[MPMoriarty]

I'm a recent switcher to Mac OS X from using Windows all my life. Let me tell you something...I'm loving every minute of it.

Mac OS X is so much fun to work on and easy t o use. I get so much more of a satisfied feeling when working on my Mac than I ever did on my PC. I don't know why, but I do.

So anyway, I'm writing a college paper for a college class of mine and I chose the subject of why the Mac OS X GUI is so advanced yet easy to use.

Now here's the problem...since I am so new to the platform, I am having some trouble coming up with some really good examples.

Some reasons I have thought of so far are:

1) Customizable sidebar in finder and open\save windows.

2) Customizable toolbar

3) Spring loaded folders

4) Expose! (of course)

But after these, I keep coming up dry

Since I haven't had a lot of time to fully explore the system, I would appreciate some of your suggestions or examples of what you think makes the Mac OS X GUI so elegant and superior.

Thanks,

Mike

[holygoat]

Fitt's Law and the menu bar.

Predictable menus, shortcut keys etc. - Human Interface Guidelines.

There's quite a bit on this knocking around the 'net - in fact, I'm sure people have asked this question before on these very boards.

[MPMoriarty]

I searched and it was kinda hard to really locate some good points. They might have been mentioned, but the thread they might be in isn't so obvious.

But thanks for your suggestions.

What do you mean by predictable menus?

Mike

[holygoat]

Consider application settings, for instance.
In Windows, it might be "Edit > Preferences" (Mozilla), "Tools > Options", "Format > Page" (Word), a separate "Options" menu, a Control Panel applet, a Status Bar widget, a context menu etc.

On the Mac, you can head for (Application Name) > Preferences every time - and it's always Cmd-, - for every application that respects the HIG.
There is a kind of consistency on how things are done - don't rely on context menus, use common menus, let Preference Panes be used for system settings.

The same applies to duplicating items (Cmd-D), changing text sizes (Cmd-+ / -), opening Font panels (Cmd-T), etc.
The closest Windows gets is copy/paste/cut.

Not to say that Windows doesn't have its own advantages in ergonomics over OS X, but you're trying to put a positive spin on it

[LightWaver-67]

I know it sounds clich�... but the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

In other words... just citing individual elements and aspects only give opposers something specific to argue against... but like you say... when it's all put together; The harware, the industrial design & aesthetics of the hardware, the ease of use of the UI, it's stability, how well-thought-out the system and it's components are laid-out, how intuitive most things are, the "feel" of using this OS, the look & design of the UI, the fluidity of the GUI elements and the implementation of AQUA, the simplicity of it all, but juxtaposed against the raw stamina of UNIX...

Most of the time... I can't explain it... nor do I care to. Those that finally try switching over... most of them (that I know of) end-up LOVING it.

Welcome to the 5% of the world that "gets it" - or maybe WE just don't get it... but that being the case...? I don't WANT to get it.

[SupahCoolX]

I remember seeing an article a few months ago making the following point (sorry, I don't have a link): A guy copied and pasted the text of some common Windows error messages into the Windows help function. Rarely were helpful results returned. He did the same in OS X, and often received helpful information regarding the problem. This just shows the consistency and thoroughness of the OS.

Also, I like how just about everything on the screen is an interactive or "draggable" object. Drag icons in/out/around the Dock, toolbars, menubar, or the sidebar. Highlight text and drag it to the desktop. Drag email addresses around in Mail. Drag "bubbles" to lengthen events and sound in iCal and Garageband, etc. Windows can do some of this, but it's not a fundamental theme that runs through nearly all aspects of the OS.

You may want to look at www.xvsxp.com for more on the GUI and design philosophy differences (including Fitt's Law, etc).

[John G. Stillmank]

Simple question: why does the Mac OS X GUI rock?

Simple answer: it's not made by Microsoft.

[Steb Mad]

MacThemes.net > Themes > Aqua Review by Daniel Shannon

Some great information there about Aqua and the GUI.

