Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Microsoft's ex-UI chief is shocked about the Windows 11 start menu

borncity.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 151 posts

Re: Microsoft's ex-UI chief is shocked about the Windows 11 start menu

#11

Post by encryptluks2 »

notRobot wrote: post #3

I would pay so much money to just be able to use Windows 7's UI with Windows 10's performance improvements. Try spinning Windows 7 up in a VM sometime. Using it is such a wonderous experience. It's almost perfect. I miss it so much. To me, Windows 8/8.1/10/11 have all been massive downgrades to different extents.

I don't notice much difference between experience in Windows 7 and Windows 11, aside from needing to manage more policies to prevent their cloud based services. Windows 11 isn't bad if you disable the adware portion. The terminal app is pretty good now and WSL works, albeit not as pleasant as something more native like Linux or even macOS terminal, but the adware is what cripples it IMO.

Re: Microsoft's ex-UI chief is shocked about the Windows 11 start menu

#12

Post by Synaesthesia »

notRobot wrote: post #3

I would pay so much money to just be able to use Windows 7's UI with Windows 10's performance improvements. Try spinning Windows 7 up in a VM sometime. Using it is such a wonderous experience. It's almost perfect. I miss it so much. To me, Windows 8/8.1/10/11 have all been massive downgrades to different extents.

Personally I like Windows 11 fine except I want my taskbar on the side.

Re: Microsoft's ex-UI chief is shocked about the Windows 11 start menu

#14

Post by WaxProlix »

notRobot wrote: post #3

I would pay so much money to just be able to use Windows 7's UI with Windows 10's performance improvements. Try spinning Windows 7 up in a VM sometime. Using it is such a wonderous experience. It's almost perfect. I miss it so much. To me, Windows 8/8.1/10/11 have all been massive downgrades to different extents.

How much money, exactly? I feel similarly, but when I start to probe that idea, it tops out at some point...

Re: Microsoft's ex-UI chief is shocked about the Windows 11 start menu

#15

Post by spikej »

herodoturtle wrote: post #9
notRobot wrote: post #3

I would pay so much money to just be able to use Windows 7's UI with Windows 10's performance improvements. Try spinning Windows 7 up in a VM sometime. Using it is such a wonderous experience. It's almost perfect. I miss it so much. To me, Windows 8/8.1/10/11 have all been massive downgrades to different extents.

Loved this comment. There was a time when we used to say the same about Windows Xp. And Windows 2000. I wonder if each next generation of user prefers the new layouts each time? I’m sure (or at least, I imagine) MS put a lot of resources into testing these UI overhauls.

Heck I still say that about Windows 2000. Clean, minimal interface, with all the power options easily available.

Re: Microsoft's ex-UI chief is shocked about the Windows 11 start menu

#16

Post by encryptluks2 »

svnpenn wrote: post #6

I work in IT. The Windows 10/11 "settings" are a hole pile of shit. It seems like Microsoft almost purposefully took the 10 things you would most often use, and nested them so deep that you cant even memorize how to find them anymore. So you get forced into using the god awful search, which returns results FROM THE GOD DAMN INTERNET. If I am in Windows setting, or hell even on just the normal Start Menu, I DON'T WANT…

Windows button and start typing what you're looking for. I don't understand users that still point and click at everything.

Re: Microsoft's ex-UI chief is shocked about the Windows 11 start menu

#17

Post by pastrami_panda »

Honestly Windows 11 is getting better all the time. It's much cleaner and less cluttered compared to 10 as well.

It's not perfect of course, but it's the best one so far imo, and it keeps getting better. I really like the new way to connect and manage Bluetooth devices from the taskbar that was recently added.

But then again, it's Windows, so when you look underneath the shiny new surface and realize e.g there's no way to add seconds to the watch display due to performance issues - the facade starts to slowly peel away.

Re: Microsoft's ex-UI chief is shocked about the Windows 11 start menu

#18

Post by wlesieutre »

notRobot wrote: post #3

I would pay so much money to just be able to use Windows 7's UI with Windows 10's performance improvements. Try spinning Windows 7 up in a VM sometime. Using it is such a wonderous experience. It's almost perfect. I miss it so much. To me, Windows 8/8.1/10/11 have all been massive downgrades to different extents.

I thought Windows 8 was pretty good at the time, in hindsight because I had a Surface Pro and that was the computer that it was entirely designed for. Their three-column splitscreen layout was neat, if you could look past only having about 5 of the newfangled-touchscreen-UI-apps worth installing in the entire store. Or if you treated the OS as mostly being a OneNote launcher.

These days I'm inclined to agree with you. Windows 7 was the peak, newer versions have gone far downhill with trying to make me accidentally open Bing everywhere and automatically installing Candy Crush products that no one asked for.

When this computer dies, decent odds I replace it with a Steam Deck. Doubly so if they can stuff Thunderbolt into the next one and sell me a GPU dock with it.

But someone made the Bing metrics go up for a few years, so surely that's worth burning any customer goodwill to the ground.

Re: Microsoft's ex-UI chief is shocked about the Windows 11 start menu

#19

Post by mopsi »

svnpenn wrote: post #6

I work in IT. The Windows 10/11 "settings" are a hole pile of shit. It seems like Microsoft almost purposefully took the 10 things you would most often use, and nested them so deep that you cant even memorize how to find them anymore. So you get forced into using the god awful search, which returns results FROM THE GOD DAMN INTERNET. If I am in Windows setting, or hell even on just the normal Start Menu, I DON'T WANT…

It's very obvious that pages for the Settings app are being written in some very restricting XML or HTML type markup and they're struggling to give any intuitive structure to settings. Everything is in a very basic single-column layout with virtually no graphics to visually guide your eye and combine or separate items. There doesn't even seem to be a generic table widget with sortable columns available.

Re: Microsoft's ex-UI chief is shocked about the Windows 11 start menu

#20

Post by WaxProlix »

herodoturtle wrote: post #9
notRobot wrote: post #3

I would pay so much money to just be able to use Windows 7's UI with Windows 10's performance improvements. Try spinning Windows 7 up in a VM sometime. Using it is such a wonderous experience. It's almost perfect. I miss it so much. To me, Windows 8/8.1/10/11 have all been massive downgrades to different extents.

Loved this comment. There was a time when we used to say the same about Windows Xp. And Windows 2000. I wonder if each next generation of user prefers the new layouts each time? I’m sure (or at least, I imagine) MS put a lot of resources into testing these UI overhauls.

XP was fine. 2000 was good. Nobody pines for Windows ME. People said those things and they meant it. Windows 8-11 feel pretty bad, overall. 7 was okay.
Post reply on HN