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AllanM:
Hello all,

I'm a long time iTunes user (from when it was released), and decided to try MC. MC has tons of features I would like to take advantage of, but after using it for just a few days, some the UI is really getting frustrating. The most glaring aspect of the UI is the obvious port from windows. The menus (the ones at the top of the screen) just don't function the way Mac menus are supposed to.

First, I prefer reduced transparency and increased contrast (System Pref: Accessibility: Display). MC doesn't seem to respect these settings. Menus are transparent and scroll bars are low contrast.

Second, the menus just don't act right. If I move the mouse to the top if the screen (all the way to top, touching the actual top of the screen), above the File menu, and click, nothing happens. The menu should expand. If I do this with the "Media Center" menu, or any other menu in any other application, it works. For MC, I have to put the cursor directly on top of the menu. This may seem trivial, but it's making selecting stuff from menu's frustrating.

Third, these should be able to select one menu, then drag the mouse to the next menu and it should open. MC doesn't so this. The user has to click on the menu to open it.

Also, the user should be able to click on the menu and drag the mouse down, then let go on a menu item. The MC menus require two clicks: one to open the menu and one to select the item. Frustrating, and non-Mac like.

Am I missing something? Any help resolve these (hopefully) easy to fix issues are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Allan

JimH:
MC's source is the same for Windows and Mac and that's not likely to change any time soon.  I'm sorry if it is bothering you.

AllanM:

--- Quote from: JimH on August 18, 2019, 11:39:39 am ---MC's source is the same for Windows and Mac and that's not likely to change any time soon.  I'm sorry if it is bothering you.

--- End quote ---

Thanks for the reply. The non-standard (for Mac) UI is probably enough to keep me from using JRiver for now. If Apple keeps reducing features from iTunes to the point it becomes a streaming only tool, or stops supporting the 5 star rating system (like Photos did for images), I will look again at JRiver. JRiver has a great set of features.

blgentry:
AllanM:

I was put off by the "not Mac" interface of MC at first also.  It felt weird and wrong... almost transplanted.  It's a long story, but you should know a few important things:

1.  MC for Mac comes from the same source as MC for Windows (and linux, etc).  This is actually a good thing because it means the developers are working on 1 set of code and not 2 or 3.  So features come to the Mac version right about the same time as the Windows version.

2.  MC for Mac, for me, has been very stable.  It doesn't behave like other OSX programs in terms of window placement and things.  It's a rebel.  But it works well.  It's not buggy or strange.

3.  ITunes is being discontinued in favor of 3 new apps, one of which is a Music app.  I'm not hopeful for anything good to come of this in the short term.  I expect it to be a work in progress for a while.  MC, on the other hand, has a very long history and has not had any radical changes in a long time.  In 5 major versions I've never had any real changes to my listening or workflow with my music.  It just keeps on using the same way that I know to use.  Unlike ITunes which kept changing it's interface every few versions.

4.  You will quickly get used to the "non Mac-iness" of MC. 

I recommend that you just try it for a while.  You've got a 30 day free trial.  So try it.  Maybe it's not for you.  Maybe it is.

Good luck with your music playback decision.

Brian.

AllanM:
Thanks Brian. I'm trying it.

I understand it has the same code base, which is great for simultaneous releases. I'm not even asking for "mac only" features. I was just hoping for a basic Mac feel. I was hoping whatever tool MC uses for cross platform development (mono?) would support/respect some underlying OS settings and standards. 

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