[mattyd]

os x is pretty. windows is ugly. and, yes, that does matter. i'm sure some people will say that this is subjective, but you can't deny that os x (and all apple products for that matter) have a certain style, grace and elegance that just makes them more enjoyable to use.

also, in my option, the thing that makes the os x gui so simple yet powerful is that its interface has very little legacy holdovers from old versions of the os. on the other hand, as windows evolves they keep adding on and stitching together features and trying to make them fit where they may or may not belong (os 9 was just as guilty of this). the result is a digital frankenstein's monster. when apple set out to design os x they started out with a (mostly) blank slate and put things where they really should go, not where they could squeeze them in.

[MPMoriarty]

Thank you everybody for your comments. They have been very helpful.

Originally posted by SupahCoolX:
I remember seeing an article a few months ago making the following point (sorry, I don't have a link): A guy copied and pasted the text of some common Windows error messages into the Windows help function. Rarely were helpful results returned. He did the same in OS X, and often received helpful information regarding the problem. This just shows the consistency and thoroughness of the OS.

Also, I like how just about everything on the screen is an interactive or "draggable" object. Drag icons in/out/around the Dock, toolbars, menubar, or the sidebar. Highlight text and drag it to the desktop. Drag email addresses around in Mail. Drag "bubbles" to lengthen events and sound in iCal and Garageband, etc. Windows can do some of this, but it's not a fundamental theme that runs through nearly all aspects of the OS.

You may want to look at www.xvsxp.com for more on the GUI and design philosophy differences (including Fitt's Law, etc).

and...

Originally posted by Steb Mad:
MacThemes.net > Themes > Aqua Review by Daniel Shannon

Some great information on these websites about Aqua and the GUI.

Thank you for the links. They both have some very good points. Exactly the type pf stuff I was looking for.

Now mostly, the paper I am writing is trying to compare Mac OS X to Windows. It is just trying to emphasize how Mac OS X makes it easy on its users to get their work done by providing a excellent interface that is not distracting and allows them to work the way THEY want to work. Not how the OS will force them to work.

Mike

[Cadaver]

[moonmonkey]

Originally posted by MPMoriarty:
I'm a recent switcher to Mac OS X from using Windows all my life. Let me tell you something...I'm loving every minute of it.

Mac OS X is so much fun to work on and easy t o use. I get so much more of a satisfied feeling when working on my Mac than I ever did on my PC. I don't know why, but I do.

So anyway, I'm writing a college paper for a college class of mine and I chose the subject of why the Mac OS X GUI is so advanced yet easy to use.

Now here's the problem...since I am so new to the platform, I am having some trouble coming up with some really good examples.

Some reasons I have thought of so far are:

1) Customizable sidebar in finder and open\save windows.

2) Customizable toolbar

3) Spring loaded folders

4) Expose! (of course)

But after these, I keep coming up dry

Since I haven't had a lot of time to fully explore the system, I would appreciate some of your suggestions or examples of what you think makes the Mac OS X GUI so elegant and superior.

Thanks,

Mike

It might be a good idea to download Vmac Find a ROM and install old versions of the Operating system like System 3 and 4.

Do parallel comparisons with OSX, and you can show that while the OS has evolved and amazing features have been added, it has fundamentally stayed with the same basic ideas.

MS operating systems have been through 3 cycles of complete change, and reinvention, and they haven't really got it right yet.

just an idea.

[C.J. Moof]

Here's another little one that just makies life easier:

To select an item from a submenu (something within Services, for example), Windows demands that you move the mouse almost exactly horizontally into the subcolumn, then move it down. If you want to select the 8th item from that submenu, you do *not* want to take the direct line from the Services item to your destination, as Windows will interpret this as leaving the Services menu for something else.

MacOS will allow you to take the direct route between those 2 points, not forcing you to move at right angles. The Mac submenu behavior is much more natural, allowing the user to see the next place they want to go and head directly to it, while Windows forces the user to be much more "mechanical".

[chris v]

Column view. It's a fantasic way to visually express the folder hierarchy.

