December 2003 - Posts

  • Gartner says Longhorn should be renamed to "LongWait"

    Posted by scoble to The Scobleizer LonghornBlog on Dec 13 2003, 12:24 PM

    InformationWeek is reporting that Gartner is now saying that Longhorn won't get here until late 2006, and possibly even later. Keep in mind that they are talking about the server version of Longhorn, not the client version (the client version is ahead of the server version at this point).

    I'm not going to get into the “ship date guessing game.” We have internal schedules here, but one thing I've learned about the software industry: the more complex the project, the harder it is to stick on any pre-set schedule.

    The more I work at Microsoft (seven months now) the more I realize just how big this project is. Mostly we've discussed only the high-level developer features (WinFX, WinFS, Indigo, etc) and some of the end user experiences (Aero) but you haven't heard about the tons of work being done on the TCP/IP stack, the new driver models, the kernel work, the security work, and others.

    Yeah, it's frustrating waiting for Longhorn. I'm frustrated too.

    Some have asked me “did Microsoft reveal Longhorn too early?” I don't think so. Longhorn is big. We need to work with thousands of driver writers. Thousands of software developers. Standards bodies. Hundreds of other software companies. And we need to be very open with them far before we ship.

    It's how Microsoft is trying to be a more mature platform leader. Instead of doing this work behind secret closed doors, we're giving everyone a good chance to work with us to make a better experience for customers. Yes, it's risky. But, you only have a chance or two a decade to really change things for the better. When was the last time we shipped a dramatically different user experience? Windows 95 is the last one I remember.

    Yeah, it's a long wait. But, if you're a software vendor who wants to build something on Longhorn, the wait really isn't that long. Why? Think about Adobe. They were on stage with us at the PDC. How long do you think it takes them to build a new version of Photoshop? Two years. So, by giving them (and you) as much advance notice of the new APIs we're providing, we can help them (and you) build killer software for Longhorn and we don't need to worry about NDAs and secrecy anymore, which is a good thing.

    So, let's get busy. What do you need to build software for Longhorn? Who wants to be on stage with Gates and Ballmer at the launch event? What can we do to help you get there?

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  • 10 Things Advanced Users Need in Longhorn

    Posted by scoble to The Scobleizer LonghornBlog on Dec 08 2003, 08:02 PM

    OK, before the PDC I asked all of you to “hate Longhorn.” Here's my list of things that I believe advanced users need in Longhorn. Translation: these things bug the crap out of me. Why can't we do better with settings?

    1) Longhorn doesn't accurately set my resolution. My monitor and video card is capable of 1600x1200. So, why is it set to 800x600? That's great for a 1995 computer, but it's almost 2004 now. Let's set the monitor to the highest possible resolution. If people want to reduce it, that's fine. Also, set LCDs to the PROPER resolution. XP doesn't do this. My brother's machine is an example. So, I right click on the desktop, click on “settings“ tab. Change resolution to 1600x1200. Hit OK. Ahh, much better.

    2) I hate not having icons on the desktop. Do we really need to cater to beginners who are intimidated by seeing tons of clutter? Instead, why not set everything to “advanced mode” but have a switch that would let a beginner turn off features until he's comfortable? So, I turn them on. Right-click on desktop. Click on “customize desktop” button. Click the check boxes next to “My Documents, Network Places, Computer, Internet Explorer.” Oh, and I turn off the “Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days.” I will clean my own desktop up, thank you very much. Click OK. And OK again. Now I can see icons. Alright!

    3) Why do we need a screen saver turned on by default? Modern screens don't need to be “saved.“ This setting takes up processor power (particularly on servers where this setting is TOTALLY EVIL). So, right click on desktop. Choose Properties. Choose “Screen Saver.“ Pick “none.“ Click OK.

    4) My screen refresh rate is set too low. 60 Hertz hurts my eyes. It's like the screen is pulsing. So, right click on desktop. Choose Properties. Choose Settings. Choose Monitor. Set Screen Refresh Rate to 100 Hertz. Click “Apply“ to test. Works great. Click OK. Click OK. Ahhh, much better.

    5) The Start Menu isn't how I like it. So, right click on Start Menu. Choose Properties. Unselect “Group Similar Taskbar Buttons.“ Click Apply. Then click “Start Menu.“ Why is there a “Classic Start Menu?“ Oh, some of you like your old crappy menu. Got it. Anyway, I ignore that (I don't want old, I just want better!) and I click “Customize.“ First off, I like small icons. Less mousing around that way. More efficient. Second of all, I like more programs on the start menu than six. I double it to 12 for now.

