I see this too in our office. I think the reason that the desire to store each file type in a separate folder stems from the conventions of DOS an Windows 3.X programs. They learned computers using these OS and are used to the convention of storing the files created with a program in that program's folder.
Hell, I have one user that has a lot of files (important of course) in 3 different folders for 3 different versions of Wordstar. The reason they are not in the latest version's folder is not compatibility, its that Wordstar's file management screen only shows a certain number of files without using sub-folders! That and he stores related correspondence in a single file He says its too hard to come up with meaningful names for so much correspondence, especially with 8.3 names, but even now with long filenames. I try to warn him of the increased dangers of file corruption, especially now that he is using Word, and there have been several instances where he has not been able to find a certain letter or has accidentally changed/deleted something on an old page of a file.
Old habits are hard to break indeed.
PS: The File-Open, File-Save As method is this user's favored copy-to-floppy method as well. He absolutely refuses to learn to use Windows Explorer.
Of course I meant to reply to the post above yours. For you, some terrorist will probably use a sailboat to blow a bridge up or something and all sailing instuctors will be grounded/scrutinized:)
I'm thinking of jumping ship to metalworking myself. Creating primitive implements could be useful in a post-apocalyptic civilization.
Actually KDE added this feature after Whistler (codename for WinXP) preview releases started showing up with said feature. As for what inspired MS, the BEOS taskbar is a possible source, but the two do behave differently. BeOS always groups; WinXP only groups when it needs the room.
Back before Windows 95 came out you could (and probably wanted to) subscribe to Visual C++ to keep up with the releases as they tweaked support for Windows 95 in the months leading up to its release. IIRC a year got you the 4.X series and then 5.0
Like others here, I also had a 60GB 75GXP go bad (scratchy grinding sounds and bad sectors) within about 8 months. My OEM replaced it with a 60GXP as well.
The second CD is full of clip art and the like. My current Office XP folder is 103 MB (Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint). To be generous, the 'Microsoft Shared' folder is an additional 87.8 MB.
CLI users will just write down the exact commands to type to do the few tasks they need to do. They may even begin to memorize those commands and not need their cheat-sheets anymore. But that doesn't mean there will be understanding of what those commands mean and how to reuse those commands in new and interesting ways.
This view is based on my experience in tutoring/supporting a lab full of AutoCAD students (AuoCAD has a CLI as well as WIMP). Of course not everyone is like this. Many of these students went on to become good CAD drivers. But using a CLI at the app or OS level is no guarantee of computer literacy, believe me.
PS: Its not the GUI, its the underlying complexity that all-to-often peeks its head out from behind the curtain that makes people 'dumb' about computers. You can be sure that many unix CLI users rely on their sysadmins to fix their problems.
Windows NT just _starts_ to replace those sets, but the _users_ AND the _sysadmins_ are just pissed off by this instable and poorly equipped OS (no embedded scripting language, not onboard tools, poor automation)
So that's why the ticket desk clerk does all that typing! They're writing shell scripts!
I detest point to type, so there is one data point. However having the active window not always be the top window is sometimes handy. WindowMaker can do this without point to type IIRC.
Point to type is annoying if you have a cluttered desk (and nudge your mouse to the wrong window), or want to flick the pointer out of the way when trying to read what is underneath. That old-style pointer-must-be-in-edit-box just takes the joke too far.
I can see it being useful if you are always entering stuff in multiple partially overlapping windows, but face it; how many people these days work that way? In software dev or graphics and design maybe, but for common office work? People I work around have a hard enough time being aware of which window is active when there is a modal dialog sitting in the middle of the screen!
Point-to-select mode isn't default either. If the user selects it while "menubar at top of screen" is selected, it could warn you that the two will be a pain to use together and offer to deselect the global menubar option. If you are using a WM that isn't that well GNOME-integrated, then it could be assumed you "know what you are doing"-TM and leave you to deal with it yourself.
Some site I visit occasionally has those OnExit ads that popup after you leave the site. When the ad is for AOL and the next site you visit is CNN.com, it sure gets the anti-monopolistic juices a'flowin until you realize what is going on.
Adobe should pay the fine on behalf of KIllustrator and promise not to support a lawsuit by this parasite law firm with the agreement that the package is changed to a non-infringing name.
Letting crap like this slide will damage Adobe's image more than use of the 'Illustrator' name ever did.
There are plenty of things to worry about related to MS without imagining new conspiracies where they don't exist. I'd be more worried that the Anti-OSS license from that Moble Internet Toolkit gets applied to all future MS SDKs. Worried more for MS, but worried nonetheless.
I seem to remember at one point, they required a login registration to access that free content. What do you want to bet they do it again someday, using Passport this time?
Make it an Internet Explorer Smart Tag!
on
Mozilla 0.9.1 Out
·
· Score: 2
Every time Mozilla and bug, slow, or sucks are mentioned in the same paragraph, a Smart Tag with links to Bugzilla is displayed.
Slashdot Mirror
Now all you have to do is get all of your friends and relatives to buy new WMF compatible DVD players.
I see this too in our office. I think the reason that the desire to store each file type in a separate folder stems from the conventions of DOS an Windows 3.X programs. They learned computers using these OS and are used to the convention of storing the files created with a program in that program's folder.
