Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Experimenting Tabs Experience On File Explorer, Other Apps On Windows 10 (windowscentral.com)
Microsoft has begun experimenting with browser tabbing experience on all apps in Windows 10, including File Explorer. From a report on WindowsCentral: According to sources familiar with the matter, Microsoft is currently experimenting internally with a new feature called "Tabbed Shell", which brings the familiar browser tabbing module to all app windows in Windows 10, including the File Explorer. Per our sources, Tabbed Shell is a feature being worked on at an OS level, and doesn't require work from app developers to take advantage of it. By default, Tabbed Shell works with any app window, whether it be Photoshop, File Explorer, or Microsoft Word. Any UWP, Win32 or Centennial app will work. Much like in Edge, you'll find a tabbed interface at the top of a window where you can switch between instances of the same app.
This is something I need at work. Can't install a third-party app that does this since the workstations are locked down tighter than a virgin nerd's ass.
Don't Linux distros already have tabs in their file explorers? Ah, but of course, Windows users aren't likely to know that, so i guess it's something new to them.
Many of you complain loudly about wanting to eliminate AC posting. It's hypocritical because many of you say you want anonymity and don't want to be tracked, except, of course, when someone else's anonymity mildly inconveniences you (at worst). There's a long history of logged-in trolling, including accounts like "Ralph JewHater Nader" that posted some of the most vile racism this site has ever seen. If you ban ACs, users will just engage in karma whoring and then troll, but not so much as to destroy their karma. If you mod down their other posts, it will probably be marked unfair in metamoderation. Trolls will abuse the system in an even more insidious manner, while continuing to post racism and other offensive content. Why is it inherently less troubling to you if the racism is posted from an account? And why do you support anonymity except when someone else's anonymity inconveniences you slightly?
It's not like a split view would be useful for copy files from one location to another. Nope, we get tabs. Thanks Microsoft.
Who ordered that?
You're missing the word "with" in the title. It should be: Microsoft Experimenting With Tabs Experience On File Explorer, Other Apps On Windows 10.
Moreover, the word "experience" is being used in a potentially confusing way. It would be better to just drop the word, and write, Microsoft Experimenting With Tabs On File Explorer, Other Apps On Windows 10. Notice that the original article used the phrase "browser tabbing experience". The additional context provided by the words "browser tabbing" make the intended meaning for "experience" very clear to the reader. Without those words, it's very unclear.
Where's Mr. Luddite guy talking about tabs tabbing tabs? I'm disappointed that he couldn't pull the trigger quick enough.
Tabs!
microsoft says they are the world expert in user interfaces and yet they are always going back to square zero as if they don't have a clue
Only dumb babies use Windows
this feature does not interest me at all.
Excel needs with tabs. Opening another instance of Excel so you can compare or flip between two spreadsheets is a monumental pain, and it's incomprehensible why Microsoft let it go on this long. Oh, and be able to detach a tab and have it become another window on its own. Because Excel, dammit.
Tabbed browsing is the work of the devil, why make this problem worse?
Experiment: open up 10 tabs, and then hit the X button to close the window you're in - oops you killed all 10 tabs.
I can see this going on in a tabbed Explorer, which I can imagine MS will set up some kind of independent threading per tab - so when you start a file copy in one, and then switch tabs, then close, your copied data is ... where exactly?
I pay a price in karma. That makes me accountable.
poor baby slashdot cred is your proudest accomplishment, how dare they take it from you, could you be more pathetic please? thnks
I want CROSS APPLICATION tabbing, which we already have in Windows. I prefer to organize elements based on functionality, not based on what app is being used. A single project may include multiple elements that are not all word documents or excel spreadsheets but combine disparate applications. Hiding stuff within an apps tabs such that you have to drill down into the app to find stuff is counterproductive. I happen to like the Windows taskbar, though I put it on the side so that I can stack up more "tabs" and be able to tell what they are, and that works fine. What I hate is when individual instances are collapsed into a single entry, as then I can't go directly from one to another without fishing for the instance.... Spare me the tabs, that's the first thing I want to turn off in any browser...
I've been using tabbed explorer since WinXP.
Also, this is more like MDI, which I am absolutely fine with.
Forcing tabbing functionality on top of related processes, as long as it doesn't break them, I am all for it.
If you do it at the Window Manager level, it won't matter for 99% of programs.
But those that make their own UIs, like Chrome, will likely shit the bed.
