Comments on: If you’re gonna be a Windows app, act like a windows app

By: i like ellipses… » CSS resets and if you should use them

i like ellipses… » CSS resets and if you should use them — Mon, 05 May 2008 04:44:45 +0000

[…] my app to look like an app that runs on a platform somewhere else. I’ve complained about that same problem with iTunes. With CSS resets, it’s not quite that bad since you’re mostly dealing with margins and […]

By: i like ellipses… » How do you like your music?

i like ellipses… » How do you like your music? — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:16:19 +0000

[…] like it when applications try to manage that stuff for you… like iTunes. Yes, it’s yet another thing I don’t like about […]

By: solak

solak — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 17:40:59 +0000

I’m mostly a Mac user, and what iTunes is doing is the normal Macintosh style. As it happens, I also prefer that style because I can switch to an application without being ever-so-careful not to hit an active control.

That said, as both a programmer and a user I completely agree with your main point: Consistency with the platform’s conventions is much more important than having *some* applications match anyone’s personal preference. When I do use Windows, it annoys me to no end that only some apps match the UI style, including this mouse-click issue. Apparently the problem is widespread, however, because I did not know until reading this blog entry that there even was a “Windows-approved” behavior in this situation, not to mention which one was correct.

Thank you for educating me. I’ll just keep my iTunes on my Macintosh and avoid this instance of the problem.

By: mike

mike — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 02:44:17 +0000

1. iTunes was an app for Mac first, but IMHO you should make your app follow the conventions for the platform that it’s being used on. If you’re being installed on a mac, it should act like how a mac user would expect it to act. If it’s being installed on linux, it should act how a linux user would expect a regular linux app to work. Follow your installed OS’s conventions.

2.Actually, I have seen that more and more too. Office 2007 apps eat the click too. Even though those are first and foremost Windows apps, I don’t think they’re acting like how good Windows apps should work. When I was experimenting with them for this post, I saw their behavior and it struck me as odd. And since I’m an all Windows user, that simply shouldn’t happen.

By: Aaron Lerch

Aaron Lerch — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 15:32:52 +0000

Yep - good article.

And in no way am I trying to defend iTunes on Windows _at all_, but, I would offer that:

1. iTunes is a Mac app first and foremost - why would we expect Apple to put in a lot of effort to “window-ize” it? If they make windows users *too* happy, what incentive do they have to switch to a Mac? 2. Regarding buttons taking focus + “activating” when clicked while the app doesn’t have focus, it’s interesting because in .NET 2.0 the default toolstrip behavior (toolbars, menus, etc.) is to take focus, but it eats the click. So even Microsoft isn’t acting like a windows app!
Check out this post for more info on it
http://blogs.msdn.com/rickbrew/archive/2006/01/09/511003.aspx

By: lb

lb — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 03:07:32 +0000

well said. i find itunes to be an appalling application on windows. it’s slow, has such fiddly little controls, and doesn’t keep you informed of what it’s doing.

By: Scott

Scott — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 14:24:53 +0000

Great article. I hate iTunes, slow and sluggish and doesn’t feel right for the reasons you state. Unfortunately, every other music manager I’ve tried is even worse. I keep threating to attempt to make my own app to manage Podcasts, because that is all I use my iPod for, but never do.