[me]

So if you look at this you'll notice that the traditional tab is being replaced with...well I'm not sure. I'd guess it works like a tab, is it just visually different but the same old thing? Or is this a new UI element?

[sadie]

I quite like the look of it - it's pretty obvious what it does - but it can't replace all the places tabs are used. It fits well when there is a fixed set of options, as in a Preferences panel, but for something like web browser tabs it would be inappropriate.

[Michel Fortin]

I quite like it: it looks just like the different view selectors in Finder but use text instead of icons. I think that makes sense.

Also, in previous versions of Mac OS, a popup menu group was a lot different than a tab group. This uniformize the look when using a popup menu instead of tabs.

It seems that simple grouping of elements (without multiple «pages») use the same box too. So there is a universal grouping box that is the same whenever the «page» can be changed by a popup, a list of buttons (tabs) or cannot be changed at all. I think it's great because it reduce complexity of the interface.

I also like the fact that the tab group (and any groups) use a different background color. This makes it easier to see if an element is inside the group (especially for large groups). Tabs in OS 9 used to have a different background color too.

[- - e r i k - -]

It's true. This is the new tab-element. Older apps which uses tabs also get this look. Kung-Log and Proteus for example.

[JLL]

Originally posted by - - e r i k - -:
It's true. This is the new tab-element. Older apps which uses tabs also get this look. Kung-Log and Proteus for example.

Swing apps don't though.

[Developer]

Exposé is not going to replace tabs. The "method to browse multiple web sites in one window" used by OmniWeb 5 (whatever that will be) will replace tabs (unless OmniGroups patents it).

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally posted by Developer:
Exposé is not going to replace tabs. The "method to browse multiple web sites in one window" used by OmniWeb 5 (whatever that will be) will replace tabs (unless OmniGroups patents it).

We weren't talking about Exposé vs Tabs. We were talking about the new GUI-element that Apple uses in Panther to replace tabs.

Swing-apps (Java) uses their own library, so I can see why they haven't been updated yet.

[Mediaman_12]

Originally posted by - - e r i k - -:
We weren't talking about Exposé vs Tabs. We were talking about the new GUI-element that Apple uses in Panther to replace tabs.

Swing-apps (Java) uses their own library, so I can see why they haven't been updated yet.

This element

(the Printing/faxing 'bar')
seams to have replaced the GUI Tab widget.
Used in pref panes for example, not in safari.

Thinking of this, doesn't Camino use the GUI tab's, or does it use 'built in' resorces. If it uses GUI tabs it's going to be real messed up in Panther.

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally posted by Mediaman_12:
Thinking of this, doesn't Camino use the GUI tab's, or does it use 'built in' resorces. If it uses GUI tabs it's going to be real messed up in Panther.

Judge for yourself: Camino-tabs

Some glitches, but usable

[jokell82]

Right now Camino doesn't work in Panther anyway (from what I've read, I use Safari so I don't know first hand).

I personally think it looks nicer, however there are some issues with older programs. If you see in the picture, the new buttons are inline with a square that goes around the window's content. This is also drawn in for applications that use tabs, however most do not accomodate enough room to show it, which makes it look odd (look at Adium for a good example).

Edit - Well that screenshot just proved my first point wrong, but it does illustrate my second point. If you look at the ends of the new tab bar in Camino, you can see it starts to round off, but it is cut off...

[Scifience]

Originally posted by - - e r i k - -:
Judge for yourself: Camino-tabs

Some glitches, but usable

That doesn't look all that bad except for the weird scrollbars....

*IF* (and I'm saying if, because I know this is a preview release that is pre-beta) Panther has these problems with existing software, than I hate to admit it but M$ has us beat on one thing - and an important thing at that - backwards compatibility.

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally posted by Scifience:
That doesn't look all that bad except for the weird scrollbars....

The scrollbars look perfectly normal to me...

The "problem" here is that Camino is using a non-standard implementation of tabs. Tabs are meant to group together items in a group-box and then switch between different groups. The border on top is actually the top of the new group-box.

It will be exiting to see how Camino-developers tackle this new challenge.

[bamburg dunes]

The new tab selection looks a lot better, takes up less space and kinda tidier. Yeah, much pefer it to the old tabs.

Got to say that Panther is looking quite nice despite my initial hate for the thing, and also it's got months to go before a release and that also means tidying up and more features befoer getting to us.
Still not too keen on the Panther theme though.

[GoGoReggieXPowars]

Originally posted by me:
So if you look at this you'll notice that the traditional tab is being replaced with...well I'm not sure.

I can dig it.

[EnderWS]

I think the buttons look better. I don't have a problem with tabs per se, but when there's like 20 in one preferences window navigation gets cumbersome. For example, MS Word for Windows. Three rows of tabs!

Sue me for quoting Jakob Nielsen, but: "Tabs are supposed to be used for rapid switching between alternative views of the same information object."

http://useit.mondosearch.com/cgi-bin...p;hiword=TABS+
(scroll down to 'Navigation Tabs')

The guy's an anal geek, but I agree on this subject.

[Simon]

I love the usability of tabs!

