- \n
- Default screen wallpapers are hideous, possibly the worst wallpaper ever in any operating system.<\/li>\n
- Icons in applications often look too similar and lack contrast against the gray menu bars.<\/li>\n
- Menu bars and title bars are too close to the same color as application windows.<\/li>\n
- Application icons look like they belong on the iPhone or iPad, and I personally never liked the \u201ctile\u201d approach to icons.<\/li>\n
- Transparency annoys me when I\u2019m trying to read dialog boxes and control panels.<\/li>\n
- Dialog, alerts, sheets, and other pop-ups are huge, and phone-line, too.<\/li>\n
- Notifications are much better, with alerts stacked by application and widgets nicely arranged.<\/li>\n
- Control Center borrows some of the better design ideas from the iOS platforms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The interface has evolved too much since the first releases of Mac OS X, in my not-so-humble opinion. When the Big Sur system starts that first time and you see the nightmarish colors from blue to red, with bright orange in the middle, it\u2019s enough to make you put on sunglasses.<\/p>\n
I never want to see the default Big Sur color waves and swirls. There are articles on websites detailing how to change this image<\/a>, which defaults to the wallpaper on lock and login screens. That people are hacking the OS to change this wallpaper proves how bad it is. Fix this Apple, please. Let users change the wallpaper for the lock and login.<\/p>\n
I miss the original dock platform look of OS X, with a glass shelf holding icons. Let us customize the dock, at least. The new rounded rectangle is bland. The icons, with their tile-like squareness, are also bland. I customize my dock with My Documents, Applications, Downloads, and a Favorites folder. The left-side features must-have apps.<\/p>\n
Even with the dock, I launch a lot of programs via Spotlight. I\u2019ll type Command+Space (my Spotlight shortcut) and type the first few letters of the application name. I\u2019m a keyboard user whenever possible.<\/p>\n
Control Center looks much nicer and places the controls I need in a convenient container. When I\u2019m using my MacBook Pro docked, the function keys access features like speaker volume and screen brightness. Still, I like the Control Center\u2019s inclusion of \u00a0WiFi and Bluetooth enough that I can finally remove the individual controls from my menu bar.<\/p>\n
Core Applications<\/h3>\n
- \n
- Finder is sluggish, sometimes showing the original file name after you rename an item.<\/li>\n
- Mail is almost back to itself with improved usability thanks to the return of resizable and sortable columns.<\/li>\n
- Calendar and Reminders are still mediocre, so use replacements if you need a great calendar.<\/li>\n
- Safari is faster, much faster, and the security options work nicely.<\/li>\n
- Time Machine is worse than slow for some reason, so you might use a new drive, formatted in the new APFS format just for Time Machine volumes<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Finder<\/strong><\/p>\n
One of my screens (or virtual desktops) always displays a Finder window. I dislike Finder and have tried various replacement file managers over the years. In the end, Finder works without being attractive.<\/p>\n
Tabs were an interesting idea, but I usually want to see the contents of two folders at once. When copying from one directory to another, it seems better to have two panes. Because Apple doesn\u2019t support two panes directly, the easiest solution is to open two or more Finder windows and place them side-by-side or above and below each other.<\/p>\n
The icons in the Favorites sidebar should be distinct. They aren\u2019t. They\u2019re as bad as the icons on the main toolbar. Come on, Apple, make icons distinct and easier to locate quickly.\u00a0After updating to Big Sur, I have a long list of blue icons along the left of the sidebar.<\/p>\n
Mail<\/strong><\/p>\n
Yes, finally! Mail is back to being usable.<\/p>\n
In Catalina, Apple removed the sortable and resizable column view. In Big Sur, the mailboxes once again display in a sortable view. Thank goodness. I receive a lot of messages, especially when I\u2019m teaching. The Catalina sort option was okay, but it didn\u2019t always sort as anticipated.<\/p>\n
This seems confusing, but I use sorting daily.<\/p>\n
![\"Catalina](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tameri.com\/wordpress\/poetponders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/11\/Catalina-Apple-Mail-1920-600x390.jpg?resize=600%2C390&ssl=1\")
