No, i'm not talking about the Intel-switch.

MacWorld has a critique (MACWORLD ! A CRITIQUE !), or actually it's a rant about SpotLight.

MACWORLD CRITIZICES AN APPLE PRODUCT !

http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/11/15/spotlightanlaysis/index.php?lsrc=mwrss

The MacLash is coming. I can feel it.

:-)

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Wow, this is a bigger deal than it might appear. Imagine the agony and turmoil in Macworld's offices while deciding whether to print this. Macworld, and our old friend Rob, have had their lips firmly attached to OS X's ass from the very beginning. Spotlight must REALLY suck.
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I need just one more post to graduate from apostle to prophet, and I'm just too excited about that to wait until I actually have something to say.
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Welcome brother Markle.

We are now entitled to commerative grails engraved with our names.

Now I actually use Tiger. This MacWorld article on spotlite has some flaws browsing over it.

quote:

Here is one comment- "If you have the Spotlight Results window open, why doesn’t it show up in the Command-Tab switcher? If you leave this window open, it gets lost in a hurry."

If you command + spacebar the spotlight window comes to the front.

The reviewer also has their HD and files spread over 6 partitions on one drive. If you follow the partition link in the article this is said on partitioning:

quote:

"It seems to me that Spotlight (in OS X 10.4) is much slower on my machine than on my buddy’s non-partitioned G5. We haven’t done any empirical testing, so this is just a feeling at this point, of course. Perhaps it’s related to Spotlight having to deal with a number of separate indexes on a partitioned system, instead of one large index file on a non-partitioned system."

The reviewer also seems to view Spotlight beyond its function. Spotlight at least how I have used it is more about finding to open files without needing to open additional finder windows. Spotlight is out of the way. What the reviewer wants is Spotlight to function like a command+f which is a search that does all the things the reviewer wants Spotlight to do. It is really the classic X-Critic SOS. Some how Spotlight does not function. The way the reviewer wants spotlight to function is how the reviewer is used to searching which is a command+f. Well command+f is still a function of the Finder. Sortive like column view not functioning like List view some how renders List view unusable even though List view is still a function of the Finder.

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Should I ever post again and spoil the purity of that beautiful round 1000?

Oops, too late.
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quote:

Originally posted by RicoX:
Welcome brother Markle.

We are now entitled to commerative grails engraved with our names.

Well command+f is still a function of the Finder.

No. it's not. Command + F just brings up a different Spotlight Window. The old find is gone for good. BTW, read the comments. The maclash is coming.

http://www.macworld.com/forums/ubbthreads/showflat.php?...age=0&view=collapsed

Priceless: "Maybe you need to be less smart to benefit from Spotlight?"

quote:

No. it's not. Command + F just brings up a different Spotlight Window. The old find is gone for good. BTW, read the comments. The maclash is coming.

Absolutely incorrect. Command+f brings up an entirely different search than spotlight. One that does the same things the old search did such as show you the path to file.

From the Comments:

quote:

I am concerned with the general trend of Apple releasing flashy, half-baked applications. This is the type of release I expect from Microsoft and the main reason I avoid Microsoft products.
Contrast this with the care and testing of the original Mac interface. Apple even wrote a (now) classic book on interface design to guide developers. ... The point is that they tested the interface before they released it and it showed.
I would perfer a solid, dependable, secure computer experience over a mearly flashy computer experience.

Ken

Thalo, or should I say, Ken.......
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I read thru some of the "Maclash". My conclusion is these people are retarded. How can anyone say spotlight does not search by file name and needs to be fixed? One person actually said oh gee I had to disable spotlight searching instead using sherlock 2 under the classic enviroment. This persons computer needs to be taken away from them and given to someone with a brain.

That goes for the editor at MacWorld who wrote the article. I pointed out several things the reviewer is in the dark about that cuts holes in his entire arguement. No wonder MacWorld as a publication has been so marginalized. The Editors don't know what they are doing any more than say an X-Critic.

