Slashdot Mirror


Microsoft Asks Users To Call Windows 10 Devs About ALT+TAB Feature (bleepingcomputer.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bleeping Computer: Microsoft has started to display notifications in the Windows 10 Action Center asking users to have a phone call with Microsoft developers and provide direct feedback about the ALT+TAB feature in Windows. While using a Windows 10 Insider build today, I was shown a Feedback Hub notification stating that "Microsoft wants to hear your opinions! To set up a phone call with Windows engineers, go to: http://www.aka.ms/alttab." This link then redirects to a web page at https://ux.microsoft.com/?AltTab. It is not known if this is only being shown to Windows Insiders users at this time.

When users visit this link they will be shown a Microsoft User Research page stating that a Windows 10 product team is looking to "understand our customer needs" and would like to have an anonymous 5-10 minute phone call with the user. In this particular case, the phone call will be with Microsoft engineers to discuss how users use the ALT+TAB feature to switch between apps. Microsoft states they are performing these calls in order to get a better understanding of how a feature is being used while they are in development. According to the web site, Windows engineers will be available on 3/11/2019 between 11:15 AM and 1:00 PM PST and on 3/12/2019 between 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM PST to schedule a call. The page goes on to say that users can expect a 5-10 minute call, but that it could last longer if there is more to discuss. They also state that the calls are not being recorded, are anonymous, and the content of the call will not be stored.

7 of 235 comments (clear)

  1. Alt+Tab - most common thing I use by turp182 · · Score: 5, Informative

    I use that combo at least 100 times a day. And Ctrl-Tab for web browser tab switching.

    Another favorite: Window+arrow keys is awesome for resizing and moving windows (the 50% of screen shift is nice to put two programs on one screen).

    --
    BlameBillCosby.com
  2. Re:I use ... by Guspaz · · Score: 1, Informative

    Windows-tab does not, by itself, switch between applications. You must also use the arrow keys to select a window and then hit enter. That's a lot less quick to switch back and forth between two windows than alt-tab.

  3. Re:I use ... by mridoni · · Score: 3, Informative

    In the era of DOS applications, F3 was the nearly universal key for exiting the program, and returning to the DOS prompt.

    It was actually a holdover from the mainframe/3270 days, when F3 (PF3 in IBM parlance) was universally used to exit a running program.

  4. Re:I use ... by Calydor · · Score: 4, Informative

    Oh man, now I remember the keyboards at school had this cardboard cutout that fit over the function keys with an explanation of what ctrl/alt/shift/combo thereof along with each function key did in WordPerfect. I think ... Shift-F7 was Save, wasn't it?

    --
    -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
  5. Re:More M$ chicanery... by dkman · · Score: 3, Informative

    They use it to switch active application. That's it's god damn job, and has been since Windows 3.1 (and probably earlier). It performs that same function in Linux. Why would we even think about changing that? Because we're Microsoft. (I just figured I'd go ahead and answer that question for anyone who was confused.)

    --
    I refuse to sign
  6. Re:More M$ chicanery... by apoc.famine · · Score: 3, Informative

    If they fuck with alt-tab at all, I'm not sure I could use that operating system. That's like 20+ years of muscle memory to overcome, and I don't see that happening as long as I'm using a standard keyboard.

    It's baffling enough that they haven't every adopted Alt-` to cycle through windows of an application. I use that on linux all of the time.

    --
    Velociraptor = Distiraptor / Timeraptor
  7. Re:More M$ chicanery... by Rob+Y. · · Score: 4, Informative

    I used to use hot key mappings to switch to specific windows on Win7 - until they broke it in Windows 10.

    I set up hotkeys to launch PuTty sessions to multiple unix hosts - or multiple accounts on the same host. And on Windows 95 through Windows 7, hitting the same hotkey would bring the corresponding session to the foreground. On Windows 10, the hotkey now launches a second copy of the corresponding session - rendering the hotkey feature useless.

    Fix that, please - and you can take away Alt-Tab if you want...

    --
    Posted from my Android phone. Oh, I can change this? There, that's better...