Proceed with caution

If you look at our Tiger Time Machine article, you’ll see that we’re now up to a dozen little apps that will make Leopard look more like Tiger. The big thing seems to be getting rid of translucency in the menu bar.

I can see why some people don’t like the translucent menu bar — it can be particularly annoying if your desktop picture has different shades near the top. And really, why couldn’t Apple have provided something in the preferences to let people make up their own minds about translucency. This isn’t just a matter of personal preference, either. For people who are colour blind or who have poor eyesight, it can be a problem of accessibility.

Having said all that, though, we should add a note of caution. I’ve seen at least one comment from someone who used one of these little apps to get rid of the translucency — but couldn’t get it back. That’s a little bit scary, because you have to wonder what else might be going on under the hood. Also, the upgrade to Leopard from Tiger didn’t go smoothly for many people, and the main culprit seems to be changes people made to the system.

The best way to deal with translucency is to pick a desktop picture with a nice even colour along the top. I chose the dandelion, and it looks great. Meanwhile, let’s hope version 10.5.2 addresses these concerns.

Posted Saturday, November 17, 2007 in Opinion