[Angus_D]

Originally posted by JLL:
Uhm, your 'WhiteSpotlightStuffInTiger' is Aqua.

Are you saying that all Aqua windows are white with the gradient and weirdo toolbar thing?

[RonnieoftheRose]

Originally posted by MrForgetable:
i just want to be able to customize the color of the apple on the menu bar.

I want Aqua to be replaced by the Spotlight theme. That's all we need - Spotlight and Graphite themes. Or just Spotlight.

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally posted by Angus_D:
Are you saying that all Aqua windows are white with the gradient and weirdo toolbar thing?

Yes. That "weirdo toolbar" is just a natural extension of the Aqua-window. All Aqua-window have a gradient in the title-bar. It's pretty obvious when you click "hide toolbar" in those apps. The "weirdo toolbar" is actually an improvement to Aqua, making more of the window draggable (a cue taken from metal-windows).

[Randman]

I would like "Wishlis" to be spelled correctly.

[jasong]

Originally posted by Randman:
I would like "Wishlis" to be spelled correctly.

How else do you spell Wishlis?

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

I really think the Dock could have some neat new features added. Also the finder needs to be totally gutted.

[Randman]

Originally posted by jasong:
How else do you spell Wishlis?

Wish list.

[ryaxnb]

* iSticky! Manage your notes, compatible with Palms
* Graphics support in TextEdit .doc format export/import
* Number-based signal meter for AirPort
* Enhanced support for most AirPort devices.
* GIMP support for new Epson low-end printers, Canon multifunction
* TWAIN support for more scanners
* Built-in iPhoto 6
* Preview: Continous Scrolling toolbar button option
* More previews in Column view
* Sort by anything in Column view
* Sherlock 4
* Safari 3.0, iSeek style searching, state saving, History searching/viewing, etc.
* Better support for 800x600 displays

[leperkuhn]

Originally posted by ryaxnb:
* iSticky! Manage your notes, compatible with Palms
* Graphics support in TextEdit .doc format export/import
* Number-based signal meter for AirPort
* Enhanced support for most AirPort devices.
* GIMP support for new Epson low-end printers, Canon multifunction
* TWAIN support for more scanners
* Built-in iPhoto 6
* Preview: Continous Scrolling toolbar button option
* More previews in Column view
* Sort by anything in Column view
* Sherlock 4
* Safari 3.0, iSeek style searching, state saving, History searching/viewing, etc.
* Better support for 800x600 displays

I gotta agree with most of these with a few exceptions.

Not sure what "enhanced support for most airport devices" means. please elaborate
GIMP support for printers, how does that involve apple?
Sherlock 4 - what features do you want? I don't use it ever really.. most of it's functionality is available via a few web sites. I'd rather just have a few bookmarks.
how often does one use an 800x600 display?

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally posted by leperkuhn:
Sherlock 4 - what features do you want? I don't use it ever really.. most of it's functionality is available via a few web sites. I'd rather just have a few bookmarks.

Sherlock is dead. Any functionality it had is replaceable in Dashboard.

[IamBob]

I'd like the Get Info window tabbed and in the Preview column.

[Geobunny]

I'd like to be able to select more than one Finder item and do "Get Info" and have one Info window open up for each selected item rather than one window which gives the number of items selected along with their aggregate size.

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally posted by Geobunny:
I'd like to be able to select more than one Finder item and do "Get Info" and have one Info window open up for each selected item rather than one window which gives the number of items selected along with their aggregate size.

This is the default behavior in Tiger. No need to wish for that in 10.5.

Alt-get info brings up an inspector window with aggragted size.

[Eug Wanker]

Originally posted by Thinine:
Yeah, that list was pretty retarded.

Agreed.

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
I really think the Dock could have some neat new features added. Also the finder needs to be totally gutted.

Rumour has it that the Finder is better threaded in Tiger.

Personally I don't have UI issues with the Finder in Panther. I just find it annoyingly slow with that dreaded beachball appearing much too often. If Tiger fixes this, I'll be happy. If Tiger doesn't, then well...

One thing about the Finder though... I hope Tiger fixes the issue where the space used on the drive icons on the desktop don't get consistently updated.

