6. When you hit the windows button, and then start typing the program you want to launch, DON'T FUCKING SEARCH THE FUCKING INTERNET AND SLOW THE WHOLE PROCESS DOWN. Jesus.
Microsoft's Must-Have List for Windows 9
21–30 of 75 posts
Re: Microsoft's Must-Have List for Windows 9
#22Allow me to take this opportunity to address something related to a minor point from the article: >To me an app is a small bit of code for an iPhone to do something cute. Are we going to call the massive SAP suite an "app?" Lately I've been hearing many people complain about "serious" desktop applications being called "apps". Do you think this is a valid complaint? (Myself, I'm not sure; I won't disclose my reasoning…
In my mind, app is simply short for application. I think it has good connotations that come along with it as a result of mobile apps, such as being a single contained package that doesn't interfere with other apps, but we've seen that on OS X for years anyways, so that's hardly something new to desktop computing. There are complex, CPU intensive apps that are developed for tablets to do things like 3D modeling, are those any less of an app than a desktop version of the same thing? Does anyone have a problem with those being called "apps" vs "desktop applications"?
Re: Microsoft's Must-Have List for Windows 9
#23Am I the only one who hates the old Start Menu? I find it tedious and useless. I'm all for re-adding a start menu, but it should be one that doesn't suck, like the one in Kubuntu. Also absent from this list is an updated console. Windows 8 still uses the old DOS shell. You can't even resize the window past 80 characters. It's embarrassing.
You can't even resize the window past 80
You can if you know those good ol' mode-commands. But yeah, no drag'n'resize like on all other platforms unless you install third party software like MinTTY and ConEmu.
Re: Microsoft's Must-Have List for Windows 9
#24The "miserable counter-productive "ribbon" interface on Microsoft Word" was the result of a lot of actual user testing. I could understand people disliking it just because it was new, but it's been years now... How long does it take people to realize a better interface is more productive? Edit: oh I just noticed it's Dvorak. Never mind.
This is pretty much my exact reaction to the article. That was the exact line that gave me pause, then I looked up at the byline and saw Dvorak's name.
I do find his pining for the failed WinFS particularly odd, though. It's something that was pretty much intended to back up the kind of anti-desktop model he's complaining about.
Re: Microsoft's Must-Have List for Windows 9
#25Allow me to take this opportunity to address something related to a minor point from the article: >To me an app is a small bit of code for an iPhone to do something cute. Are we going to call the massive SAP suite an "app?" Lately I've been hearing many people complain about "serious" desktop applications being called "apps". Do you think this is a valid complaint? (Myself, I'm not sure; I won't disclose my reasoning…
There was a time that I would have agreed that an "app" is, in essence, a minimal application designed to perform a simple, narrowly circumscribed task. The distinction was natural because this was about the level of sophistication of most software that the average user would encounter on a mobile device, all of which were sold through "app stores." (And app stores sold only apps, thus defined.)
Since then, however, I have found that the definition has more to do with the purchase/installation process than the functionality of the product itself. The emerging definition that I perceive is that an "app" is something purchased and installed through an "app store." App stores are environments that greatly reduce the normal friction involved with purchasing and installing an application such that this can all be accomplished without leaving the app store interface and without the user's being required to enter any configuration information. (This step, if it is necessary, is typically reserved for when the app is first run.) Uninstallation of an app is similarly streamlined (or, at least, a user expects it to be...). Apps are also not typically conceived of as running in windows. They are presented full-screen with no OS-chrome. This is an obvious hold-over from the demands of the mobile-device environment.
An obvious counterpoint is Steam, which would seem to meet all of these criteria. This anomaly is perhaps explainable on the basis that it pre-dates the modern app store and, thus, users' expectations of it are not framed by the mobile environment as they are in other ecosystems. The fact that it typically is used only for PC games helps with this differentiation. It is worth pointing out, though, that Steam does sell non-game software, though to my knowledge it is not terribly successful in doing so. This lack of success might be attributable to its failure, in this capacity, to comply with the symbology of the app/application distinction that users have come to internalize.
