Scroll Bar arrows Gone?

ScooterN2005 wrote:

Because of the other downgrades in the last few incarnations of the OS, I'm still using a rotating disk and will not be upgrading until the OS improves or restores previous functionality. I understand about SSD's, but I also understand that many of us still have actual disks - even people who purchase new apples will likely have an external, rotating disk for backup, time machine, etc.

If you do not want to upgrade, that is fine.

If you are really interested in security, then you should be using FileVault and whole disk encrypting your internal and external disks. Then when you delete a file it is just a random bunch of bits.

Attempting to apply security after the fact is likely to have gaps in it. For example if the application you are using to edit those sensitive files creates some temp files or updates the file by writing a temporary file, then deleting the original and renaming the temporary to the original name, the app is NOT going to perform a secure erase (because that is a Finder feature, not a file system feature), so you have a copy of your sensitive data out there for anyone to scavenge your disk and discover.

If you care that much about security you will Run, don't walk, to FileVault.

If you still think Secure Erase is a good idea, then create a Automator app that uses the srm command on any files you drop onto the Automator app you create.

Well, that time has finally come. My Macbook Pro finally died. Which means decision point has arrived. Do I continue with a platform that fails to help my work, or do I take this moment to move to windows. Given the length of time and the continued failures of apple to address this an other issues that are NOT a problem for Microsoft, I fear it's over. I've been using a cheap windows computer for work already, but now I have a reason to buy a good one. Sadly, despite being a fanboy since my Mac LC III in the early 90's, it's time to move on to greener pastures. I still have a mini (virtually unused except as a server) so I'm not completely gone, but I have moved on to windows and all those people I'm the 'computer man' for will have to move too, eventually. I wish you were as sorry to lose this business as I am to be the business lost.

I think the arrows offer a lot and take nothing away from those who don't want them. Since they've disappeared I'm finding more and more reasons to miss them - it's not about personal flexibility. Using the keyboard arrow keys and especially using the widgets on the sides of windows has become a major inconvenience for working with large pages or documents. In fact it has become a huge frustration for me. The granularity of existing methods is simply too large. A smart programmer could even sell such a feature.

katgirl2000 wrote:

I think the arrows offer a lot and take nothing away from those who don't want them. Since they've disappeared I'm finding more and more reasons to miss them - it's not about personal flexibility. Using the keyboard arrow keys and especially using the widgets on the sides of windows has become a major inconvenience for working with large pages or documents. In fact it has become a huge frustration for me. The granularity of existing methods is simply too large. A smart programmer could even sell such a feature.

Katgirl,

I fear, the solution is Windows. I had this complaint for some time, and after limping along with half measures, hoping apple would come back to service for it's long time customers, I've finally upgraded to the latest windows. I would not say it's "better" than the Mac OS, but it is more functional. If scroll arrows are a deal breaker for you, as they were for me, I can tell you first hand you can make the switch and, after a month or so of developing new muscle memory, not miss your MacBook at all. It's not like Vista anymore, the current system is rock solid and does more than the the MacOS. In fact, little frustrations that were not deal breakers but annoyances anyway (the hidden library folder, the hidden data bars on the bottoms of windows, the lack of secure delete) are all issues I don't have to deal with either. I was really sad at first, but don't really seem me coming back at this point even if Apple fixes all this.

Scott Nash wrote:

In fact, little frustrations that were not deal breakers but annoyances anyway (the hidden library folder, the hidden data bars on the bottoms of windows, the lack of secure delete) are all issues I don't have to deal with either.

I am not questioning your decision to switch. But I would like to point out that no one has a proper secure delete, because of the nature of the storage (it hides things from the software). I would suggest that if data security is important to you, you enable whole disk encryption. I think on Windows that is BitLocker.

I do use that, thanks. I do have multiple external drives that are still spinning disks, so the secure delete is still a good thing. Apple killed it too early. But thanks for the tip. I'm not looking for Fort Knox, but much as I shred bills and receipts that are physical, I to to keep that practice digitally.

ScooterN2005 wrote:

I do use that, thanks. I do have multiple external drives that are still spinning disks, so the secure delete is still a good thing. Apple killed it too early. But thanks for the tip. I'm not looking for Fort Knox, but much as I shred bills and receipts that are physical, I to to keep that practice digitally.

No, ALL storage devices. Flash, SSD, rotational can and do map out sectors that can be recovered with the right technology and enough money.

When you are selling millions of anything, there will be a number of individuals that will gladly take you to court if you make a claim that is not 100% accurate.

Yes, the secure delete does make it difficult for normal people to recover data from a disk, but Apple does not pre-qualify the sale to "Normal" people, so there are people that really do need 100% security, and Apple can not guarantee it is a secure delete.

But using FileVault does make sure that even data mapped out by the storage device is random bits. So even expensive tools cannot recover that data when a FileVault disk is erased. And erasing a FileVault disk just requires deleting the encryption keys. Fast and easy.