[Millennium]

Originally posted by ryaxnb:
* iSticky! Manage your notes, compatible with Palms

This could actually be kind of neat. Would it also work with the iPod's Notes feature?

* Number-based signal meter for AirPort

Why? There's really not much of an advantage over the graphical menubar meter currently present. It's like having a digital watch versus an analog one: it certainly looks more precise, but do you really get any benefit from the added numbers?

* Enhanced support for most AirPort devices.

How so? What is it you want to see?

* GIMP support for new Epson low-end printers, Canon multifunction

If you are talking about the GIMP-Print drivers, Apple does not make these.

* Built-in iPhoto 6

That's awfully vague. What should this 'iPhoto 6' do?

* More previews in Column view

More than what?

* Sort by anything in Column view

Why? Column View only displays an item's name; why is there a need to sort based on something that isn't even displayed? That would only serve to confuse users.

* Sherlock 4

What should this 'Sherlock 4' do?

* Better support for 800x600 displays

What isn't supported?

[Geobunny]

Originally posted by - - e r i k - -:
This is the default behavior in Tiger. No need to wish for that in 10.5.

Alt-get info brings up an inspector window with aggragted size.

<Homer Simpson-style>Woo hoo!</Homer> Thanks for letting me know, that makes me a happy bunny!

[Krypton]

Originally posted by Millennium:

More than what?

The Finder previews relatively few file formats, Path Finder by contrast can show you a preview of nearly every file format.

[Grrr]

My wish for 10.5..
I wish that it's so good that we wont need another stupid post like this to ask what we want in 10.6 before 10.5 is even out yet

[Azzgunther]

Originally posted by Millennium:

Sort by anything in Column view

Why? Column View only displays an item's name; why is there a need to sort based on something that isn't even displayed? That would only serve to confuse users.

I want this feature. You could have column view sorting your pictures by date, kind, name, etc. and you would be able to preview them. Say I took a picture about 3 months ago...should I really have to open an entire chunk of pictures in Preview��� in order to sift through them for the desired picture? I'd rather see the files next to eachother and with their dates displayed next to their pictures.

Besides, I was able to do this with Windows 98. Time for Apple to catch up.






A few features I'd like:

1.) Also in the Finder previews, I'd like to tell it not to try to preview certain types of files. As much fun as it is to watch a beachball for 25 seconds while the Finder is frozen trying to find out what type of video file I'm trying to preview in column view, it isn't.

2.) iChat should let us use USB 2.0 webcams. Not expected though, as it would decrease iSight sales.

3.) Specify the "open with" menu when the user "right clicks" on a file. I have a backup installation, and I don't need a 5-second to load/50 program list of double-options of each program. Furthermore, some of them cause Shapeshifter to revert to the Aqua interface. I'd rather just be able to tell OSX that .jpeg files can only be opened with Photoshop, Preview, or Jview. It would leave the menu snappier.

4.) Safari needs to not become a lag-prone mess after being open for a day or two. I have 20 tabs open...and Safari is unusable. Shouldn't have to quit the program and reopen the websites each time it starts to stutter.

5.) Finder needs to remember window sizes. I would consider a Finder that recalled my defined settings and window sizes as having been upgraded with a new feature, as it doesn't work well now.

[Millennium]

Originally posted by Krypton:
The Finder previews relatively few file formats, Path Finder by contrast can show you a preview of nearly every file format.

"Nearly every"? I doubt that; there are many thousands of file formats out there. A comprehensive list of these formats is proving difficult to find, but from the look of things Path Finder basically incorporates functionality from QuickTime, Safari, Preview, and TextEdit. That gives it the ability to preview a surprising number of formats, and certainly it is better than what the Finder provides, but "nearly every format"? Not by a long shot.

What Apple really needs to do in this area is to split the Finder preview API out of QuickTime and then generalize it, so that application developers can add preview functionality for their formats in a way that makes sense.

[Millennium]

Originally posted by Azzgunther:
You could have column view sorting your pictures by date, kind, name, etc. and you would be able to preview them.

