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Mac2Windows
One Thing Mac OS X Should Learn from Windows
- 2007.01.08 - Tip Jar
- Tip Jar
It's easy for Mac users to poke fun at Windows - the interface started life as an attempt to borrow from the Mac operating system, and paste windows, menus, and the like over top of the text-oriented, DOS-based PC. 1985's Windows 1.0 was ugly and awkward, and while Windows has evolved and become less ugly over the years, so has the Mac; Windows remains awkward by comparison.

Windows 1.0
Recently, InformationWeek compared Microsoft's spanking new Windows Vista with the current (and soon to be replaced) Mac OS X 10.4 (see Mac OS X Shines In Comparison With Windows Vista). Author John C. Welch concludes that while Vista is better than Windows XP (and that may be all that matters for millions of Windows users), "Vista reeks of committee and design by massive consensus, while OS X shines from an intense focus on doing things in a simple, clear fashion and design for the user, not the programmer."
While I agree with Welch overall, there are individual user interface areas where Windows is better than the Mac OS X. Here's a little experiment I carried out - see if you agree with my conclusion.
To do it, you need access to an OS X Mac, a Windows system, and some way to read a folder on both of them. I used a USB flash drive (a.k.a. key drive, memory stick, thumb drive, etc. A a side issue: It would be nice for the user and manufacturer communities to agree on a single name for these handy devices). You could also use a CD-R disc or a shared network folder.
I created a folder on the flash drive and called it Test 1. Inside the folder, I copied 3 files and renamed them '1", "2", and "3". I created a second folder named Test 2, and put in 3 files renamed "4", "5", and "6".

I then copied the Test 2 folder to my Mac's desktop and renamed it "Test 1". I then dragged the original Test 1 folder from the flash drive to the Desktop. A warning popped up:

Mac OS X copy warning
I clicked Replace... the result - files "4", "5", and "6" vanished, leaving files "1", "2", and "3" in their place. The erased files do not appear in the Trash; they're just gone.

Inside the Test 1 folder on the Mac
I did the same thing with Windows. I used a copy of the new Windows Vista which I have installed on my Mac using a beta of the not-yet-released VMWare Fusion for Intel Macs - but you could use any version of Windows from Windows 95 up - your dialogue boxes would vary with your Windows version, but the results will be the same.
As on the Mac, when I tried to copy the Test 1 folder onto a desktop that already had a Test 1 folder, a warning message popped up. But where the Mac's warning talked about replacing one folder with the other, the Windows warning talked about merging folders. It noted that if any of the contents had the same names, they would be replaced.

Windows merge folders warning
As promised, it did just that. When it was done, all six files - three from each of the original folders - were in the single folder on the desktop, with no lost content.

