Spotlight was never useful, because of an absurd and glaring design defect: It doesn't show you WHERE it found stuff. There's no path shown with hits. Same blunder in Finder's search, and you can't even optionally add "path" as a column. WTF.
So... when the hits include six identically-named files, you can't eliminate ones that you know are wrong (on a backup volume or whatever). The level of stupidity here is just mind-boggling.
Where? And how is that option displayed to the user?
I also just tried it in Spotlight and Finder, and it did nothing. Which I consider a relief, because undiscoverable bullshit is worse than the feature not existing.
macOS and iPadOS are full of those undiscoverable "if you do this combination of buttons/swipes while at full moon, something happens". As a Mac user not by choice (work issued) I hate how impossible to discover these are.
As a Mac/iOS/iPadOS user it seems that it’s almost mandatory to watch each Keynote / product announcement video if you want to keep up with new features. Lots of cool features that I only knew about by watching those videos that are completely undiscoverable otherwise.
These kinds of shortcuts are part of Apple software as a whole, and apparently have been a thing since at least OSX. These behaviors were supposed to be covered in the documentation, but I don't know how true this is nowadays.
Special mention to all text input fields in macOS having Emacs-style shortcuts.
It goes back further than that. I remember being able to buy key-combo cheat cards for System 7, and I have no reason to think the shortcuts they covered wouldn't also have been present in System 6.
I agree that discoverability could be better, but macOS has pretty consistently had hidden power user shortcuts and modifiers, to keep the basic workflow streamlined/simple for those who don't need it.
Seeing where stuff is in a search function is not a "power user" feature; it's the whole point of what you're doing.
And I don't buy the "keeping things simple" excuse for secret hotkeys in other areas. Falling back on gimmicks like undisplayed hotkeys and "long presses" and "gestures" is lazy abandonment of the design task.
I hate this "saving the user from complexity" lie. It's hypocritical: The "non-power" user isn't going to go looking for these options in the first place.
Finder search is a great example. A "non-power" user isn't going to right-click on the column headings in the results and try to add "path" as a column. So how does it help that user to deny everyone else the ability to add it?
Apple mocked IBM for needing a thick user manual back in the day. To suggest that anyone (especially anyone on this site) should have to read documentation to use perform a basic file search (in a GUI, no less) is apologism to the extreme.
In all fairness, you do need to hold down the command key to show the file location in Sequoia. It is an interesting default behavior to pretend the files location doesn't exist, mobile-centric.
No you don’t. In Finder search results, the path is always shown at the bottom. For regular Finder windows, you can optionally show the path with “View -> Show Path Bar”
In all fairness, secret hotkey BS may as well not exist. Are you supposed to mash every modifier key and every combination thereof on every screen and in every menu, looking for hidden goodies?
we have simplified the interface to just one home button and the screen interface, as well as the volume up/volume down key.
To select, just press on the item.
To hover, press and hold for at least 2 seconds.
To get a list of options, press and hold for at least 2.5 seconds, but not more than 3.5 seconds.
To delete, press and hold for 3.6 seconds, but not longer than 3.9 seconds.
To save, press and hold for 4.1 seconds. Pressing and holding for exactly 4.0 seconds activates the archive action. Pressing and holding for 4.2 or more seconds sends the item to the blocked list.
To retrieve the list of items in the blocked list, press and hold and simultaneously press the volume up and volume down key.
To delete all items in the block list, press and hold and simultaneously press the volume up key only.
To completely reset your device, press and hold and simultaneously press the volume down key only, whilst holding the device in a completely vertical plane, and rotating clock-wise and counter-clockwise, smoothly, at precise 2.35619 radians every 30 seconds.
To trigger the emergency call feature, drop the device at an acceleration of no less than 9.6m/s and no more than 9.7m/s
No: you are supposed to read the documentation to learn about power user features. Microsoft also doesn’t shove the advanced keyboard shortcuts in your face; you need to read the manual to learn stuff like this.
Is it, though? Most people don’t really have a notion of the file system, or hierarchical file structures. They drop files onto their desktop, or keep them in the downloads folder. Just ask a parent or your next-door neighbour.
That’s a bit of a problem when discussing problems of normal users with power users, because they don’t even realise how what they’re doing is actually not what normies do.
I’m inclined to agree that hotkeys in MacOS are hard to discover, but cluttering the interface with stuff many users simply do not need cannot be the correct answer.
So... when the hits include six identically-named files, you can't eliminate ones that you know are wrong (on a backup volume or whatever). The level of stupidity here is just mind-boggling.