View from the Ivory Tower

Leopard Experiences and a desire for “An OS That Just Works”™

By Ted Bade

As the year comes to a close and I reflect back on what has happened in the world of technology and specifically with Apple, I am amazed by all that has happened It has been a great year for Apple and a fun year technology-wise, the iPhone, the iPod Touch, and greener Apples to mention some highlights.

 

This is a very unusual time for Apple and Apple fans. We are seeing Apple providing the world with many electronic devices, such as the iPhone and the unbelievably popular iPod. And while a lot of Apple’s resources have been placed on these devices and I feared that the computer aspect of Apple would fade, it really hasn’t. They continue to release updated Macs, making them more environmentally friendly, and did manage to release Mac OS X 10.5 in the month promised.

 

But not everything is well in the world of Apple. Bringing these electronic devices to the world has spread Apple engineers thin. There are bigger holes in their products then before. The majority of this commentary this month is concerning my many issues with Leopard and we all have heard about various issues centered on the new iPhones and late generation iPods.

 

I hope Apple and specifically Steve Jobs stands back and takes a look at this. Apple needs to get back to its core business, that of producing almost flawless products that amaze the consumer, products that consistently work well.

 

That being said, let me say that as a Mac user, I am still very happy with Apple. I love my machines and enjoy using them. While I am still “iffy” about Leopard, I am very pleased with Tiger and have been extremely satisfied with how it operates. As for my iPods, I wouldn’t be happy without them. The performance is a manner consistent with Apple, flawless.

 

Now, let me complain about Leopard…

 

I was quite excited about many of the new features that were to be released with Mac OS 10.5, Leopard. While some of these features are still cool, Leopard is probably the buggiest of Mac OS X released, ever. Coming from me, a devout Mac fan, this is saying a lot ☺.

 

With past releases, including the first public beta of Mac OS X, I only ran into one or two issues which I felt needed to be reported (Using Apple’s Feedback website). Truly, the original beta release had a number of issues, but they were expected and could be lived with, since we anticipated the release of future versions which would (and did) fix them.

 

The along comes 10.5. The drums roll and the fanfare plays. Steve Jobs jumps on the stage not once, but twice before and has this OS released. After the smoke settles, I feel that Apple has created more problems with this version than it fixed. IMHO, the glitz and glamor has finally taken its toll. Too much "wow factor" and eye candy, and not enough inherent stability. Apple, lets get back to our core, an OS that just works.

 

As I write this, I wonder if any of my issues are due to the fact that I installed this new OS on my aging G5 tower. However, I doubt all of the issues are due to that. Monitoring the Internet, as I always do, I hear about other people having the problems I have had. So I don't think it is just me. Truly, there are always big stories about how the installation went wrong. This has been the same for every OS released, but I usually avoid these pitfalls, perhaps I am lucky or perhaps I just follow the directions ☺

 

While most of the issues I discovered are minor things, they are the type of issues one expects Apple testers would have resolved long before final release. Let us not forget to mention that many little things eventually add up. Mac OS X is a powerful and very mature system, let us hope that these issues aren’t signs of senility.

 

Here is my list:

 

1. The Keychain lost the file containing all my passwords. The first time I went to a web site that needed a keychain item, I was told that my keychain file couldn't be found. Since I did an archive and install, I hoped it was in the "old system folder". But alas, it wasn't. Luckily I had made thorough backups and had a library folder backed up hours before the upgrade, so I moved the missing file over. A simple fix, but what went wrong with the previous system folder routine? Since thing worked fine in the last major upgrade one would expect them to work this time. Does this mean none of the beta testers used the keychain utility?

 

2. The Dashboard keyboard shortcut was gone when I first tried it, and wouldn’t stay after I changed it with the preference controls. After about the third or fourth time, I returned the preference to the normal F12 default where it finally took. I might have to take the heat on this one. Perhaps the preference file for this pane was corrupt when the upgrade brought it over. I have no idea on this one.

 

3. The secure empty trash can feature has an issue. If you use it, it will grind through most of the files in the can, but when it gets to the last 4 to 6 items, it freezes and nothing more happens, although the deleting window stays on the screen. (Clicking the “cancel button has no effect) The only way I have found to get it to stop is to relaunch the Finder. Now this isn't a big issue, since I don't often have any documents I need to destroy in this fashion. But it is really annoying when one accidentally makes the wrong selection then learns the only way out is to relaunch the Finder. I tried this several time to be sure it wasn’t just a fluke. This is a big one. Apple of the best security fame has managed to break something I am sure is a real benefit to anyone who works with sensitive information. Could you imagine how frustrating it would be if one needed to do a secure empty trash several times a day only to discovered that you have to relaunch the Finder every time? And what happens to those last few files? Are they destroyed? Are they simply trashed like regular emptying? Are they lost somewhere on the computer where prying eyes might discover them if they care to search?

 

4. Sometimes, when I am playing on the Internet, I find something that intrigues me, like a link to another site. What I have done in the past is to copy the link, open a new tab in Safari, paste the URL into it, then go back to what I was doing. Sometimes I then might go back to the first page to copy the name of a particular item I was interested in or some other piece of information. With the new version of Safari, when you copy the next piece of information into the clipboard, the URL placed in the new Safari tab disappears. I guess if I just went to the URL I pasted rather then waiting, this wouldn’t be an issue. But, why is it an issue at all?