Brothers,
I'm telling you, the truth is finally taking hold. There was no way Macworld could keep giving five mice reviews for crap and get away with it.

Meanwhile, their once-bastion expo in Boston, gone. I used to go to that every year. I'm pretty sure they're starting to see that the Mac really isn't the platform it once was. And that eye candy and layer upon layer of stupid, useless interface that doesn't work, is not doing us any good. The MacLash is coming indeed.

Oh my god, "Maybe you need to be less smart to benefit from Spotlight?" Who does THAT sound like? LOL.

Part of the MacLash is people waking up and starting to RESENT being treated like chimps.

I have always found Aqua and OS X kind of insulting to my intelligence. Still do.

Brother Ken must have come here. Good for him.


Now on to other matters, Welcome brother Markle to prophethood. This earns you the keys to the kingdom. Use them wisely, or not... your choice.

This reminds me of a question I asked a year or two ago. Does anyone know a source for tracking the ciculation/subscription numbers for Macworld over the last five years? I couldn't find it myself.
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quote:

This earns you the keys to the kingdom.

I'll be watching the mail.
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Weird coincidence. I was going to post a request for help because I’ve been using (really using…not just licking) Tiger lately and I’ve been having trouble with Spotlight. And the first thread that catches my eye at thalo.net is “Hell is freezing over” and it’s just what the doctor ordered. Anyway, yesterday I was using Spotlight to look for a file I had created a day earlier (but couldn’t remember where I put it), and the search came up empty. Notta. Hmmm. So then I spend about 10 minutes supposing and figuring until the brain starts to kick in and I remember which job, which client, which folder, etc., regarding the file in question. (Short term memory can just get BLOWN to heck if you put a file somewhere and then immediately are inundated by a couple phone calls or something.)

And so I finally find the file via manual “hunt and seek” means and I’m looking right at it in its folder. I thought “What the hell?” And that’s probably exactly what I thought. The file is there, spelled the way I remember I had spelled it, but to Spotlight it didn’t exist. But I figure I had to have misspelled the file name when originally searching for it in Spotlight. What else could it be? This seems like such a simple thing. So to avoid a possible typo I copy and paste the filename into the Spotlight search box. Again, notta. I’m looking right there at the file in a second Finder window and notta.

And so I come to you, hat in hand, to ask “Is there some indexing feature I need to turn on for a normal run-of-the-mill hard drive?” Must one first kill the old indexes so that they can be rebuilt? If so, how do you do that?

Congratulation, Markle, on getting the keys. Before going inside to moderator area first let me delete a few things.

[feather] knock me over with [/feather]

Who the hell are you?

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Oh god, I have the same problem. I use these stupid naming conventions for some files. Not because I want to, but because the clients want it that way. These big long strings of alphanumerics. I really NEED to be able to find certain things... but of course the Finder elipsizes everything to the point where all the files appear to have the same name unless I twiddle.

So, along comes spotlight. OK, I begin searching for that part of the filename which I know is there, and which is specific to the image or whatever. Spotlight doesn't see it. And sometimes I just saved it. Like a day ago.

To force a re-index of all my crap takes hours and hours. And there's no intuitive way to do it. You have to make your HD "private" then un-privatize it. Makes me want to shriek.

Have you tried that Brother Brad? Spotlight preferences, hit the "Privacy" tab. Drag your HD icon in there... then, uh, remove it.

Then wait and wait and wait. Eye roll.

I also really, really, REALLY need to be able to search emails for content. Like I know this client asked me to do this that and the other thing... or I need to check up on an invoice. So I search for message content I KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt is there. Invisible to spotlight. When I really need it, it takes a dump. Like so much of OS X. And there's no way I can afford to lose a day indexing every other day.

No mail, brother Markle. You should just see an administrator tab at the top of the forum screen. You can create new forums, delete entire forums, destroy people, whatever you want.

