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My issue is with the flavor of the month, particularly on mobile apps and websites. I don't know why there is a drive to re-design the UI every 6 months.

I agree on Ribbon. After getting used to it at my previous job (which really didn't take that long), it felt like a step back when I started at a company that still used Office XP, and it was funny in 2012 to hear the same complaints from 2007 when we moved to Office 2010, though the complaints went away within a few months. While I understand the desire to customize, most of the time Office 2003 ends up looking like this as toolbars get randomly dragged around and random addons get installed. I also can't stand Office 2003's random auto-collapsing menubar as it usually hides the items I'm looking for (though on my computer I always disabled that functionality). With Ribbon in the overwhelming cases buttons don't move so you can sit at a different user's computer and everything is where it should be. They also well implemented hotkeys (ALT+ hotkeys are virtually unchanged from Office 2003).

Microsoft's implementation of Ribbon looks like it's well researched based on most commonly used items before implementation. Outlook wasn't "ribbonized" in 2007, they waited till 2010. Windows explorer wasn't "Ribbonized" until Windows 8. Ribbon automatically compacts itself as the horizontal resolution is decreased. With previous versions of office, toolbars would randomly reorganize themselves and take more vertical resolution. Contrary to popular belief, ribbon takes the same amount of vertical resolution as the default toolbar configuration + menu bar in Office 2003, not more. Ribbon also can collapse (through the "^" on the far right, by double clicking the tab titles, or pressing Ctrl+F1), and will take even less vertical space than 2003, which is dandy when trying to collaborate on a high density spreadsheet on a 1024x768 projector.

I have seen terrible third party implementations of Ribbon, but I think Microsoft has done their homework. They have also learned from their mistakes. When they released 2007, they offered the "Quick Access Toolbar" as a compromise to complete customization. In Office 2010 they moved from the Office "Orb" (trying to mirror the Start button) that people thought was a decoration , to the "File" tab. They also added more customization ability. After Office 2013 with the ALL CAPITAL TABS, and the jarring full screen FILE menu this is questionable.

That said overall Office Ribbon has been fairly consistent since 2007. So if you haven't adjusted after 9 years, I should probably get off your lawn.

Windows 8 I agree the start menu was a disaster. Very jarring for a desktop user to go to the full screen start screen. All start menu folder structure was also lost. Classic shell made short work of that, though it shouldn't require a third party app. Settings are also a disaster. Half are desktop based control panels, have are slide in Metro style menus. Very inconsistent. To their credit the Win+X menu is a nice nod to power users.

Windows 10 replaced the jarring full screen start screen with a mini start screen that still lost the folder structure, has the search feature that was there since Vista (though faster in third party apps like Launchy), and tries to push annoying live content. Windows 10 also still has jarring desktop vs Metro configuration menus, plus the fact that you give up all control of your computer.

There are lots of alternatives.

Start Menus:
Classic Shell
Pokki
Power8
RetroUI
Start8
StartMenu8
Start Menu X
ViStart
Win8StartButton

Launchers:
7stacks
8start Launcher
Appetizer
Blaze
Executor
Fences
Find and Run Robot
Key Launch
Launchy
ObjectDock
Rainmeter
RK Launcher
RocketDock
SliderDock
ViPad
Winstep Nexus
XWindows Dock

Take your pick. This is just a small list. I know there are many more out there.

This is extra text because Slashdot is lame and says my comment has too few characters per line:

A computer program (also software, or just a program) is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer.[1] A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor.[2] The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute the instructions. The same program in its human-readable source code form, from which executable programs are derived (e.g., compiled), enables a programmer to study and develop its algorithms.

Computer source code is often written by computer programmers. Source code is written in a programming language that usually follows one of two main paradigms: imperative or declarative programming. Source code may be converted into an executable file (sometimes called an executable program or a binary) by a compiler and later executed by a central processing unit. Alternatively, computer programs may be executed with the aid of an interpreter, or may be embedded directly into hardware.

Computer programs may be categorized along functional lines: system software and application software. Two or more computer programs may run simultaneously on one computer, a process known as multitasking.

