Mac users - have you downloaded OS X Yosemite? How's it working for you?

[zoom-zoom]

After >12 hours of downloading and countless restarts (I suspect our ISP is to blame) I finally was able to get Yosemite installed. So far, so good. This is the fastest my computer has run in probably 6 months. Hopefully I can massage at least another 3-4 months out of this >5 year old machine. Our checkbook has been hit REALLY hard in recent months.

[IBrakeforPastry]

After >12 hours of downloading and countless restarts (I suspect our ISP is to blame) I finally was able to get Yosemite installed. So far, so good. This is the fastest my computer has run in probably 6 months. Hopefully I can massage at least another 3-4 months out of this >5 year old machine. Our checkbook has been hit REALLY hard in recent months.

Good! Mine's running better today. I'm playing around with the settings until I get used to the new look.

[OakLeaf]

I'm just curious what new look/what bad reviews?

Aside from the brand new hardware and the very aggravating bug that is now HOPEFULLY dealt with ...

the only real difference I've noticed between Yosemite and Snow Leopard is trackpad dragging, where in Snow Leopard I could tap once and then drag, in Yosemite I have to three-finger drag, and to bring up the drop-down menu on an alarm I haven't figured out how to do that without physically clicking on the button vs tap to click (which just snoozes for the default five minutes in Yosemite).

Other than that (okay, that and the backwards scrolling that was introduced several OS versions ago, and I knew right away how to turn that off), I have not seen any difference at all.

What am I missing?!

[IBrakeforPastry]

You know how sometimes something looks different, but you can't tell what? That's it.
The favorites bar and the other bars, basically everything up top - they're hard to distinguish. Nothing stands out. No bold lines, everything the same color and intensity. And the mail is completely different. It's set up like the iPad, with the received mail in a column on the left, rather than listed at the top, with just the subjects line showing. I found some settings in the "view" tab that allow for some changes.

I'm not using the Apple mouse, so it's the same left and right click functions for me.

I'm getting used to the scroll, but just in case, how do I turn it off? Something under Systems Preferences? (okay - found it. Took about 5 seconds )

[OakLeaf]

Huh. So, I haven't migrated my mailboxes yet, that's the last thing, but in the interim I'm getting all my mail on the iPad so hopefully it won't be too big of an adjustment. As far as the rest ... maybe it's just your wallpaper? It all looks identical to 10.6 to me. Or were you on an even earlier version? I don't even remember what 10.4 looked like, pretty sure I skipped 10.5 ...

[IBrakeforPastry]

I don't know what older version I had. I think it was a leopard.

I know! The favorites bar: The graphics made each "favorite" look like an individual little button. Now it's just text, no graphics. Nothing to really separate them. I'm sorry - it's just really hard for me to explain.

And you know how websites have little icons that show up on the left side of the address bar/box? That's missing, too. It's all just black, grey and white.

[OakLeaf]

I don't know what older version I had. I think it was a leopard.

I know! The favorites bar: The graphics made each "favorite" look like an individual little button. Now it's just text, no graphics. Nothing to really separate them. I'm sorry - it's just really hard for me to explain.

And you know how websites have little icons that show up on the left side of the address bar/box? That's missing, too. It's all just black, grey and white.

I wonder if you haven't yet installed, or created a path to, the apps in your Dock. Do you see a big question mark icon, and then if you hover your cursor over it you get the text name of the app that's supposed to be there? Click on it and it will either find the path automatically, or ask you to show the path, and then you should have the icon. The icons are on by default. If that isn't it, there's something else weird going on - I looked to see whether the icons could be switched on or off, and I don't see that option in System Preferences.

If you haven't updated your OS since Leopard, many of your apps are probably incompatible with Yosemite. You'll need to either update them too, or if you have a favorite game like I do that hasn't been updated, keep your old box around to play it ...

Same with the website icons. Once you visit those, they will fill in. You just don't have them cached in your new browser yet.


Oh, and I just found that User Libraries are hidden by default in Yosemite. If you need access to any of yours, it's super easy to turn them back to visible (no messing around with the Terminal or anything scary like that [I'm not trying to be condescending, I'm terrified of Terminal myself ]). I just did it and immediately forgot the exact steps, but if you can't find it on a quick search I'll look it up again.

