[X Newbies] Conceptualizing OSX was Desktop

[Michael Winter]

On Tuesday, May 6, 2003, at 06:29  PM, Anne Keller-Smith wrote:

> I'm used to each thing on my hard drive showing up ONCE,
> with the exception of aliases. I had it set up very neatly,
> everything in the hard drive and only current stuff that
> gets backed up and moved off on a regular basis sitting
> on the desktop.

 From this paragraph it sounds like you're having difficulty 
conceptualizing the different between the so-called "spatial" Finder of 
OS 9 and the "non-spatial" Finder of OS X.

In the spatial Finder of OS9, there is a one-to-one correspondence 
between a window and a folder. So, for example, if you opened up your 
Applications folder in OS 9, you can resize and move the window, change 
the view properties and close it. The next time you open it, it will 
open in the same place you left it, be the same size and have the same 
view properties.

That also means that there can be only one window showing the contents 
of your Applications folder open at a time. So if you have a window 
open showing the contents of your hard drive in list view (OS9), you 
can double-click your Applications folder and the window showing the 
contents of your Applications folder will open. I you double-click it 
again, it just brings the exact same window to the front. Then if you 
go back to the window with the list view and click the disclosure 
triangle next to your Applications folder, the separate window showing 
the contents of that folder will close and the contents will be 
displayed in the original window.

In other words, you can only view the contents of a given folder in one 
place at a time.

In OS X that all changes. Now every Finder "window" is simply a portal 
to view the file system,  and each window can either show a different 
view of the file system, or the same view. There is no longer a 
one-to-one "spatial" correspondence between a folder and the window 
that displays its contents.

What that means is that you can now have two or more windows showing 
the contents of the same folder at the same time. So using the example 
I gave above, say you have one window open showing the contents of your 
Applications folder, but now when you go to another window, in list 
view, and click the disclosure triangle to have it display the contents 
of your Applications folder there, you end up with two windows showing 
the same information. There is no longer a one-to-one correspondence, 
the same information can be seen in more than one place at the same 
time.

IMO the spatial Finder is easier to learn and comprehend. It more 
closely resemble the "real world" where everything stays where you put 
it and can always and only be found by going back to that place (unless 
you have kids that is). In OS X, you can get to the pan in the kitchen 
cupboard by going through your bedroom closet if you want. It can make 
some things quicker and easier, but only once you fully understand how 
the system works.

I don't know if the above helps or not, but you aren't the only person 
who has a more difficult time with the way OS X does things in the 
Finder. It just takes a little time and practice.

-Mike