What do you think?


Recommended Posts

Do you think that the sidebar will revolutionize as much as the start menu and taskbar have? I am not really sure, but, IMO microsoft hasn't done much of anything with windows since windows 98 for the home user, except, make it stable and give it a nice look...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

it will help out a lot of people i think. but there will also be people like you who won't use it that much. so it won't really "revolutionize" the desktop os...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i used the beta of sideshow for a while, it was okay, but it had a lot of worrk that needed to be done, and it wasnt that useful, i havent had a chance to use a beta of longhorn yet...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

again less desktop space:S

i have go to again to a bigger screenreso

it is already 1600xd1200 :s

hope it does auto hide like the 1 we all have:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The sidebar doesn't do anything 'useful' that the wharf in afterstep (or litestep if you're so inclined) didn't do. While it's a nice option to have I don't think it will go down as one of the defining moments in GUI design - that is once you strip away the marketing hype that will be strewn onto it.

It's nice to see people realizing that vertical screen realestate is a comodity and fixng their interface accordingly. On a standard PC mornitor you're running at 4:3 aspect ratio (unless you use unholy resolutions like 1280x1024) so you've already got 25% less vertical screen space, wasting another 25 pixels for quicklanch icons really starts to cut into your work area.

What would be wonderful to see is PC users shipping apple-style screens with aspect ratios like 16:9, 3:2, 2.25:1 or 16:10. That would allow you to use the side bar without squashing your useable desktop area into a 1:1 700k pixel square in the corner.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The sidebar doesn't do anything 'useful' that the wharf in afterstep (or litestep if you're so inclined) didn't do. While it's a nice option to have I don't think it will go down as one of the defining moments in GUI design - that is once you strip away the marketing hype that will be strewn onto it.

It's nice to see people realizing that vertical screen realestate is a comodity and fixng their interface accordingly. On a standard PC mornitor you're running at 4:3 aspect ratio (unless you use unholy resolutions like 1280x1024) so you've already got 25% less vertical screen space, wasting another 25 pixels for quicklanch icons really starts to cut into your work area.

What would be wonderful to see is PC users shipping apple-style screens with aspect ratios like 16:9, 3:2, 2.25:1 or 16:10. That would allow you to use the side bar without squashing your useable desktop area into a 1:1 700k pixel square in the corner.

exactly it does nothing usefull... but this is a part of the plex theme and i dont think its gonna stick around

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't judge for now, just wait and see. For god's sake, it won't be released until 2005, who knows what kinds of features will be added on in 2 years time?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just for you people always whining about desktop real estate:

IT WILL HAVE A FREAKIN' AUTOHIDE OPTION!!!!

Is that so hard to understand?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i think it will be like the quick launch in win98... once you get used to it. when asking a win95 or nt user about the quick launch they were saying: who needs it, it takes too much space we are allready on a 1024*768 resolution and bla bla bla.

i think the same will happen with the sidebar...

just a thought...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

.... proove that it'll actually be there and i will understand.... ^_^ im sayin it wont be

it's there now isn't it? :huh: i don't see why they would take it out...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ok this is my last post before i leave for holiday//: i think that when the introduce their new ui/os which is supposed to move away from a task based interface it wont be need... and untill someone shows me an "aero" alpha desktop im firm in my belief

bye now ^_^

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hello boys and girls, u know what time it is rite?

its time for the stupid questions to roll in....

1.Sidebar:only in longhorn?

2.Sidebar:screenshots?

3.Sidebar:kinda like a dock in a mac?

thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope when the final of longhorn comes out they sort out the start bar, I mean, clicking start to shutdown always makes me laugh.

Perhaps they could have some sort of intergrated start bar in the side bar?

Edited by Knight'
Link to comment
Share on other sites

hello boys and girls, u know what time it is rite?

its time for the stupid questions to roll in....

1.Sidebar:only in longhorn?

2.Sidebar:screenshots?

3.Sidebar:kinda like a dock in a mac?

thanks!

Longhorn will the first OS with a sidebar, but who knows what could come up in future OSes, so till now, the sidebar is only known to be in longhorn. There has been a beta version of a similar mockup called sideshow, that kind of demonstrated what route the sidebar will take. Do a search on the mainpage(https://www.neowin.net/search.php) for the screenshots of longhorn's UI, there have been a few newsposts with quite a few pics in them.

It's not at all similar to the dock in a mac, it's more like a one stop spot for things you do often, look in the screenies and you'll see what I mean ;) It can be very useful.

It probably won't revolutionize, but more like evolutionize taskbars. I would feel more convenient if it was a horizontal bar, since moving around the cursor horizontally feels more convenient that vertically(or could probably be due to my being used to the start bar and my resolution), but I guess that cost should be worth for the convenience, and the usefullness of it, it will definitely make things a lot easier for most.

I hope when the final of longhorn comes out they sort out the start bar, I mean, clicking start to shutdown always makes me laugh.

Oh come on! I thought people got over that already... :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not used Longhorn yet, but from what I've seen in the screen shots the Sidebar isn't too amazing. Meh, might add something to the feel of the desktop overall, but it won't exactly redefine HCI standards. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it might. Reason is the Microsoft preferred specification for Longhorn. Right now I have a crappy monitor that is showing 1028 x 768 but in 2 years time the resolution probably will be alot higher.

Due to that reason a sidebar probably will not be a hinderance as it is now. Most people will probably ignore it or use the buttons as I plan on doing so when it comes out.

So, yea I think it will be good. I am glad they are thinking ahead especially now that we will be able to have connected with DirectX. Think of the possibilities!!

Our desktop can be 3d in nature with no slowdown. We can "scroll" to different sides that can be used as an advance desktop manager. Instead of 4 desktops, we can have say 50 as long as the 3d video card and enough memory and hard drive space allows.

Perhaps we don't need to logoff, just scroll to another area, enter the password, and you are now in administrative mode or guest mode.

Wow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The current sidebar doesn't do much... in fact, I would find a picture slideshow distracting, but, it could be cool if it had some useful things, kinda like the Office task panel (the Research panes, etc, not the Open thing).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The sidebar might replace the taskbar but not in longhorn. Like the taskbar i would imagine ppl saying the taskbar was useless before 95...but unlike the taskbar it takes to much space and will feature too much msn crap...

in my opinion the sidebar would not be as succesful as the taskbar...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.