Opinion

Mac OS X 10.11 “El Capitan”

I wrote a few words about iOS 9 when it came out, so I thought that I should also say something now that the new version of OS X is on the verge of release.  As before, there are people who have written many words about it as a formal review, so I’ll stick to my highlights. I have no intention of being the most complete or thorough here!

Having said that, I am qualified to say a few words. I’ve been playing with El Cap since the first beta and have had it installed on my main Mac since the GM was first made available.

Highlights:

  • Stable. I’ve barely noticed that it’s a new OS and I mean that as a compliment.
  • Wiggle the cursor to find it. This is a silly little thing, but I find  that I use it all the time.
  • Suggested contacts / events in Mail. Subtle but really useful now that I expect to find it.
  • Notes. Great update, making an already useful (albeit simple) app, even better.
  • Safari tells you which tab is playing music and lets you kill it.

Shows potential:

  • Split screen. I’ve never been a big user of full screen mode, or even virtual desktops. However, the split screen feature at least got me to try it. Mail, at least, is usable in this format — they added the ability to have multiple drafts and to “minimise” unfinished posts.
  • Pinned tabs in Safari. I’ve not found a good use for them yet but I’m reserving judgement.

Not a fan:

  • The natural language processing in Spotlight. I’ve mostly been unable to get it working and, honestly, I’m used to the Old Way. Maybe I’m becoming a luddite.
  • Swipe gestures in Mail. Like in iOS, the idea is that you can delete or mark as read by swiping left or right on a message. I find I trigger this by accident when switching virtual desktops and is not terribly useful otherwise.

Overall it’s a nice release. The performance is as good or better than before, it’s stable and there are a bunch of nice, if not earth shattering, enhancements. I think you’re unlikely to have serious problems with it, even if you upgrade on day one. So I’d say go for it!

(I’d be remiss not to mention that my Mac app, Quick Calendar, still works great on the new OS. If you don’t already have it — why not?! — download your copy now. It’s free!)