This still doesn't address the fact that you're sorting based on data that's not even displayed. How would this not be confusing? There wouldn't be any good way to tell what criteria you had used to sort the data, and the names would be displayed in an order with no apparent order to them (which would be true, since you weren't sorting by them).

Say I took a picture about 3 months ago...should I really have to open an entire chunk of pictures in Preview��� in order to sift through them for the desired picture? I'd rather see the files next to eachother and with their dates displayed next to their pictures.

That's what List view is for.

Besides, I was able to do this with Windows 98. Time for Apple to catch up.

Windows 98 did not have Column View. It used a mechanism not unlike List View for this, in fact. Apple has been able to do this since the days of System 7: it is Windows which caught up to the Mac OS, not the reverse.

[CharlesS]

Originally posted by Millennium:
That's what List view is for.

Windows 98 did not have Column View. It used a mechanism not unlike List View for this, in fact. Apple has been able to do this since the days of System 7: it is Windows which caught up to the Mac OS, not the reverse.

I think he's talking about the preview pane, which you only get in Column View.

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally posted by Azzgunther:
I want this feature. You could have column view sorting your pictures by date, kind, name, etc. and you would be able to preview them. Say I took a picture about 3 months ago...should I really have to open an entire chunk of pictures in Preview��� in order to sift through them for the desired picture? I'd rather see the files next to eachother and with their dates displayed next to their pictures.

Besides, I was able to do this with Windows 98. Time for Apple to catch up.

iPhoto, icon view or even list view are all viable options for doing this.

[Krypton]

Originally posted by Millennium:
"Nearly every"? I doubt that; there are many thousands of file formats out there.

Well yes, I concede that it can't preview every file format, but for general usage I haven't found many it can't preview; RTF is especially useful and I have no idea why Apple doesn't include this, being their preferred text format.

[neely]

Originally posted by paulbelsker:
What is your wish list?

Christ on a bike. 10.4 isn't even out yet and already people want 10.5.

To paraphrase Michael Winner: "Calm down dear, it's only an operating system."

[moonmonkey]

Originally posted by MrForgetable:
i just want to be able to customize the color of the apple on the menu bar.

Moonmonkey's Personality Classification:

Power
+ Perfect +
Popular
Peacefull

[Geobunny]

Originally posted by neely:
To paraphrase Michael Winner: "Calm down dear, it's only an operating system."

That man needs to be taken out and shot for those commercials! They're just so irrit...HELLO MUM!...ating.

[Azzgunther]

Originally posted by - - e r i k - -:
iPhoto, icon view or even list view are all viable options for doing this.

If I didn't think iPhoto was prone to crashing on me again, as it did on this poor fellow, I'd use it. As it stands, I feel like using iPhoto is a daily gamble.

Originally posted by Millennium"
This still doesn't address the fact that you're sorting based on data that's not even displayed. How would this not be confusing? There wouldn't be any good way to tell what criteria you had used to sort the data, and the names would be displayed in an order with no apparent order to them (which would be true, since you weren't sorting by them).

It would be very easy to add buttons to the toolbar while in column view that dictate whether you are sorted by date, kind, or name. The list view does not give me the option to preview a picture while also immediately looking at its date of creation. With list view I would have to open the picture to see if it is the correct one. There is a more elegant solution, and I did use it in Windows 98 as described previously. Even if it was not a precise column view, the point is that I could sort my files as I chose and then preview them.

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally posted by Azzgunther:
If I didn't think iPhoto was prone to crashing on me again, as it did on this poor fellow, I'd use it. As it stands, I feel like using iPhoto is a daily gamble.

I've upgraded from version 1.0 of iPhoto with not a single problem. I've used several different cameras, and the only problem that I have ever had is iPhoto 5's book-function crashing under a beta of Tiger. Hardly more a gamble than using any other software application (or even hardware) to manage your data.

Originally posted by Azzgunther:
It would be very easy to add buttons to the toolbar while in column view that dictate whether you are sorted by date, kind, or name. The list view does not give me the option to preview a picture while also immediately looking at its date of creation. With list view I would have to open the picture to see if it is the correct one. There is a more elegant solution, and I did use it in Windows 98 as described previously. Even if it was not a precise column view, the point is that I could sort my files as I chose and then preview them.