<\/a>Catalina Apple Mail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Consider wanting messages sorted first by sender, and then by message subject. I can do that, again, with Big Sur, as long as you click on the headings in the reverse order of your final sort. As an example, I might click \u201csubject\u201d and that first alphabetizes the subject field. Then, I click \u201cfrom\u201d to sort by sender. Now, messages from each person are in alphabetical order. I can just as easily sort by date, then person, to group each individual\u2019s emails by date.<\/p>\n
Right-clicking on the column headings allows you to add or remove any column from the display. For some reason, attachment icons, flags, priority, and size aren\u2019t enabled by default. I turn on quite a few of the columns.<\/p>\n
![\"Big](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tameri.com\/wordpress\/poetponders\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/11\/Big-Sur-Apple-Mail-1920-600x379.jpg?resize=600%2C379&ssl=1\")
<\/a>Big Sur Apple Mail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Big Sur\u2019s email undoes some of the bad choices made in Catalina. Thank goodness. If Big Sur had remained like Catalina, or if it had turned into the iPhone Mail app, I\u2019d be switching to Outlook or something else.<\/p>\n
Calendar, Reminders, and Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n
Apple\u2019s Calendar and Reminders apps are mediocre. They need to be reimagined and integrated better.\u00a0Apple\u2019s apps are too disconnected.<\/p>\n
I use BusyCal and BusyContacts<\/a> instead of the default Apple Calendar and Contacts. The Menu bar applet for BusyCal is wonderful. If you stay within BusyCal, its to-do items migrate in the Calendar and offer more features than Reminders.<\/p>\n
Sadly, Apply broke integration with Reminders and BusyCal in macOS 10.15, when Apple shifted to a proprietary database for the reminder entries. Apple also stopped allowing apps like BusyContacts from showing email messages associated with contacts and events.\u00a0One reason people use Outlook is that it is a true PIM: personal information manager.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s annoying that Apple stopped allowing integration functionality in all third-party calendar, contact, and email programs.<\/p>\n
The only Apple information management took I like is Notes.<\/p>\n
Notes is good and getting better with each update.\u00a0Notes has evolved steadily since replacing \u201cSticky Notes\u201d on the Mac. I like Notes more than Reminders, finding that a checklist in Notes works much better for me. The really big changes to Notes were in the Mojave and Catalina. The only new feature I\u2019ve found and tested: lists of pinned notes.<\/p>\n
I love \u201cpins\u201d in Notes, Messages, and in any app that lets me put things at the top of a list. Shopping list? Pin it. Home improvement list? Pin it. Such a minor feature, yet it makes using Notes that much better.<\/p>\n
Safari\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
Safari 14 looks a lot like Finder, and I don\u2019t mean that as a compliment. Gray-on-gray with icons that force me to stare at them for a moment to identify what they do. Once I rearranged the toolbar to resemble the order in which I have features in Chrome, FireFox, and Edge, it was much easier to rely on ingrained memory to use Safari.<\/p>\n
The default toolbar features and order were illogical. I still need to print pages, if only to PDF. Share and bookmark should be near the URL (search) field. I like to click \u201cHome\u201d and return to a blank search page. I\u2019m a creature of habit.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a \u201cStart Page\u201d feature in Safari, but I haven\u2019t tested this. Google Search is my \u201cstart page.\u201d Maybe I\u2019ll give the new Safari feature a try.<\/p>\n
The tabs feel faster. The \u201ctab preview\u201d is pretty nice if you keep pages loaded that refresh in the background. So far, some pages seem to refresh fine, updating the thumbnail image as well. Other pages don\u2019t seem to update when they aren\u2019t the front-most tab. Chrome updates all pages, but it\u2019s also slow and a memory hog lately.<\/p>\n
The data privacy features of Safari make it my preferred browser. It has better pop-up blocking, nice tracking reports, and easy controls to set privacy preferences by website. Since some of my favorite news websites won\u2019t load unless you allow ads and trackers, I set those pages accordingly within Safari.<\/p>\n