One thing I vastly prefer about Mac vs. Win is that the menubar remains static at the top of the screen, instead of all your menus moving around with-- and taking space up in-- individual windows.

Disclosure triangles vs. those little plus-signs in Windows.

CV

[sushiism]

Originally posted by C.J. Moof:

MacOS will allow you to take the direct route between those 2 points, not forcing you to move at right angles. The Mac submenu behavior is much more natural, allowing the user to see the next place they want to go and head directly to it, while Windows forces the user to be much more "mechanical".

****ing hell never noticed that before thats really really clever

[mattyd]

Originally posted by chris v:
One thing I vastly prefer about Mac vs. Win is that the menubar remains static at the top of the screen, instead of all your menus moving around with-- and taking space up in-- individual windows.

and related to that... open microsoft word (or any other app) in windows, but DON'T open any documents associated with the app (close any new, blank documents the app may have opned for you on launch). WHAT is the point of all that ugly grey space? some people accuse the mac os of hogging valuable screen real estate, but windows' approach (the whole "each app needs its own window" thing) is ridiculous. the mac os is document centric rather than application centric so applications don't hog the whole interface.

[_nmk]

I like the wording on dialog boxes.

Save + Don't Save + Cancel

vs.

Yes+No+Cancel

I mean, I know they ask me a question, but having some meaningful answers is nice.

_nmk

[ryaxnb]

http://xvsxp.com
http://bbs.xvsxp.com

[banditcosmo]

I'm still new to Mac's myself but one big thing I think Mac's have over pc's is installing and uninstalling programs. Most Mac installations you just drag the app to the app folder. To uninstall just drag it to the trash. Most windows installations you have to go thru a bunch of screens and when installing the program there are all kinds of registry changes which sometimes effects other programs. Also a lot of the time you have to reboot. When you unistall the program there are still traces of the program all over the place including the registry. Then you have all the window driver issues which can cause a lot of headaches.

[MPMoriarty]

Originally posted by C.J. Moof:
Here's another little one that just makies life easier:

To select an item from a submenu (something within Services, for example), Windows demands that you move the mouse almost exactly horizontally into the subcolumn, then move it down. If you want to select the 8th item from that submenu, you do *not* want to take the direct line from the Services item to your destination, as Windows will interpret this as leaving the Services menu for something else.

MacOS will allow you to take the direct route between those 2 points, not forcing you to move at right angles. The Mac submenu behavior is much more natural, allowing the user to see the next place they want to go and head directly to it, while Windows forces the user to be much more "mechanical".

Wow, That is actually a really nice feature. I guess it is a lot of the little things such as this menu feature that makes Mac OS such a joy to use.

[C.J. Moof]

Yeah, it is. Everytime I use submenus in Windows, I curse them for demanding I mouse the way they dictate I should, rather than the more natural movement MacOS allows.

Apple watches details like this- they don't just make a feature, they consider how it will be used, and adjust it's behavior to match how humans use it whenever possible.

My other addition is the feel of intergration between apps. Before OS X (this includes Win and OS 9), I've felt like the applications are little islands, with rare, random bridges between them. With OS X, they talk to each other much better. When I installed fax software on 10.2, I was expecting that I'd have to teach the fax software address book the people I know to fax to. Nope, they were right there- it read them from Address Book, and I was ready to go. With iSync, if that fax number changes, it's trivial to get it updated on 3 computers, an iPod, a bluetooth phone and a Palm OS device, almost all at once.

[C.J. Moof]

Actually, I have one more thing- OS X is so much less intrusive. It invites you to sign up for .mac just once- at the inital configuration of the machine. XP seems to want to push .net continually, usually putting that dialog over an interface element I don't appreciate having blocked. How many times have I yelled at that dialog to get the heck out of my way?

When logging into the Windows domain at the office, it's easier to type some passwords with caps lock on. Every time, Windows pops up with a big warning that you're typing in capitals, with that dialog smack over the input box. OS X warns you too, but with a more subtle and polite upward pointing arrow in the input field. I much prefer OSX's way.