[ninefathom]

//confused noises//

Wait, are you telling me that macOS has gotten so ensh---ified that many of its users feel the need to purchase a bespoke file manager, arguably one of the most fundamental functions of an operating system?

Surely this is a very specific product for a very specific class of users? This can't be a widespread need, right? RIGHT?

(Context: I haven't used modern macOS in roughly a decade and have no idea what it's like these days)

[embedding-shape]

I had a gap of 5-6 years of not using macOS, now I'm kind of forced as I want my cross-platform native applications to also be available on macOS.

The file manager definitely got a lot worse than it used to be. It doesn't even seem like you can properly move up/down the directory hierarchy anymore with just the keyboard, I think the sequence of holding down "CMD" then spamming "up arrow" no longer takes you to the root, as just one example of workflows they've broken since then.

In comparison though, Windows' file browser is a completely dumpster-fire that sometimes takes 10-20 seconds to load for me, in a relatively barebones Windows 11 installation with 0 network drives. The only stuff that keeps being the same or slightly improving, is the various file managers on Unix/Linux systems, although Gnome's latest iteration took some time before it was as good as the previous versions, for whatever reason.

[flyingshelf]

Finder has always been crap. When Windows Vista came out, using Finder was like playing with a toy. IYKYK.[1]

Sadly, it has received effectively zero updates since. The only amazing things about the Finder are column view and QuickLook, both of which we've had forever

For reference, both Windows Vista and QuckLook came out nearly 20 years ago. TWENTY.

  [1]: One example: you could customize it to show fields from your MP3 files, including the artwork, and *edit* the files inline. Some goes for EXIF. macOS, today, won't even show you something as basic the image dimensions (not file size)

[zuhsetaqi]

> macOS, today, won't even show you something as basic the image dimensions (not file size)

That’s just wrong. That’s possible since at least 8 years.

ttps://www.macg.co/os-x/2018/11/astuce-afficher-les-metadonnees-completes-exif-des-images-dans-le-finder-104455

[flyingshelf]

Not anymore, I suppose: https://imgur.com/a/cGxXBiN

I just took this screenshot in macOS 18, same view (gallery)

[zuhsetaqi]

In the Menu Bar of the Finder go to View -> Show Preview Options, then you get a dialog where you can select which info should be shown in the preview.

[flyingshelf]

Ok, this is crazy.

1. I open the dialog, "Dimensions" appears (it was already selected)

2. It fails to load the dimensions of a screenshot macOS itself took: https://imgur.com/ufs0UfZ

3. I close the dialog, the new fields disappear

To me this confirms that macOS is still a toy for Apple 20 years later.

[flyingshelf]

macOS 15 *

[msephton]

I think it's more people would rather built their own opinionated file manager than explore or understand how much Finder can really do. This app does a tiny fraction of what Finder can do and has been able to do for decades.

[tl]

It's not a widespread issue but it's hardly new. DiskTop was an add-in that's almost as old as the Mac itself, and PathFinder has had a business model for most of the life of OSX.

Alternative file managers are arguably a healthy property; the alternative is the phone where you cannot compete meaningfully with the Files app. And Finder works for most basic needs, something which is not true of its mobile counterpart.

[abanana]

(Context: similar to you)

I suppose it's similar to how people used to buy things like Directory Opus. The point isn't so much that the default one doesn't work. A bunch of functions like those listed here, e.g. batch rename and easy image conversion, would be a great help to power users, and should be better than having to install a separate program for each one.

I doubt it's aimed at everybody, but it shouldn't need to be. Software tailored to a specific group's needs is likely to be better for them than something too generic.

[phyzix5761]

I think most of us software engineering (or related) people don't use the gui interface for file management. I've been using macOS for the last 20 years and I only used the gui for files like 10 or 20 times maybe. Not sure who the target audience is but at $19.99 I would pay a lot of money to have a list of the people who bought the app.

[saithir]

Guess you have never used norton/windows/midnight commander either?

[lenkite]

Apple makes good hardware but their software is really sucky nowadays. Finder was always crap but today even Windows Explorer is crap so all the default OS file managers stand in the same shit pool.

[belthesar]

During the days of my Powerbook G4 and 1st gen Intel Mac days, I used to use Path Finder [^1] over the native Finder, as it provided a richer and more comprehensive toolset. The base Finder wasn't bad, but Path Finder did more. Totally understand in today's era why you might jump to enshittification as the reason for this. Sometimes though, someone see the functionality a tool does, and goes "I wish it did this, but a little bit more".

^1: https://cocoatech.io/