I wish Apple would bring back the Dashboard for modern macOS versions, using the modern widget technology. I like the modern widgets but it's awkward that you can only use them on the desktop or notification centre. It's been gone for years now, but I still really miss Dashboard!
What I'd like is:
* Dashboard is a special desktop that appears to the left of the main desktop
* Can be accessed with a single F-key press, or by swiping with the trackpad/Magic Mouse
* Widgets can be organised/laid out any way you like, anywhere on the screen
There was also an overlay option to see Dash atop of other apps, which I liked more than the extra desktop. You could pop up a unit converter without “leaving” the current program/desktop.
If anyone is interested in old Mac software and open source projects, I have an archived version of my old OS X listings. While most links are broken these days, it can be a handy for finding things for old Macs. I think the list ended when the App Store finally went online, around the time of Lion. http://osx.hyperjeff.net/Apps/
We've accumulated much bloat in macOS since "big cat" days... and what seems like only 10% more OS utilities/functionality. Interesting to think about it in retrospect.
I still find it baffling how huge (in disk space) a clean install is nowadays, even before Apple Silicon universal binaries. I remember thinking years ago how slim an OS X system was compared to C:\Windows, but in the recent years they’re both huge. It’s not like we got much less functionality back then either.
macOS keyboard shortcuts situation is weird. it shines where Windows is lacking, and falls behind where Windows is ahead.
Example:
I still don't know how to install an app (*.pkg) just using keyboard on macOS. On Windows, it's simply "press tab or alt and see what happens". Another example: on Windows I can press Alt and see a letter underlined in the menu to let me know what keyboard shortcut activates it, but on macOS I have to do Cmd-Shift-/ and search for the command.
On the other hand, on macOS I get to create custom keyboard shortcuts in the Settings app while Windows, afaik, doesn't have this feature.
I can make a new folder on macOS and put the selected files in it automatically if I do Ctrl-Cmd-N, but if I want to "show package contents" of an app in the Applications, I definitely need a mouse! On Windows machines there's often a right-click button which is really useful
It's somewhat more obvious when you're using a keyboard that actually has all the same symbols on the meta keys; Apple likes to drop those sometimes and it's really not helpful for someone who hasn't learnt the cryptic glyphs. The ancient Magic Keyboard on my desk only sports a ⌘ on the Command key, and lacks ⇧ on the shifts, ^ on control, and ⌥ on the alts.
For peak usability, Windows 3.1 kept the mnemonics underlined _all the time_. It's been downhill since then. Though I'm looking at the menu bar on Firefox on Ubuntu right now and at least the mnemonics are underlined now as I type, even without hitting "alt".
I wish Apple would bring back the Dashboard for modern macOS versions, using the modern widget technology. I like the modern widgets but it's awkward that you can only use them on the desktop or notification centre. It's been gone for years now, but I still really miss Dashboard!
What I'd like is:
* Dashboard is a special desktop that appears to the left of the main desktop
* Can be accessed with a single F-key press, or by swiping with the trackpad/Magic Mouse
* Widgets can be organised/laid out any way you like, anywhere on the screen
There was also an overlay option to see Dash atop of other apps, which I liked more than the extra desktop. You could pop up a unit converter without “leaving” the current program/desktop.
It was an absolutely brilliant idea, which they tossed... But .. nothing prevents someone from retro programming it or a better one.
Apple has left behind some of the most brilliant UX/UI ideas of the century...
If anyone is interested in old Mac software and open source projects, I have an archived version of my old OS X listings. While most links are broken these days, it can be a handy for finding things for old Macs. I think the list ended when the App Store finally went online, around the time of Lion. http://osx.hyperjeff.net/Apps/
We've accumulated much bloat in macOS since "big cat" days... and what seems like only 10% more OS utilities/functionality. Interesting to think about it in retrospect.
I still find it baffling how huge (in disk space) a clean install is nowadays, even before Apple Silicon universal binaries. I remember thinking years ago how slim an OS X system was compared to C:\Windows, but in the recent years they’re both huge. It’s not like we got much less functionality back then either.
Tiger 10.4 was such a breath of fresh air for someone like me, coming from Windows XP and some variety of Linux with Gnome 2.x back in 2005.
Twenty years later, I find Windows 11 and MacOS 15 to be in such a bad state, that I would rather use XP and Gnome 2 over them.
macOS keyboard shortcuts situation is weird. it shines where Windows is lacking, and falls behind where Windows is ahead.
Example:
I still don't know how to install an app (*.pkg) just using keyboard on macOS. On Windows, it's simply "press tab or alt and see what happens". Another example: on Windows I can press Alt and see a letter underlined in the menu to let me know what keyboard shortcut activates it, but on macOS I have to do Cmd-Shift-/ and search for the command.
On the other hand, on macOS I get to create custom keyboard shortcuts in the Settings app while Windows, afaik, doesn't have this feature.
I can make a new folder on macOS and put the selected files in it automatically if I do Ctrl-Cmd-N, but if I want to "show package contents" of an app in the Applications, I definitely need a mouse! On Windows machines there's often a right-click button which is really useful
on Windows I can press Alt and see a letter underlined in the menu to let me know what keyboard shortcut activates it
Have you not noticed that every MacOS menu item that has a keyboard shortcut has the entire shortcut listed on the right side of the menu? This goes back all the way to System 1 in 1984: https://web.archive.org/web/20140512112637/http://www3.nd.ed...
It's somewhat more obvious when you're using a keyboard that actually has all the same symbols on the meta keys; Apple likes to drop those sometimes and it's really not helpful for someone who hasn't learnt the cryptic glyphs. The ancient Magic Keyboard on my desk only sports a ⌘ on the Command key, and lacks ⇧ on the shifts, ^ on control, and ⌥ on the alts.
You can even navigate the menus entirely by keyboard, if you turn on "Full Keyboard Access" in the Accessibility prefs. https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/navigate-your-mac-u...
but if I want to "show package contents" of an app in the Applications, I definitely need a mouse!
With Full Keyboard Access on you can hit tab-m to bring up an app's right-click menu and navigate to it. FKA has a lot of tab-something shortcuts.
For peak usability, Windows 3.1 kept the mnemonics underlined _all the time_. It's been downhill since then. Though I'm looking at the menu bar on Firefox on Ubuntu right now and at least the mnemonics are underlined now as I type, even without hitting "alt".
> I still don't know how to install an app (*.pkg) just using keyboard on macOS. On Windows, it's simply "press tab or alt and see what happens".
You may be looking for the "Keyboard navigation" preference that lets you tab between controls like on Windows.
I believe they're talking about menu access.
Now I think of it, how do you install a pkg from the CLI?
installer -pkg InstallMe.pkg
Check out `man installer` for details.
installer(8)?
Related:
Projects for Old Versions of OS X - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31164521 - April 2022 (87 comments)
I shudder to think anyone still has OSX connected to the internet. How many unpatchable critical vulnerabilities are there already?
The effect on that page is awful. I also suspect not great on older Macs.