[stravinsky1911]

We Mac users are proud of the work that Apple put into the HIG documentation, and I always believed that besides the nicer user interface that the "Classic" systems offered we also benefited from the consistency of interfaces across applications. Apple made it easy to design a "correct" Macintosh program.

Enter iTunes- and the brushed metal theme. Hmmm, just one application that uses this (along with QuickTime Player), but I think I can justify this with the �media manager, not document� line of reasoning. Enter OS X- and iPhoto. We�re still managing media, not documents, so still no problem. The real conflict crystallized with Safari.

Why brushed metal on Safari? We�re not managing digital assets with this program, unless we refer to the internet as a giant digital asset. Address Book is another cause for thought- aren�t my contacts both media AND documents? Why brushed metal? And as far as Mail.app goes (at least under Panther and previous), why not use brushed metal on it since it manages a collection of digital mail? The Finder and brushed metal- more on this one later. GarageBand? Yet another interface theme. Pro apps? Yet another theme. I know I�m forgetting one- but I remember now- look at Tiger�s Mail.app. Not to mention the free-for-all known as Dashboard. Oh- and there�s another new theme for Spotlight.

Let�s count�em:
1. Aqua
2. Brushed Metal
3. Pro Apps
4. GarageBand
5. Tiger Mail
6. Dashboard Widget
7. Spotlight Search

Seven different (and yet �standard�) themes currently live and are pushed by Apple on a platform that prides itself on being simple to use. Isn�t there some kind of mistake? Or is there perhaps a new reason for these interface choices? Shouldn�t OS X offer absolute consistency in the interface?

I believe the answer and evolution is �exposed� in Dashboard.

Look at a screen with Dashboard activated. Each widget is immediately recognizable by its color, shape, etc. Things we hopefully learn as preschoolers. Now, just for fun, open up a bunch of Finder windows and hit F9. Although we can mouse or tab over each window to see exactly what it is, it has nowhere near the visual differentiation that lies in Dashboard. Now open up the iLife suite, a couple of Office documents, AddressBook, Mail, etc., and activate Expose. It�s not as drastic as Dashboard, but I sure have an easier time finding different programs because they look different. This is largely because of the inconsistent interface design. The programs actually stand out from each other.

My point in all of this is to suggest that Expose radically changes the emphasis from consistency to recognition. As long as an �Apple-approved� interface is used, designers are free to make their application stand out from the rest. Not everyone uses Expose like I do, so I wonder what this shift means for those who are not Expose junkies.

Let�s talk about the Finder and Spotlight. If the Finder is a collection of digital assets and not a document editor (sort of true), it makes some sense for it to be brushed metal. And if we take Finder windows out of the equation, Expose is that much easier to use to actually switch between programs. I�m pretty good at telling iPhoto apart from iTunes, even though they both use brushed metal. I�m not so good at telling which window is my Documents folder and which is my user directory when they�re both using column view in Expose. Spotlight introduces another theme (the hybrid menu/window), but it does something else: it is the first true step towards treating the Finder as a database. I don�t have to use the windowing system of the Finder to access my files.

I don�t believe that this is any kind of �master plan�, or that Apple was planning Expose and Dashboard when iTunes was first released. This might be lucky justification for over-indulgent interface designers. However, I do know that it improves my experience using a Macintosh when I can use visual cues effectively. Maybe it could be compared to owning a red minivan. It�s a heck of a lot easier to find in a parking lot than a silver four-door sedan.

[clebin]

That's quite interesting, and certainly puts a different slant on things.

Unfortunately, I think it's a happy coincidence. With these different styles Apple are basically saying "here's what new in Panther", "here's what's new in Tiger".

For instance, had the Dictionary app come with Panther, it would've been brushed metal so that everyone could see what they were getting for their money. As it is, it's the Spotlighty type theme so we know it's new. Address Book and Dictionary are both books in the real-world - but one's brushed metal and one's white. Make sense?

I don't agree that it makes sense for the Finder to be brushed metal. It's a Spotlight enabled application, which means it should be white by Apple's tenuous new guidelines. (off topic, the Spotlight search window should probably be part of the Finder)

I think you make a really good point about the visual cues. The colour/design of the window doesn't really impair usability but can be a positive. What matters is that it behaves as you'd expect it to - all windows being draggable in the same way, all gadgets behaving exactly the same way (but I wouldn't theme the gadgets too much)

But Apple needs to revisit each application and make a case for the UI theme. At the moment they're trampling over their own half-formed ideas about books - one's hardback and one's paperback stupid! - and um, electronic devices and things made of wood you keep in a garage, and, er, old apps we forgot and new apps we like, and - of course - things with a search field (which may or may not be paperback books or electronic devices). Now's the time to sort out the mess.

