Make macOS consistently bad unironically

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Rounded corners & visual consistency

  • Many notice inconsistent corner radii between apps and window states; some find it visually unbearable, others literally never noticed.
  • Critics see it as a sign of deeper design/engineering sloppiness and poor separation of concerns, not just a cosmetic nit.
  • Defenders argue the radii are intentional (different window types) and that focusing on corners is bikeshedding given larger OS issues.
  • Several point out practical regressions: cut‑off content (scrollbars, text) and harder resize handles at rounded corners.

Window management workflows

  • Huge split: some almost never maximize windows, preferring overlapping “spatial” layouts; others maximize or tile everything, especially on large/4K/ultrawide displays.
  • macOS’s full‑screen mode (green button) is widely disliked: hides the menu bar, moves windows to separate spaces, and breaks some window-switching expectations.
  • Built‑in tiling (hover/option‑drag on green button, drag to edges, keyboard shortcuts) exists but is seen as hidden and weaker than Windows or Linux tiling WMs.
  • Some rely on third‑party tools (e.g., Rectangle, Magnet, yabai, KDE+i3‑style extensions) to get sane tiling/keyboard‑driven workflows.

Broader UX regressions in Tahoe

  • Complaints go well beyond corners: “Liquid Glass” transparency, pill‑shaped tabs, and sluggish notification buttons are common targets.
  • Window resizing in Tahoe is widely reported as frustrating and less reliable than previous versions.
  • Some feel macOS window management has been “death by a thousand cuts” over many releases, with Finder often cited as persistently bad.

Performance & stability concerns

  • Multiple users observe WindowServer and kernel_task spiking CPU after upgrades, causing laggy UI, slow app switching, and multi‑second delays.
  • There’s debate whether WindowServer high CPU is cause or symptom of misbehaving apps, and frustration at poor tooling to diagnose it.
  • Some report having to disable transparency, tweak spaces behavior, or use CPU-throttling utilities to keep systems usable.

Security, SIP, and corner fixes

  • The corner‑fix technique requires disabling System Integrity Protection and patching system libraries.
  • One side: if malware already has root, SIP doesn’t matter much; others counter SIP is still valuable for protecting OS integrity and recovery.
  • Several argue real risk often comes more from package managers and unvetted code than from toggling SIP alone.

Comparisons, alternatives & Apple’s direction

  • Linux (especially KDE/tiling WMs) is praised for configurable, discoverable window management and UI; some recent macOS converts feel Tahoe is a regression.
  • Windows is criticized for ads and bloat, but its snapping/tiling is often held up as better than macOS.
  • Some see the details regression (corners, input lag, hidden behaviors) as evidence Apple no longer has a strong, Jobs‑style perfectionist vision; others caution against overreacting and view these as annoying but survivable design swings.