Windows 11 leaks online - first impressions

[Agent Smith]

Source: https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/15/2...ots-start-menu

[Gaidax]

WinOS11

Should have put clock and such on top while at it, just to make sure.

I'm also not sure why they even kept that ugly bottom bar visible, where most of it has no elements whatsoever. If you copy MacOS, do it properly.

[Endus]

WinOS11

Should have put clock and such on top while at it, just to make sure.

I'm also not sure why they even kept that ugly bottom bar visible, where most of it has no elements whatsoever. If you copy MacOS, do it properly.

That bottom bar's been a part of Windows OS since Windows 1.0. It's been pretty much in the form you see there since Windows 95. Released in, unsurprisingly, 1995. Apple only came up with their Dock format in '99.

Apple's the one copying Windows, here. About the only thing you could argue is maybe taken from MacOS is the program icons being centered, which is a pretty minor detail. Windows doesn't even require the taskbar to be on the bottom of the screen; mine hangs out on the right edge of my left-hand, secondary monitor. That means it's still visible if I've got someone in full screen on my primary, and I like the vertical orientation more than the horizontal.

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Menu bar in middle of bottom row fits layout very well on MacOS because:
- There is nothing on left/right of it.
- Though technically it does take an entire row, it is transparent outside of buttons, making it look like it is small.

Windows implementation is ugly. If you stick to keeping junk in bottom right corner, keep everything else in bottom left corner, don't center it. It looks messy.

I don't know why they're doing it that way. I certainly don't need it. I don't think it'd work terribly well with a vertical orientation anyway. It may be an option you can toggle on whether the taskbar launcher icons are centered or left/right justified.

[Easo]

I really do not see why it is necessary. But Microsoft cannot stick to anything, I guess.

[Tuor]

I was watching a video on youtube while ago. Its mostly identical to W10... Damn i hate that start menu.

What i'm really looking is trying to understand the load of this OS on the system, i'm running a really old rig here.

[Poopymonster]

The real question is can it be skinned to resemble Win 7 or previous versions?

[Gaidax]

That bottom bar's been a part of Windows OS since Windows 1.0. It's been pretty much in the form you see there since Windows 95. Released in, unsurprisingly, 1995. Apple only came up with their Dock format in '99.

Apple's the one copying Windows, here. About the only thing you could argue is maybe taken from MacOS is the program icons being centered, which is a pretty minor detail. Windows doesn't even require the taskbar to be on the bottom of the screen; mine hangs out on the right edge of my left-hand, secondary monitor. That means it's still visible if I've got someone in full screen on my primary, and I like the vertical orientation more than the horizontal.

You don't need to tell me what was where since when, I'm using Windows since 3.11.

It does not matter what they had for zillion years, what matters is how well it is designed and if they go ahead and align icons to center like MacOS/OSX is doing since forever, then they should take opportunity and do the one obvious thing and remove the unused greyish space at the bottom the way MacOS/OSX does for said many years, because you know... it just makes sense in 2021.

Take note - no ugly unused white space at the bottom, while bar icons are centered. Shocking.



The "but it used to be this way in 80s, so it's how it should be" is just silly.

[Endus]

You don't need to tell me what was where since when, I'm using Windows since 3.11.

It does not matter what they had for zillion years, what matters is how well it is designed and if they go ahead and align icons to center like MacOS/OSX is doing since forever, then they should take opportunity and do the one obvious thing and remove the unused greyish space at the bottom the way MacOS/OSX does for said many years, because you know... it just makes sense in 2021.

Take note - no ugly unused white space at the bottom, while bar icons are centered. Shocking.

Just ugly white space across the top.

Windows OSes combine the functions of the Dock and Menu Bar into one single bar.

Edit: before you come back saying the menu bar isn't white, in Windows 10 and I assume 11, the taskbar's just as variable in tone. It depends on the wallpaper behind it.

Edit Edit: I'm not even arguing you should love the Windows 10/11 look. Just that it isn't stealing from Apple, and they're pretty comparable and largely have been for decades now.

[Egomaniac]

I don't think the look overly matters. Dollars to doughnuts that there will be an option to keep a "classic windows" look.

[Gaidax]

Same thing with menus in Windows apps. Every app these days seem to have its own menu hidden behind its custom button, not matching other apps. Even Microsoft apps do that. It is often frustrating to figuring out where it is. This is why MacOS is superior for productivity and Windows is heading the wrong way. Microsoft needs to get its act together and improve UI for usability, even if it upsets some developers who will no longer be able to customise the hell out of menus, not add more stuff for sake of adding stuff.

It's just this folly of Microsoft thinking where they just can't disconnect themselves from "but we had it this way since 80s", like that Endus guy above where he justifies outright ugly thick strip of nothing at the bottom of the screen with "but that's how it was since Windows 1.0".

