individual message you have selected. I'd be more inclined to find a new mail app to use if the new Mail is not up your alley.

I only have a 15" MBP, so screen real estate is sparse for me. With SL I had Safari open to the left and Mail to the right. When I got a new message, I saw it show up at the top of Mail above the other messages. Now, I have Safari on the right and Mail on the left so when a new message shows up, I can see it at the top of the row. It is less obvious (less noticeable) when a new Mail message shows up with Lion. I remember getting my iPad last year (iPhone 4 came later on) and thinking how weird the mail app was. It's probably just me, but like I said I'm really used to a top/bottom mail app with all those useful folders. I'm a folders kinda guy.
Hard to undo years of one way of doing things. It was less difficult to switch from Windows to Mac.

 

[bobtomay]

MYmacROX: Reckon we all have our only little quirks of likes and dislikes. ;D

Don't know that I've ever used a mail app simultaneous with another app on screen. I'm one of those 'let me do one thing at a time' sort. And
I still really do not like email (except when it benefits me). I could see where using it in that fashion, you wouldn't have enough screen real estate to see your message lists and the message itself.

 

[MYmacROX]

Yeah, it's old habits. I come from a multi-tasking, 2 monitor setup in an office situation to now I'm at home with one screen and the unshakable obsession to web browse while keeping one eye on incoming email all day long. There's some tricks this old dog just has trouble learning.

 

[Doug b]

...swipe 4 fingers downward. Voila. Exposé as you remember it.

mission control is meant to give an overview of which space has which window, not to be a replacement for exposé.

Actually, 4 finger swipe down isn't exactly Exposé as I remember it, considering the fact that it had to be combined with spaces for maximum efficiency. The "All Windows" feature is just not the same now in that vain. And though I'm aware of what Mission Control is, that doesn't mean it's better than what we had before.

Doug B, when in Mission Control, if you hover all the pages and then do a 2 finger gesture up you will see all the windows in a better way, it`s still hard to know, but they will sparse a little, see image.



Maybe, I already know that.

Guess you didn't really read my post thoroughly. I already said what you did... and also said that it was poor implementation because it barely does very much to help out.

The types of visual/GUI changes they've made in the areas we're talking about here were not only unnecessary, but seem to take a step back away from maximum efficiency. Previously, with Spaces and expose... everything was spread and laid out in a way that was far easier to see and work with. To me, it looks as if they made these changes while throwing caution to the wind for the sake of change and nothing else.