 

5. I keep folders I use regularly on the Dock for easy access. In the past the folder would show a generic icon or the icon one gave to the folder in the Finder. With 10.5 the folder now displays the icon of the alphabetically first object within it. This is weird, since using interesting folder icons is a great visual clue for finding the right folder fast. Now my Application folder, which has that great application icon Apple created, shows the icon of AOL or whatever other application alphabetically before it that is in the Application folder. I found a really nice Star Trek related folder icon that I use for the folder I keep my games in. On my 10.5 dock it now displays the icon for the game Big Kahuna Reef instead. But this feature did help me with something. The folder I keep Internet related applications in somehow had a vacation image of a steam train dropped in it. So this folder shows up as an image of a steam train! I guess we can say this might be a feature for locating missing files that don't belong, providing their names are alphabetically before any other. But I choose to think of it as a bug.

 

6. Speaking of the new Dock features, the feature that lets you click to either fan out or show a grid of items within the folder is more problems then the eye candy is worth. First of all the fan display works only for a few items, when you have a folder full of stuff, you always get the grid. However, if there are more items then the grid can show, you get a final icon that says something like "and 20 more items". You can't see them without opening the entire folder onto the Finder.

 

Previously, you would see a list of items in the folder and could move up and down the ENTIRE list. If there were more then would fit on your display, the list could be scrolled down and then back up again as needed. If you knew the item you wanted to access had a name that began with "U", you could type a "u" and the cursor would jump to the first item with that letter. This was a great way to jump to the "Utilities" folder inside the "Application" folder. Typing a letter and jumping to an item trick seems to work on occasion in 10.5, but not always. But it won't jump to the first item that is represented by "and 20 more items". Talk about taking steps backwards. Here is a glorious example of how eye candy gets in the way of functionality. I hope somebody writes a utility called “Tiger dock folders” or “eye candy killer”!

 

7. The previous version, if the item you selected from the docked folder list was a folder, and you moused over it, a submenu would open, showing its contents. Not so with Leopard. When you want something inside the folder, you select the folder which opens in the Finder, then you have to select the item you want to access, then go back to the Finder to close the window you really didn't want opened anyway. Hmmm, let's take a process that requires one step and see how many steps we can add to it. Here is one "feature" that gets me screaming, Apple, dump the crappy eye candy and get back to the ease of use you are known for! Let’s get back to the core business, an OS that just works!

 

8. Mr. Jobs touted how easy it was to access other Macs on a local network with the new Finder. I found the process added some confusion. I have all the Macs in my house networked together. Normally when I am moving a file to another machine, I put the item on the desktop so they have half a chance of being found. I don’t think anyone in my home wants to dig down to a “public” folder to see if I put something new there. But with Leopard, the default view shows the public folders only. Getting access as the account holder is a bit tricky.

 

With Tiger, one clicked on the machine of interest and selected to log on as either a "Guest" or with an account name. To makes things really easy, I could use the Keychain application to automatically insert my login information. Then in an instant, I had access to the desktop.

 

Leopard really, really wants me to use the public folders. When I look at the machines on the network, I see all the public folders. It isn't immediately obvious how to access the machine and log onto the master account. It can be done, but I stumbled the first couple of times looking for a way to do it. Again, here is a case of taking something that works and complicating it. Sure it is easier to access the public folders on another's machine this way. Sure, they all automatically show up in the network window. However, in my small world, this isn't something that is ever done.

 

I also discovered that Leopard isn’t quick to notice when new machines come onto the network. When I need to transfer a file I am working on from or to my PowerBook, I plug in to my network and do the transfer. Well, that's how it went with Tiger. With Leopard, I see the computers that are on the network when I started the machine, but I don't see the PowerBook popup when I plug it in. Rather then wait, it was easier to use Tiger on the PowerBook to look for computers on the network and transfer the file that way. Ok, the Leopard interface looks nicer, but looks aren't everything. I want functionality! Need I say again, Apple, let’s get back to the core product, an OS that just works!

 

9. I personally don't like how the new Dock shows that an application is running. The Dock is trying to be a table, a three dimensional object. Instead of having an easy-to-see and recognizable black triangle (which is soooo last OS), we now get a very difficult to see light blue dot(?) under the application icon. Luckily for me, I recently added a 22" monitor to my Macintosh. With the old 17" monitor, I doubt I would be able to see this little faint little blue symbol. I find it difficult to see the difference between the blue running dot and the reflection of the icon. It’s frustrating. This was such a simple piece of functionality, destroyed with eye candy!

Well, there you have the things I sent Apple feedback about. I do hope they read my comments and make some changes. Each of them is a minor thing, not really a big deal. But this is the first version of Mac OS X that I actually sent this many pieces of feedback. I am really concerned about this. Has Apple become so enamored with its electronic toys that it is beginning to loose it's interface edge on the computer? Was Leopard released before it was ready because Mr. Jobs was concerned that people would be disappointed otherwise? I am not asking for perfection. I want the new version of Mac OS to be fun to learn about and try all the new features and not have to lament the loss of functionality.

 

My nine comments don't include other items that I have heard about over the Internet. Problems with iCal, Time Machine, and more related to parts of the OS I don’t typically use. Come on Apple, let's get with the program! You won't continue pulling people to the Mac if they come and find that the Mac doesn't play as well as those electronic toys! Let’s get back to the core business, an Operating System that just works!

 

Do I recommend that you buy and use Leopard? For the most part, yes. While I am unhappy with a number of small issues with it, overall it is movement forward. It is now completely 64 bit code, which means it should operate faster and take advantage of today’s faster chips. It is still significantly better then any version of Windows, and performs consistently better as well. The main reason for my ranting here is to make a point. I don’t want Apple to loose track of the most important reason why I use Macs, because they consistently perform well and are very intuitive to use.

 

Next month is MacWorld Expo. Who can imagine what fantastic things will be released at that event? New machines, new software, its all very exciting. I hope you have a terrific winter holiday season, no matter what path you follow. Peace be with you all.

 

As always, keep on using your Mac!