My Computer

[kevinski]

I was thinking of a neat approach to My Computer in ReactOS that might make certain things easier to access. It kinda borrows from Windows Vista in a small way. Basically, clicking on My Computer will bring up the drives that you'd generally access this way in Windows, but with a twist: My Computer would actually consist of three separate tabs, and the shortcut to My Computer would take you to a Storage tab. What should the other tabs be, then?

Storage | Programs | Devices

Think of Programs as where you'd uninstall applications. This is easily accessible via a button at the top of the My Computer window in Vista, which is quite nice. Of course, Devices is how you'd get to the Device Manager. I was thinking that it might even be handy to add a fourth tab, Control Panel (or just call it Settings).

[The123king]

Seeing as i hate the inconsistant settings, programs and drives GUI system in XP, and am all for this idea when the developers have the chance

[kevinski]

Nice to see that someone likes the idea already. I figured that My Computer should actually consist of a bit more than simply the drives and whatnot. This way, you've got your drives, but you also have access to most of the hardware and software that's on your computer.

[SdC]

Altough I'm all for improving the usability of Explorer, I don't think this particular suggestion has any merits.
-Extra visible controls have negative impact on performance (lists that need to be populated and sorted, icons loaded etc.), and this is very much against ReactOS design goals. Just look at how "well" Vista handles all those extra context menu's.
-In Windows Explorer in XP I already see Control Panel in the navigation tree. But it's not visible in the details pane, which IMO is a design flaw that could be improved in ReactOS.
-A "Devices" tab would be kinda useless 99.9999% of the time you use your PC, especially if you're a "regular" user. In fact, it should be tucked away deep enough for normal users not to ever find it but easy enough for us power users. (personally, I use right-click My Computer > Manage a lot).
-If you were to introduce a "Programs" tab, it should be for launching programs primarily, not for Add/Remove programs. A simple button for Add/Remove would suffice.

[SdC]

Seeing as i hate the inconsistant settings, programs and drives GUI system in XP, and am all for this idea when the developers have the chance

I think it's pretty consistent in Windows XP. Please explain.

[The123king]

Seeing as i hate the inconsistant settings, programs and drives GUI system in XP, and am all for this idea when the developers have the chance

I think it's pretty consistent in Windows XP. Please explain.

Add/Remove programs is tucked away so far away it's hard to find (especially when some dumbnut program can't uninstall itself), the control panel doesn't have sufficient links to provide ease of use and the whole system is so time consumking you forget what the hell you're trying to do once you find your way there.

And also, the whole basic layout is so fragmented and uncentered it's juwst impossible to find your way from one thing to another if you go to something directly. having it all in a tabbed system would centralise everything you would ever need (for both power users and regular users) and provide quick and easy administration of your system for anyone.

[SdC]

Seeing as i hate the inconsistant settings, programs and drives GUI system in XP, and am all for this idea when the developers have the chance

I think it's pretty consistent in Windows XP. Please explain.

Add/Remove programs is tucked away so far away it's hard to find (especially when some dumbnut program can't uninstall itself), the control panel doesn't have sufficient links to provide ease of use and the whole system is so time consumking you forget what the hell you're trying to do once you find your way there.

And also, the whole basic layout is so fragmented and uncentered it's juwst impossible to find your way from one thing to another if you go to something directly. having it all in a tabbed system would centralise everything you would ever need (for both power users and regular users) and provide quick and easy administration of your system for anyone.

Sorry but you come back with opinions, not facts. I'll counter with my own opinion: It's all centrally accesible though the Control Panel, it's alphabetically ordered. If you divide it up into tabs, you would need categories, thus fragmenting it. I find system administration in Windows very simple and straightforward, at least up till Vista came along.

[Radhad]

One thing I don't undertsand in XP is that it always show's me a floppy even if I haven't plugged it in my compouter. Also I would like to see grouping of different devices and show each group on a horizontal line and not vertical. If it's possible, I would like to see USB mass storage devices also next to the HDDs and other devices like an mp3 player in an own group.

[GoBusto]

One thing I don't undertsand in XP is that it always show's me a floppy even if I haven't plugged it in my compouter.

This is probably due to your BIOS configuration - my own computer doesn't usually show an A:/ drive (since it doesn't have one) but will always do so if a certain BIOS setting is changed.