List view will work as a preview if your image file was saved with an icon preview (iPhoto, Photoshop and Graphics Converter all do this). Granted the icon preview is 32x32 (max), but you still get a general idea of what picture you are talking about (unless very similar).

The column view does not show you any other info than the name, and doing so would be bloat. And sorting by anything not shown would be confusing (as has been pointed out).

So what I'm guessing (and my experience with Windows tells me) is that you are looking for a list-view with a preview-pane. That would actually be a good thing in my opinion.

[Azzgunther]

Basically, Erik, what you described would be acceptable as well. I'm looking for something like it.

To address iPhoto: I'm not losing another 1400 picture collection to it. It's already eaten one up and it's done it to other people. I don't trust it. Therefore, I'm resigned to using the Finder to manage my photos.

Regarding Column view: It does, in fact, show you information in column view if you have the preview arrow turned down. It shows you the file's preview (or icon if it's a program or non executable file) and underneath shows Name/Kind/Size/Date Created/Date Modified. Would three buttons that you can drag into or out of a customized toolbar at your discretion be bloat? It would be a simple alternative to iPhoto within the Finder for those who like to keep their own pictures organized.

[Randman]

But for the vast majority, iPhoto works fine. And 5 was a good upgrade from 4. Why add such stuff to the Finder just because a few people had a bad experience. Keep Finder lean and mean.

[- - e r i k - -]

But Apple is moving away from the finder as an all-purpose browser to separate media-specific browsers. iTunes for sound files, iPhoto for images. What's missing is one for videos, like Cellulo. And with Spotlight now providing a faster, more intuitive means of getting to your files, all Finder is left to do is to organize your different types of documents. And Mac OS X got that pretty well covered in a well-organised home-folder structure.

Wouldn't you rather have a solid media-specific browser than a cluttered, possibly unstable Finder?

I am sorry to hear that you have been burnt by iPhoto, but the fact is that no software or even hardware solution is foolproof. One will forever need backups.

[- - e r i k - -]

Of course, when talking about Spotlight and it's integration with the finder you can easily set it up to be of the kind of use one would use iPhoto for (if you ultimately can't trust it). Just use smart folders. Set up a smart folder to display photos from date x to date y (or search criteria of choice), sort it by icon previews and date and you are set.

[Azzgunther]

I don't think I'm going to trust media-specific browsers if they are going to organize my files for me. I need to know where things are on the computer, so that I can move the file easily and manipulate it with programs or otherwise as I see fit. I truly hope that it is just your assertion that Apple is moving in this direction, and not the truth, as an iTunes that would not let me put my music where I wanted it, or a video viewer not letting me organize my videos, or a photo program (iPhoto) not letting me organize my photos would be enough to turn me back to Windows with a disappointed sigh.

The Smart folders solution is clever but I fear that, since many of my pictures and movies are simply a "Jview" or "Quicktime" icon, I will still lack a functional way of previewing files sorted by date. Oh well, it was just one of my items I had hoped for one day. Not a huge deal however.

[Millennium]

Originally posted by Azzgunther:
The list view does not give me the option to preview a picture while also immediately looking at its date of creation. With list view I would have to open the picture to see if it is the correct one. There is a more elegant solution, and I did use it in Windows 98 as described previously. Even if it was not a precise column view, the point is that I could sort my files as I chose and then preview them.

Click on any one of the files in List View and hit Cmd-Opt-I. This brings up a normal-looking Get Info window, but with a twist: click on another file, and the Get Info window will update with the info for that file, including a preview.

There you go. I realize that this might not be the most obvious of tricks, but it leverages an older Get Info implementation from OSX which everyone hated but which has its uses, such as this case. Much more elegant than shoehorning it into an already-overloaded list view.

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally posted by Azzgunther:
I don't think I'm going to trust media-specific browsers if they are going to organize my files for me. I need to know where things are on the computer, so that I can move the file easily and manipulate it with programs or otherwise as I see fit. I truly hope that it is just your assertion that Apple is moving in this direction, and not the truth, as an iTunes that would not let me put my music where I wanted it, or a video viewer not letting me organize my videos, or a photo program (iPhoto) not letting me organize my photos would be enough to turn me back to Windows with a disappointed sigh.

