Got my new computer today w/Windows 8
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I'm afraid the Windows desktop or equivalent has been getting worse in terms of functional design for a long time. The best desktop I ever had was Roger Rene Komer's New Menus For Windows on Windows 3.11 from 1995. A 9 screen desktop with pinnable customizable menus. The potential to have multiple full screen applications open. Full control panel integration into the menu, no clutter, on toppable, roll up menus that you can pin so they follow you from one desktop to another. I still have it on a VM, I wish I could post a picture. That system with modernised graphics, 32bit colour, smooth scrolling animation, transparency and all the other cosmetic but non functional improvements that make newer desktops 'look' better would blow away Modern UI and the Windows7 desktop for mouse based usage, let alone Gnome or KDE.
"The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom, courage." Thucydides (B.C. 460-400)
Matthew Faithfull wrote:
Windows desktop or equivalent has been getting worse in terms of functional design for a long time.
The APIs' have improved a lot, and the Shell API now packs a lot of power - sadly you could hardly guess it by looking at what MS has been doing with it.
Espen Harlinn Principal Architect, Software - Goodtech Projects & Services AS Projects promoting programming in "natural language" are intrinsically doomed to fail. Edsger W.Dijkstra
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peterchen wrote:
That looks promising
Espen Harlinn Principal Architect, Software - Goodtech Projects & Services AS Projects promoting programming in "natural language" are intrinsically doomed to fail. Edsger W.Dijkstra
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Anyone noticed that you find the UI intuitive not unintuitive? ;P
I doubt it. If it isn't intuitive then we need to fix it. - Chris Maunder
I think I was being ironic :-\ At least that's what I tried ...
Espen Harlinn Principal Architect, Software - Goodtech Projects & Services AS Projects promoting programming in "natural language" are intrinsically doomed to fail. Edsger W.Dijkstra
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You might also wish to investigate the Classic Shell start menu offering by CP member Ivo Beltchev. http://www.classicshell.net/[^]
Will do :-D
Espen Harlinn Principal Architect, Software - Goodtech Projects & Services AS Projects promoting programming in "natural language" are intrinsically doomed to fail. Edsger W.Dijkstra
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Matthew Faithfull wrote:
Windows desktop or equivalent has been getting worse in terms of functional design for a long time.
The APIs' have improved a lot, and the Shell API now packs a lot of power - sadly you could hardly guess it by looking at what MS has been doing with it.
Espen Harlinn Principal Architect, Software - Goodtech Projects & Services AS Projects promoting programming in "natural language" are intrinsically doomed to fail. Edsger W.Dijkstra
Espen Harlinn wrote:
The APIs' have improved a lot, and the Shell API now packs a lot of power
Yes. The tech is certainly there to create a great and highly functional user experience but neither the design skill nor the competition to motivate it I guess. I have been beating up on the Linux Desktop community for the past few years because they've largely missed the huge open goal Microsft left for them by spending a huge ammount of time and effort copying Microsoft's mistakes. They may get another chance if enough people feel as you do about Windows 8. One thing that both camps have utterly failed to do is separate the technology development form the user experience. Developers like me are just the people you want putting together the messaging system for a widget library or working out how to speed up an icon cache but having UI's designed by the same people :wtf: It's like employing a plumber to design an ornamental fountain. The late Mr jobs was right about that if nothing else.
"The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom, courage." Thucydides (B.C. 460-400)
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Dave Kerr wrote:
So, have you installed classic shell yet?
No - I'm looking into which utilities I need to be comfortable using Windows 8 with a large screen, a mouse and a keyboard. As Peter mentioned above, Pokki is one utility that looks promising.
Espen Harlinn Principal Architect, Software - Goodtech Projects & Services AS Projects promoting programming in "natural language" are intrinsically doomed to fail. Edsger W.Dijkstra
I'd not seen that before, it looks very nice actually, I think I might give it a bash :)
My Blog: www.dwmkerr.com My Charity: Children's Homes Nepal
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I'd not seen that before, it looks very nice actually, I think I might give it a bash :)
My Blog: www.dwmkerr.com My Charity: Children's Homes Nepal
Yup, it looks kind of promising ...
Espen Harlinn Principal Architect, Software - Goodtech Projects & Services AS Projects promoting programming in "natural language" are intrinsically doomed to fail. Edsger W.Dijkstra
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This is really useful to get started with. http://www.hanselman.com/blog/TheMissingWindows8InstructionalVideo.aspx[^]
JimBob SquarePants ******************************************************************* "He took everything personally, including our royalties!" David St.Hubbins, Spinal Tap about Ian Faith, their ex-manager *******************************************************************
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This is really useful to get started with. http://www.hanselman.com/blog/TheMissingWindows8InstructionalVideo.aspx[^]
JimBob SquarePants ******************************************************************* "He took everything personally, including our royalties!" David St.Hubbins, Spinal Tap about Ian Faith, their ex-manager *******************************************************************
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My pleasure :)
JimBob SquarePants ******************************************************************* "He took everything personally, including our royalties!" David St.Hubbins, Spinal Tap about Ian Faith, their ex-manager *******************************************************************
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Got my new computer today w/Windows 8, while the OS has tons of new features, I mean APIs', that I'm looking forward to exploring - I find the shell UI so intuitive that I have to use Google on my Windows 7 machine to figure things out.
Espen Harlinn Principal Architect, Software - Goodtech Projects & Services AS Projects promoting programming in "natural language" are intrinsically doomed to fail. Edsger W.Dijkstra
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Espen Harlinn wrote:
I find the shell UI so intuitive that I have to use Google on my Windows 7 machine to figure things out.
Let me guess - you need to use Google on the old machine to find Bing on the new one?
-- Harvey
H.Brydon wrote:
Let me guess - you need to use Google on the old machine to find Bing on the new one?
Nope, but Google will probably help me remove that particular tile ... :-\ It was figuring out how to shut it down that confounded me :-O To be fair, these things isn't a showstopper - just a temporary annoyment. Apart from the shutdown thingy, a novice doesn't immedeately look for the Programs & Features panel - which is what a developer usually do. There are, after all, more than a few things we usually need to add ...
Espen Harlinn Principal Architect, Software - Goodtech Projects & Services AS Projects promoting programming in "natural language" are intrinsically doomed to fail. Edsger W.Dijkstra
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Got my new computer today w/Windows 8, while the OS has tons of new features, I mean APIs', that I'm looking forward to exploring - I find the shell UI so intuitive that I have to use Google on my Windows 7 machine to figure things out.
Espen Harlinn Principal Architect, Software - Goodtech Projects & Services AS Projects promoting programming in "natural language" are intrinsically doomed to fail. Edsger W.Dijkstra
Espen Harlinn wrote:
I find the shell UI so intuitive that I have to use Google on my Windows 7 machine to figure things out.
Up-voted for exquisite irony ! yrs, Bill
“Thus on many occasions man divides himself into two persons, one who tries to fool the other, while a third, who in fact is the same as the other two, is filled with wonder at this confusion. Thinking becomes dramatic, and acts out the most complicated plots within itself, and, spectator, again, and again, becomes: actor.” From a book by the Danish writer, Paul Moller, which was a favorite of Niels Bohr.