Re: Microsoft's Must-Have List for Windows 9
#266. When you hit the windows button, and then start typing the program you want to launch, DON'T FUCKING SEARCH THE FUCKING INTERNET AND SLOW THE WHOLE PROCESS DOWN. Jesus.
I just double checked and I don't have any issue with this in 8.1.
Re: Microsoft's Must-Have List for Windows 9
#27Allow me to take this opportunity to address something related to a minor point from the article: >To me an app is a small bit of code for an iPhone to do something cute. Are we going to call the massive SAP suite an "app?" Lately I've been hearing many people complain about "serious" desktop applications being called "apps". Do you think this is a valid complaint? (Myself, I'm not sure; I won't disclose my reasoning…
No, I think that complaint is ridiculous. They were called apps long before the iPhone came around.
Re: Microsoft's Must-Have List for Windows 9
#28https://www.readability.com/articles/6w09uyph 1. Fix the file system. The company promised it would develop a database-style file system that would allow for easy and super-fast searches for keywords within the structure of the file. This means it should quickly retrieve every .doc file containing the words "Android OS." The biggest problem with such a file system would be the indexing costs. It is likely that a giga…
I think they could avoid the Start Menu. What do you want from the start menu? The ability to launch and search for programs. Launch is on the Metro screen now - that's covered. A full-screen start menu like the Metro desktop is fine - the start-menu kept growing absurdly anyways. I think Metro could be made to work if you made sure it was operable with a mouse - that is, no auto-hiding, no gestures. Give me a single…
>I think Metro could be made to work if you made sure it was operable with a mouse - that is, no auto-hiding, no gestures. Give me a single, consistent always-visible taskbar instead of schizophrenia and that "charms" crap, and on-screen always-visible buttons to launch an app-search-bar or to hit up the
I can live with this on the desktop, but what's particularly insane is they went with this same interface for Server 2012.
Fortunately, I got out of dealing with Windows Server before then, but I hear no end of complaining from friends that still do about how infuriating trying to invoke corner-based gestures through an RDC window is.
Re: Microsoft's Must-Have List for Windows 9
#29https://www.readability.com/articles/6w09uyph 1. Fix the file system. The company promised it would develop a database-style file system that would allow for easy and super-fast searches for keywords within the structure of the file. This means it should quickly retrieve every .doc file containing the words "Android OS." The biggest problem with such a file system would be the indexing costs. It is likely that a giga…
>I have a legacy NAS from Cisco that no OS since Vista can access on my network. My guess is that is a security/encryption setting issue with your NAS. Windows won't send a login request to a server that uses weak standards unless you change registry settings. This is done for your protection.
It's like complaining that you can't get leaded gasoline anymore. Complaints like that make this dude come off like a short-sighted, self-centered idiot.
Re: Microsoft's Must-Have List for Windows 9
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think they could avoid the Start Menu. What do you want from the start menu? The ability to launch and search for programs. Launch is on the Metro screen now - that's covered. A full-screen start menu like the Metro desktop is fine - the start-menu kept growing absurdly anyways. I think Metro could be made to work if you made sure it was operable with a mouse - that is, no auto-hiding, no gestures. Give me a single…
>I think Metro could be made to work if you made sure it was operable with a mouse - that is, no auto-hiding, no gestures. Give me a single, consistent always-visible taskbar instead of schizophrenia and that "charms" crap, and on-screen always-visible buttons to launch an app-search-bar or to hit up the I can live with this on the desktop, but what's particularly insane is they went with this same interface for Serv…
I don't consider corner-based gestures to satisfy my requirement of "operable with a mouse".
That's my point. Move away from gestures and auto-hiding crap and metro would be workable for the desktop. It's perfectly reasonable to auto-hide stuff on a 7" screen and have it always-visible on a 23" screen, or at least give it a button instead of a gesture.
Give me that kind of thing and Metro is workable instead of "omg revert this crap".