"The current Win32-based Windows UI graphics subsystem, found in Windows XP, has been around for nearly 20 years. It's aging and limited, and as a result, user interface development has been somewhat, well, constrained at best. The Windows Presentation Foundation, which is built on the .NET Framework, provides new techniques for developing applications, and makes better use of current hardware and technologies. In this article, we'll show you 10 of the most significant advances that make WPF superior to its Win32 forebears." In related news, here are shots of Vista server.
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Member since:They're fixing some of their most obnoxious usability problems (please note that again, I'm not talking about the eye-candy crap, but only focusing on what I consider a usability fature, ie the layout system)
You consider a layout engine to be a usability feature. You really are a Linux zealot, aren't you?
Member since:2005-07-06
You consider a layout engine to be a usability feature. You really are a Linux zealot, aren't you?
Fixed-size dialog are a usability problem.
Dialogs that can't resize properly to use a bigger font are a usability problem.
Dialogs that can't adapt their size properly to the length of translations into other languages are a usability problem.
Do I need to spell out that having a layout engine allow to solve these in a way that also makes the developer's life easier ?
I'm sorry to be upset to have to scroll horizontally most configuration dialogs trees when I'm using a french version of visual .net, and a million other similar annoyances.
Member since:2005-06-29
Linux does not have a GUI tookit 
. Would you like me to point you to the source so you can see for yourself .
So, what, exactly, makes you think he's a Linux zealout from the post you're replying to? Or, are you simply attempting to flame him?
The reason a layout engine is a usability feature is that same reason that size checked arrays are a security feature:
Programmers neglect things and make mistakes.
A layout engine forces developers to actually think their design through in a non-static sized way. It also handles 90% of the grunt work for them.
And yes, many of us use programs in many different ways. Myself, for example, I only maximize windows if my screensize is 800x600 and it's a browser window. I often use vertical only maximization. I manually place windows into sections of my screen so I can easily find and recognize them by location and watch the useful parts of each one at the same time.
I've known people who maximize every window. Even their AIM chat windows! Even their AIM buddy list!
Maybe you're confusing accessibility and usability and that's why you can't see how it's a usability issue?
Member since:
Member since:
2005-07-06
No, I was talking about the useful part of the article, the one about layout. I don't care about the eye candy.
Too bad the rest of the world does. Stay with your command-lines, then.
Whenever I make this kind of statement, people always seems eager to try and prove that they are mentally challenged.
I will spell it out for you since you seem to have a hard time working it out: that I dont't care about eye-candy doesn't mean that I don't care about usability.
Again, I don't care about the whole animated eye-candy thing, regardless if it's on windows, macosx, linux or whatever. I don't believe that it will change anything in the long term, and I don't think it's a particularly exciting technology either.
I don't care who of microsoft or linux will first have the software infrastructure to do this crap.
> Belittle Microsoft's work ? They do it themselves.
Spoken like a true zealous Linux user.
You're the one bringing up linux here. Are you some kind of paranoiac thinking that everyone disagreeing with you is a linux zealot out to get you ?
As always, the "Microsoft has done something cool" articles are usually taken out of context by you Linux zealots.
They have not done something cool. They're fixing some of their most obnoxious usability problems (please note that again, I'm not talking about the eye-candy crap, but only focusing on what I consider a usability fature, ie the layout system)
You always twist it around into meaning something else, and then compare it to another product that existed years ago. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same case here.
No, it's just that I can't stand bullshit. And I compared it to a product that existed years ago, but of course I could have mentioned Qt, GTK, WxWindows, FLTK, or about any other existing GUI toolkit that already do that.
It's okay, though. The plastic bubbles are all nice and comfy. Microsoft isn't ahead of Linux. Oh no -- they're very behind. Just keep believing that, and you'll definitely be the leader. :-)
Again, you're the one bringing the whole issue up. I don't give a shit either if linux is leader or not, I'm not insecure enough as to need that a majority of people make the same choice of OS as me.
However, if MS have to stay ahead, then I would like them to fix the most outstanding problems that make me curse them daily.
The obvious usability problems are one of them, and I hate people drinking the microsoft kool-aid who claim that they are somehow a reference when it comes to usability.
Seeing that I use windows about 8 hours for each hour that I use linux, if it was so perfect by now I should be so used to it that it's using linux that should annoy me.