It's like a helicopter shot of a car (the 'marker') driving down a highway. The position of the marker correlates to the estimated time remaining.
The stripes on the road are to convey a sense of speed. The main purpose of this is to show if a process has hung.
The coloured road sections indicate different processes. If possible, the final process should be coloured green.
To my thinking, this solves the problem of having to 'lie' to the user, while still giving them some useful information about remaining time and assurance that something is happening.
Slashdot Mirror
This gave me an idea for a better progress bar. I even made a rough animated GIF.
Some details:
To my thinking, this solves the problem of having to 'lie' to the user, while still giving them some useful information about remaining time and assurance that something is happening.
I'd value some feedback on this idea.