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A plea to the Windows team: Don’t make Windows 7 too Mac-like
All about Microsoft —
... about the difference between “simple” and “easy” in the context of Windows 7 . Sure, Windows 7 is still in the pre-beta phase, meaning the user-interface elements still will be tweaked considerably before the product is released to manufacturing. But Thurrott raises a number of points that left me nodding my head in agreement. I am a Windows user by choice, not simply because I blog about Microsoft. When I saw the recent demos of Windows 7 — with its JumpLists, AeroPeek, AeroSnaps and lots of other eye candy — I was torn. I want some of what’s coming in Windows 7, such as ...
Windows Stands to Benefit From Mac-Like Functionality
Technologizer —
... overall, a better application. How many Mac OS programs do you know that are poorly done? There’s not too many. I think the biggest problem I have with Paul’s take is his misrepresentation of the Dock, a Mac OS X staple. It is not Mac’s version that is bad, it is Windows 7’s. My first time on a Mac, I knew that was the application bar, and when the little blue light lit up it was running. Simple enough, right? Look at Windows 7’s implementation, about halfway down the page of Paul’s second post . That is awful. What’s with the bezeling? It’s hard to even tell that it is ...
Does the Windows 7 team have too much Apple envy? Readers weigh in
All about Microsoft —
... didn’t fall on deaf ears. While I seriously doubt it influenced many (or any) in Redmond, the post definitely elicited some strong opinions — both in agreement with and in opposition to — my premise. A quick recap: Blogger Paul Thurrott recently raised the issue of what constitutes simple (vs. easy) when it comes to operating-system interfaces . Like Thurrott, I worry that Microsoft’s Apple envy is leading the Windows team to make some UI choices that could potentially result in Windows 7 looking and working more like Mac OS X than like Windows. Of course, if you’re in the ...
Seven Things Windows 7 Needs To Accomplish
Technologizer —
... use. From the early looks of what were seeing out of the beta, Microsoft has seen the light and has taken a good look at what is needed to make this a reality. 4. It needs to learn from Mac OS X, not mimic it. Yes, I argued in the above linked post that Microsoft could learn a good deal on OS UI design from the folks at Cupertino. However, the last thing they need to do is copy it. I think the Dock-like taskbar is a good example of how copying can go wrong–which Paul Thurrott also seems to lament . While it does a good job in making it look like the Dock, in true Microsoft ...
The Bumper List of Windows 7 Secrets
Bink.nu —
... development of many of the most significant new features. For now, though, I want to focus in on some of “secrets” of Windows 7: the many little tweaks and enhancements that we’ve made in this release that I’ve discovered and collated over the last few months of using Windows 7 across my home and work machines. These are the things that are too small to appear in any marketing document as “features”, but that you quickly miss when you switch to an older version of Windows. There are some who think that we’re arbitrarily hiding functionality to make Windows easy for casual ...
The bumper list of Windows 7 secrets
SuperSite Blog —
... I want to focus in on some of “secrets” of Windows 7: the many little tweaks and enhancements that we’ve made in this release that I’ve discovered and collated over the last few months of using Windows 7 across my home and work machines. These are the things that are too small to appear in any marketing document as “features”, but that you quickly miss when you switch to an older version of Windows. There are some who think that we’re arbitrarily hiding functionality to make Windows easy for casual users, but I’d argue that a great deal of effort has been put into this release ...
