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Longhorn Drops 'My' Prefixes
ryanjm writes "Microsoft has decided to drop the "my" prefixes for Longhorn. Instead of "My Computer," it will be just just plain simple "Computer". "
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Can't wait what they'll come up with next!
Man is a slave because freedom is difficult, whereas slavery is easy.
How will I know whose files they are?
My My, what a shocking change....
I guess it means that with the new DRM technology, it really IS no longer your computer.
Test your net with Netalyzr
And in the next release, they'll replace it with "Our".
--MarkusQ
I have to say that I always founf it very annoying how Windows constantly seems to shift where they think documents should go with each release, at one point being under the Windows directory...
Hopefully this sigals the last time these folders chage location/name. Then perhaps people would start to use them. I always use the default Documents/Music/Pictures folders on OS X but over the years I have avoided using the Windows equivilent because I knew it would shift and I'd have to learn the new placement again.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
In this DRM age, we wouldn't want consumers to belive they own anything. now CONSUME!
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
Apple picked up the prefix at auction on the cheap, along with the now much-maligned 'e' prefix and several other vowels.
Later, at a press conference, Steve Jobs announced the new, updated G5 eMy eioMac. Old MacDonald could not be reached for comment.
That green slime had it coming.
How will I know whose files they are?
With patentened Weak Windows Security (tm), they are EVERYONES files!
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
What's funny about this is that the same people who needed to be coaxed into using a computer by prefixing common icons with "My" will now further be confused because they will think that the folder is somehow different in its function.
"But that's not *my* Videos, it must be someone elses. Doesn't that have to do with it being multi-user?"
... since when a computer is shared between people it cannot be called "My Computer". The cyber café's box is not "My Computer". :-)
Microsoft should check if there's more than one user registered in the machine and put an "Our Computer" label below the icon
I've been having to keep from hitting things every time I see and hear that 'My' crap.
It's just unnatural and fucking stupid. "Go to your My Documents folder", "Open your My Computer", and if you drop the 'your', they think you're talking about your own computer.. "Open My Computer".. "I can't get to it, where are you?"
GAH
Hokey statistics and ancient misconceptions are no match for a good thought in your head, kid!
FINALLY, after all these years, real change!
Helpdesk: Double click on "My Computer"
User: I can't see your computer.
Helpdesk: No, double click on "My Computer" on your computer.
User: Huh?
Helpdesk: There is an icon on your computer labled "My Computer". Double click on it.
User: What's your computer doing on mine?
Such arrogance, Bill!
Ohhhh, I get it, built in P2P folders for "Pictures" , "Videos" and "Music". Now it all makes sense. And with industry-leading Microsoft security. (I didn't say WHAT industry... haw haw!)
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
This follows Microsoft's new basic assertion that the computer and all its data belongs to Microsoft in the first place, therefore calling it "My Computer" is technically (and possibly legally) incorrect.
They were going to call it "Our Computer", but decided against it on the grounds that users might think they were sharing something, and didn't want there to be any confusion. Microsoft doesn't share anything.
(For the humorless: This is a joke. But it's funny because you know how close to the truth it is. Or maybe it's scary for the same reason.)
Or at least it would have been funny if it wasn't what basically every other comment to this article said
every user will end up with "My Documents" directory right beside the "Documents" one?
I already have "Moje Dokumenty" (original name by Windows with polish localization) and "My Documents" right next to it, created by some dumb program.
Windows resides on D:, but of course there's "Program Files" with something in it on 510MB FreeDOS C: partition. I cleaned up the Start Menu so there's just "Aplikacje" and whatever created "Applications" went there. Sure there are system variables that default to proper directories. Just not every application uses them.
45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
It would be nice if microsoft removed "My Patent" and "My Annoyance" and "My hair-tearing headache."
It would also be nice if they added "My Compiler" to the default install of the OS.
I can dream.
Intolerance for ambiguity is the mark of the authoritarian personality.
Fine, you know what you're doing, I rename them too (My Computer -> .box and My Network Places -> .net or something clever and non-default) see: One True Way. Not a big deal to you but a big deal to a teacher/instructor.
What about in a classroom where all the lab/learning computers are set up like this by default? It's confusing as hell.
"Class, double click on My Computer."
"What do you mean Your Computer?"
"No, I mean your My Computer."
"What?!"
"Click on the icon My Computer on Your Computer. *sigh*"
"Computers are stupid."
