Microsoft is apparently trying to copy what's done in MacOS X. At first, there will probably only be eye candy features like animated effects and other garbage, but snapshot icons and zooming might be implemented. That's not a bad thing, but, as usual, it must be done properly.
I have to use OS X daily and when I first saw it I thought, "how pretty." Now it seems all of the prettyness gets in the way. The animating effects and such are getting annoying. I think that my new design philosophy is now "Keep it Simple." An OS has to be more than pretty pictures. Besides, if people want the pretty pictures then I believe the OS should allow people to skin them according to their preferences.
The dynamic Start Menu is certainly innovative. However, testing proves that people hate it, because they don't like it when things move around unexpectedly. It's annoying. A better way of doing it is to simply highlight the programs you use often. Hiding the ones you use infrequently is stupid.
Yes, plus it seems they change the way it works on every version of Windows. A lot of there other software seems to have wandering features too. That's why it is always a hassle to upward migrate with Microsoft products.
Microsoft's interface experts are very strange. If this is what they are really doing, they probably read the first chapter of The Humane Interface, and didn't finish the book. Many interface experts call this the "ideal" way of handling data, but I really don't think it works.
Personally I think that there interface designers come up with what they seem is a cool or unique idea then overuse it. Kinda like new Photoshop users who discover the lens flare filter for the first time. After awhile they get sick of it and try something new and throw off everybody who got used to using their old products :-o
That is simply not true, it is completly the other way.. XP has stolen a few features that KDE has had for years..
I am sure that it had gone both ways as far as feature stealing between Linux, M$, Apple and other OS's. The simple matter of the fact IMHO is that KDE and Gnome are starting to look more and more like Windows with every release. The Linux community has the rare opportunity to make something simple, useful and unique (Innovated if I may use that word again) But they seem to jump on the Windows Look bandwagon and take an easy way out. Again that is IMHO. :-) It seems now that AOS 4.0 is in that unique position now.
Oh, I'm still curious as to how OS's implement file systems. I really would like to know how this works. :-D
