About the little scrollbar arrows...

Unfortunately, I have also decided to downgrade to Snow Leopard. I want to like Lion. I like a lot about Lion. But I feel Apple has really let me down. With this release I think Apple has made a lot of bad interface decisions. Decisions which impact my workflow and countless other Mac users. I do not want iOS on my MacBook. I want a stable operating system that is virtually invisible in my daily use - but is there when I need it (scrollbar arrows). It used to be that Apple combined a beautiful aesthetic with unparalleled usability. Sadly, that is no longer the case. With Lion, form has won out over function.

No solution to add, just to point out that the missing scrollbar arrows are also a big problem in Excel. So far that's the only program where I find it a serious annoyance, but I haven't used Photoshop in a while.

Ridiculous that there isn't an option to bring them back. I got used to the "natural" scrolling, I'm fine with the new smaller scrollbars (but I definitely wanted them back, after I realized I no longer had a clear idea of how long an online article was), but the missing arrows... blech.

Agreed. Another dumb-*** design issue from the amateurs who've clearly been put in charge of OS X. I refuse to believe that the usability experts that designed Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard would have ever let these issues get through.

Meanwhile, when is Apple going to realize that no-one, except perhaps those who choose the macbook air, buys expensive and powerful Mac computers just so they can have a bigger iPad.

Well, Apple has another chance to meet the needs of those who buy expensive and powerful Mac computers in the upcoming release of Lion (10.7.3), Lets hope they include our little scroll arrows as on option.

Otherwise, is there a Terminal command that might bring them back? I've already eliminated some unpleasant Lion behaviors that way.

Or maybe a developer will code it as an "Other" system preference (is that the right term?) for users to add.

And now I´d like to go just a little bit off the main topic here...

All windows in OS X Lion don´t have the information about number of folders and/or files at the bottom anymore. I know you can go to the Action button on the top of the window but: why should I have to do that when we used to have it right there?

Also on the previous system we had a lever that allowed us to enlarge or reduce icons without having to go to the View options window to do that, but well that lever is gone too. So much for practicality!!!

So another couple of annoying things to look forward on Lion.

You used to be able to turn the sidebar on and off with a button on the upper right corner of the window. That has been removed and replaced with a keyboard command (cmd+option+s).

Simpler is not always better.

Add my name to the growing list of users frustrated by Lion's removal of scroll bar arrows. I have developed Excel workbooks consisting of multiple spreadsheets. To quickly switch between spreadsheets within a workbook, you click on the spreadsheet tabs at the bottom of the screen. The tab area kind of shares space with the scroll area, so if you have lots of tabs that you want to display, you take away from the scroll area. In short, I have a relatively tiny scroll area to move back and forth in order to display the viewing area I want to work with for each spreadsheet. With scroll bar arrows, I could easily click and move from column to column, but now having to drag the little scroll bar "smudge" back and forth, one needs the hand control of a surgeon to get anywhere close to precision.

You completely dropped the ball with this one, Apple.

I downloaded Lion within days of release - far sooner than I've done in the past, lulled into a false sense of security by the elegance of Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard. I'm disabled, my hand shakes slightly and my eyesight isn't too great - but I still consider myself to be an artist, and what I do not need is Apple making me feel even more disabled than I really am. So, like everybody else I've spoken to on this subject, please can we have our arrows back?

Unfortunately that workaround doesn't always work. I use an audio analysis tool where I have to perform pretty detailed navigation in sound files that may last up to 30 minutes. Obviously, swipes or click-and-drag don't give enough control, suddenly I have moved a minute instead of 30 milliseconds. Arrow keys do work, but the control isn't as fine as with the scrollbar arrows. So I am still on Snow Leopard.

Some of my students also need to use this audio analysis tool. I have used Macs since 1993, and have always recommended Macs. Now I've just stopped recommending them, because I know that the missing scrollbar arrows will just make some tasks harder. (And because of other Lion issues that annoy experienced computer users.)

Jardar Abrahamsen wrote:

So I am still on Snow Leopard.

Some of my students also need to use this audio analysis tool. I have used Macs since 1993, and have always recommended Macs. Now I've just stopped recommending them, because I know that the missing scrollbar arrows will just make some tasks harder. (And because of other Lion issues that annoy experienced computer users.)

Why don't you recommend that they go back to Snow Leopard like yourself?

Rysz wrote:

Not a solution, but here's an easy work around:

http://osxdaily.com/2011/12/09/no-scrollbar-arrows-mac-os-x-lion-workaround/

It is not even a workaround. The arrow keys have been posted about a zillion times, and the posts replied to a zillion times saying you have to take your hand off the mouse or trackpad to use the keys, which is not acceptable.

In my case, I prefer using the scroll wheel on a PC-style mouse for vertical scrolling, so I tend to use that instead of interacting with scroll bars directly. There are still two problems if you go that way...

The default scroll wheel acceleration on the Apple mouse driver is pretty poor - the scrolling is much too slow with slow scroll wheel movements and there is no way to change this in the mouse preferences. I had to buy a different mouse that comes with a more flexible driver (from Microsoft, ironically). After doing that, I am pretty happy with how vertical scrolling works in most apps that I use.

When I edit a wide spreadsheet in Excel and need to scroll both horizontally and vertically, I can use the scroll wheel for the vertical scrolling, but it is very inconvenient to not have the scroll arrows on the horizontal scroll bar.

I suspect Apple's motivation for the "no arrows" change was that the arrows are not needed due to the two-finger gesture on the trackpad. I think it is very presumptive of Apple to assume that everyone prefers using the trackpad.

The scroll ball of my apple mouse wasn´t working well and now OS X Lion takes away the scroll arrows, so it´s been a couple of frustrating months for me, so I had to buy a horrible looking Genius mouse since Apple doesn´t want to give us the scroll arrows back. It´s working fine for vertical scrolling but still is uncomfortable for horizontal scrolling, besides how ugly it looks next to my Imac.

I just don´t have the money right now to get a magic mouse and even if I could, I don´t think is fare that Apple expects us to buy one just because they made this inconsiderate "move forward".

I'm right there with you, we need the arrows back - I can swallow the monochromatic change but the SCROLL ARROWS are vital - in everything. I have my most trouble in e-mail just trying to quickly flip back for an email I remember - the little bar will whip me back a year so I do do the page up page down but that is really not as helpful as clicking through. And yes one can search but sometimes one can not pinpoint nor remember the exact word or subject or phrase - clicking is the only way.

Thank you for the sidebar comparisons. I find it hard to believe that Apple thinks that the monochrome looks better. For my older eyes, the color helps a lot ... the monochrome is hard. I keep hoping someone will come up with a hack to restore the color.

There is one website that I frequent where the two-finger scroll does not work. If I couldn't turn the scrollbars on, I'd be sunk.

Options Apple OPTIONS! I want the CHOICE of how the GUI works and looks ... not your for-reiched ein-kultur!