Bigger icons please

Post by **rep** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 9:31 am

I'm sure the GUI gurus at Microsoft really want to make a next generation interface, but the project managers fear sudden change would alienate a lot of users, so we end up with these things:

minimize, maximize, close buttons

file, edit, view, help menu items

upper left icon to for window functions (close, min/max again)

The title bar (Is that really necessary?)

The status bar (Should the user have to see that a file is currently saving? Perhaps instead of an hour glass cursor there should be a progress bar.)

Post by **Geebs** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 9:33 am

What's a next generation interface, when it's at home? Interface design has been incremental since before PARC

Post by **rep** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 9:35 am

There have been interfaces designed for years that break all the current ideas of how the 2D desktop environment behaves.

Wacom did it years ago.

The idea is to make things work as they do in real life, while retaining the things that give computing an advantage. Get rid of the technical aspects of it... Instead of .jpg .psd .bmp you just have 'That picture I took at the beach'.

Post by **Geebs** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 9:37 am

"if they're so smart, why aren't they rich"

They only produced the first tablet which had a pen that didn't need a battery in it. Hardly an epoch-shattering innovation.

Post by **+JuggerNaut+** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 9:40 am

no registry? \o/

Post by **MKJ** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 9:44 am

rep wrote:Microsoft invented the 'hip version name', not Apple.

Apple is praised for the cat names it uses for OSX releases, yet Microsoft has been doing it for years and years.

Vista would be better as Windows San Diego.

We've already had Windows Chicago, and Windows Memphis.

I can see the horrible office themed Sunday funnies making stupid captions like, "Pista at Vista." :\

not really, actually. 'hip' names are always used as codenames. apple had Rhapsody for osx before it got scrapped, and windows, indeed, had city names.
os7 ( i think) was called Veronica, and photoshop Big Electric Cat.
apple may be the first to use their hip names as official product names though, but thats debatable and really not important

Post by **rep** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 9:46 am

Geebs wrote:They only produced the first tablet which had a pen that didn't need a battery in it. Hardly an epoch-shattering innovation.

Ehhh... They created a complete system based on the tablet with different tools for different functions. There was a file cabinet (It literally was a small file cabinent) tool that you put on the tablet and a file cabinet of documents opened up on screen. That's not exactly cool by today's standards, but this was sometime in the late 80s, if I recall correctly.

Post by **MKJ** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 9:47 am

rep wrote: Get rid of the technical aspects of it... Instead of .jpg .psd .bmp you just have 'That picture I took at the beach'.

kinda like HFS then ?

Post by **rep** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 9:50 am

A little, but without the too cool for deodorant hepcat latte drinking assholes that hover around HFS.