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Comment by goosedragons | Hacker News Reader

How do you show hidden folders in Finder? You literally have to memorize a keyboard shortcut. How do you switch apps in full screen mode, you need to know trackpad gestures or keyboard shortcuts. Every post like 2004 addition to MacOS seems to be reliant on trackpad gestures to the point using the operating system with a mouse is a negative.

The search bar in the menu is fine if there is a menu to search. IIRC or at least last time I used it the screenshot tool had no menus and was extremely unclear as to how to save a screenshot as a file in the location you actually want.

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The screenshot tool is pretty tightly coupled to shortcuts that’s certainly true. I actually didn’t know there was a keyboard shortcut for hidden files and folders, it can be toggled through the preference menu for finder, but again yeah that’s not as discoverable as it should be. Switching apps in full screen mode would be using the dock. I never do, but it works just fine and it’s the way you switch apps with a mouse, also using cams+tab works with the system set to follow space of selected application which is set by default.

To your point about trackpads though, I agree. I can’t stand a mouse on macOS, it loses too much convenience, especially with BTT available.

That said, is there any system today that you find more discoverable? I mean serenityOS actually fits that bill, and classics like older macOS or windows 98, but anything modern?

> How do you switch apps in full screen mode, you need to know trackpad gestures or keyboard shortcuts.

The Dock also works, although you have to move the pointer downwars to show it. In a lot of ways Clicking on Icons is MacOS foundation mode and everything else is superfluous. I, as a Poweruser, forget that sometimes.

> IIRC or at least last time I used it the screenshot tool had no menus and was extremely unclear as to how to save a screenshot as a file in the location you actually want.

The Screenshot tool btw. is also an App under Applications → Utilities. If you use that, you’ll get a floating palette with different options including for different locations. Those options then get also used by the Poweruser ⇧⌘n shortcuts.

(I don’t necessary disagree with you, there is too much invisible navigation.)

And that screenshot tool does not have anything in the global menu. That was my point.

That screenshot utility is also accessible with ⇧⌘5, which might be invisible, but just letting you know.

As for where to save that screenshot, that is available in the Options section of the floating menu.

Or hold down the option key while right clicking things or in certain dialog boxes. I guess that's not horrible if you internalize that fact but it's not discoverable.

> How do you show hidden folders in Finder?

You don't. They are hidden. If you are supposed to see them they shouldn't be hidden.

I understand that other operating systems make a different choice about this, but that doesn't make their choice is the correct one.

⇧⌘.

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