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macOS
Pressing 'delete' on a selected file doesn't delete it but pressing 'backspace' does. WTF?
Further confusing is that Mac keyboards have the backspace key labeled as "delete". Which makes sense really, but when the universal way to refer to that key is backspace, it's just them being stubborn morons who don't want to change it. They could've labelled the escape key "exit" or something else on that same logic but didn't. I like a lot about MacOs (nothing else about apple though) but some of the hard lines they've taken are just idiotic to me. In finder you cannot cut files... I've read the long winded justification and it can fuck off. Every other platform lets you do that. It's convenient and not confusing at all but apple people will insist cutting a file doesn't make sense.
In finder you cannot cut files
I thought you could when I last used it, back when it was called Mac OS X, so I just searched and TIL they removed cmd-X for files in 2015, but, you actually can still cut files; it's just another hidden keyboard shortcut now: after you copy a file with cmd-C you can retroactively make it a cut when pasting by typing cmd-option-V instead of cmd-V. Intuitive, no?
It's convenient and not confusing at all but apple people will insist cutting a file doesn't make sense.
As a non-Apple person: they are correct, but sometimes a metaphor fails and there is no better alternative.
I think I agree. The metaphor doesn't actually need to be perfect if everyone understood that UI mechanic like 40 years ago. I would've been confused about cutting files if I hadn't learned how it worked with text, but I had, so it was extremely easy to get what it meant for files for me.
Exactly.
It is interesting as the metaphor becomes reality though. Modern folks (and I mean anything post-gen-X) mostly don’t understand folders and especially filing cabinets, and that metaphor breaks badly with deep nesting, and symlinks/shortcuts and multiple different vies of the same content (e.g. google drive web vs desktop)…
It also leads to odd anachronisms like the floppy disk as save icon.
The thing is the metaphor was never perfect and it takes a long time to get enough people used to it, plus you have to be pretty consistent or people don’t realize the metaphor exists at all.
it's Cmd+Backspace, and moves the file to the trashcan, it doesn't delete it
What the heck is a command key? You mean the made up key that's only on Apple keyboards?
It's what Apple uses the super key for. Most keyboards have it.
Windows 11
I'm also in agreement with you there. I'd rather use Windows 11 than macOS, but that's kinda like saying I'd rather have a lobotomy with a short icepick instead of a long one.
Installing a downloaded app by dragging the .dmg into your Applications folder.
Just why? What is the case where I download an app installer, execute the installer, but don't want the app installed?
DMG actually not installer itself think about more like iso file image where system mount dmg file and u can run apps from there by double clicking them without installing or u can drag and drop content of dmg file to applications folder and become it like "installed"
You can drag it somewhere else or run it from the DMG? You can run apps outside that folder....
It's not "dragging the .dmg into your Applications folder", you mount the .DMG then drag the .app inside and move it where you like (a shortcut to your /Applications is provided)
The DMG also gives it compression. It's not an "installer", it's more a form of zip file. Like a .zip it allows publishers to bundle guides, photos, etc.
Besides the "just drag" method is so much better than clicking through an installation wizard. But some apps use .PKG files which is an installer wizard.
There's tons of legitimate arguments made against macOS but this seems like just unfamiliarity.
I've been prompted to manually drag the app into the Applications folder during install flow multiple times. It wasn't a substitute for an installation wizard, it was a part of it. I'm familiar with archives as well as .debs, .rpms and tarballs, and none of these or Windows equivalents required such interaction. Yeah, it's due to my unfamiliarity. In my state of being relatively unfamiliar with Mac OS, it seems pretty fucking weird.
The uninstall on a Mac just leaves a ton of garbage behind though. Dragging an app to the trashcan to uninstall is somewhat intuitive, but doesn't remove the app from startup. Which is a bit messy because then I need to install software to clean that up.
Windows isn't necessarily a lot better on that front, but it feels better ( the cleanup part )
AFAIK if an app was installed by dragging it to Applications, there's no way it could still run after you delete it. The actual executable is contained within the .app file.
It is true that uninstalled apps can leave files behind in other places though. Which is a problem on all platforms.
Yes. It's not running anymore. But the entry lingered in the startup section ( for whatever reason ).
I've also had a case where starting my Mac gave me "file cannot be found" notification, and that was also related to software that was removed. Running a cleanup tool removed entries I couldn't remove myself (ui) and the error disappeared.
It's closer to a zip file than an installer. That one never bothered me at all