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Ruahrc · Jan 17, 2005, 08:34 PM

I think the new Mail theme is hit-and-miss. It does look better in the respect that it follows the other apps' standards in having the toolbar buttons in the same "block" as the titlebar, and I think that although I will not be used to the change at first it will eventually grow on me.

What I don't like though is that large area of wasted space below the red/yellow/green buttons. I really hope that you can extend the toolbar buttons to fill that area, and it is just coincidence that the buttons in the video end just above the message list.

Other than that I too am excited about Tiger. The Dashboard will really be cool I think, as now a lot of little useless/useful apps like Stickies or Calculator will not be necessary to open up each time you need something- or even websites that you frequently visit to get information (like stocks or weather) can probably be put on the dash in some form or another, so you don't need to spend as much time browsing.

Most of all though I am just hoping for a snappiness improvement to take place (especially in Safari, which I have learned to feel quite slow at times) and a better Finder.

Ruahrc

chabig · Jan 18, 2005, 12:02 AM

I too, think it would be neat to have a dashboard layer that remains visible at all times. Maybe they'll get that in a later version of OS X.

Chris

Chuckit · Jan 18, 2005, 04:45 AM

A Dashboard layer that stays visible at all times....Didn't we use to call that Konfabulator?

chabig · Jan 18, 2005, 08:54 AM

Yes. I never used it though, because I didn't want the widgets visible all of the time.

Chris

Chuckit · Jan 18, 2005, 01:44 PM

So...it's both neat and something you don't want? I'm kind of confused.

mAxximo · Jan 18, 2005, 01:55 PM

New Tiger videos up at apple.com

Severed Hand of Skywalker · Jan 18, 2005, 05:59 PM

Originally posted by Chuckit:
A Dashboard layer that stays visible at all times....Didn't we use to call that Konfabulator?

No we called that RAM/CPUeater.

Or pointless widgetsator

Chuckit · Jan 18, 2005, 06:23 PM

I wholly agree that widgets are pretty pointless, but nonetheless it appears some people want them to be around all the time.

Spheric Harlot · Jan 18, 2005, 06:49 PM

Originally posted by mAxximo:

Spheric Harlot · Jan 18, 2005, 06:52 PM

Originally posted by Chuckit:
So...it's both neat and something you don't want? I'm kind of confused.

It's both neat and something he doesn't want visible all the time.

Why are you confused by this?

Apart from that, it was a terrible CPU hog.

Those two are the reasons I wasn't using it.

Dashboard, otoh, is quite desirable.

I currently have 24 windows open, 11 of those stickies, some of them minimized to a single line, running on 1024x768.

Stickies here are close to useless as reminders, currently, except for mid-term snippings storage.

-s*

Chuckit · Jan 18, 2005, 07:24 PM

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
It's both neat and something he doesn't want visible all the time.

Why are you confused by this?

He said "a dashboard layer that remains visible at all times" would be "neat." How can a Dashboard layer that stays visible at all times not be visible all the time?

Spheric Harlot · Jan 18, 2005, 08:30 PM

Originally posted by Chuckit:
He said "a dashboard layer that remains visible at all times" would be "neat." How can a Dashboard layer that stays visible at all times not be visible all the time?

oh. missed that post.

I kinda confused now.

OAW · Jan 19, 2005, 04:24 PM

The toolbar buttons in Mail are pure, unadulterated ass. If it is released looking like that the GUI "designer" ought to be publicly flogged.

OAW

teszeract · Jan 19, 2005, 05:47 PM

Originally posted by Simon X:
Excellent. I happened upon this the other day where it mentions the Dictionary & Thesaurus on this Dashboard page. http://www.apple.com/macosx/tiger/dashboard.html

Specifically this:

Dictionary
Find definitions by typing all or part of a word: The dictionary widget displays a list of matches to choose from. View the same word in the thesaurus to find synonyms, antonyms and more. Since the dictionary and thesaurus are built right into Mac OS X Tiger, you don�t even need an Internet connection.

I'm glad Tiger with have a built in Dictionary & Thesaurus - a basic computer requirement if you ask me. I just hope the database it uses is good and better yet expandable like the built-in OS X spell checker is as the moment. (I use cocoAspell) More importantly I hope it is well localised.

Tiger is looking mighty fine indeed.

Putting the dictionary in Dashboard is OK. I would prefer Spotlight to throw it into the mix. I do hope that Spotlight had a key command to focus it.

