So my Windows desktop mini PC needed replacing (currently running with an SSD and Windows 10), and I decided to get an M1 Mac Mini as the replacement. I already have a keyboard, mouse and monitor, so it kind of made sense. Given all the rave reviews, I figured why not…
Initial thoughts…
I hate Mac OS. I’ve used older Macs before and I find it incredibly frustrating compared to Windows. Here are two examples –
Why can’t application windows have their own menus? I mean, what kind of a dumb UI is that, to have the application menu detached from the window and placed at the top of the screen? In Windows, each window has its own menu, nice and easy.
Application switching is a real pain in Mac OS, especially if you have multiple instances of the same application running. You can’t even see the instances in the Dock unless they are minimised. And toggling an application by clicking on the icon in the dock doesn’t work like it does in the Windows task bar.
So far, for me as a power user, Windows is winning hands down.
I was hoping to be wowed by Mac OS, but I’m not. I’ll stick with it for now, but boy am I disappointed so far…
dftf
<p>Man, this forum-post feels like something from the mid-2000s… same kind of complaints as back then!</p><p><br></p><p><strong>"</strong><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Why can’t application windows have their own menus"</strong></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Because they just don’t on macOS, it’s never been a thing there. Maybe there is some third-party software you could install that could put one above the app’s top border or something. But then on </span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Windows </em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">thesedays, most apps don’t have a menu-bar either — </span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Edge, Paint, WordPad, File Explorer, Calculator, Mail, News, Weather, Photos </em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">and</span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Groove Music </em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">all don’t (at-least, not a traditional-style one, below the window-titlebar). Unless you live all-day in </span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Notepad</em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, which apps are you using that still do? </span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Firefox </em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">is the only major one I can think-of, and even there it ships off-by-default. </span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Office 2003</em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> was the last version of </span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Office </em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">where all apps still had old-style menus, too.</span></p><p><br></p><p><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">"Application switching is a real pain in Mac OS"</strong></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">As I don’t use a mac, so I cannot comment on how the </span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Dock </em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">works. But can you not hold the Command button (the one that has an icon a bit like a stylistic pretzel) and press Tab to switch between apps, similar to Alt and Tab on </span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Windows</em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">? Take a look at </span><strong>support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201236 </strong>and see if anything else there might help you.</p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">If you still really can’t get on with macOS still, then using </span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Parallels Desktop</em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> you can install the "</span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Windows 11 on ARM Insider Preview"</em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> version of </span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Windows</em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> onto your </span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">M1 mac</em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">. Official instructions here: </span>kb.parallels.com/125375 (though plenty of other step-by-step guides or <em>YouTube </em>video tutorials you could watch also)</p>
dftf
<p>I guess with regards the <strong>menu always being at the top</strong> there is an argument that in today’s world of ultra high-res displays, having the menu at the top, compared to inside the window you’re working in, means more travel to access the menu — but obviously mitigating factors would be (1) whether high-DPI is being used, or not and (2) does the app being used on <em>Windows</em> actually still offer a menubar anyway? Most of the "modern" apps certainly now don’t.</p>
dftf