"Yes. Now do it or your resume will suck."
etc, etc. I always hated that My Computer organization, I never go to network shares via My Computer. Really, the only thing I use My Computer for is getting to the Properties screen so I can fiddle with Device Manager or some other crap. Windows-break is much faster of course. If I'm trying to get to the C: drive I just hit Windows+R and type "C:". it's 4 key strokes (if you count the windows key).
I like Gnome's Home Directory on the Desktop or "Macintosh HD" on the Desktop. It's much more logical in my mind.
Not bashing Windows. I'm still trying to learn to keyboard navigate under OSX as fast as I can in Windows. Someone should organize a GUI race between OS keyboard navigating experts.
Did you know that in Windows detail view in explorer you can auto-fit the columns with ctrl-shift-numpad +? I haven't gotten those kinds of shortcuts down under Gnome and OSX.
,.- ..thank god they didn't replace 'My' with 'Meesa'..
-.,
A horse can't be sick, you know, even if he wants to.
A neat little trick you can do on other people's computers is to make a shortcut of "My Computer" and label it "Your Computer". Put the shortcut next to "My Computer".
Maybe they should just name it "your computer"
After all, it IS your computer, right?
This change will obviously be the heart of longhorn. All the other features they've thrown out by now (grin)
Is it just me, or does this sound like a PR unit leaking little bits of stuff over the months to the press in an effort to keep Longhorn in the news? I imagine we'll be hearing more little "gems" like this as the year proceeds.
"Mein Comp..."
Just close enough to "Kampf", I suspect...
Parent has by far the best point made on this story. Semantic differences and ownership jokes aside, what you call the directory means absolutely nothing, except where it breaks syntax or otherwise complicates using the computer. Spaces in pathnames do exactly that, by breaking command-line syntax -- A problem both for power users and developers.
o n\Explorer\Shell Folders
When I set up Win2k boxes these days, I run a registry script to change the locations of all of the "special" Windows folders. Program files are in C:\PF, and user profiles are in C:\DS.
This not only allows me to remove the spaces, but also improves security. How much malware do you know that actually use the %PROGRAMFILES% environment variable instead of just dumping stuff into "C:\Program Files"?
The downside is that there's a LOT of software out there that does the same, and inevitably I find that I've got a "Documents and Settings" or "Program Files" folder on my drive where the latest dumb installer assumed the folders would be.
Look in the registry under HKU\$user\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersi
No idea if it works in XP, though.
There's nothing worse than saying, "Ok, click on 'My Computer'."
:)
"Your computer? How can I do that"
"Umm, no, click on your 'My Computer' icon."
"But all it says is 'My Computer.' Not 'Your My Computer."
*sigh*
Further, the sites I choose to remember on the web are not always favorites -- if I'm doing research on racism, I don't have any particular desire to mark some bigot's soapbox a ``Favorite.'' And the Start menu wants to suggest some kind of damn computing adventure I'm gonna have -- which is sorta true in that every new release of Windows re-orders crap according to some schizophrenic scheme. But, really, they ought to call it the "Unwieldy, Confusing, Labrynthine, Mystery Way to Get to Your Programs and God Knows What Else That May or May Not Accessible Through the (My) Computer Icon" menu.
And so, now, they're gonna call it "Computer" which is less cloying, but really doesn't improve on the fact that the Mac metaphors Windows is based offer a reasonable pleasant working environment and Windows is, at its core, a screwed mess.
Only on Slashdot would you find 300 comments examining the big picture significance of 'My' Computer.
"Derp de derp."
All the spaces in default folders are (were) Microsoft's way of forcing app developers to cope with spaces in filenames.
Quite an elegant way of doing it, imho.
Or better still...
/home/username/pictures/octopuspr0n.jpg
CN=poolmeister.OU=lurkers.CN=slashdot
I have been told that one original purpose to do the "My Documents" thing was to force application writers to deal with spaces in the path. Since the user will usually save into the My Documents directory, the bug of not properly dealing with that path would come up quite readily.
I've always said that since W2K MS have produced a very capable operating system held back by an interface designed with nothing but contempt for users.
Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
The worst was when IE and Navigator would continually fight over naming HTML documents "Microsoft Web Document" (?) vs. "Netscape Hypertext Document".
That's what "my this" and "my that" always reminded me of. The icons might has well have looked like crayon sketches, too.
If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were still alive, and if Costello tried to buy a computer from Abbott: http://xynext.com/Abbot-Costello-Whos-on-First-Com puter-Joke/
It must be Windows. It needs half a gig of RAM and a hardware-accelerated graphics card just to run Solitaire.
