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Alternatives to Icons and Start Menus?

Posted by Cliff on from the gui-paradigms-for-the-future dept.

Cibressus Lybir asks: "We've had icons, folders and menu's for a long time. I currently use two monitors, both filled to the brim with icons and several drawers on each desktop. My Start Menu, on my Windows machine is never used, because it's flimsy and too hard to navigate around. In movies you always see cool 3D desktops with stuff flying around and some kind of cool gesture or spoken word used to start up applications. The future will only bring more applications, more icons, and more time spent navigating around launching your programs. What are your ideas for the future of desktops? How can we rid our selves of the icon jungles that we call our GUI's?"

5 of 177 comments (clear)

  1. i call it the command line by cpex · · Score: 5, Funny

    all you have to do is type the name of the program you want to run... wait

  2. True Launch Bar by BlueCowMa · · Score: 5, Informative

    try http://www.truelaunchbar.com/

  3. I think I have the solution by kurosawdust · · Score: 5, Funny
    In addition to icons on desktops, we could have a small text box at the bottom of the screen wherein you could simply type the name of the program you want to run or document you want to view, thereby limiting your "launch repertoire" only to the capacity of your own brain! I think I will call it..."Type It And- Holy Shit, There It Is!"...XP.

    *rushes to patent office*

  4. Lifestreams by Crayon+Kid · · Score: 5, Informative

    The concept of lifestreams seems interesting and is an approage really different from the "classic" desktop.

    --
    i ate crayons when i was a kid and now i have two braincells and the blue ones taste nicer
  5. I call it cleaning up your damn desktop by NickFusion · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Is there some replacement for the dining room table? My dining room table is full of mail and bills and dirty dishes.

    I'm wondering if there some kind of 3D replacement, perhaps a series of dining room tables stacked on top of each other. I'm thinking there must be an eaiser way to find bills and mail and dishes when I need them..."

    Sheesh. Clean it up, get organized. Those icons don't put themselves on the desktop...well, ok, some of them do...but not those other ones...you put them there, just clean them up.

    Or make a folder called "Rug", and sweep them all under it.

    --
    What were you expecting?