>keyboard/mouse context switches are time consuming..

While that's true, it doesn't have to be a context switch if you don't want it to be.

Don't click on the Dash icon. Just hit Super.

This is basically the equivalent of Launchy, Gnome Do, and friends. I used to have those set on Super+Space.

For the times you need a hierarchical menu, install Cardapio and pin it to the launcher, as I have.

>They should offer hotkeys as well.
I think this means you're talking about Unity without having used it. There are also hotkeys for your pinned items in the launcher.

Finally, if you don't like selecting stuff with the mouse, you might like the HUD. Think of it as a command line for your GUI menus, with completion.

I would recommend Launchy for a different experience. I don't have to go near "All Programs," and only rarely need to open the Start Menu at all these days. Most beautifully, it rapidly learns your shortcuts so even if you install something that's a better match for what you've typed, you still get the program you expected.

One right here - since I started using Launchy. The most beautiful part is the way it learns which programs you want to launch with which shortcuts, so you can rapidly end up using a single key (well, hotkey combo+key+enter) to launch your most-used software.

Sorry, I know this sounds like an ad, but I'm a big fan of brilliant simplicity.

I don't

Replaced it with keyboard shortcuts and Launchy

I use Launchy

I suppose you guys are referring to this ?

http://www.launchy.net/
http://sourceforge.net/projects/launchy/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Launchy

Well luckily for you, Win-R still does exactly what it used to do in XP. You're complaining that two completely different features don't provide a 1-to-1 mapping to the functionality to each other. IMHO the Win7 search bar is way to slow and practically useless. I replaced it first with Find and Run Robot and then Launchy because Mouser is a silly fuck who likes to annoy is users and make them periodically visit his stupid fucking forums to get a free code, for no obvious reason what so ever.

The problem with the Win7/Vista Start Menu search is that is apparently is incapable of caching results, even though it burns cycles like no-ones business building some (apparently) useless index. It still takes 10-20 seconds for the silly thing to recognize a search string that I use all the time. By contrast, FARR and Launchy are pulling up results as I type, and actually bother to learn that when I type "notepad++" the first result should be the actual application, and not the bloody help file.

Press the Start button and then type the first few letters of what you want to run into the box that is automatically selected. It will bring up the results as you type, starting with programs and following with whatever other options you have it index.

Alternatively, you can install launchy, which does essentially the same thing, but better and more configurable. http://www.launchy.net/

You're trying to make a better interface work like the worse one you are used to instead of learning something new, and then complaining about it. Do you really like mouse-hovering your way through trees and trees of programs in a Win98 style start menu? How about the option to hide the lesser used programs which make you scroll down in a more annoying and confusing way than the current menu? Do you really like jerking your mouse around all day instead of using mouse and keyboard in a simplified manner to do what you want?

You can also create new libraries, add only programs you wish to it, and have those displayed in start in an expandable menu. Or learn how to pin programs.

No wonder you don't like the newer interfaces, you are just trying to fight them all the time.

Once I started using Launchy...

...am surprised by how much stuff I have installed.

I'm not.

Once I started using Launchy that pretty much took away my need for the Start button.

Launchy plus the Quick Launch toolbar (for Windows XP) pretty much does the job.

Once in awhile I go to Start and am surprised by how much stuff I have installed.

Check out Launchy. It is seriously awesome and snappy (especially if you tune it to not show the flashy UI fades and such).

http://www.launchy.net/

Mhmmm... I should start selling a copy of Launchy Ultimate for half the price of Windows 7 home basic =o)

The start menu search is something you can add to XP (and is similar to spotlight and quicksilver on the mac)

If you do have to go back to XP, try Launchy. It's an open source start menu indexer that works a lot like the search bar in Windows 7.

Even better than that, use Launchy. It's awesome.

http://www.launchy.net/

So it's going to be like Launchy/QuickSilver.

I already have some custom commands to search our internal LAN, our internal phone directory, google maps, etc.

I no longer use QS but just use Spotlight on my Mac. Both OSs have Ctrl-Space as the bind keys. Anytime I'm on a computer without them I feel lost like I don't know how to launch programs.

