Microsoft working on "total update" to File Explorer for Windows 10.

[Dot Matrix]

1 minute ago, shockz said:

I don't see them for longer than that either on my home system, but others do have a pronounced wait time. I've seen the splash screens for as long as 1-2 seconds when first logging in. That would suck for things such as file explorer. I'm not sure why you're insistent on taking something that is currently instant to something that has a wait time. 

And on those systems, it would take File Explorer the same amount of time to open.

[shockz]

5 minutes ago, Dot Matrix said:

And on those systems, it would take File Explorer the same amount of time to open.

Nope. Not at all. File explorer is usable as soon as it's launched.

[Dot Matrix]

5 minutes ago, shockz said:

Nope. Not at all. File explorer is usable as soon as it's launched.

Not in my experience. Slow machines, are slow to launch Explorer. There's a clear wait time for the system to catch up to it.

[shockz]

4 minutes ago, Dot Matrix said:

Not in my experience. Slow machines, are slow to launch Explorer. There's a defined wait time for the system to catch up to it.

Regardless... 0.5 seconds or 2 seconds. Splash screens for all applications is not needed. The 90's called and wants their UX back.

 

UWP is the future, but something dumb as a splash screen for basic system operations is a waste of time and useless. Aside from Microsoft, or things that only run in the background, or mobile devices, splash screens have been left in the past and have no place in a desktop environment. If your system is actually that slow, to where you need a splash screen, it's time for an upgrade. 

[ensiform]

8 minutes ago, Dot Matrix said:

Why would Explorer launch folders in a different window? Microsoft hasn't had that option on by default in years.

It does if you middle click, manually open a specific extra folder, or change the default option though.

[zhangm Supervisor]

I don't think Photos has a splash screen (build 14291). You can see how much of a difference it makes.

[Dot Matrix]

5 minutes ago, ensiform said:

It does if you middle click, manually open a specific extra folder, or change the default option though.

Yes, but once File Explorer is open, everything you click on should open in the same window. Obviously, if you open more than one instance, then yes, in theory, you should see the splash screen for a second again.

 

Irregardless, File Explorer's been long due for an upgrade, and Windows 10 is the perfect time to do it. The old one still there really breaks the UX, and touch experience.

[onewarmslime]

19 hours ago, devHead said:

There's a splash screen for calculator in Windows 10?  Not in mine.  Course, I just press the calculator button on my keyboard and it opens immediately.

Uhm... there kinda is..

[ensiform]

3 minutes ago, Dot Matrix said:

Yes, but once File Explorer is open, everything you click on should open in the same window. Obviously, if you open more than one instance, then yes, in theory, you should see the splash screen for a second again.

But does it really need one?  Also look at games such as Mass Effect 2.  There was artificial loading screens there which were longer than the loading process itself.

 

IMO chances are file explorer may still have a Win32 backend with a front-end interface in UWP like Settings and Edge.

[neufuse Veteran]

19 minutes ago, Dot Matrix said:

Why would Explorer launch folders in a different window? Microsoft hasn't had that option on by default in years.

because people who do a lot of work turn that default back to the other way... when you work with a lot of folders you have it set that way

[onewarmslime]

8 hours ago, Dot Matrix said:

But how fast is your drive? With SSD, splash screens are barely noticeable.

 

I just don't see what all the complaining is about. It's a simple design element.

With old calculator, we didn't need an SSD for instant loading. But I guess the new metro calculator is way more advanced and complicated so it's worth it...

calculator loads instantly on my 11 year old XP machine... so yeah... guess how much time it would need to run the new calculator...

[Dot Matrix]

2 minutes ago, neufuse said:

because people who do a lot of work turn that default back to the other way... when you work with a lot of folders you have it set that way

I do a lot of work in folders, and I *rarely* have more than 2 instances open at a time, 3 at the most. Anything else just becomes clutter.

[neufuse Veteran]

1 minute ago, Dot Matrix said:

I do a lot of work in folders, and I *rarely* have more than 2 instances open at a time, 3 at the most. Anything else just becomes clutter.

you need to see the enterprise workers I've been around... some of them have 5+ folders open at once...... constantly moving around them, but then these are people who demand to have 4 monitors also due to the amount of work they do

[ensiform]

It's just not necessary.  It's like back when Windows 9x used to say "Windows is now shutting down..." When, if you saw that it meant there was ###### slowing it down.

[Dot Matrix]

2 minutes ago, neufuse said:

you need to see the enterprise workers I've been around... some of them have 5+ folders open at once...... constantly moving around them, but then these are people who demand to have 4 monitors also due to the amount of work they do

And it's all clutter. I manage enterprise workers. They get lost in their own stuff.

[kozukumi]

15 minutes ago, neufuse said:

you need to see the enterprise workers I've been around... some of them have 5+ folders open at once...... constantly moving around them, but then these are people who demand to have 4 monitors also due to the amount of work they do

This is why orthodox file managers like Total Commander are the better option for such power users IMHO. Explorer is great for basic stuff but once your job is working with lots of different locations it becomes a real pain. I couldn't work without Total Commander personally. 

 

13 minutes ago, Dot Matrix said:

They get lost in their own stuff.

Haha I love that, so true!

[Ian W]

At the moment I do not see how Microsoft can effectively replace the customization and power provided by the Ribbon UI. Will the total update provide contextual based tabs or a customizable toolbar? What of the benefits listed at the Building Windows 8 blog?

Quote

We evaluated several different UI command affordances including expanded versions of the Vista/Windows 7 command bar, Windows 95/Windows XP style toolbars and menus, several entirely new UI approaches, and the Office style ribbon. Of these, the ribbon approach offered benefits in line with our goals:

• Provides the ability to put the most important commands in very prominent, front and center locations.
• Makes it easy to find commands predictably and reliably. Every important file management command could be given a home in the ribbon, and customers would always know where to look for them.
• Exposes a large set of commands (~200) in one easy and consistent experience and organizes commands into scenario-focused groups without the use of nested menus, popups, dialogs, and right-click menus.
• Aids command identification with support for grouping, a variety of button sizes and icons, and aids deeper investigation with live previews and expanded tooltips.
• Takes a similar approach to Office, Microsoft Paint, and Windows Live Essentials, which means that many of our customers will be familiar with the model and not have a lot to learn.
• Provides a consistent, reliable UI that doesn’t degrade over time like traditional toolbar and menu-based user interfaces do. See Jensen’s earlier blog on this topic from the development of the ribbon.

[ . . .]

• Exposes hidden features that they [power users] already use but which require third party add-ons to use in the Explorer UI today.
• Provides keyboard shortcuts for every command in the ribbon, something many people have been asking for.
• Provides UI customization with the quick access toolbar, taking us back to a customization level that is basically equivalent to Windows XP.