<p><em>"Why did you get it at all if you weren’t willing to give it some time?"</em></p><p><br></p><p>Yeah, I think the same: the two things the OP says are issues — the app’s all sharing one centralised menubar, and switching between apps working differently — are surely things they could have found-out by going into an <em>Apple Store</em> and testing one of the demo macs there? Seems mad to order one to only then find this stuff out!</p>
dftf
<p>Solution: <strong>binarybakery.com/menueverywhere.html</strong></p>
dftf
<p><strong>"I have to give focus to the window first before the menu becomes available."</strong></p><p><br></p><p>On <em>Windows</em> there is a feature where a window can gain focus just by you moving the pointer over it: have a look at the settings on the mac (I’d think it’s Apple logo then "System Preferences") and look in any settings related to mouse, windows or accessibility, and see if it offers a similar option. That would then at-least eliminate an extra click.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>"[…] unless you are invested in the Apple ecosystem with an iPhone and iPad […], there is no benefit to having Mac OS over Windows"</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Well, without rehashing debates over things like "FreeBSD vs NT" or "UI polish" or "the ethics and politics of both companies", then I’d at-least say that "it makes <em>more-sense</em> to buy a mac if you already have an <em>iPhone </em>or <em>iPad</em>, yes, as they are designed to work-together". If you’re only going to buy a mac laptop or desktop, but use an <em>Android</em> phone and tablet, and a <em>Samsung </em>smart-watch, then it makes less-sense to go the route you have. It’s fine, however, to purchase certain <em>Apple </em>products as standalone items, such as <em>Apple TV</em> or <em>iPod, </em>as they’re less-integrated overall and can pretty-much be used as a standalone item, or run fine under <em>Windows</em>. (<em>iPhone </em>and <em>iPad</em> offer some unique features when paired with macOS, such as continuning a document you were editing instantly, but for the most-part can also be used without a mac).</p>
dftf
<p>After some <em>Googling</em>, I’ve found something to address your issue with the menubar: <strong>there is an app called "MenuEverywhere", which lets you add the app’s menus to the window titlebar, or adds all of the menubar items into the right-click menu</strong>. So that should solve your issue.</p><p><br></p><p>You can download it here</p><p><strong>binarybakery.com/menueverywhere.html</strong></p>
dftf
<p>What other issues remain?</p><p><br></p><p>The only other one I can see, from your original-post and replies you’ve made, is the one about changing apps in the <em>Dock</em>. And "bhofer" already replied to you on that to say "you can right-click the app in the dock to see a list of open windows". That’s only one extra-click compared to <em>Windows</em>, where you either have to hover-over a <em>Taskbar</em> app, then select the window to switch to ("Windows 7 style"); or you can switch instantly to a window if you use the "never combine Taskbar buttons" option ("Windows 95 style"). But remember, that last option has been removed in <em>Windows 11</em>, so the hover-over method is now the only way.</p>
dftf
<p>I’ve pre-empted some, and listed some solutions for you — see nearby comment</p>
dftf
<p>I’ll probably just advise you "try doing a <em>Google </em>search" as within just minutes I can find various apps to resolve your issues:</p><p><br></p><p><strong>"I want to hover-over a <em>Dock </em>icon to see open windows for an app, like on Windows"</strong></p><p>Solution: <em>HyperDock </em>(bahoom.com/hyperdock/) or <em>ActiveDock </em>(noteifyapp.com/activedock/)</p><p><br></p><p><strong>"I want the <em>Dock </em>to function similar-to a <em>Windows 95 </em>era <em>Taskbar</em>"</strong></p><p>Solution: <em>uBar </em>(brawersoftware.com/products/ubar)</p><p><br></p><p><strong>"I want the Snap functionallity that <em>Microsoft </em>added into <em>Windows 11</em>, where you hover-over the <em>Maximise/Restore button"</em></strong></p><p>Solution: <em>Magnet (apps.apple.com/app/id441258766)</em></p><p><br></p><p><strong>"I want a button at the left-hand side of the <em>Dock </em>that will act like a Start Menu"</strong></p><p>Solution: <em>ActiveDock </em>(noteifyapp.com/activedock)</p><p><br></p><p><strong>"I want to switch between all windows, similar-to how Alt + Tab works on <em>Windows"</em></strong></p><p>Solution: <em>Witch </em>(manytricks.com/witch)</p><p><br></p><p><strong>"I want the <em>Finder </em>to list folders at the top of an A-Z sorted list, then files after, like <em>File Explorer"</em></strong></p><p>Solution: in the <em>Finder</em>, go to <em>Finder </em>then <em>Preferences… </em>on the menubar. Go to the <em>Advanced</em> tab. You’ll find the settings there to enable this behaviour.</p><p><br></p><p>For anything else… why not try a <em>Google </em>search first?</p>
dftf
<p>Also, kind of ironic you argue you shouldn’t need to install any extra software on macOS to do these sort of things when the company you’ve just bought a computer from <u>literally</u> uses the line "there’s an app for that" in its marketing! ;)</p>