I haven't tried 7, but at least from what I hear it does have two features that interest me: minimize other windows by shaking the one I'm using ("aero shake") and making items on the taskbar appear as icons instead of as an icon and a text description.

Aero Shake in XP withAutoHotkey

To only show icons in the taskbar open regedit and go to

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics

In right-side pane, change value of MinWidth to -300 and reboot, you may have to tweak the number a bit but -300 works great on my system.
I know this works in XP, I haven't tested it in Vista.

Also to get rid of the start menu I use RocketDock for a MacOS like dock and Launchy to pop up an enhanced Run dialog (and I mean really enhanced). Some people prefer Executor

Also I've tried off and on for years to use only Linux but I've become so proficient with XP that I after a while I get frustrated with not being quite as productive. So until I can force myself to get better at using Linux than I am at Windows I'll continue using Linux as a secondary OS. I'm not flaming Linux by any means, I've just gotten too used to my setup in XP and the tons of modifications I've made to it that it's difficult to give it up and invest the time to match it in some sense with Linux.

Forget organizing the Start menu. Install Launchy - http://www.launchy.net/ It indexes your start menu, so any program you want, hit Alt-Space, type a few characters of the program name, and hit Enter.

> Just bring Quicksilver and Adium to Windows, please.

launchy is the closest quicksilver analogy for windows.

I can't comment on Spotlight, as I haven't used OSX for more than a couple of minutes, but from your description, it sounds a lot like Launchy Great app - it indexes your start menu so you can hit Alt-Space (by default, can be reassigned) and start typing the name of the app you want. Does auto-complete and you can also set up your own macros and pass variables.

For example, I have my work PC set up so I can type rdp (insert server name or IP) and open up Remote Desktop session to any of our servers.

I find it really handy on my laptop. (I hate touchpads) The only problem is that I have let my desktop become way too cluttered with program shortcuts I don't bother to clean up. I just never launch anything from the desktop anymore.

Or you could use Launchy.

(1) alt/win+space
(2) n (selects notepad)
(3) enter

Bookmark the network share, then
(1) alt/win+space
(2) first letter or two of bookmark name
(3) enter

windows backup
(1) alt/win+space
(2) b, maybe a
(3) enter

And it works in windows XP, Vista, and Linux(!).

http://www.launchy.net/

So in one stroke I've removed your only reason to run Vista?

The various hotkey launch bars are the usable start menu and the better answer. Press hotkey. Type (part of) application or file name. Hit Enter. App launches or file opens.

Launchy is the one I am using:

http://www.launchy.net/#download

Tastes seem to differ quite a bit for this type of app, there are dozens of alternatives (and apparently some similar functionality is built into Vista).

And yes, they got popular with Quicksilver on the Mac.

There are third party apps to add similar functionality to XP. Launchy is the one I use:

http://www.launchy.net/#download

I think they are all clones of some Mac app though.

Actually, I use a little utility called Launchy and whenever I want to start an app (not using the Start menu), I hit Alt-Space and type the first few letters and hit Return...

And for normal usage (assuming a Windows PC), Launchy is a fantastic utility. Just make sure you get v1.25 since v2.0 is extremely bloated and slow.

I was in a similar situation as your friend, but I feel like I got considerably better results by reinstalling XP and installing Launchy. The only Vista feature that I thought was worth having, after disabling Areo and putting classic mode on, was the searchable start menu. Launchy provides the same utility under XP, but performs better than the vista search.

Very useful feature, but i didn't know spotlight had it. Seems a lot like launchy

Physician, heal thyself. It's http://www.launchy.net/.

If you want it to look lke Vista then buy the damn thing. Really, WFT?!? On the other hand, there are plenty of small, single-use apps out there that enhance XP interface without hogging a vast amount of resources. For exampe, those who prefer the keyboard might like to take a look at Launchy http://www.launchy.net/

Hit my keyboard's start button, start typing the name of an application and hit enter to launch the app.

