John SiracusaJun 12
I hope I live long enough to see this style philosophy come back around. https://mastodon.social/@realmacdan/113792374380828124
Show threadJohn SiracusaJun 25
As requested by @rvr, here's a control sample from Lion, the reimagined Lion by @realmacdan, Sequoia, and Tahoe beta 2.
Show threadJohn SiracusaJun 25
To be more fair to Tahoe, here's a version where I re-aligned the controls to accommodate the new metrics. I've also included Yosemite in this one. (I'd add more, but there's apparently a four-picture limit.)
Show threadJohn SiracusaJun 25
A few more older ones, plus Tahoe beta 2 dark mode.
Show threadJohn SiracusaJun 26
Here are some great “reimagined” Retina-resolution images of some older versions of Mac OS X created by @kylehalevi
Show threadBuck
@siracusa @kylehalevi I will take any of them over Liquid Gl**ass**
Jun 26 at 1:46pmElk
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Show threadJohn SiracusaJun 26
Here are some great “reimagined” Retina-resolution images of some older versions of Mac OS X created by @kylehalevi
Show threadMachielJun 26
@siracusa it was just the time of my first Mac but I’ll always love snow leopard.
Show threadSolra BiznaJun 26
@vmachiel @siracusa I used Macs for 20 years before Snow Leopard and it's still my favorite version of MacOS. Snow Leopard was peak OS.
Show threadNiek van de PasJun 27

@vmachiel I’ve only been using Macs since 2019, but I would pay so much money for an OS redesign with that much visual clarity.

You’re not biased, Apple has just forgotten where its priorities should lie.

Show threadMachielJun 27
@niekvdpas yeah, it’s pretty to look at these days. But we don’t look at our devices: we use them.
Show threadTrent ShellJun 26
@siracusa If you had to choose one of these styles to go back to (with Retina-quality, of course), what would you choose? I think Lion might actually be my favorite in some ways.
Show threadBenjamin SchmidtJun 26
@trentshell @siracusa I know my favorite would be Snow Leopard. It's the most refined version with the pill buttons and feels the most Aqua.
Show threadJohn SiracusaJun 26
@trentshell They all had their own issues, but I think Tiger would be a fun balance of nostalgia and usability.
Show threadThomas BrandJun 26
@siracusa @kylehalevi I would take pinstripes over Liquid Glass any day.
Show threadBuckJun 26
@siracusa @kylehalevi I will take any of them over Liquid Gl**ass**
Show threadMegamooseJun 26
@siracusa In my opinion Lion was perhaps the best UI of all time. It took the visual distinctiveness & fun of original Aqua and made it clean & elegant yet still a joy to use.
Show threadAtelerixJun 26
@siracusa @kylehalevi oh, that Tahoe dark mode is a delight, but the snow leopard is lovely too. Honestly, I’d take any of these!!
Show threadMatthias Jun 26
@siracusa @kylehalevi I miss the tiger look.
Show threadLogan HighlenJun 26
@siracusa was Mavericks considered Aqua? I remember I upgraded from my 2008 15” MBP to a late 2013 15” and Mavericks just felt really good and stable.
Show threadJohn SiracusaJun 26
@LoganHighlen Apple's use of the term "Aqua" faded once the buttons stopped looking like clear candies, but you'd still hear it from time to time (and it appeared in Apple's code constants).
Show threadOliver BuschJun 26
@siracusa @kylehalevi
IMO, Lion was the perfect amount of Aqua. Subtle, elegant, functional.
Unfortunately, we will have to wait several versions until Liquid Glass will be finessed the same way.
Show threadJordan Kennedy // Indie MakerJun 26
@siracusa @kylehalevi Damn these look good
Show threadBrandon ButlerJun 26
@siracusa @kylehalevi I can’t decide between Lion or Snow Leopard.
Show threadpaprykJun 26
@siracusa @kylehalevi I think folks at Apple were already working on high DPI/"Retina" back in Tiger days - you could increase the user interface scale using Quartz Debugger: https://www.interact-sw.co.uk/iangblog/2005/05/20/tigerresolution
Resolution Independence in OS X Tiger

Ian Griffiths' Weblog

Show threadJohn SiracusaJun 26
@patryk @kylehalevi Yep, see https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2005/04/macosx-10-4/#scalable-ui and https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2007/10/mac-os-x-10-5/#resolution-independence and so on…
Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger

Apple's latest OS X release (10.4) is about to hit the streets. Tiger brings a …

Ars Technica
Show threadpaprykJun 26
@siracusa @kylehalevi Ah crap, I had a feeling you probably covered this back in the day, but quick Google search on "mac os x tiger high dpi" pointed me towards that blog instead of your articles at Ars Technica. Sorry. 😅
Show threadPaul McGraneJun 27

@siracusa @patryk @kylehalevi back especially with 10.5 Leopard, HiDDPi seemed perpetually and frustratingly just over the horizon.

It did only take … uh oh … another 5 years until first Retina MacBook Pro!

Show threadJeffy 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇺🇦 ❤️🇱🇺Jun 26
@siracusa @kylehalevi definitely the Snow Leopard era of contrast and separation of concerns era for me.
Show threadNick from TorontoJun 26
@siracusa @kylehalevi Snow Leopard so good.
Show threadNorbert HegerJun 26
@siracusa @kylehalevi What’s really great about these early Aqua designs (the buttons in particular) – they looked translucent without actually being translucent. So they looked cool and glassy but also had perfect legibility at the same time.
Show threadJohn AppleseedJun 26
@siracusa I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed the rounded buttons of the earlier UI designs
Show threadChancerubbageJun 27

@siracusa @kylehalevi

Such subtle differences.

Show threadVal Packett 🧉Jun 27

@siracusa @kylehalevi hehe just had to waste a half hour in Workbench just for the memes :) #GNOME

(oops, only after posting i've noticed that the tab switcher wasn't centered after i gave it margin, lmao)

Show threadFineFindusJun 27
@valpackett @siracusa @kylehalevi You may want to use Adw.ViewSwitcher for the flat header bar ;)
Show threadVal Packett 🧉Jun 27
@FineFindus none of this is supposed to be idiomatic Adwaita/HIG design, it's replicating the original in a silly way hehe
Show threadProficiencyJun 27

@valpackett @siracusa @kylehalevi Is it just me or the color palette here are just a little bit different than what actually GNOME is using?

Also, damn it looks nice!

Show threadVal Packett 🧉Jun 27

@proficiency the window itself? it is stock adwaita in 48.2, accent reset to blue for the screenshot.

the screenshot background gradient is whatever :)

Show threadProficiencyJun 27
@valpackett I think the graphical high anti aliasing just plays a trick on me, kinda weird seeing how not-jagged the fonts and the edges are.
Show threadYury MolodtsovJun 27
@siracusa @kylehalevi I got iPhone 5S that came with iOS 7, then I got a MacBook Air that immediately updated and removed all skeuomorphism. Was a bit sad to miss this era with Apple.
Show threadAaron PrivenJun 28
@siracusa @kylehalevi I’m wishing for Retina 7.5.5