Headlines - Windows 7 mock-ups begin to mislead consumers

[HEXUS]

Now that Microsoft has (slightly) lifted the lid on Windows 7, you'll find related news popping up left, right and centre. Don't, however, be fooled by the fake mock-ups currently doing the rounds.

Read more.

[McClane]

There's some nice ideas in there. It would be nice to get a complete redesign of the UI because some things just don't cut it any more. In particular the taskbar and start menu.

[smithy1158]

Im sorry but UI like that isnt functional whatsoever and would just waste alot of time and resources need ed for modern programs and games... if they want to improve the image then just should just use a mac style dock which keeps the functionality and has the looks

[kopite]

I have always though the start menu and taskbar worked pretty well.

Cant think of much that could be done to improve it really

[MadduckUK]

I have always though the start menu and taskbar worked pretty well.

Cant think of much that could be done to improve it really

an "are you sure you want to open start menu?" dialogue box. its the future!

[dangel]

If MS produce a radical new UI - users will moan.

If MS don't produce a radical new UI - users will moan.

I bet MS Engineers would love to work for Apple - where any radical change is like mana from God to users.

[kalniel]

Im sorry but UI like that isnt functional whatsoever and would just waste alot of time and resources need ed for modern programs and games... if they want to improve the image then just should just use a mac style dock which keeps the functionality and has the looks

UI like what? The completely fake image that has nothing to do with MS?

[TheAnimus]

the dock is a bad design from a UI perspective, because it offers users no knowledge of what each app is, this is why on a default install, its only 3 icons you see in the quick lanch. Why in XP the idea of collecting same applications together, so you had not just the icon, but the description.

There are some expcetions to this rule, browsers for instnace we're expected to know the icon for (because the title of the window is controlled by the web page to make indexing them possible).

[McClane]

Im sorry but UI like that isnt functional whatsoever and would just waste alot of time and resources need ed for modern programs and games... if they want to improve the image then just should just use a mac style dock which keeps the functionality and has the looks

I have a macbook and I'm not a huge fan of the dock. Maybe I'm using the UI badly but I just find everything to be a bit more of a chore. For example, when I use mac msn and I want to get my contact list up it's fine if I don't have any chat windows open, I just click the msn icon in the dock. As soon as I have a chat window open I have to go through menus to get to the contact list as the dock icon now shows you all the open chat windows. Also, if someone sends me a message and I have other windows open the chat window is behind everything... I know it's a Microsoft program but it's not the only thing that's crap.
Another example is Finder. If I have several folders open how do I get to the folder I want? The first way is to click the Finder icon, which shows me all the folders, then press a button on my keyboard, which arranges all the windows in such a way that I can see them all, and then click the right window. The second way is to click the Finder icon and then click on each folder until I find find the righter one. The final way is to press a button on my keyboard which displays all my applications windows in such a way that I can see them all and from there click on the folder I want. In windows I just click the folder in the task bar or if they are group I click the group in the task bar and then select the folder I want from the list. In my opinion windows is much much easier.

All in all, yes the mac UI looks a lot nicer but I find it a lot less functional. To be fair to the dock though, I've not got OSX 10.5 so I don't know how good the improvements are to the dock.

[kobefanatic2289]

I have a macbook and I'm not a huge fan of the dock. Maybe I'm using the UI badly but I just find everything to be a bit more of a chore. For example, when I use mac msn and I want to get my contact list up it's fine if I don't have any chat windows open, I just click the msn icon in the dock. As soon as I have a chat window open I have to go through menus to get to the contact list as the dock icon now shows you all the open chat windows. Also, if someone sends me a message and I have other windows open the chat window is behind everything... I know it's a Microsoft program but it's not the only thing that's crap.
Another example is Finder. If I have several folders open how do I get to the folder I want? The first way is to click the Finder icon, which shows me all the folders, then press a button on my keyboard, which arranges all the windows in such a way that I can see them all, and then click the right window. The second way is to click the Finder icon and then click on each folder until I find find the righter one. The final way is to press a button on my keyboard which displays all my applications windows in such a way that I can see them all and from there click on the folder I want. In windows I just click the folder in the task bar or if they are group I click the group in the task bar and then select the folder I want from the list. In my opinion windows is much much easier.

All in all, yes the mac UI looks a lot nicer but I find it a lot less functional. To be fair to the dock though, I've not got OSX 10.5 so I don't know how good the improvements are to the dock.

There's a little feature called Exposé, I suggest you check it out.

[jackvdbuk]

If MS produce a radical new UI - users will moan.

If MS don't produce a radical new UI - users will moan.

I bet MS Engineers would love to work for Apple - where any radical change is like mana from God to users.

100% agree, im sick of everyone moaning at any future designs, office 2007 is a prime example some reviews about the UI are just incredible.