Safari continues to be my preferred browser, even as Chrome continues to dominate workplaces.\u00a0Apple recognizes this, with support for Chrome extensions within Safari.<\/p>\n
Photos<\/strong><\/p>\n
From the moment I launched iPhoto, sometime in 2002, Apple\u2019s bundled Photos application became my primary photo management tool. Yes, there was Aperture (which my wife used) and Adobe\u2019s Lightroom offers more features, but Apple\u2019s Photos app meets my needs. Yes, I have Lightroom and use it, but I it isn\u2019t my default management tool for quick photos taken with my iPhone or iPad.<\/p>\n
Big Sur\u2019s update to Photos is minor. The \u201cRetouch\u201d tool works better and there are more effects you can apply to images. The addition of \u201ccaptions\u201d for images doesn\u2019t add much value for me. I use Keywords (tags) and ratings to sort my images.<\/p>\n
Messages<\/strong><\/p>\n
Hey, look, it\u2019s the iPhone app on my Mac. Using their \u201cCatalyst\u201d tools, Apple ported the iOS version of Messages to Big Sur. I suppose that\u2019s good if you like the iOS app. Differences remain, largely because there is more screen space on a computer. It\u2019s nice that the Mac version no longer trails behind since I\u2019m often messaging people while I work.<\/p>\n
Maps<\/strong><\/p>\n
And another app migrates from iOS: the new Maps release in Big Sur. Finally, finally, finally you can save locations as \u201cfavorites\u201d on the Mac. I\u2019d like Maps to compete more with Google Maps, but it isn\u2019t there yet.<\/p>\n
Other Opinions<\/h3>\n
With macOS Big Sur, Apple has moved on from the \u201cX\u201d and \u201c10.x\u201d numbering to indicate some of the major changes to their operating system.\u00a0Big Sur (which uses Darwin 20.1 for the first release) seems stable, but also not quite finished.<\/p>\n
Reviews are generally positive for macOS Big Sur, although there are some criticisms. Some reviews worth reading:<\/p>\n
- \n
- PC Magazine. Apple macOS Big Sur Review:\u00a0Apple turns macOS up to 11<\/a>. (November 12, 2020)<\/li>\n
- The Verge. Apple macOS 11 Big Sur Review: A Long Time Coming<\/a>.\u00a0This is what the future of the Mac looks like (November 16, 2020)<\/li>\n
- CNet. MacOS Big Sur review: The other half of the Mac’s 2020 rebirth<\/a>. (November 13, 2020)<\/li>\n
- Macworld. macOS 11 Big Sur: Apple releases a major update for your Mac<\/a>. (November 12, 2020)<\/li>\n
- 9to5Mac. macOS Big Sur 11 top features<\/a>. (November 12, 2020)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Overall, the migration to Big Sur was much easier than the migration from Mojave to Catalina. Apple\u2019s macOS Catalina (Mac OS X 10.15 for those clinging to 2001 naming) never felt \u201cfinished\u201d even with multiple patches and updates. The final \u00a0Catalina release brought the version numbers to 10.15.7 (or Darwin 19.6).<\/p>\n
With Catalina, I experienced a number of software incompatibilities, which were not Apple\u2019s fault. The move from 32-bit to 64-bit apps brought some favorite applications to a standstill on macOS Catalina<\/a>. I had been cautious about upgrading to Catalina<\/a>\u00a0because I know the transition to 64-bit-only was going to be disruptive.<\/p>\n
Big Sur marks the migration of Apple from Intel to Apple Silicon. However, few of us care what\u2019s inside a computer if the box does what we need it to do.<\/p>\n
Overall, macOS Big Sur, Version 11, does what I expect it to do. It didn\u2019t break any applications I need. It even restored some features that went missing or were well-hidden in Catalina.<\/p>\n
But that name? macOS Big Sur Version 11.<\/p>\n
Apple, please choose a name for the operating system and stick with it.\u00a0Apple changes its operating system naming conventions somewhat randomly.\u00a0I came to like the interface of Mac OS 9.2.2, the last of the Classic Mac OS operating systems. I loved System 7, but I still reject the naming change from System 7.5 to Mac OS 7.6, a change that could have waited until Mac OS 8 or 9.<\/p>\n
Next year, Apple should focus on refining Big Sur.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dear Apple (and Microsoft), please ship operating systems only when they are finished and a bit polished. Stop shipping half-baked, inconsistent, incomplete operating systems just…<\/p>\n
- The Verge. Apple macOS 11 Big Sur Review: A Long Time Coming<\/a>.\u00a0This is what the future of the Mac looks like (November 16, 2020)<\/li>\n
- PC Magazine. Apple macOS Big Sur Review:\u00a0Apple turns macOS up to 11<\/a>. (November 12, 2020)<\/li>\n