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The metro UI

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  • P Pete OHanlon

    And this is why there is a desktop shell as well. All along, MS have been saying use the appropriate interface for the appropriate platform. They haven't touted Metro as the new desktop.

    Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads

    "Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos

    My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier - my favourite utility

    O Offline
    O Offline
    Obliterator
    wrote on last edited by
    #23

    so why does it appear every time I press the start key! ;)

    -- The Obliterator

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    • C Chris Maunder

      Am I the only one who cringes when he sees the metro UI being used outside of a phone? Actually - I cringe when I see it on a phone too.

      cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP

      D Offline
      D Offline
      Doctor Nick
      wrote on last edited by
      #24

      Yeah. I decided to finally buy and XBOX for myself for Christmas. What happens? They mess up the interface and blow up the one app I plan on using. Netflix. :mad: Might just return it...

      ------------------------------------- Do not do what has already been done. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.. but it ROCKS absolutely, too.

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      • O Obliterator

        so why does it appear every time I press the start key! ;)

        -- The Obliterator

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        P Offline
        Pete OHanlon
        wrote on last edited by
        #25

        Because that is the new start menu. Effectively it is a full screen version of the menu you have now. Try starting up VS in it, and it jumps to the standard desktop.

        Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads

        "Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos

        My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier - my favourite utility

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        • P Pete OHanlon

          Because that is the new start menu. Effectively it is a full screen version of the menu you have now. Try starting up VS in it, and it jumps to the standard desktop.

          Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads

          "Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos

          My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier - my favourite utility

          O Offline
          O Offline
          Obliterator
          wrote on last edited by
          #26

          exactly - it flicks between the two modes like crazy! I hate it! metro is fine for phones/tablets but I'd prefer to keep it well clear of my desktop

          -- The Obliterator

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          • C Chris Maunder

            Am I the only one who cringes when he sees the metro UI being used outside of a phone? Actually - I cringe when I see it on a phone too.

            cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP

            J Offline
            J Offline
            Judah Gabriel Himango
            wrote on last edited by
            #27

            People on CodeProject, barring a few good souls, piss and complain about everything Microsoft does (or doesn't do). So, it's hard to tell if this is a real complaint, or just the usual BS from the old time developers/luddites stuck on the idea that the Windows 95 theme is awesome, and that VC6 is the best IDE of all time. Hard to tell.

            My Messianic Jewish blog: Kineti L'Tziyon My software blog: Debugger.Break() Judah Himango

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            • A Anders Molin

              Chris Maunder wrote:

              Am I the only one who cringes when he sees the metro UI being used outside of a phone? Actually - I cringe when I see it on a phone too.

              Don't we hear that from developers every time MS makes a new/updated GUI? I actually like metro on a phone, my HTC Titan is the best phone I have ever had, and I've also used Android (hate it) and iPhone (great phone actually), but WP7 beats them all.

              - Anders

              J Offline
              J Offline
              Judah Gabriel Himango
              wrote on last edited by
              #28

              Yep, we hear it from most everyone on CP. CP's peanut gallery is quickly approaching the same entrenched ideological stances as Slashdot. The problem is that this site is filled with old school developers who reminisce about the good ol' days back when we had the "beautiful" battleship gray UIs, Visual C 6, computers were difficult to use for anyone except them, they didn't have beer bellies, and life was simpler. So, anything new that comes along gets crapped on. Been this way for years. For example, I remember these same folks pissing on about how .NET sucks, how it'd disappear in a year or two, etc.

              My Messianic Jewish blog: Kineti L'Tziyon My software blog: Debugger.Break() Judah Himango

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              • C Chris Maunder

                Am I the only one who cringes when he sees the metro UI being used outside of a phone? Actually - I cringe when I see it on a phone too.

                cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP

                P Offline
                P Offline
                peterchen
                wrote on last edited by
                #29

                This is either a side effect of your WPF lobe taking control of other areas of your brain, or you have caught the "it's cute, it sucks" virus that is rampanting through the lounge.

                FILETIME to time_t
                | FoldWithUs! | sighist | WhoIncludes - Analyzing C++ include file hierarchy

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                • P Pete OHanlon

                  And this is why there is a desktop shell as well. All along, MS have been saying use the appropriate interface for the appropriate platform. They haven't touted Metro as the new desktop.

                  Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads

                  "Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos

                  My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier - my favourite utility

                  V Offline
                  V Offline
                  Vark111
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #30

                  Pete O'Hanlon wrote:

                  And this is why there is a desktop shell as well.

                  It may be my lack of knowledge on the subject, but every time I've heard the desktop shell mentioned it's always been referred to as the "legacy" desktop shell. Legacy implies to me that it will be going away in the future.

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                  • J Judah Gabriel Himango

                    People on CodeProject, barring a few good souls, piss and complain about everything Microsoft does (or doesn't do). So, it's hard to tell if this is a real complaint, or just the usual BS from the old time developers/luddites stuck on the idea that the Windows 95 theme is awesome, and that VC6 is the best IDE of all time. Hard to tell.