[zoom-zoom]

Well, dammit...I spoke too soon. I've run hard into the wi-fi connectivity issues that have plagued a lot of people with Yosemite upgrades, if reading around is any measure. I've always had Airport problems, even when my computer was brand new 5ish years ago. For years I wired directly to the modem, but now that's 2 rooms away (our downstairs is one big room, so no walls between computer and router and I have no issues with my phone connecting to our wi-fi from anywhere in the house). Now things are positively horrid. I can forget streaming Spotify or watching any streaming video. Pages can take a minute or more to load, my connection randomly drops completely. Ugh!!! There are no less than 10 possible solutions being presented, but I have no idea where to even start. I may just go the PRAM route. Or toss my damned machine out the window next to me!

[Dubz]

@zoom-zoom: I feel your pain. Computer issues suck. Especially when Macs are normally very reliable. I hate PCs now. I could never go back to them since going Mac.

After my Yosemite upgrade, when logging onto my MacBook Pro (mid 2012 version) it takes much longer for the password box to appear. Sometimes it won't allow me to enter my password for a few seconds. Before, it was like lightening. It's a little thing, but very annoying.

I've also got Microsoft Office 2011 installed and have had some lagging issues with that as well since I upgraded. Don't know if it's related, but I presume it is. I'm up-to-date with all my software downloads and patches.

[zoom-zoom]

@zoom-zoom: I feel your pain. Computer issues suck. Especially when Macs are normally very reliable. I hate PCs now. I could never go back to them since going Mac.

I still wouldn't go PC, either...not after I HAD to take a programming class in college that used PCs...and the room had to be evacuated when one started on fire!!

I think I found the fix to my issue. I tried a few other things before trying this (fix #2)...so far it seems to have completely cured my issue.

[Dubz]

@zoom-zoom

That's brilliant! Did it just suddenly burst into flames? I hope it didn't cause too much damage. Good thing you got your Mac sorted.

My funny PC story in college involves being in the middle of a a very boring class while the tutor was in full flow discussing something quite serious. Suddenly, we heard the voice of the Drill Instructor from Full Metal Jacket screaming abuse at us. Naturally, we were all a bit taken aback. There was an awkward silence while everyone looked around the room going WTF? But we couldn't stop laughing when we realised that some of the guys had programmed the PC to make this happen. Perfect timing! Just thinking about it makes me laugh even now.

[zoom-zoom]

Spoke too soon...wi-fi is back to running slow and intermittently dropping and then reconnecting. *sigh* This seems to be a fairly widespread problem, but apparently Apple has repeatedly feigned ignorance. Dammit, I miss Steve Jobs. Hardware, software, and customer support all seemed so much better when he was still actively the face of Apple.

[Dubz]

@zoom-zoom

Good thing you were all ok and got a bonus day off to boot.

That's a pity about your Wi-Fi. Are you sure it's definitely a Yosemite issue and not an issue with your broadband provider / other hardware? I had a very similar issue recently. The provider sent out an engineer and it turned out that I just needed a new router. They swapped it out and that was it - problem solved.

I agree about Steve Jobs. Though maybe Apple employees prefer to have lunch with their current CEO...

http://www.businessinsider.com/what-...t-apple-2014-6

[OakLeaf]

That's true, I would check the router before definitively blaming your OS. They don't last forever.

Jobs ... maybe, maybe not. I've seen the same kind of things happen with Garmin, which never had a cult of personality the way Apple did. I think any company that enjoys that kind of success will eventually get to the point where they don't feel their product has to live up to their reputation any more. I think it just took Apple a little longer to get to that point, because it was the iPod and not the computer that really got them there.

[zoom-zoom]

That's true, I would check the router before definitively blaming your OS. They don't last forever.

Jobs ... maybe, maybe not. I've seen the same kind of things happen with Garmin, which never had a cult of personality the way Apple did. I think any company that enjoys that kind of success will eventually get to the point where they don't feel their product has to live up to their reputation any more. I think it just took Apple a little longer to get to that point, because it was the iPod and not the computer that really got them there.

And then the iPhone...I believe that has been deemed the device that really turned things around for Apple more than any other. I sure do love mine most of the time (though iOS7 was garbage and had me rethinking that. Thankfully 8 seems just as reliable as 5 and 6 were).

I wondered about the router, but wouldn't all of our other wireless devices have issues, too, if the router were failing? 2 laptops, 2 phones, and iPad are all connecting and staying connected fine...as is the TV (which may be directly connected to the modem, I forget) and the basement TV's Chromecast. And the router's <2 years old. We replaced it when we moved, so it's relatively new. Plus, I had similar issues to what I'm having now when my computer was brand new. At our old house I had to cable connect directly to the modem in the same room. Now that I'm 2 rooms away I don't have that option without drilling holes and running cable under the floor.