[pwinnski]

I hate System Preferences, have hated System Preferences for years and years. I cannot seem to get used to where things are, no matter how often I use it. The order doesn't make sense to me, the grouping doesn't make sense to me, and the icons aren't visually distinct enough for me. I might be the only one, but it's hard to imagine any overhaul of System Preference not resulting in an improvement.

I'm sure it's just me. I'm the only one struggling to understand why "Desktop & Screen Saver" is so far from "Displays" and whether what I'm looking for is in one of those or maybe "Dock & Menu Bar."

It could be that the new System Settings won't resolve my lack of memory when it comes to this one particular area of MacOS, but I can't imagine it getting worse. I use search for most things now as it is.

[lapcat]

System Preferences has an "Organize Alphabetically" option. System Settings does not.

System Preferences can hide individual preference panes from the list. System Settings can't.

System Preferences search field is focused on launch. System Settings is not.

System Preferences is fully keyboard navigable. System Settings is not.

System Preferences uses tabs where System Settings in many cases uses a modal window hidden behind a button.

The list goes on and on...

[ninkendo]

> I'm the only one struggling to understand why "Desktop & Screen Saver" is so far from "Displays" and whether what I'm looking for is in one of those or maybe "Dock & Menu Bar."

You’ll love finding out that in System Settings, the Screensaver section doesn’t let you enable/disable the Screensaver. Or adjust how long until it activates. For that you gotta go to “Lock Screen”, yay.

Here’s hoping they improve it over time, I guess.

[gsinclair]

The thought of using System Preferences (or Settings — I couldn’t tell you the difference, if there is one) to access anything, when Alfred or Spotlight can access it instead, is anathema to me.

[knubie]

System Preferences is grouped by software-related settings on the top and hardware-related settings on the bottom. You may notice a slight color difference between the two sections. (I only learned this recently).

[pwinnski]

Yeah, there's definitely an attempt at organization, but... here's the thing. Most of MacOS works the way my brain expects it to. Like, Pages was a revelation when it was released, as I was able to instantly find everything I wanted to do right where I expected it to be. The initial release of Pages may have been the high point of Apple making software the way I think.

I get that everything in System Preferences is in a place that makes sense, and once I've found it, I can reason back from there to why it's there. But... is a screensaver software or hardware? I mean, it runs on the screen, which is hardware, but it's obviously software--but then, this is a computer, so everything is software. I mean, Date & Time is under hardware, which... is not where I would have looked first. Siri is triggered by a physical button, but is software, while Data & Time are visible on my screen but is hardware--presumably because of the clock inside the computer, right? What about the chip enabling Siri?

Anyway, other people didn't like the version of Pages I loved, and maybe other people don't have trouble with System Preferences. Different strokes, and all that. I just don't get the complaining as if something of value was lost.

System Settings might be even worse that System Preferences. Fine. One of Apple's worst things has gotten worse, and is now an area of focus, so now might, or presumably will get better. I prefer that to the neglect System Preferences was receiving.