Those are all reasonable (if minor features), but for point 3, consider trying the program Launchy, it's about 100 times better at launching apps with the keyboard than the start menu is. Once you've used it once, it learns what apps you use, so most apps you can start by typing a single letter. http://www.launchy.net/ Free and open source. Alt-space to bring it up.

Try Launchy - Win+space-or-whatever catapult-style app.

Try Launchy.

It's a combined search/run app for all versions of Windows. You tell it where to look and what file types to index. When you need to find something, you call it using a hotkey and type away.

You can also use it to search google etc, see the tips & tricks section on its website. I use it all the time and it is very stable and handy.

You can find it at http://www.launchy.net/.

Or try Launchy:

http://www.launchy.net/

Try it, even if you have to get over the name(which some people seem to dislike quite a lot, not me...).

Set XP to classic windows.

  Launchy is a popup (default alt-space) which finds and launches an app based on a)what you use the most and b) the first few letters of its name. You never need the start menu except for the rare things whose name you can't remember. Unintrusive install.

Task switch is alt-tab with a mini-view of the window so you can see where you are going, and you can choose with the mouse,

TXmouse is what the lame MS attempt should have done.

disclaimer: no relation to the devs; just an admirer of great free software

There are several programs like this. Google Desktop can be configured to launch apps, but there are also dedicated programs like Launchy (http://www.launchy.net/).

Try Launchy. Free, open source, minimal UI.

I missed having quicksilver on my xp machine, until I found http://www.launchy.net/

these guys have a business plan or is this a sign that we've officially arrived back in 1999 via some wormhole? not only is this not a new idea, there is already excellent software that does this, and for free.

Give launchy a look(if you haven't from another thread here already):

http://www.launchy.net/

it isn't all that different than Windows-Run, but you can tell it what to index, and just type stuff like ff, it will fill in the ire and ox for you, as long as it is indexed(by default, it indexes the start menu).

Also, I just noticed, if they could have gotten away with it, 'ire ox' would have been much funnier than 'ice weasel'.

I just installed launchy from http://www.launchy.net/ today. It's open source, about 3Mb, you press ALT+Space (or whatever you choose) and up pops a dialog. Type the name of a shortcut on your start menu and it runs it. Got a calculator, a way to google something or look it up in wikipedia or whatever, a calculator, skin support, plugin support.

It seems to work well enough so far, I'm not so much recommending it (although I think you should check it out before you bother to RTFA above) as pointing out another alternative.

There's a sort of feature like this in Vista, by the way, in that there is a kind of hybrid search/run dialog on the start menu.

Not that I'm advising you upgrade to Vista, of course. Hell, I'm an Exchange admin who *has* to work in Windows 24/7 because I spend my entire life in Outlook and MMC - and I only managed 3 days with Vista before running sceaming back to XP. I know people say Vista is just "XP with eye candy" but they're wrong - it's "XP with eye candy and half a dozen things broken". One of which is MMC.

That's right, Microsoft, you just made it as hard for me to switch to Vista as it is to switch to Ubuntu.

Or, in other words, you just made it as *easy* for me to switch to Ubuntu as it is to switch to Vista.

And the XP end-of-life is Feb 2008...

I covered this for Computer Power User magazine a few months back: Launchy, over at http://www.launchy.net/.

This free, Open Source software has many sterling qualities, including:

- extremely fast
- looks great by default, and is skinnable too
- takes less than 7mb of RAM while running, and no discernible CPU cycles
- uses Alt+Space to activate/deactivate, so you can keep your CAPS LOCK key and your left pinky too
- autocompletes text as if by magic
- opens applications, files, and websites
- opens bookmarks
- has calculator built-in
- doesn't cost $25 (or whatever)

Hey look, I'm still using my Apple II once in a while, and respect the Raskins as much as the next guy, but that's no reason to use an inferior, more expensive product.

So... this is something like Launchy?

http://www.launchy.net/

""Launchy is a free windows utility designed to help you forget about your start menu, the icons on your desktop, and even your file manager.""

Launchy (http://www.launchy.net/) is my favorite Quicksilver (http://quicksilver.blacktree.com/) clone for Windows

http://www.launchy.net/