What has happened to PDF import in 1.1? I used to be able to link to a PDF file outside the database. Now I don’t have that option. I read in your “news” that you have “simplified” import; I call it removing features and dumbing down.
Let me tell you why I want to link and not copy PDFs into the DT database. I already have a filing system for PDFs and other docs that long predates my use of DT. PDF files are huge; I don’t want duplicates on my machine. I don’t want them in my DT database, because it makes the database unnecessarily bigger, and the contents of the database are invisible to Spotlight. I’ve gone to great lengths to make my system consistent–all documents that can be linked rather than copied into the database are linked. 1.1 has broken my system.
Please tell me that you will restore the old options in a soon-to-be-released 1.1.1. I have PDFs I want to index.
As to what the cryptic statment “indexed files are only referenced” might mean, obviously the only way to find out was to try it. Apparently “Index” now does what Import used to do on my system–link to rather than copy the file into the database.
Excuse me if I still hold that the old way was better, simpler, and easier to understand. First of all, it certainly was not apparent to me–an experienced user–that Index would do what it does (Index? I thought everything in DT was Indexed?) I find it ironic that you call this simpler; it’s akin to the arcane distinction between Replicate and Duplicate, which I still have to look up everytime I want to use it. Secondly, Index is simply less functional. I can no longer drag-and-drop files into DT; I have to navigate to DT, choose a menu item, choose a file, etc. There’s not even a Service I can use to Index.
Please restore the old way of doing things! You haven’t simplified anything; you’ve just made my life harder.
I have to say I agree with Christian on this one. The “new” way has all the “old” functionality as the old way, it’s just that it is now more consistent with the Finder and typical Mac OS X behavior in general. It’s harder for you because you got so used to using it a certain way, and I can appreciate the difficulty in the change, but I think the “new” way is ultimately more intuitive to a Mac OS X user and easier to grasp for new users. I’ll admit, I was an advocate for the “new way” prior to its implementation, and I do think it is an improvement.
As you pointed out, the “index” term might definitely need some work – DT still has some strange English terminology in it, as the developers are not native English speakers (“State” is the one that always gets me).