    6) I hate double-clicking. Why? Because I like consistency! And, why should I double-click when one is enough? Think about it. Why should I double click on things that are in my file system, and single-click on things in my browser. In fact, how the hell am I supposed to tell the difference between those things anymore (since the browser is integrated into the operating system)? So, let's change that. Double-click on “My Computer“ which opens up a window that shows my computer. Use the “Tools“ menu. Select “Folder Options.“ Why it's hidden there, I'll never know. Select “Single-click to open an item (point-to-select).“ Set “Underline icon titles consistent with my browser.“ Why this isn't a default I'll never know (why do we cater to beginners in one part of the OS, but then cater to luddites who like it “the old way“ in another part?)

    But we're not done yet. To really make single-click work great, you also need to turn off underlining and make it so that linkable areas are only underlined when your mouse is hovering over them. This is the single biggest thing we could do to improve readability on web pages and in the OS. So, single-click on Internet Explorer and open that up. Use IE's Tools menu and select Internet Options. Select the “Advanced“ Tab. Scroll down and select “Hover“ under the “Underline Links“ settings group. While we're there, why don't we make some other changes to make IE really great:

    1. Select “Use inline AutoComplete“ -- this will help you fill out forms and other items.
    2. Select “Apply my pop-up window settings to all programs using Internet Explorer.“
    3. Select “Enable Personalized Favorites Menu.“ I like having personalized favorites.
    4. Uncheck “Show friendly HTTP error messages.“ I like being able to see real HTTP error messages which helps me debug my servers.

    Click over to the Content Tab and let's set some things there

    1. I want to use AutoComplete for forms. So, click on the “AutoComplete“ button and select the “Forms“ checkbox and click OK.
    2. I have no idea what the “Microsoft Profile Assistant“ does. Why is it there? Get rid of it, or make this feature do something.

    Click over to the “Privacy“ tab.

    1. WTF? The popup ad blocker isn't on by default. Will you please turn that on by default? Anyway, check that. Hit OK.

    Click over to “Security“ tab.

    1. I note that Active Scripting is on by default. The Web is simply too dangerous a place anymore. I turn this to prompt.

    Click OK and we're done with that part.

    7) I go back and open up my computer and I really hate the “big icon“ view. Again, why do we need to cater to beginners? After years of tinkering, I've found the details view to be far better. Why? Because you can actually see your files and when they were created and how big they are. Also, because you have them in a list mode, you can see far more files in one screen. That makes you more productive. So, use the “View“ menu and select “Details.“ One problem, though. Windows doesn't remember you like Details. So, you need to change that in the settings. So, use the Tools menu, select “Folder Options“ and click on “View.“ First, let's turn on a bunch of stuff that'll help you. You're advanced, right?

    1. Select “Display file icon on thumbnails.“
    2. Select “Display the contents of system folders.“
    3. Select “Display the full path in the title bar.“
    4. Select “Show hidden files and folders.“
    5. Uncheck “Hide extensions for known file types.“
    6. Uncheck “Hide protected operating system files.“ (Don't do for mom)
    7. Select “Show Control Panel in My Computer.“
    8. Select “Show drive letters.“

    Click OK.

    8) Urgh, we changed it, but now Windows sometimes defaults to the older “big icon“ view. I ALWAYS want detail views. So, gotta open up “My Computer“ again. Select Tools Menu and “Folder Options.“ Then “View.“ Click on “Apply to All Folders.“ Hit OK. Why can't Windows just make all my settings global instead of forcing me to do this step?

    9) Open my file explorer as an explorer window. Most beginners don't even know about this one. Here, try it. right-click on “My Computer“ and choose “Explore.“ Do you like how that shows a tree of all your computer's resources on left? I do. This makes me TONS more productive. Here's how to turn it on permanently:

    1. Open My Computer.
    2. Select “Folder Options.“
    3. Click on “File Types“ tab.
    4. Click on the “Folder“ file type to select that.
    5. Click on the “Advanced“ button.
    6. Click on “Explore“ to select it.
    7. Click on the “Set Default“ button.
    8. Explore should now be bold.
    9. Hit OK.

    Now, close My Computer and reopen it. Isn't that better? (The Aero guys will probably make this a little less useful, but I hope not).

    10) The Start Menu is too simplified. Again, Microsoft is catering to beginners. But, why not offer an “advanced“ button that instantly switches all the above on? Here's some things I do to my Start Menu:

    1. I right click on the Start Button. Choose Properties. Click on “Advanced“ Tab.
    2. Under Start Menu Items, change the following to “Display as a menu:
      • Computer
      • Control Panel
      • Hardware and Devices
      • My Documents
      • My Music
      • My Pictures
      • My Contacts
      • Network Connections
      • System Administrative Tools
    3. Turn on the “Favorites Menu.“
    4. Turn on the “Network Places“ item.
    5. Click OK. Do you like the Start Menu better now? It's a bit more cluttered, but it's far more productive because you can find everything you need in one spot instead of trying to find it or remember a command to pull something up later.

    Do you agree or disagree with these things? By the way, these things also apply to Windows XP. These are things that fundamentally drive advanced users nuts. Why can't there be an “set Longhorn to advanced mode“ button that would change all of these things to the way advanced users like to use their computers?

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