I've been pondering this question for a while now. I think that the folks at Adobe probably don't hate the Mac, but they do seem to have a preference for Windows. Here's why.
Exhibit A: Windows-style UI elements in Mac Photoshop
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I've been using Photoshop since around 1995 (even written a nice book about it) so I feel like I know this beast inside out now. I've used both Windows and Mac versions heavily, and the Mac version is full of little Windows UI quirks. For example: Ps: post snake mac os.
- Non-standard shortcut to bring up the Preferences pane (Command-K, not the standard Command-,). Just because Windows users have to suffer from the lack of a consistent Preferences shortcut, why should Mac users have to do the same?
- Non-standard shortcut to hide Photoshop (Command-Control-H, not the standard Command-H – fair enough in a way, as Command-H is used to hide stuff within Photoshop).
- Non-standard shortcut to switch between document windows – i.e. Control-Tab, not the standard (and much less finger-twisting) Command-`. This one really bugs me.
- The odd shortcut that only works in Windows (I'm thinking of Alt+I, then hold Alt and press D to instantly duplicate an image – a quirk that relies on Windows' keyboard shortcuts for menus).
Exhibit B: 32-bit Mac Photoshop CS4
Photoshop CS4 will be 64-bit on Windows, 32-bit on Mac. ‘Nuff said. (Although Adobe blames Apple for this.)
Exhibit C: The horror of the Mac Photoshop CS4 interface
One of the things I've always hated about Photoshop on Windows is the 'everything in one big window' interface. Well – horror of horrors – Adobe is shoehorning the single-window UI into Photoshop CS4 on the Mac! Is nothing sacred? And how will this work with Exposé? However, it looks like there will be an option to revert back to the multi-window UI. Thank flip for that.
Having said that, I confess I haven't tried the single-window CS4 interface. Maybe it's great, and maybe it does in fact mirror certain other Apple apps, as John Nack from Adobe argues quite convincingly on his blog. Time will tell I guess. (Many commenters on that blog post would seem to disagree. Choice quote: 'I've always disliked the PC version of Photoshop, since it's in a window and now you guy vomit this onto the Mac.')
I personally don't see the point of an app frame to block out underlying windows, especially as we now have Spaces in Leopard (if you're really bothered about seeing stuff underneath document windows, simply put Photoshop in its own Space and you're done.)
Then we have other yucky stuff in Photoshop CS4, such as buttons in the title bar (yuck) and non-standard window control buttons (yuck).
Exhibit D: The horror of the Mac Fireworks CS4 interface
The yuckiness continues with the Fireworks CS4 beta. According to Craig over at Cult of Mac – who describes Fireworks on the Mac as user interface hell – we have the same single-window interface, non-standard window buttons, and buttons in the title bar to look forward to, as well as no standard window resize control. My good friend and partner-in-crime, Si, recently echoed some of these grumbles, though he argues that Adobe is creating a UI that is neither Windows nor Mac. Interesting point – but if it's true, what's Adobe's game-plan here? To create a new UI standard for all other companies to follow?
Exhibit E: Adobe Bridge CS3 – might as well be running it on Windows
Now I love Bridge CS3; after wrestling with iPhoto for ages I've finally settled on Bridge as the easiest, most transparent way to organise my photos. However, it feels very much like a Windows app that somehow got a bit lost and wandered onto my Mac by mistake.
Cookie clicker (itch) (speedrunner346) mac os. Windows keyboard shortcuts that have polluted the Mac version include:
- Same non-standard Preferences shortcut as Photoshop (Command-K)
- Shift-click to select a range of items (admittedly quite useful, but non-standard on the Mac nonetheless)
- Return doesn't rename a photo, it opens it. According to the Bridge Help, you're supposed to be able to rename with the Spacebar, but it doesn't work. What does work, however, is F2 – a shortcut lifted straight from Windows Explorer!
- F5 to refresh the window, again lifted from Windows Explorer and IE.
- F1 for Help! Even the Mac's dedicated Help key doesn't work!
Hmm. Big fat santa. I'm thinking: Written for Windows, hastily ported to the Mac. What about you?
I must admit, though, that I quite like Bridge CS3's single-window approach (except when I'm trying to drag and drop photos between folders, of course). Maybe there's something in what John Nack's saying after all. Sea turtle rescue mac os.
Conclusion
I suppose there's something to be said for a consistent UI Armageddon (itch) (swess) mac os. across platforms. It lets users easily switch between operating systems at will. However, part of what makes the Mac so great is its standards for UI elements and keyboard shortcuts, and Adobe happily ignores many of these standards with their apps.
So does Adobe hate the Mac platform? Do they want it to die quietly in a corner, so that they only have to worry about developing for one OS? Probably not. But it does seem that they care more about making their apps play nicely with Windows than with Mac OS.
In a way, this is understandable; they probably sell more copies of Windows Photoshop than Mac Photoshop (or do they?). Nonetheless, it's a shame that Adobe's apps seem to have a Windows bias these days. Both Apple and Adobe produce fantastic products which enjoy a strong following among the creative community, and I feel that Adobe is doing those users a disservice with this apparently Windows-centric approach. It'd be great to see Adobe treat both Mac and Windows platforms equally.
Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how this situation plays out in future Adobe apps.
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␡- Small Open/Save Dialog Boxes
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When I wrote 'Ten Things I Hate About Mac OS X,' I hoped that by pointing out rough edges in the user interface, readers would say, 'I never noticed that before, but you know, that really is very annoying and should be fixed.' Boy was I naive.
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The article touched a nerve with many Apple apologists and set off a firestorm of controversy. A few of the comments the article generated were just plain nasty, questioning my technical prowess, if not my very manhood. Fortunately, there were brave readers who came to my defense, pointing out that all of my gripes were technically accurate, even if they didn't share my frustration at the 'flaw' I was discussing.
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In the spirit of helping make Apple's operating system the best it can be, here are 10 more things I hate about Mac OS X, presented in no particular order. For the most part, these are admittedly small annoyances, but it was Apple's dedication to sweating the details that drew many users to its fine products in the first place. I hope that engineers in Cupertino will address these issues in a Mac OS X update soon, so that I can go back to loving everything that's great about my computer, rather than griping about the few things I hate.
1. Small Open/Save Dialog Boxes
When the original 128K Mac was released in 1984, it featured a 9-inch monochrome display. Even if you don't have a monster 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display, today's Macs offer so much more screen real estate. Why is it then that the default Open and Save dialog boxes (see Figure 1) remain extremely small, forcing users to scroll to find the file or location they want?
Viliege mac os. Figure 1 Small dialog boxes force users to scroll excessively and guess at precise filenames.
Fortunately, in most applications you can resize these dialog boxes by dragging the bottom right corner. Stretch vertically to see more locations and files and horizontally to see longer filenames. The resized dialog boxes are used in the future, but you must repeat the process for every application you use. Too bad there's no way to set a larger default dialog box for all applications. I paid for a big screen and I want all of my programs to make the most of it without fiddling with each individually.
