In the last entry on Microsoft's official Windows 8 blog page, the company went into some detail on how the next version of the Windows operating system will handle basic functions such as moving files, copying them, renaming files and deleting them. Apparently there was a topic that readers of the blog wanted even more info about. In today's new entry on the Windows 8 blog site, Microsoft talked more about how the operating system will resolve file name conflicts (or as Microsoft calls them, collisions).
Replacing files with the same name can sometimes be a tricky task. For Windows 8, the blog site states, "The idea of optimizing for the 'Replace all' or 'Skip all' choice was introduced. Most of the time, you know exactly what you’re copying and why it is conflicting, and you can make a simple choice about what action to take." Microsoft though about offering different number of "tiers" in order to make sure you are not getting rid of a file you want to keep. In the end the company went through a number of user interfaces before coming up with the basic design that offers a two tier process to make sure you are deleting the file you want to get rid of. Microsoft has made a number of refinements to that design.
Microsoft learned that even though the UI looks better without the traditional check box for file deletes, users like the check box design. Also columns in the design "needed to be more distinct." The company went with a two column design for its final UI. It added, "We’ve continued to conduct more studies and make minor changes since the initial research, but the core design has remained basically the same. It has been very encouraging to witness the ease with which users complete usability tasks. Resolving file name collisions is a tricky problem, but users are efficient and successful."
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