As long as this kind of thinking exists - Windows will be stuck a decade behind when it comes to design.

[zorkuus]

And I almost bought Microsoft's lie about W10 being the last OS and they'll just keep updating it forever. Almost.

[Jastall]

Am I a bad person if I actually use the bottom bar to open a few common programs on top of switching between windows on the fly? I don't want it to go away.

[Edge-]

Am I a bad person if I actually use the bottom bar to open a few common programs on top of switching between windows on the fly? I don't want it to go away.

Thankfully it looks like it'll still be there and you can move the icons to the lefthand side like exists now.

Unrelated: That window sizing feature that lets you choose how much of the screen a window fills up is great shit. I do this manually with my browsers on my second monitor (though they overlap), and being able to get them justified without having to move it back and forth to get it on the RIGHT GOD DAMNED PIXEL will be super nice.

[PC2]

The real question is can it be skinned to resemble Win 7 or previous versions?

Am I a bad person if I actually use the bottom bar to open a few common programs on top of switching between windows on the fly? I don't want it to go away.

I don't know the specifics of this OS but personally I never had a problem re-configuring the UI to the way I like it. All the people I've heard complain about an OS in my life don't seem to realize that computers can arbitrarily do whatever you want, you just have to put in a little time(initially) to set it up.

[Endus]

But it does. When everything looks in place and is well organised, user doesn't need to look for buttons. When it is messy, user needs to think where button is before using it, wasting time, reducing productivity and often getting angry at bad UI.

While option will probably be there, default setting should be the most convenient one so users won't have to toggle options.

Same thing with menus in Windows apps. Every app these days seem to have its own menu hidden behind its custom button, not matching other apps. Even Microsoft apps do that. It is often frustrating to figuring out where it is. This is why MacOS is superior for productivity and Windows is heading the wrong way. Microsoft needs to get its act together and improve UI for usability, even if it upsets some developers who will no longer be able to customise the hell out of menus, not add more stuff for sake of adding stuff.

On what planet are people choosing MacOS for productivity? Pretty much every workplace I've worked at has used a Windows OS. Particularly if you work with clients outside the workplace, and compatibility is a concern.

[Egomaniac]

But it does. When everything looks in place and is well organised, user doesn't need to look for buttons. When it is messy, user needs to think where button is before using it, wasting time, reducing productivity and often getting angry at bad UI.
.

It doesn't matter if I can change the interface back to the classic look.

If I can make:



Look like:



Than it really doesn't matter to me what the default UI is

[Endus]

It's just this folly of Microsoft thinking where they just can't disconnect themselves from "but we had it this way since 80s", like that Endus guy above where he justifies outright ugly thick strip of nothing at the bottom of the screen with "but that's how it was since Windows 1.0".

As long as this kind of thinking exists - Windows will be stuck a decade behind when it comes to design.

That "ugly" strip isn't any uglier than the MacOS Dock. And it's entirely movable and customizeable. Like, you don't like all the white space on it; Windows has a Dark theme you can use. You can put that bar on any side of the screen. It can auto-hide itself unless you hover the mouse over it. You can also shrink the buttons on it if you want it to be less obtrusive. That's all true in Windows 10, and I doubt 11 will lose any of those features.

[prwraith]

To an unreasonable degree I severely dislike that nav bar.

Thank god for programs like windowblinds and start10.

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Same thing with menus in Windows apps. Every app these days seem to have its own menu hidden behind its custom button, not matching other apps. Even Microsoft apps do that. It is often frustrating to figuring out where it is. This is why MacOS is superior for productivity and Windows is heading the wrong way. Microsoft needs to get its act together and improve UI for usability, even if it upsets some developers who will no longer be able to customise the hell out of menus, not add more stuff for sake of adding stuff.

This whole paragraph is a giant *wut*

As if it takes more than 15 minutes to familiarize enough with any program to just switch to straight hotkeys.

[Beazy]

God. . . I wish we could just go back to Windows NT 2000. Best OS ever made and didn't look like a MacOS rip off.

I had a MP3 and movie server running on 2000 and it worked until the HD crapped out in 2016. "F"

[Easo]

On what planet are people choosing MacOS for productivity? Pretty much every workplace I've worked at has used a Windows OS. Particularly if you work with clients outside the workplace, and compatibility is a concern.

I guess that you have not met the Apple fanatics, then. There are two kinds - executives, of whom most have no idea how to use it at all, but they HAVE TO have Apple, the other are in IT - the wannabe Steve Jobs/evangelist ones, who are usually causing pain in the ass attempting to do something ultra specific and esoteric and then complaining when it does not work.