The image on the right is how the settings app look on macOS 12. On macOS 13 (2022) it was changed to look more to the one on the left, with all the sections selectable in a sidebar and a smaller window. Many users have complained about it, saying that it sacrificed function for form and is part of making macOS more like iOS by mindlessly copying phone UIs onto computers which it isn’t meant for. I think its alright, not terrible. And it’s the norm with settings apps looking like that in Windows, KDE, Gnome, and some other DEs.
I find the left one better, but still very cluttered.
Many categories could be merged to keep it more glanceable and create less choice paralysis.
The list to the left is the way to go, but maybe we should have subcategories or some other type of grouping within them?
I don’t know UX design, but I know I feel they both are a bit much to take in and not intuitive to navigate.
I like the Gnome settings app better! 😄
Left.
Definitely the left.
Left, definitely.
It’s way less chaotic and more neatly organized. Much easier for me to find what I’m looking for.
Left. Left. Absolutely left, oh my god.
Left, but in reality I’m only ever using the search bar. Further, if the OS has a good universal search (like command space on Mac) I might not even be using the search bar in the settings app directly. Search bars in settings are a blessing and I’m so glad they’ve become the norm.
The left. It’s far superior.
I’m so much more used to the left that I absolutely do not like the right at all. Side note: it’s why I absolutely disliked default Gnome when I was first using Ubuntu: programs set up similarly to the right in the start menu adjacent thing.
Fun fact: KDE’s settings app used to look the one on the right up until a few years ago, too.
@Ephera @TheTwelveYearOld And Apple’s doesn’t look like that anymore either. It looks more similar to @kde’s app now.
As said in the post, yes, lol.
The grid on the right just shows you all your options.
The list on the left obscures some of your options behind a scroll down, which you will then realize you actually have to scroll back up for!
Behold! The power of search beckons you :P
I completely stopped caring about how the Systems Settings menu is organised after all the improvements they did to search a few years ago
KDE Plasma used to have one like the one on the right a few years ago, and I was so glad when they ditched it. I strongly prefer the organized look of the left one. I always had a hard time finding anything in the old KDE/MacOS settings.
I much prefer the one on the right. Sure, it looked a bit less modern but it wasn’t nearly as glitchy as the newer one. I rely on searching for settings and it almost never works; I really don’t know how Apple ever let the new version into macOS.
OP is just talking about layout, not implementations.
Well the layout of the search in the new version also completely fucking sucks since at least in the old layout it would highlight the section you needed to go to.
I prefer chaos. I have it place windows in a randomly generated location, and set at a random window size (if the app allows it). 😈
I prefer right for browsing.
Though, I use search to find the setting I’m looking for 99% of the time, anyway.
Obviously left, because you can still see the list of options when you have one selected.