                    My Messianic Jewish blog: Kineti L'Tziyon My software blog: Debugger.Break() Judah Himango

                    D Offline
                    D Offline
                    Doctor Nick
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #31

                    Windows 95 was the pinnacle of UI design! It's been all downhill from there! :rolleyes:

                    ------------------------------------- Do not do what has already been done. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.. but it ROCKS absolutely, too.

                    P 1 Reply Last reply
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                    • C Chris Maunder

                      Am I the only one who cringes when he sees the metro UI being used outside of a phone? Actually - I cringe when I see it on a phone too.

                      cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP

                      K Offline
                      K Offline
                      Kythen
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #32

                      Like most tech, there are good and downright wretched parts to it. Does it make sense on a phone? Absolutely. Big targets for touchscreen use. Normal behavior you expect for mobile apps. Does it make sense on a tablet? Yep, though there are flaws if they really intend you to use the tablet for both tablet and PC use cases. The desktop mode on a tablet is fairly useless. Normal Windows UI elements are just not designed or intended for our fat fingers. They need to have versions of Explorer, Task Manager, and other classic desktop apps that are designed for Metro. I'm sick of trying to touch/click on a Listview entry in Task Manager so I can close an app Microsoft is too shortsighted to let me close with a built-in Close/Quit button. To their credit, they are doing a good job with trying to create a consistent UI "language" or set of idioms you use to get around. In the same way that we're used to right-clicks and double-clicks, you swipe the left side to tab between apps, you swipe the right to get to the global settings and charms, and you swipe the top or bottom to get to app-specific features. There are also the usual scrolling and pinch-to-zoom gestures. That all seems to work pretty smoothly. Does it make sense on a console (XBox 360)? In theory maybe, but in practice it sucks unless you have a Kinect. With the new dashboard, I have this big wall of tiles that give me no info and take more controller movements to navigate. If you have a Kinect, I'm guessing it works a lot better. If you only use a controller, it's like navigating the on-screen keyboard all the time. In other words, a clunky nightmare. It feels like it takes an order of magnitude more controller inputs to get around now. Does it make sense on a desktop? Not really, at least for what most of us do on a desktop or laptop. Too many things on a desktop require precision navigation and action. I'm not doing word-processing or document creation or CAD drawing on a touch-interface like a phone or tablet. The granularity of the user's input is not small enough to match the granularity required by the activity. If I'm editing a word in a document and my finger or thumb covers the entire word, how am I supposed to get the cursor where I want it to be? I would need a screen the size of a table so I could get my finger or hand at the exact spot I want. Ok, so if I'm not needing tablet-style "casual" apps or games on my desktop, what does Metro give me? Not much I think. Navigation around the Metro UI with a mouse and keyb

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                      • L LloydA111

                        I cringe everytime I see every theme after Windows Classic being used.


                        See if you can crack this: b749f6c269a746243debc6488046e33f
                        So far, no one seems to have cracked this!

                        The unofficial awesome history of Code Project's Bob! "People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid."

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                        J Offline
                        Judah Gabriel Himango
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #33

                        So what you're saying is, Windows 95 was the pinnacle of good UI design. :wtf:

                        My Messianic Jewish blog: Kineti L'Tziyon My software blog: Debugger.Break() Judah Himango

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                        • C Chris Maunder

                          Am I the only one who cringes when he sees the metro UI being used outside of a phone? Actually - I cringe when I see it on a phone too.

                          cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP

                          N Offline
                          N Offline
                          Nagy Vilmos
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #34

                          It's like an 80's rehash of a 21st century idea.


                          Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett

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                          • Q QuiJohn

                            My only firsthand exposure to something metro-like is the new Xbox dashboard. Of course, that's not a touchscreen, and it's on a 50" TV. And the apps aren't really "metro apps" they're Xbox apps. But all of the selections are done via choosing things in squares or rectangles. So that makes it metro, I guess? Oh and I can use it without touching ANYTHING (via Kinect) which is kinda cool except when my four year old walks between me and the TV and causes the display to swish to the next page (he did intentionally wave at the Kinect sensor, the little bugger). Other than all that I'm sure it's just like Windows 8 will be. I've heard people really like it on phones though. That is, the eight people who have bought them.

                            Look at me still talking when there's science to do When I look out there it makes me glad I'm not you

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                            P Offline
                            PIEBALDconsult
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #35

                            Oh, is that what happened to my XBox last night? :mad:

                            1 Reply Last reply
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                            • J Judah Gabriel Himango

                              Yep, we hear it from most everyone on CP. CP's peanut gallery is quickly approaching the same entrenched ideological stances as Slashdot. The problem is that this site is filled with old school developers who reminisce about the good ol' days back when we had the "beautiful" battleship gray UIs, Visual C 6, computers were difficult to use for anyone except them, they didn't have beer bellies, and life was simpler. So, anything new that comes along gets crapped on. Been this way for years. For example, I remember these same folks pissing on about how .NET sucks, how it'd disappear in a year or two, etc.

