- 2004.07.14
Here are a few little things I'd like to see fixed about my Mac
experience. It's mostly just little stuff, but it's real.
I think .mac ought to be expanded at the same price to at least
double the storage space. I really like .mac, but I want it to remain a
legitimate option - and with so many free services that are larger, the
customer base will probably shrink if Apple doesn't respond.
Why isn't it always the same keyboard command to bring docked
windows to the front for all Apple applications? In Mail, it's
cmd-opt-N, but in iCal there's no keyboard command for it, and so
on.
Why can't the iCal icon in the dock always display the current date
instead of the default July whatever all the time? It only updates when
the program is running. Let's do this as an example of integration
between the OS and the iApps.
Speaking of iCal, why can't the categories in iCal and a Palm be set
to match? Okay, the Palm calendar doesn't recognize categories. Hold
on, though - the Palm Desktop app lets you assign two different
categories. It's just the Palm itself that doesn't display the
categories. Why can't this be reconciled? Users across the country are
fighting with duplicate calendar entries and forcing themselves to use
a single category just to avoid this annoyance. Somebody fix this!
Why does my Classic environment refuse to wake up? Many times I'll
wake the computer and wind up having to force quit Classic.
Why does my Xserve lock up when I disconnect my PowerBook without
disconnecting from the server? I thought OS X Server was supposed
to be more robust than that.
Why isn't there a decent ebook reader built into the iPod ? I've
used a couple of the alternatives, and they're okay as makeshift
adaptations, but I like to read and listen to music. Why is that
not allowed? (It's the old video iPod/one button mouse thing; if Steve
likes it, we're all supposed to like it.)
I've used one button mice, two button mice, and five button mice
with two scroll wheels. I still fail to see the difference between a
one button mouse with a control-click and a two button mouse. You can't
type when holding either.
Asking for my wife, is the dearth of horizontal scroll wheels on
mice because monitors are so large now you don't need to scroll
sideways? She has one and loves it - but she also has a small
monitor.
In iCal, why can't I change the width of the days in the calendar
view so Saturday and Sunday are narrower than rest of the week?
In Safari, why does clicking the tab for groups of links in the
bookmarks bar not respond to the first click?
Why doesn't Safari's bookmark collection pop out from the side so
you can still see the page you're browsing and do things like drag the
URL to the appropriate folder without clicking on something?
And while we're on the subject, does anyone know why Safari keeps
telling me "Your bookmarks can't be changed right now" so I have to add
bookmarks twice every time?
Why won't Entourage import Outlook Exchange personal folders and
address books? Is Microsoft afraid of losing users to itself?
Mail does not show all the junk mail - totals don't match listings
in folder. What's up with that? For my Comcast email, I have to log in
via a browser to see if their email screening is working correctly.
Why do you have to disconnect an iPod from your computer to see how
much charge the battery has?
Why isn't there a big fat "synchronize now" button for when you
choose not to auto-sync your iPod? When they say "manual," they really
mean it! One file at a time.
Why does iTunes randomly forget the location of music files and make
me go back and manually point to them (about 3/1000 do this per week)?
(Hey, I figured this one out. I repaired permissions, and the problem
went away.)
We often criticize Windoze for making users go to the Start menu to
Shut Down the computer. Why does the little green "Make window fit the
available space" button in OS X title bars have the same symbol
(+) regardless of whether you're making the window bigger or
smaller?
When you minimize iTunes, it would be nice if there were an iPod or
CD eject button so you wouldn't have to maximize the window to do these
things.
That's it for today.
And here's my usual offer: s Send me some gripes, and I'll collect
them. We've gone through this a few times, so the usual deal applies:
If you send it, I can print it, along with your name, but not with your
email address. If you don't want it printed, say so clearly.
Have a happy day!
is a longtime Mac user. He was using digital sensors on Apple II computers in the 1980's and has networked computers in his classroom since before the internet existed. In 2006 he was selected at the California Computer Using Educator's teacher of the year. His students have used NASA space probes and regularly participate in piloting new materials for NASA. He is the author of two books and numerous articles and scientific papers. He currently teaches astronomy and physics in California, where he lives with his twin sons, Jony and Ben.< And there's still a Mac G3 in his classroom which finds occasional use.