Tomorrow's headline: "Revolutionary 'My' Removal Has Been Cut" Microsoft Chief Muckety Muck released a statement today saying that the planned removal of the My prefix has had to be cut from Longhorn in order to meet the new expected ship date of 2008. The day after tomorrow's headling: "Microsoft to back port the revolutionary My prefix removal to Windows XP" Ending speculation that Microsoft will be unable to drop the My prefix, muckety mucks at the software giant today announced plans to back port the My prefix removal to Windows XP. No date for this feature has yet been announced. Geez, Mac OS X has had the My prefix removed for *years* now.
it isn't really MY computer anymore, now is it?
Or at least did when I used windows. I dropped "My" and "Neighborhood" from all desktop icons. I believe this is the first Longhorn feature I have no issues with. :-)
Yeah, three times in 20 years. Those bastards.
DCMonkey
If they're from Kansas, they become intelligently designed to transcend the keyboard.
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
I think we should try to eliminate spaces from standard directories (program files, my ...) In case an old program needs to get to one. Microsoft probably isn't concerned with backwards compatibility in Longhorn. Every program will have to be rewritten.
in soviet redmond, documents own you!!!
Get your torrents...
You'd be wrong then.
Windows 3.1 didn't have a default "My Documents" folder type of thing.
Windows 95, c:\My Documents; No real home directory other than that.
Windows 98, c:\My Documents; No real home directory other than that.
Windows ME, c:\My Documents; No real home directory other than that.
Windows NT 4, c:\winnt\profiles\username\My Documents if I remember right, not sure. Home directory would be one level above.
Windows 2000, c:\documents and settings\username\My Documents. Home directory would be one level above.
Windows XP, c:\documents and settings\username\My Documents. Home directory would be one level above.
Now, how long as OSX been out? Since 2001 was it? Wouldn't that mean it isn't as old as Windows 2000? Gee, that'd make it where as long as OSX has been out, the My Docs directory under Windows has been the same, shouldn't it?
Look, if you are going to troll Windows subjects, at least get it right...
--- Ãther SPOON!
Reading the posts, I was surprised there weren't more suggestions for a more reasonable or intuitive directory organization, e.g, perhaps "/home/USER" for instead of "Documents and Settings/blah blah blah". The "Documents and Settings" paradigm seems to be confusing enough to baffle even the software application providers.
Many times I've had to traverse the hell that is "Documents and Settings" just to find where some misguided application has dropped my latest "Untitled n" masterpiece. Sometimes, I never find it.
My solution, for myself, and for others I do support for has been to actually create a "/home/USER" where USER is... Then I show users how to set up their software to point to that directory or any subdirectories they've chosen to create. So far, they've all thanked me.
I'm guessing there'll be a bit of flaming at me along the lines of "The standard is Documents and Settings...", but as I mentioned at the outset, educating me, your friends, etc. isn't enough... I've seen off-the-shelf software misuse or completely miss the paradigm.
So, hopefully, this will be fixed too... (while "/home" may be imperfect... what exactly does "Documents and Settings" represent? Especially as Microsoft begins to move more and more to an "object" model.)
Tab completion e.g. c:\d [tab] \u [tab] \m [tab] \m [tab] \b [tab]
YMMV depending on how many directories / files start with the same characters - sometimes it's quicker to type in a few characters before hitting the tab key. Other shells offer more advanced completion.
I want to kill the man who decided that applications should go in "Program Files". I hate typing that out, especially when tab-completion is not available. In general, I hate long-ass multiword folder names. Keep it short and simple, or I'll put my boot up your ass. Hmmm, "My Bootupyourass". Yes, that definitely has potential. *runs off trademark it*
"The newly born animals are then whisked off for a quick run through a giant baking oven." --heard on Food Network
cd /cygdrive/c/Documents\ and\ Settings/User/My\ Documents
[% slash_sig_val.text %]
But I enjoyed typing "c:/documents and settings/matthew surname/my documents/". it's so much easier than /home/matt
... isn't it? Sure, programs can call SHGetFolderPath() to find out the path to the user's document folder, but batch files will typically have hard coded paths, no? I know a lot of ours do, so they'll all need updating. Even if they use environment variables, they'll probably have things like:
/S /Y /C "%USERPROFILE%\My Documents\*.*" z:\backupfolder
xcopy
To all you out there who constantly accuse Microsoft of not being innovators, can I say a big "Hah!".
So there!
Will they now simply be known as Crosoft now, by the way?
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