Window management was never good in Windows, it still isn't good. Hell, it just isn't good PERIOD, there is no good WM, they are all single-focus based, which is fucking dumb.
This is a step in the right direction.
Equally, one thing that would be SO GOOD would being able to group separate processes in to a window.
Being able to group an image editor and viewer, or code editor, project viewer, manuals and other stuff, or maybe you are making a video and want a bunch of media files and text documents linked.
Being able to have split-view would also help. That already exists in Windows UI, they just need to hook it in to this as well.
Being able to create a sidebar that is always open and fixed position, and the rest of the space can have free-flowing windows in it would be GREAT.
A very good example of that is having a chat open in a collab project, streaming, or even just friends gaming with each other.
Yet another Slashdot headline that was unintelligible until I inserted "with" and read "Tabs Experience" as a noun.
The term "User Experience" term really irks me, because the wording implies an unhealthy mindset towards designing user interfaces. ... if your user interface is an experience then you are doing something wrong. The UI should be functional and get out of the way so that I can get shit done.
Seriously
"We mustn't be caught by surprise by our own advancing technology" -- Aldous Huxley
Seriously, for the prices MS charges enterprise, they need to focus on stability and usability of current features before rolling out new eye candy and QOL enhancements.
There's nothing hypocritical about making a distinction between not wanting countless unknown entities (i.e. advertisers) tracking one's every move on the internet, and wanting to participate in an online discussion anonymously. Those are two completely separate issues. If I want to contribute to discussion here I do so by choice, and I voluntarily give up a small amount of privacy to do so.
That being said, I do support changing the rules for AC posting (even though it'll probably never happen) as follows: allow AC posts only from logged in users, and tie negative moderation (but not positive) to their karma. Then, at least, abusive posts are traceable back to an account, though not by normal users, and there is still reduced incentive act the part of a troll. Sure, someone could just create new throwaway accounts, but it adds one more hurdle.
poor loser needs to know who to hate, can't take criticism unless it's attached to someone who can be shamed
Taking the best features from decades old linux distributions and bringing them to Windows!
What I could really use, though, is a file manager with side-by-side directory windows. And also, Mr. Microsoft, if you're listening: a file manager that doesn't change my layout preferences in search results to something stupid and unhelpful and, incidentally, not what I have selected as my, you know, preference.
It looks just like chrome:
http://ejie.me/
Directory Opus has had tabbed file explorer capabilities for YEARS! I wouldn't use Windows Explorer if it had tabs. It's still a POS compared to Directory Opus. What we need is what Linux has - tabbed shell's.
The Truth is a Virus!!!
Had this already for years, with QTTabBar. Works great on Win 7, too.
https://www.file-extensions.or...
I never wanted a dozen browser tabs grouped into one window.
I don't want a dozen file explorer tabs grouped into one window either.
I certainly don't want a dozen photoshop tabs grouped into one window!
Think harder. Remember the reason that I opened multiple photoshop instances to begin with? I'm working on multiple different projects.
I want one window for each project. I want one window with three browser tabs, two file explorer tabs, and a photoshop tab. I'm working on a poster in photoshop, and I've opened two website tutorials, one local tutorial, and some documentation to support my photoshop design. When the phone rings, and it's my other client, I want to minimize it all. When I open my taxes, I want it obviously separate from my poster work.
And no, workspaces and virtual desktops are way too far for that. I'm one person, with one workflow. I need to see everything that I'm not working on too.
I'm actually a web developer (big surprise here, I'm sure). I can't do anything without: UE for typing code, two browsers for testing code, FTP-something for pulling and pushing code, SSH for configuring code, something mysql for data-play, and the client's e-mail open to figure out what I should be doing. And something note-pad so I can remember what to say back to the client days later. I'd love to tab the two different browsers together. I'd love to tab SSH and FTP together. I'd love to tab a query browser and the e-mail together. I'd love communication with client data together in one window, browser testing together in another window, server communication together in a third window, and my text creation together in a fourth window.
Instead, I get ten windows to juggle. And then a second client calls. One minute, let me open your ten windows.
So they get roughly what common linux desktops had in 2000.
So an slightly easier to use version of BeOS Replicant. No need to drag the little hand/claw to another window or desktop.
I know you all get giddy and wet your pants. Whenever Microsoft comes out with something new. I get it. However, nothing Microsoft does is original. Only original ideas MS gets, are bad business practices. MS is the software version of United Airlines. One bad business decision after another.