Chris

[ShotgunEd]

Your point makes sense.

I use expose all the time, even with multiple desktops, and with different 'themes' for different apps it makes picking them out a hell of a lot faster.

I'm not totally happy with expose at the minute however, lets say, for example, I have 4 safari windows open, all full screen size, and i expose; the windows all scale to the same size and line up side by side horizontally. Wouldn't it make more sense to tile these windows?

But thats by the by, Apple have helped expose work, more than likely unintentionally, by implementing inconsistent UI across apps, it'd be nice though to have these interfaces cleaned up, and at least have some uniformity. And don't even get me started on those pill buttons in Tiger mail...

[biscuit]

Originally Posted by ShotgunEd

I'm not totally happy with expose at the minute however, lets say, for example, I have 4 safari windows open, all full screen size, and i expose; the windows all scale to the same size and line up side by side horizontally. Wouldn't it make more sense to tile these windows?

There was a thread on this a while back. If your windows are all the same size and their top edges are aligned (a common situation in Safari) then they line up side by side in Expos�. The solution is to leave the downloads window open somewhere.

biscuit

[Dog Like Nature]

Originally Posted by biscuit

There was a thread on this a while back. If your windows are all the same size and their top edges are aligned (a common situation in Safari) then they line up side by side in Expos�. The solution is to leave the downloads window open somewhere.

biscuit

Yes, the Expos� algorithm tries to maintain the original spatial relationship between the windows in their thumbnail form (whilst amplifying it of course).

If one of the windows was one or two pixels lower than the rest, the 4-in-a-row effect does not occur.

Sounds like the algorithm could use a bit of tweaking!

[ShotgunEd]

Originally Posted by biscuit

There was a thread on this a while back. If your windows are all the same size and their top edges are aligned (a common situation in Safari) then they line up side by side in Expos�*The solution is to leave the downloads window open somewhere.

biscuit

Like I said, I use multiple desktops, and I leave the downloads window on a different desktop.

The fix then is to use the Activity Window.

But its still a silly workaround. I'm off to find that expose thread i missed...

[knit wit]

Personally I dislike brushed metal greatly. It looks cheap and ugly to me. I didn't like the pinstripe look, but I'd rather see that than brushed metal. But, it makes sense to have the multimedia apps brushed metal- or at least the same look- but still something different than brushed metal would make me very happy.

I also agree that it doesn't make sense for the finder to be brushed metal. I like the look of the spotlight search and think that the finder would look great like this. I think it is inconsistant to have the "collapsed" finder (without the sidebar and tools on top) to have one look and the "expanded" finder to have another.

Did anyone else notice that in Tiger when you have a spotlight search window open, and a regular finder window open, you can not openapple-tab between them. The spotlight window doesn't show up in the list of icons that you can switch between. I used this app switching feature all the time, more than I do expose, and would love to see a little spotlight icon show up too.

[JLL]

Originally Posted by knit wit

´Did anyone else notice that in Tiger when you have a spotlight search window open, and a regular finder window open, you can not openapple-tab between them. The spotlight window doesn't show up in the list of icons that you can switch between. I used this app switching feature all the time, more than I do expose, and would love to see a little spotlight icon show up too.

The window belongs to the Finder.

[knit wit]

Originally Posted by JLL

The window belongs to the Finder.

Yes, but it doesn't come up with the finder window if I openapple-tab to the finder. So, it doesn't seem to really be a part of the finder. Even if I have 2-3 finder windows open, at varying depths in all the windows I have open, openapple-tabbing to the finder brings them all up, but doesn't bring up the spotlight search window.

Can anyone get the spotlight search window to come up this way? Or was this just an oversight?

[awaspaas]

I don't think it belongs to Finder, since you can't command-` to it from a Finder window. I believe it belongs to SystemUIServer, along with the clock and the Spotlight Icon in the menu bar.

[awaspaas]

Yup, with a spotlight window open, you can kill the Finder and the window will remain. If you kill SystemUIServer, the window disappears.

[JLL]

OK, we're talking about two different things - I thought you meant the Spotlight search window brought up by Cmd-F.