You pinpoint exactly what you have to let go of: the need to know where the files are located on your computer. A database is a much better way of organizing large amounts of files. I had this problem too when switching to iTunes. I felt that I was losing control over my files. And even WORSE with iPhoto. Sorting them in folders arranged by date? Not the way I'd think to sort them by far.

But then I relaxed a bit. Finally got tired of manually sorting my files (6000+ songs is a lot) and checked the "Let iTunes organize my files for me" and never gave it another thought. iTunes happily lets me drag the files into Toast or Final Cut or with a single click on "show original file" lets me drag it, copy it where ever I want. Same thing with iPhoto (although admittedly it does not have a "show original file"-option forcing me to save a copy to the desktop or whatever). The management in specialized software is much better than what I could think of using my own systems and Finder.

[clebin]

Originally posted by - - e r i k - -:
[B]You pinpoint exactly what you have to let go of: the need to know where the files are located on your computer.

This idea is over-rated. We're nowhere near ready for it.

The iPhoto/iTunes apps are all very well but they're short term fixes. In these apps you still organise things into folder-like things and smart-folder-like things. Except we're told that it's a good thing that we don't actually know where the files are. And it's OK that there's no standard between apps. I also worry that an app may not be as well tested or as robust as your average database/filesystem.

The idea is passable if you want to organise photos, but useless if you're project involves many different types of files. In that situation, all roads lead back to a next-generation Finder that works alongside Spotlight.

It's an integrated, hollistic approach - but Apple is still making piece-meal applications which store their own files in their own way.

Right now, a combination of the Finder and Spotlight, with folders, smart folders and metadata is more flexible. And if the physical placement is irrelevent, as so many people like to point out, then why not put them Folders anyway?

People just take what Jobs is saying on this - but Apple are not ready to make long-term integrated solutions, or ready to accept that there has to be a next-gen Finder at the heart of the Mac to do true workflow.

Chris

[Randman]

Next someone will revive the "piles" talk.

[clebin]

My list, by the way. It doesn't change much from release to release.

Apologies if some of this is addressed in Tiger.

*I sit in a Windows network and I want network browsing that doesn't suck. I could go into detail but you know what I mean...

*I'd like that little checkbox to actually save your network password. What is the point in a checkbox that doesn't work?

*I'd like to auto connect to file-servers on login.

*Full FTP and SFTP in the Finder. Any change in Tiger? Any idea on how this is now irrelevant because of iPhoto and Spotlight?

*Finder grid-spacing. Small thing I know, but it's a regular annoyance.

I'm sure there's others, but I'm pretty happy in general. Tiger looks great....

Chris

[HOMBRESINIESTRO]

I'd like to see the dock to mutate to something like the shelf of openstep 4!

Look at this video: http://nextstep.sdf-eu.org/NS4beta.mp4

I think it looks a little too much, but just imagine what Apple could do with such a powerful dock by adding more eye-candy and ease of use!

[HOMBRESINIESTRO]

I'd really love to see Apple acquire some real good text-to-speech software like ex-rhetorical's rVoice: http://www.scansoft.com/speechworks/realspeak/rvoice/

Plus: bring back the old NeXTSTEP's lip service.

And: get rid of the menubar on the top. It's too much of a limitation. Perhaps they should really reconsider NeXTSTEP's approach. Not that I like it, when the menubar isn't always where it "should" be, but it is much more flexible and something that could be a starting point. That would be big improvements for the Lion!

[Millennium]

Originally posted by HOMBRESINIESTRO:
And: get rid of the menubar on the top. It's too much of a limitation.

How so? The menubar at the top of the screen is one of the best features of the Mac UI: often imitated, but never once equalled. What can it not do that you need?

[OreoCookie]

Originally posted by HOMBRESINIESTRO:
I'd really love to see Apple acquire some real good text-to-speech software like ex-rhetorical's rVoice: http://www.scansoft.com/speechworks/realspeak/rvoice/

Plus: bring back the old NeXTSTEP's lip service.