I'm surprised my enemies don't come here, become prophets, and then use that power to tear the whole site down

To force a re-index of all my crap takes hours and hours. And there's no intuitive way to do it. You have to make your HD "private" then un-privatize it. Makes me want to shriek.

Have you tried that Brother Brad? Spotlight preferences, hit the "Privacy" tab. Drag your HD icon in there... then, uh, remove it.

Then wait and wait and wait. Eye roll.

I figured you guys would know the answer. I tried the eye roll already but to no effect. Thanks for you advice. I'll try that trick when I get into work again. Is that something you have to do once in a while? Does anybody know of any way to tell if the OS isn't indexing properly?

I'm also having trouble with files that are on the Desktop not being visible between the two operating systems. If I'm booted in to 9, and put some stuff on the Desktop, then later when I'm booted into Tiger (eye roll) they aren't there (although apps can see them from open dialogs and as soon as you open them then the Finder sees them again). And vice versa for OS X files that you put on the Desktop. From OS 9 they don't show up.

I'm surprised my enemies don't come here, become prophets, and then use that power to tear the whole site down

How appropriate. Other sites might promote people to moderator status because of trustworthiness, a desire to put in long hours with no pay, or because of a congenial personality. But here at thalo.net such things are decided by one's loquaciousness.

Have fun accidentally deleting posts, Markle.

quote:

No mail, brother Markle. You should just see an administrator tab at the top of the forum screen. You can create new forums, delete entire forums, destroy people, whatever you want.

POWER IS MINE!!! BWAHAHAHHAAAA!

TODAY, THALO.NET....TOMORROW THE WORLD!!!!!

A DETERMINED GOD AM I! TREMBLE BEFORE ME, THOU HELPLESS LUMPS OF CLAY IN MY ALL-POWERFUL HANDS!!!!

BRINGEST ME JULIANNE MOORE...NOW!!!!!!!!!!

LMFAO...

Unfortunately, that feeling wears off in about ten minutes, haha.

Brother Brad, NO there's no way to tell if the OS isn't indexing properly. That's what makes the whole thing so utterly maddening. I've had it go through an index cycle, and within a day wasn't finding things again.

Even after the major bug fix release, I think there's still a lot of work to do on spotlight. Probably not on casual use systems, but as is typical, on pro systems. Hopefully some of the minions at pixar will complain about these things too, and maybe Steve will listen to them.

Since hollywood and music industry pros are coming back to the Mac, I really think they have a special role in complaining. They really have to be the first to not crap-settle. Steve wants their business more than he wants it from his old hardcore user base (graphic designers).

The default in the “Energy Saver” control panel was “Put the hard disk to sleep when possible.” I have since unchecked that because I was tired of coming back to my computer after five minutes, clicking on some window, and getting the beach ball for about five seconds while, presumably, the hard disk spun up. So now I’m wondering if this option could have anything to do with Spotlight not indexing some files, particularly recent ones. Maybe Spotlight goes to look for new stuff but, finding a disk that has been spun down, decides not to spin it up in order to do its thing.

Just a theory.

BN that energy saver check box is the first thing that should be unchecked especially for desktops. It is really there for laptops.

I am not sure why you guys are seeing this behavior in spotlight. Personally I am not seeing recent files not show up in a spotlight search. The only difference I can think of is that my files are never stored on the drive my system software is on. I have always stressed that keeping data files on seperate drives than the OS. With 250GB drives out there for less than $100 now there is no real reason not to install a data drive.

On that check box (put drive to sleep) in X.1 there was no such check box. By default the system was putting the drives to sleep after only a few minutes. It was the number one slow down for X.1. It really was insane. In X.1 because drives were being put to sleep when you went to the apple menu and passed over the recent items menu the finder would freeze up waiting for the drives to spin up of recent items that were on sleeping drives. When X.2 came along the option to turn this feature off was implemented.

BN how much RAM do you have in the desktop?