All six files show up in the merged Windows folder
(In fact, there were hidden files with the same name in each folder - Vista gave me a dialogue box asking me what do to, with options to keep only the old one, replace it with the new one, or rename one to eliminate the conflict).
...merging files of different names is much more sensible than the Mac's habit of making folder content disappear without a trace.
Die-hard Mac zealots will no doubt point out that the Windows Vista dialogue boxes are big and clumsy, with pictures that really don't add any information, and much more wordy than the Mac equivalents. But as far as I'm concerned, in this situation, merging files of different names is much more sensible than the Mac's habit of making folder content disappear without a trace.
This is not just a trivial example: I've lost files this way on my Mac.
It's easy to point out examples where Microsoft has copied Apple user interface innovations (often badly). New York Times columnist David Pogue has posted a hilarious video titled "V for Vista" comparing Vista and OS X, for instance. But Apple has also imitated a number of interface ideas that started life in Windows. Much of Mac OS 8 consisted of bringing features to the Mac (such as desktop wallpaper) that were popularized in Windows 95, for example.
With Apple's Mac OS X 10.5 due later this year, maybe the Mac
will finally gain Windows' ability to merge folders rather than
continue to overwrite files.
Alan Zisman is Mac-using teacher and technology writer based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Many of his articles are available on his website, www.zisman.ca. If you find Alan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
Recent Columns by Alan Zisman
- QuickTime X in Snow Leopard Imports, Trims, and Publishes Video Quickly and Easily, 11.04. The long, slow process of importing video into iMovie to edit it, then render it to another format, is history as QuickTime X does that much more quickly.
- Another Hard Drive Disaster Ends Happily (Thanks to Time Machine), 10.29. This time it was the MacBook's drive that failed. Thanks to automated Time Machine backup, recovery was easy, although far from fast.
- Preview in Snow Leopard Supports Scanners and Screen Shots, 10.19. The newest version of Preview can even use a remote scanner, creates compact PDFs, and includes three screen capture options.
- Creative's Vado Pocket Camcorders Now Work with Macs, 09.16. Until now, Creative's Vado camcorders didn't play nice with Macs. With the release of Vado Central for Mac, that has finally changed.
- More in the Mac 2 Windows index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: 17" iMac G4/800 MHz, July 2002 - The iMac 'grows up' with a 17" 1440 x 900 display.
- Group of the Day: LisaList supports Lisa users.
- November 8 in LEM history: 99: OS 9: I think I like it - 01: The simplified Mac life - Soured on Windows - Flea market Mac - 02: Little room for improvement in new 'Books - Combo drive upgrade for iceBooks - 04: Re-Porter - 05: Fix the old iMac or buy a Mac mini? - Apple's Copland project - 06: MacBook Core 2 - MacBook value equation - Cheap is as cheap does - 07: Problems with Classic mode in Tiger - The G4 Power Mac that won't run Leopard
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Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Quad-Core CPU Makes Sense in MacBook Pro, OS X 10.6 Causing Overheating, Overseas Power, and More, The 'Book Review, 11.06. Also Late 2009 MacBook reviewed, how to add RAM to new MacBook, 18.4in Acer notebook used Intel i7, and SanDisk SSD chosen for Sony VAIO X.
- Dumping Macs for Google Apps, SSD in iMac, Late 2009 iMac Performance Problems, and More, Mac News Review, 11.06. /newsrev/09mnr/1106.html
- WiFi Paranoia, iMac-O-Lantern, Magic Mouse Does Click, Free Clipboard Managers, and More, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 11.05. Also strange time stamps, problem with ColorIt on Intel Mac, and the story behind OS X 10.5.4 install discs.
- IDE Is Dead; Long Live SATA!, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 11.04. SATA has displaced parallel ATA. While IDE hard drives haven't disappeared, the best deals are in SATA hard drives.
- QuickTime X in Snow Leopard Imports, Trims, and Publishes Video Quickly and Easily, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 11.04. The long, slow process of importing video into iMovie to edit it, then render it to another format, is history as QuickTime X does that much more quickly.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best Mac Pro Deals, 11.03. Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,300; 3.0 8-core. $2,299; refurb 2.66 4-core Nehalem, $2,149; 2.93, $2,549; 2.26 8-core, $2,799; 2.93, $4,999.
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- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, 11.02. Used 2.0 GHz, $800; 2.2, $900; 2.4, $1,000; refurb 2.53, $1,449; 2.66, $1,699; 2.8, $1,949; 3.06, $2,169; new 2.53, $1,579; 2.66, $1,799; more.
- Best Mac mini Deals, 10.30. Used 1.33 GHz G4 mini, $379; 1.42, $389; 1.5, $419; 1.83 GHz Core Duo, $350; Core 2, $439; new 2.26 GHz nVidia, $580; 2.53 GHz, $770; Server, $990.
- Best G4 iBook Deals, 10.30. Used 12" 1.07 GHz Combo, $225; 1.33 GHz, $298; 14" 1 GHz, $349; 1.33 GHz, $398; 1.42 GHz SuperDrive, $498.
- Best Classic Mac OS Deals, 10.30. System 6.0.8 floppies, $10; 7.1, $12; 7.5, $20; 7.5 CD, $4; 7.6 $13; 8.1, $11; 8.5, $20; 8.6, $90; 9.0, $20; 9.2.2, $30.
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