Ribbons in "Windows 8"?

[andymcca]

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/new ... ce-windows
Cue collective groan.
The article also mentions 8 will support ARM ISA et al

[Fire-Flare]

Not a bad idea for touch-only interfaces and computer newbies, but the option to have the standard appearance would certainly be preferred by most users.

[tim851]

Not a bad idea for touch-only interfaces

Good catch. That could very well be the reason for going all-ribbon. It's definitely more usable than trying to navigate cascading drop-down menus with your finger.

[andymcca]

That is an interesting point which I had not considered. I am not sure pull down menus with icons wouldn't have worked, too, though

Honestly my only problem with the ribbons is that they are impossible to scan for what you need (ie scanning left-to-right is not natural, and the icons are not ordered in a single dimension). Vertical ribbons, maybe? Oh, and please tell me what the hotkeys are

With an OS I suppose there will be fewer options you need to go hunting for (as long as they don't do something stupid to Control Panel), and maybe the ribbons would annoy me less.

As for the new user argument: I've never really understood this. For computer-illiterate people, it does not matter what you put on the screen. They will never find it. [edit: what I mean is that graphical icons cannot correspond with most technical commands. What does 'copy' look like? This is the same reason road signs are still not universal. What does 'speed limit' look like?] With computer literate people keywords seem optimal. But I guess that's the whole old argument coming back in. My mantra: choice

[ces]

My mantra: choice

The whole purpose of a monopoly is to block the exercise of choice. Otherwise what good is it?

[mkk]

Indeed. I'm all for user interface experimentation as long as there is choice built into the system. In other words I don't want Microsoft to experiment much....

[Fire-Flare]

If there is no choice, and public outcry doesn't warrant Microsoft to release a patch for it, then someone else will release a modified shell that removes the ribbon.

[ces]

Actual interview Question: "How would you market ping pong balls if ping pong itself became obsolete? List many ways, then pick one and go into detail." -- Microsoft (MSFT)

"Now, replace "ping pong balls" with "Windows System", and everything makes sense!"

http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/ ... questions/