And: get rid of the menubar on the top. It's too much of a limitation. Perhaps they should really reconsider NeXTSTEP's approach. Not that I like it, when the menubar isn't always where it "should" be, but it is much more flexible and something that could be a starting point. That would be big improvements for the Lion!

I love the menu on the top. It's extremely easy to access (unlike with windows apps) and you don't have to look for it.

[OreoCookie]

Originally posted by clebin:
*I'd like that little checkbox to actually save your network password. What is the point in a checkbox that doesn't work?

*I'd like to auto connect to file-servers on login.

The first one works for me.

If you create an alias of a server and save the password, it connects when you access it.

[Geobunny]

Originally posted by clebin:
*I'd like to auto connect to file-servers on login.

This already works in 10.3. Granted Apple could've made it a bit easier, but here's how. Go to the Library folder within your home folder, in there is a folder called Recent Servers. Any volumes you've accessed recently will appear in there. Drag the file to the Login Items section of the Accounts pref pane and voila!

[SkaGoat]

I don't know why it would be hard to add a auto-connect at logon check box, or dialog when it asks for your password (Windows does this)

[Geobunny]

Originally posted by SkaGoat:
I don't know why it would be hard to add a auto-connect at logon check box, or dialog when it asks for your password (Windows does this)

I'd be inclined to agree. Mac OS prior to X did this very nicely, even asked you if you wanted just your username remembered or both the username and password. If you asked it to remember only your username, it'd request your password at each startup. Why they removed it is beyond me.

[HOMBRESINIESTRO]

Originally posted by Millennium:
How so? The menubar at the top of the screen is one of the best features of the Mac UI: often imitated, but never once equalled. What can it not do that you need?

If there are too many items in the menubar, it goes to far to the right. Moreover the app menu makes not so much sense in the way it is implemented now. It indeed made sense when, in the NeXTSTEP days, the app menu was the title of the menu itself and all the items that are now in the app menu were on the top level! That way the Services menu really starts to make sense, the whole menu structure we have now isn't made for the one horizontal bar at the top. =-o

As I said. I don't want it to be implemented the NeXT way, because you don't have one common place for the menu, which is imo necessary. But perhaps they could place a NeXT style window in the top left corner. That indeed would make sense and would be much better suited for the actual menu structure.

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally posted by clebin:
This idea is over-rated. We're nowhere near ready for it.

That is a contradictory statement if I ever read one. If we were nowhere ready for it, it must be good at sometime in the future right?

Well, it is good right now. Obviously for everything it can't be done. But you are correct in asking this question: Why put everything in folders in the first place? Well, why? You don't need to put files in folders if you are using Spotlight. Making the user in charge of the file system, when you think about it is an outdated idea. Why should the user be in charge of sorting and archiving thousands and even millions of files when automation is a better alternative? Why should you be required to be your own librarian?

Look at the iApps and the way they are integrating different files with their media browser. Want a photo in your Keynote-presentation? Bring up the media browser, and choose any photo from any album in your iPhoto-library without having to switch apps. Want a movie instead, even without a separate video-archive app, any movie in the Movies-folder is instantly there. Or music or sounds in your iTunes library. Why is it better to use the built-in browser in Photoshop than the Open/Save-box? Because it's made for specialized media.

Of course, Finder will still be around. But with smart-folders you are basically eliminating the need for normal folders. Like in iPhoto and iTunes all my albums and lists are smart-lists. There is hardly a need for manipulating the physical file 99% of the time.

People have been whining about getting rid of the desktop metaphor for years, and when someone is actually doing something about it people whine then as well. Well, I say good riddance - I use the finder less and less (maybe now with Smart-folders I start using it again). When data starts to pile up, the desktop gets messy and it's time to think new. I think we are moving in a great new direction I know I'm more productive now than I ever was.

[fortepianissimo]

Originally posted by Millennium:
How so? The menubar at the top of the screen is one of the best features of the Mac UI: often imitated, but never once equalled. What can it not do that you need?

I'll bite: with a 30-incher the distance between a key window and its menu bar becomes more like a hassle. Someone has already said recently (forgot who) it worked great for small screens of old macs.