Hell, I have one user that has a lot of files (important of course) in 3 different folders for 3 different versions of Wordstar. The reason they are not in the latest version's folder is not compatibility, its that Wordstar's file management screen only shows a certain number of files without using sub-folders! That and he stores related correspondence in a single file He says its too hard to come up with meaningful names for so much correspondence, especially with 8.3 names, but even now with long filenames. I try to warn him of the increased dangers of file corruption, especially now that he is using Word, and there have been several instances where he has not been able to find a certain letter or has accidentally changed/deleted something on an old page of a file.
Old habits are hard to break indeed.
PS: The File-Open, File-Save As method is this user's favored copy-to-floppy method as well. He absolutely refuses to learn to use Windows Explorer.
Of course I meant to reply to the post above yours. For you, some terrorist will probably use a sailboat to blow a bridge up or something and all sailing instuctors will be grounded/scrutinized :)
I'm thinking of jumping ship to metalworking myself. Creating primitive implements could be useful in a post-apocalyptic civilization.
Then you would probably have to deal with Monsanto and their ilk.
Actually KDE added this feature after Whistler (codename for WinXP) preview releases started showing up with said feature. As for what inspired MS, the BEOS taskbar is a possible source, but the two do behave differently. BeOS always groups; WinXP only groups when it needs the room.
Whistler (aka: Windows XP) beta screenshots.
Back before Windows 95 came out you could (and probably wanted to) subscribe to Visual C++ to keep up with the releases as they tweaked support for Windows 95 in the months leading up to its release. IIRC a year got you the 4.X series and then 5.0
... but don't you think there is a slight chance they'd use Quicktime instead of DivX;)?
A portable quicktime (and mp3) player would be interesting, with a case shaped like the software QT player.
Like others here, I also had a 60GB 75GXP go bad (scratchy grinding sounds and bad sectors) within about 8 months. My OEM replaced it with a 60GXP as well.
Hmmm.
The second CD is full of clip art and the like. My current Office XP folder is 103 MB (Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint). To be generous, the 'Microsoft Shared' folder is an additional 87.8 MB.
Mail Merge that doesn't take a DBA to get it working.
That and performance will probably be the deal-breaker for us switching.
CLI users will just write down the exact commands to type to do the few tasks they need to do. They may even begin to memorize those commands and not need their cheat-sheets anymore. But that doesn't mean there will be understanding of what those commands mean and how to reuse those commands in new and interesting ways.
This view is based on my experience in tutoring/supporting a lab full of AutoCAD students (AuoCAD has a CLI as well as WIMP). Of course not everyone is like this. Many of these students went on to become good CAD drivers. But using a CLI at the app or OS level is no guarantee of computer literacy, believe me.
PS: Its not the GUI, its the underlying complexity that all-to-often peeks its head out from behind the curtain that makes people 'dumb' about computers. You can be sure that many unix CLI users rely on their sysadmins to fix their problems.
So that's why the ticket desk clerk does all that typing! They're writing shell scripts!
MacOS Programs layout their dialogs that way.
The Desktop devs (or maybe the distros) could learn a bit from the the Rox Filer project and Mac OS X Bundles (PDF) and such
I detest point to type, so there is one data point. However having the active window not always be the top window is sometimes handy. WindowMaker can do this without point to type IIRC.
Point to type is annoying if you have a cluttered desk (and nudge your mouse to the wrong window), or want to flick the pointer out of the way when trying to read what is underneath. That old-style pointer-must-be-in-edit-box just takes the joke too far.
I can see it being useful if you are always entering stuff in multiple partially overlapping windows, but face it; how many people these days work that way? In software dev or graphics and design maybe, but for common office work? People I work around have a hard enough time being aware of which window is active when there is a modal dialog sitting in the middle of the screen!
Point-to-select mode isn't default either. If the user selects it while "menubar at top of screen" is selected, it could warn you that the two will be a pain to use together and offer to deselect the global menubar option. If you are using a WM that isn't that well GNOME-integrated, then it could be assumed you "know what you are doing"-TM and leave you to deal with it yourself.
Damn /. effect!
:)
Some site I visit occasionally has those OnExit ads that popup after you leave the site. When the ad is for AOL and the next site you visit is CNN.com, it sure gets the anti-monopolistic juices a'flowin until you realize what is going on.
Adobe should pay the fine on behalf of KIllustrator and promise not to support a lawsuit by this parasite law firm with the agreement that the package is changed to a non-infringing name.
Letting crap like this slide will damage Adobe's image more than use of the 'Illustrator' name ever did.
In fact, when pasting from either browser to Word 2002 (Office XP Trial edition), you get a (gasp!) Smart Tag asking (if you click on it):
Keep Source Formatting
Match Destination Formatting
Keep Text Only
Apply Style or Formatting...
Are the system calls that perform this cut and paste even available to non-MS developers? Yes.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url= /library/en-us/ipc/hh/winbase/clipbrd_3a43.asp
There are plenty of things to worry about related to MS without imagining new conspiracies where they don't exist. I'd be more worried that the Anti-OSS license from that Moble Internet Toolkit gets applied to all future MS SDKs. Worried more for MS, but worried nonetheless.
All I can remember is that the last episode I could stomach watching involved Halloween and Wolfman Jack.
*shudder*
I seem to remember at one point, they required a login registration to access that free content. What do you want to bet they do it again someday, using Passport this time?
Every time Mozilla and bug, slow, or sucks are mentioned in the same paragraph, a Smart Tag with links to Bugzilla is displayed.
Tie it to your credit card number and personal info. If someone else can access your music, they can access everything else you can as well.