re:Domino

Can do, just works - why Macintosh keeps impressing me

Mixing simple with simple

Apple and mac software keeps fooling me. I commonly make the mistake that a simple (as in easy) user interface means a simple (as in non-feature-rich) software. First time I realised this was with the TextMate application which I dis-liked from the beginning but these days I have seen the light and even found an equivalent in E-TextEditor on the windows platform.

Different ways to get the same result

I have been using Microsoft Visio since long before it was bought by Microsoft. To be honest, I have never really loved the software because of the bad feeling it gives when working with it, but the end-result is great in all means. On the Mac there is no Visio, but there is OmniGraffle. The end-result is the same, but the work flow is just light years from those software. For you that can try them both: do a simple test: Set up a new drawing, add one (1) box on it then add some text to the box and here comes the test: Change the color of the box and the color of the text. Count how many clicks and menus you are forced to go through to do this in both Visio and Omnigraffle. This test is a good example on how software interfaces can be good or be bad and still end up in the same result.

Can do, just works

Friigle says that Safari is good and I respond automatically by saying the Firefox is better and walks away with my nose up just to sit in the nights trying to find out why he thinks Safari is better. At a first glance safari looks a bit too cheap/simple and I haven’t found any killer-things so far, but there are a few things that makes ordinary browsing more convenient using Safari, for example the Snapback feature that remembers a search result page and let you easy go back to it. No more runsten-click to open search results in new tab just ending up in a lot of tabs and in my case often totally lost of focus. Those small things that just makes things easier is phrased as “Can do - just works” in the Applesphere I learnt the other day and it’s thos small small things that makes my every-day work so much easier and fun.

Volume

Another small small thing: Remove any headphones from your macbook. Turn off the volume. Now insert the headphones again. You will see that the mac remembers two different volume settings, one for headphones and one without. I just find that sooooo brilliant - no sound will ever come out of my macbook that can disturb anyone else. “Can do, just works” All this was just a cover-up writing so I could tip you about this good article about some Safari gems people might miss: Three Powerful Safari Features