[kevinski]

Altough I'm all for improving the usability of Explorer, I don't think this particular suggestion has any merits.
-Extra visible controls have negative impact on performance (lists that need to be populated and sorted, icons loaded etc.), and this is very much against ReactOS design goals. Just look at how "well" Vista handles all those extra context menu's.

I never said that the other tabs' contents had to be populated prior to navigating to each of those tabs. Vista's counterpart to my "Programs" idea is a button, not a tab. Really, I doubt that showing three little tabs at the top of the window would do much to negatively impact the performance, especially when you consider the fact that the tabs' contents doesn't need to be populated immediately upon opening My Computer.

And I doubt that Vista's performance can really be blamed on context menus.

-In Windows Explorer in XP I already see Control Panel in the navigation tree. But it's not visible in the details pane, which IMO is a design flaw that could be improved in ReactOS.

And with a tab in My Computer.

-A "Devices" tab would be kinda useless 99.9999% of the time you use your PC, especially if you're a "regular" user. In fact, it should be tucked away deep enough for normal users not to ever find it but easy enough for us power users. (personally, I use right-click My Computer > Manage a lot).

I disagree. The Devices tab could actually provide shortcuts to keyboard and mouse settings, among other things.

-If you were to introduce a "Programs" tab, it should be for launching programs primarily, not for Add/Remove programs. A simple button for Add/Remove would suffice.

That's the point of a Start menu or the Quick Launch toolbar. While it might be nice to be able to launch applications from a menu such as this, I really do think that it'd make more sense to allow for the removal of programs. Really, I doubt that Microsoft would've added a button for this at the top of My Computer in Vista if it didn't somehow improve usability. As has been mentioned before on this forum, companies such as Microsoft have far more experience in creating usable interfaces, namely due to usability tests and whatnot having been performed.

[Blackcrack]

Hy,

1. it's shold be give a cpl to change some settings, for normal users, enhanced one and Profi/it Expert..
2. it shold be give a plugable explorer who can use some diffrent dll's who can get a Starmenu,
a taskpanel and something as like needle cushion or a pussle.
3. all shold be highest customable be in Expert-Profimode like Skin and others in the fully System to have any his own system.

only so, everyone could be contently placed, thinks I.

because everyone has its own wishes.
everyone has its own function.
and everyone has its conceptions.

one calls such a thing individualismus.
and that one can evenly only contently place in which one everyone
a work things on the basis gives everyone made possible to customatzing
and its adjust do towards on to fit.

therefor mus it all be like a pussle in Explorer²
a Reactos design like Win95 or naturally how W2003 Server
with enhancements and possibility themes and extended attitudes.

It does not depend on it like powerfully a Explorer² from there comes
with fat illustrated surface or fat themes, it depends on which and as
one can to be made from this surface.

humm.. and why not a application who enabling to build his own surface
and iconplaces, a inf-themes like Programm who enabling customatzing
some iconplaces and coloreshemes .. the idea is comming who i had think
about this link :
http://www.winprj.net/board/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=249
in this tread :
http://www.reactos.org/forum/viewtopic. ... &sk=t&sd=a

Skinning Tools, and why not furter.. a Surface-Skining and Icon/Place Settings tool..
like show in Explorer, show in Workplace-Right Mouse and some thing..

this Tool like Winfaq's Regestry System Wissard with plugins and many Options for the Reactos-System... (sorry i have only a german link)



best Regards
Blacky

[andrewweb]

Seeing as i hate the inconsistant settings, programs and drives GUI system in XP, and am all for this idea when the developers have the chance

I think it's pretty consistent in Windows XP. Please explain.

Add/Remove programs is tucked away so far away it's hard to find (especially when some dumbnut program can't uninstall itself), the control panel doesn't have sufficient links to provide ease of use and the whole system is so time consumking you forget what the hell you're trying to do once you find your way there.

And also, the whole basic layout is so fragmented and uncentered it's juwst impossible to find your way from one thing to another if you go to something directly. having it all in a tabbed system would centralise everything you would ever need (for both power users and regular users) and provide quick and easy administration of your system for anyone.

not in vista.

[andrewweb]

There shouldnt be any major strays from standard win interface - it should look and feel like windows.
Anyway, this stuf is coming in windows 7 (judging by screenshots) - so it might appear