But, I prefer them to be implemented the way Apple is doing now in Panther. It looks nicer, feels cooler and especially doesn't remind me of Windows (where I saw tabs first in endless confusing system pref windows).

[iNeusch]

I like them, theuy look modern and are easier to understand (yes, I have seen some newbies who didn't get the tab thing... mum come on !)

[snerdini]

Originally posted by JLL:
Swing apps don't though.

Do you think this will change with a future upgrade to Java?

[snerdini]

Originally posted by - - e r i k - -:
Judge for yourself: Camino-tabs

Some glitches, but usable

Hmmm...for some reason I don't like this. I really do like it in the System Prefs and other places, but for some reason, I think they look out of place in a browser. Could this be one reason Safari's tabs look the way they do? To keep them separate from the changes they were making to the Aqua tabs?

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally posted by snerdini:
Hmmm...for some reason I don't like this. I really do like it in the System Prefs and other places, but for some reason, I think they look out of place in a browser. Could this be one reason Safari's tabs look the way they do? To keep them separate from the changes they were making to the Aqua tabs?

That's right on the money if you ask me. Using tabs in a browser was a hack anyway. Tabs aren't supposed to be used like that. Pseudo-tabs like Safari's are much nicer.

[bamburg dunes]

It kinda makes sense moving to buttons for changes within a window, since I've felt that tabs were used to change the page rather than a portion of it, like in safari.

Just wondering what dreamweaver looks like under panther, it's got tabs everywhere.

[kerrazyjoe]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by - - e r i k - -:
[B]Judge for yourself: Camino-tabs
Thant looks kind of cool! Still too much whitespace above tabs though.
Who knows this may change the entire look of Apples's website

[iFix Rene]

oke, tabs do still exist but only in some apps
and only in mini form and they are slightly different then the 10.2 tabs in color and appearence

to answer the question how Dreamweaver will
look:

it uses these new tabs as described above

[ckohler]

I just want to say I really like the new method of tabbing. It isn't any less intuative. Furthermore, it makes more sense to have tabbed areas be recessed in their windows rather than appear separatly floating above the window as they do in Jaguar.

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally posted by iFix Rene:
oke, tabs do still exist but only in some apps
and only in mini form and they are slightly different then the 10.2 tabs in color and appearence

to answer the question how Dreamweaver will
look:

it uses these new tabs as described above

These apps, like Dreamweaver use their own proprietary tabs.

This is especially evident in palettes which incorporates mutliple functions like CSS styles / HTML styles / Behaviours as the tabs are very obviously connected to a separate sheet that's lower than the rest.

[iFix Rene]

no DW definately does not use its own tabs
but new mini tabs from the OS resources


believe it!

[kschulhu]

Originally posted by iFix Rene:
no DW definately does not use its own tabs
but new mini tabs from the OS resources


believe it!

Does anyone have a screenshot of this? I am very much interested in how the tabbing of DW looks in Panther. I'm already a bit disappointed in how the tabs in Macromedia products "layer", so hopefully the Panther tabs fix the layering problem.

[tooki]

I like the look of the Panther button-tabs, but I am worried that, especially with the system prefs set to Graphite, it's not clear which tab is active if only 2 tabs exist -- which is the active one, the light one or the dark one? it could be either.

tooki

[curmi]

Originally posted by tooki:
I like the look of the Panther button-tabs, but I am worried that, especially with the system prefs set to Graphite, it's not clear which tab is active if only 2 tabs exist -- which is the active one, the light one or the dark one? it could be either.

tooki

This is exactly right! And if you compare it to Safari, it is the opposite - the lighter is the selected one!

By making the "tabs" look "cool", Apple took away visual cues - cues which Macs have always been the defenders of.

I hope this is not the final interface...

Jamie

[Developer]

Originally posted by curmi:
I hope this is not the final interface...

I don't remember any complaints when iPhoto introduced this new tabs appearance, so why is this suddenly a problem?

[Guy Incognito 2]

Originally posted by Developer:
I don't remember any complaints when iPhoto introduced this new tabs appearance, so why is this suddenly a problem?

Exactly...this new tab appearance has been in iPhoto, iMovie and a few other apps such as Keynote. All of a sudden people are shocked to see it become part of Panther?

[iFix Rene]

I am shocked that you are shocked that they are shocked

quote>
wich is the selected tab, light or dark
(comment is few posts above)

in safari buttons do not actually keep the blue
color coz u are not actually SELECTING just
pressing the button... if you would press
'font bigger' and it would stay blue that
would be stoopid.

for the rest has it always been dark (graphite
or Aqua) is the selected tab

[Funny Bugga]

Originally posted by iFix Rene:
I am shocked that you are shocked that they are shocked

quote>
wich is the selected tab, light or dark
(comment is few posts above)

in safari buttons do not actually keep the blue
color coz u are not actually SELECTING just
pressing the button... if you would press
'font bigger' and it would stay blue that
would be stoopid.

for the rest has it always been dark (graphite
or Aqua) is the selected tab

I think he was talking about tabbed browsing. The 'active' tab is lighter, whereas the active 'tab-replacement button thing' is darker when active.