__/ [ Roy Schestowitz ] on Tuesday 11 July 2006 13:21 \__
> __/ [ B Gruff ] on Tuesday 11 July 2006 13:05 \__
>
>> On Tuesday 11 July 2006 12:43 Roy Schestowitz wrote:
>>
>>> Vista's sidebar -- a waste of space?
>>>
>>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>> | Apart from the new Aero interface, this was to be the other big visual
>>> | sensation in Vista ? one of the first things you see when you fire up
>>> | the machine.
>>> |
>>> | We saw it. And then we moved on.
>>> |
>>> | [...]
>>> |
>>> | The whole point of the Sidebar, or any equivalent application, is to
>>> | provide an always-up visual zone for easy access to mini-apps. It does,
>>> | however, rely on two main requirements ? first that the content is in
>>> | someway useful and second that the area itself is as unobtrusive as
>>> | possible.
>>> `----
>>
>
http://www.apcstart.com/site/jbannan/2006/07/665/vistas-sidebar-a-waste-of-space
>>
>> Hmmm... he's a bit of a nay-sayer, isn't he? He doesn't need to run ALL
>> his apps full-screen, so surely all that he has to do is to have the
>> sidebar up in one of his virtual desktops that don't use all the screen,
>> or even give it a virtual desktop of its own....;-)
>
> That's just what I had in mind. No virtual desktops. Rex recently said that
> Windows users are accustomed to to this habit of working with just one
> application at a time -- one that is maximised to occupy the entire screen.
> In reality, the notion of minimising and maximising applications should be
> merely deprecated. I rarely even use Alt+(Shift)+Tab either.
> Ctrl+(Shift+)+Tab is the easier way to get things done if you remain
> consistent (e.g. everything mail-related in desktop 4). Other
> possibilities: pager and keyboard accelerators... often CTRL+Fx by default
> (GNOME, KDE). If Windows does not evolve, it will never encourage its user
> to adapt productive paradigms for GTD (getting things done).
Addenda: to say more on virtual desktop/workspace switching, KDE also enables
the user to roll the mouse wheel (pointer atop empty space, i.e. no windows
underneath) to alter VD. There is also the set of flexible options for
switching by pushing through screen edges and corners, either with an
application dragged, or without.
On productivity, Microsoft is essentially killing /itself /by barely
permitting its O/S (and the other flagship products, notably Office) to
evolve in this decade, productivity-wise. The conceded feature were aimed at
enhanced user experience and reduced maintenance or 'fixing' activities. Its
not truly reluctance to improve or complacency. it's the penalty of highly
flawed code and systems design. Meanwhile, the competition has not just
caught up, but it has opened a considerable gap and is already miles ahead.
This includes Mac OS X. All Microsoft can do is reach out for its deep
pocket and use FUD. More programmers (increased complexity of development
team) cannot make a pig fly.
Best wishes,
Roy
--
Roy S. Schestowitz | Windows leaves me peckish
http://Schestowitz.com | GNU is Not UNIX ¦ PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
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