Apple released a new version of MacOS called Ventura (version 13), and it has generated some heated discussions around a topic that sounds very familiar: The replacement of the venerable System Preferences (the equivalent of Windows’s Control Panel) with a new System Settings app. Old:

And new:

(And no, the difference isn’t light vs. dark: The first screenshot is from my Mac Mini, which is using a light theme and hasn’t yet been upgraded; while the second is from my MacBook Pro, which is in dark mode and was upgraded.)

With this change, Apple is aligning the MacOS and iOS behaviors, so those using one are instantly familiar with the other, not to mention sharing code between the OSes. Sound familiar? Microsoft did the same thing with Windows and Windows Mobile, with the Control Panel being replaced with a new Settings app, and it got the same general complaints: where did everything go; I can’t find a setting; I don’t need them to be the same; etc. (At least Apple got rid of the old app, we’re still having to use Control Panel years later way too frequently.) And the resulting behavior is pretty much the same as well: until you re-learn where everything went, you are dependent on search to find settings.

Personally, I find the complaining entertaining, in a schadenfreude sort of way. If you want to read some of this entertainment, check out these links:

One of macOS Ventura’s key new features already needs a massive overhaul
System Settings is a mess.

System Settings in Ventura: a turn for the worse?

Why Ventura System Settings is bad

Personally, I think it’s just fine. But I also liked Settings (although I do still wish Control Panel would go away), so maybe you shouldn’t listen to me.