Big Mac · Jan 19, 2005, 05:51 PM

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
oh. missed that post.

I kinda confused now.

The original respondent on the subject made reference to the Stickies widget, saying that he would want Stickies to remain on the screen apart from Dashboard mode, or else it would defeat the purpose of Stickies. I was under the apparently mistaken impression that you could keep some widgets on your desktop, and that the Expose Dashboard view was optional. If this isn't the case, then Dashboard appears to be a lot less functional than I thought it would be.

Big Mac · Jan 23, 2005, 02:39 AM

I though there would be some sort of reply to this thread by now. Surprising.

Chuckit · Jan 23, 2005, 04:04 AM

I've never seen anything to suggest that Dashboard is more than, as Steve said, an extension of Expose. Unless anybody with more knowledge would like to contradict me, I don't think there's an always-on Dashboard view.

Grrr · Jan 24, 2005, 04:11 PM

Seems to me like many of these Dashboard Widgets is another nail in Sherlocks coffin. So they wont be quite so useless if Sherlock is going to be axed. Which would not surprise me in the least.
Can anyone confirm whether Sherlock exists in any shape or form in 10.4?

Chris Grande · Jan 25, 2005, 12:36 AM

Hope they include a really nice Movie time widqet.

LightWaver-67 · Jan 25, 2005, 10:26 AM

I'm surprised I didn't see this posted here yet... or maybe it was and I overlooked it...

but...

What about a customized Expos� layer for the user(s)...?

Not widgets... not the screen re-arranger... but a layer we can assign APPLICATIONS to. I'd love to bring-in iCal at full-screen via a key command Expos� style... or iTunes full-screen... or Mail... instead of having them open on-screen like I do now. Sure... I could "Hide" them... but would rather have an assignable keystroke to access different layers and assign an application or MULTIPLE applications to that layer. Almost like virtual desktops, but they superimpose OVER the core desktop.

I would love it if I heard the Mail.app "tink" indicating I have new mail... I see the dock icon indicating I have 2-new messages... I hit the corresponding key and a full-sized Mail.app appears Expos�-style over my workspace and I do what I have to do... then escape out of it and get back to work.

Same for iCal... or iTunes... heck... maybe eventually we can have app-layers, where you can tell ALL apps to live on a layer and as you Cmd-Tab through the apps, they zoom/fade on-screen Expos� style and if you want to show MORE than one layer, you add SHIFT to the mix.

Just s thought.

LightWaver-67 · Jan 25, 2005, 10:51 AM

Just sent it as "feedback" to Apple... albeit more refined and descript.

Chuckit · Jan 25, 2005, 01:42 PM

Originally posted by LightWaver-67:
Not widgets... not the screen re-arranger... but a layer we can assign APPLICATIONS to. I'd love to bring-in iCal at full-screen via a key command Expos� style... or iTunes full-screen... or Mail... instead of having them open on-screen like I do now. Sure... I could "Hide" them... but would rather have an assignable keystroke to access different layers and assign an application or MULTIPLE applications to that layer. Almost like virtual desktops, but they superimpose OVER the core desktop.

Don't normal windows appear over the rest of the desktop when you bring their applications to the front? How would this be functionally different than clicking on a Dock tile?

LightWaver-67 · Jan 26, 2005, 11:03 AM

Yes, but not with the touch of just one hot-key assigned to an application.

EX:
Opt+F1 brings-in the "Mail" layer... hitting that same key removes it. If I hit Opt+F1 to bring in mail, and it is visible and THEN hit (for example) Opt+F2 to activate iCal... then Mail fades-out and iCal fades in... etc.

Now... Imagine if an application or MULTIPLE apps are assigned their own "Layers"... when you use the Cmd+Tab function... it will bring you to that layer (over the desktop and non-layered apps). If you want MULTIPLE Layered apps to be visible, just hold-down SHIFT.

Now... I know I do not have all the logistic "bugs" worked-out, but you get my point.

Although the "Hide" command works for the app you're IN... it does not help when you want to make a SPECIFIC app available (that you're NOT currently working in) just for a moment. I think a Hot-Key would be VERY easy and powerful to fly-in commonly used apps that (can) take up a lot of real estate.

chabig · Jan 26, 2005, 11:14 AM

I get that hotkey feature today with Launchbar. If I want iCal to fly in I type "cmd-space, IC". If I want mail I type "cmd-space, ML". You get the picture.

Chris