[Toadling]

Originally Posted by Cameron

I heard someone once say Things felt like a Mac app while Omnifocus looks more like a Windows counterpart.

Yeah, I've read that once or twice as well. But I wonder what it is specifically that makes some people feel that way? There are plenty of Mac apps (even ones from Apple) that don't follow the iPhoto-esque design that Things has adopted.

And what is this demographic that feels this way? Are they newcomers to the Mac platform? Are they casual users favoring glamorous or trendy interfaces? Or are they design-oriented power-users with very specific tastes?

Or maybe it's just that the Omni Group's overall design aesthetic is rather plain, simple, and somewhat understated? I guess some might even call it boring.

Personally, I prefer a plain interface; it helps me focus on the data rather than the chrome. But I don't want ugly either, and craftsmanship is extremely important to me; things need to fit together nicely, be proportionate, and have an air of quality. I think OmniFocus accomplishes this for the most part.

Just curious.

-Dennis

[jasong]

Originally Posted by Toadling

Maybe I need to try THL firsthand, but after seeing the screenshots I can't help but feel turned-off immediately.

It's funny, because that was my exact reaction after looking at screenshots.

When using it, I had a very different reaction.

It was weird.

[jasong]

Originally Posted by Toadling

Yeah, I've read that once or twice as well. But I wonder what it is specifically that makes some people feel that way? There are plenty of Mac apps (even ones from Apple) that don't follow the iPhoto-esque design that Things has adopted.

And what is this demographic that feels this way? Are they newcomers to the Mac platform? Are they casual users favoring glamorous or trendy interfaces? Or are they design-oriented power-users with very specific tastes?

I'm a long-time Mac user, since the mid-80s. I lived with a Mac SE on my desk for a while, and have 15 Macs of various vintages in my garage. When Mac OS X Public Beta was released, I screamed to high heaven they'd broken my beloved Mac interface.

That was then.

Today, there's the so-called "Delicious Generation" of applications that incorporate a lot of fancy UI and animation and non-standard widgets.

I generally hate them all.

I love OmniFocus. Have since I started beta testing it back in the summer of 2007 (is that right? has it been that long?). But OmniFocus, with its clean backgrounds and basic icons, and standard widgets, which make it a pleasure to work in, doesn't look like a Leopard application.

This isn't a dig against OF or OG. Mail, Finder, Safari... these all have a somewhat "old school" feel compared to, say, iWeb, even iPhoto.

Not better, not worse, just different.

THL, and Things, both have adopted the Delicious Generation style.

Of course, I'd prefer THL had used standard widgets and spent the time instead to implement features.

But it's looks great.

[Greg Jones]

I also think that the developers that have their roots in the NeXT platform have a certain UI style that makes them a just a little different from the developers that have always been Mac-only or Mac/PC. The difference is more subtle today than what it once was for the Omni apps, but some programs like AquaMinds' NoteTaker don't look much different today than what they did when they were first ported from NeXT.

[jasong]

I played around with the theme stuff today and created an airy theme I'm dubbing "DeliciousGeneration" (insert snark here).

Download, unzip and place in ~"/Library/Application Support/OmniFocus/Themes".

Then open up OmniFocus > Preferences > Style Preferences, save your current theme, then load this one.

Customize to your heart's desire.

[sfkeydel]

Oy, I'm glad I saved the default theme before replacing :-) Sorta cute, though...

[indygreg]

hit list is good looking (very similar to things, but better in some ways).

the 'killer feature' of THL, by far, is the inline tagging and context. I cannot praise this feature enough. But the program is too young and has too many things I do not want to wait for. And I suspect it will be just like things . . . a ton of promise and then will hit a wall and just not move forward. Things just died when they focused on the iphone and I suspect THL will as well.

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE if OF added this type of inline keyboard centric tags (if they would finally add tags) and contexts.

[shuttersny]

>>>> would LOVE LOVE LOVE if OF added this type of inline keyboard centric tags (if they would finally add tags) and contexts.<<<

I can not STRESS how much I agree with this. I LOVE THIS-It makes things so much easier and clear to sort and find as well as present. l also I do like the clean interface. But then again I do love Omnifocus Scope and usefulness. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a pretty face =THL - but wonder if it will "hit the Wall" like other programs or if the developer has the depth and financing to last. I always end up coming back "home" to Omnifocus - I actually never leave - I "double track" any other software I am comparing to it- which is what I am doing with now THL
I find I "think better" and get more focused in Omnifocus but can retrieve - "pull up info" and comprehend recalled info in THL easier and with a better recognition presentation value.
Like I said I'm a sucker for a pretty face!

[shuttersny]

@jasong
Snark or no snark, thanks for that theme - I happen to like it and the visual clues by color and type help me absorb information. Now if I just had tags-prioritization, and secondary sort, I would be happy for now at least (Of course, I would then want all this is the iPhone version - Oh the demanding Consumer!)

[Lucas]

I personally noticed that the enthusiasm for Things plunged just after it was no longer free to use.

It may be that tagging actions is a great feature (I personally disagree with that view, but I recognize that others may think differently), but I think that the reasons that particular products seem to generate enthusiasm online are probably misleading.