                              My Messianic Jewish blog: Kineti L'Tziyon My software blog: Debugger.Break() Judah Himango

                              P Offline
                              P Offline
                              PIEBALDconsult
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #36

                              Judah Himango wrote:

                              we had the "beautiful" battleship gray UIs

                              With nice sharp pointy corners; the way they're supposed to be.

                              Judah Himango wrote:

                              they didn't have beer bellies

                              And we could date college girls. :cool:

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • J Judah Gabriel Himango

                                People on CodeProject, barring a few good souls, piss and complain about everything Microsoft does (or doesn't do). So, it's hard to tell if this is a real complaint, or just the usual BS from the old time developers/luddites stuck on the idea that the Windows 95 theme is awesome, and that VC6 is the best IDE of all time. Hard to tell.

                                My Messianic Jewish blog: Kineti L'Tziyon My software blog: Debugger.Break() Judah Himango

                                N Offline
                                N Offline
                                Nagy Vilmos
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #37

                                Okay, the Win95 UX was the big shift in GUI design and was awesome for it's time and still drives the way graphical OS's should behave. The VC6 IDE gave the developer easy access to the environment without the diktats of how they should be used. So, all things considered, they did, and still do, rock! FWIW, I think the Metro theme achieves an unbelievable amount of functionality for a UI. It sucks harder then a Thai Ladyboy in DD's local and blows chunks like an Elephant with the shits at the same time. A lot of M$ crap has been harnessed for good in the past, despite the company's best efforts, but Metro is a steaming pile of crap. I'd rather wash a week old nappy/diaper with my tongue then try and make it really usable!


                                Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett

                                J 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • C Chris Maunder

                                  Am I the only one who cringes when he sees the metro UI being used outside of a phone? Actually - I cringe when I see it on a phone too.

                                  cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP

                                  M Offline
                                  M Offline
                                  Marc Clifton
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #38

                                  Chris Maunder wrote:

                                  Am I the only one who cringes when he sees the metro UI being used outside of a phone?

                                  Amen. "Metro" is the new word for "retarded." Marc

                                  My Blog

                                  N A 2 Replies Last reply
                                  0
                                  • J Judah Gabriel Himango

                                    People on CodeProject, barring a few good souls, piss and complain about everything Microsoft does (or doesn't do). So, it's hard to tell if this is a real complaint, or just the usual BS from the old time developers/luddites stuck on the idea that the Windows 95 theme is awesome, and that VC6 is the best IDE of all time. Hard to tell.

                                    My Messianic Jewish blog: Kineti L'Tziyon My software blog: Debugger.Break() Judah Himango

                                    P Offline
                                    P Offline
                                    PIEBALDconsult
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #39

                                    In my opinion, it's more that once you get used to a UI you should be able to use that UI indefinitely and not be forced to "upgrade" to the latest and greatest against your will.

                                    J 1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • D Doctor Nick

                                      Windows 95 was the pinnacle of UI design! It's been all downhill from there! :rolleyes:

                                      ------------------------------------- Do not do what has already been done. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.. but it ROCKS absolutely, too.

                                      P Offline
                                      P Offline
                                      PIEBALDconsult
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #40

                                      Win95 sscked -- one PC I had came with it; I wiped it off and installed Win3.11

                                      1 Reply Last reply
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                                      • N Nagy Vilmos

                                        Okay, the Win95 UX was the big shift in GUI design and was awesome for it's time and still drives the way graphical OS's should behave. The VC6 IDE gave the developer easy access to the environment without the diktats of how they should be used. So, all things considered, they did, and still do, rock! FWIW, I think the Metro theme achieves an unbelievable amount of functionality for a UI. It sucks harder then a Thai Ladyboy in DD's local and blows chunks like an Elephant with the shits at the same time. A lot of M$ crap has been harnessed for good in the past, despite the company's best efforts, but Metro is a steaming pile of crap. I'd rather wash a week old nappy/diaper with my tongue then try and make it really usable!


                                        Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett

                                        J Offline
                                        J Offline
                                        Judah Gabriel Himango
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #41

                                        Nagy Vilmos wrote:

                                        and still drives the way graphical OS's should behave

                                        :laugh:

                                        My Messianic Jewish blog: Kineti L'Tziyon My software blog: Debugger.Break() Judah Himango

                                        N 1 Reply Last reply
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                                        • V Vark111

                                          Pete O'Hanlon wrote:

                                          And this is why there is a desktop shell as well.

                                          It may be my lack of knowledge on the subject, but every time I've heard the desktop shell mentioned it's always been referred to as the "legacy" desktop shell. Legacy implies to me that it will be going away in the future.

                                          P Offline
                                          P Offline
                                          Pete OHanlon
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #42

                                          It's a poor choice of phrase. By legacy, it's referring to the shell that's capable of running legacy applications. That's all; there's nothing sinister about the phrase.

                                          Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads

                                          "Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos

                                          My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier - my favourite utility

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