Ok, here’s my entirely private, subjective, random list of Pains In The Ass that I experienced while I was trying to get used to using OSX on a Macbook. While I spent years working in Windows as well, I mostly tend to compare experiences with Linux, allegedly notorious for its desktop (un)friendlyness.

The list is unordered, some things bothering more, some less.

  • No way of changing the UI, only two, marginally different “skins”, that’s it. Let me say I’m not some design-obsessed lunatic that changes his desktop appereance every day or two, but I like to be able to set it once the way I like it (colours, fonts, window decorations, iconsets etc) and use it that way.
  • No localization to my native Serbian language. Again, I’m far from a nationalist in any possible sense, but I like my language and I like the possibility to use it on my computer, as much as I use it when talking to people around me.
  • Again, non-US keyboard layout is not easy to use. Application don’t remember their individual layout, serbian layout is nonstandard so it has to be tweaked using third party tools etc.
  • There is a set of application that you are kind of encouraged to use. Music player - use iTunes. Image viewer - use built one. Text editor - buy TextMate. There are alternatives, but they are far from anywhere close to the mainstream ones. In Linux, there are really plenty of alternative software. Not always 100% bug-free and not always 100% features there, but there’s always hope that either application A, B or C will get the feature you need, or application D will emerge with it. No such thing on Mac.
  • I like to see the name of the song currently being played. In Linux, there’s Panflute applet that hooks to a number of music players. I had no luck finding similar tool for Mac.
  • XWindows apps look and feel crappy (gimp and inkscape for example).
  • Package management is inferior to apt.
  • Every possible 3rd party application, no matter how trivial, is commercial.

Now, some hardware issues

  • Keyboard is designed to look nice, but the keys lack tactile feedback (flat surface) and they are way too fragile (broke two before I adapted, and I hate having to adapt).
  • Sharp front edge where the wrists are resting. Not sharp enough to really cut you, but uncomfortable for sure.
  • No way to make use of integrated graphic card in OS other than OSX.
  • Only two USB ports.
  • Non-standard port for external monitor.