My thoughts on Vista

>- "Which window is the active one?" Windows are all the same color. There
>is
> no way to specify different colours for the active and inactive windows.
> * Don't have an answer but I agree with you, this was not thought out I
> guess. But why would you want to know Active window unless you are using
> para-normal brain activity to select the window. I don't know about you
> but I select my windows just fine any and you can use the Taskbar if its
> giving you problems still.

> - "Where's my program?" The first thing that I did after installing Vista
> was to install the Office 2007 beta. Once the installation completed I
> clicked the Start button (ball?) but didn't see anything new. So I clicked
> All Programs... Not in that list either? After about 20 minutes I
> realized
> that I had to scroll the program list. There is no way that this new Start
> button is going to work for most people. The text in the list is tiny and
> there STILL isn't enough room for all my programs. Move the "My Computer",
> "Network", etc. list to the left side of the menu and let the right side
> get
> big enough to hold more programs... and let the groups pop open to show
> more
> lists.
> *Uh, the Programs group for each application group is there, simply click
> it and it will reveal the list. I sent in a suggestion for an arrow should
> be beside the folder to indicate that it is expandable. You can also do a
> search for the name of the app on the Start menu and it will show up, you
> can even filter down to to the file name, hit enter and it will open.

> - New device detection. All you are told by Windows is that something was
> found - NO indication at all if it's a Network device, soundcard,
> mouse...etc. I've got a few items in my Device Mangler with the wrong
> drivers installed because I didn't know what I was looking for.
> * Detected my Motorola E398 phone, but that I need a driver from the
> manuafacturer. A lovely floating dialog popped up, which was nice.

> - Aero... the new "glassy" interface. What is the point? First of all,
> being
> able to see through the few pixels around the border of the window isn't
> helpful at all. To make matters worse, everything under your window is
> blurred beyond recognition. Also, the placement of the Minimize, Maximize
> and Close buttons is just plain ugly. Looks like someone goofed. No border
> above and a thick chunk of border below. They are also all different sizes
> as well. UGLY.
> * Glass does have its purpose by putting
> more focus on the content of a window, so less focus is given to the
> window
> frame, in XP, the Luna frame is always in your eye sight. Window titles
> are
> not difficult to decipher, when Glass windows are are over each other, the
> intensity of the outer glow is more visible, making the text very legible.
> Window title bars are now found in the Bread crumb menu (Address bar).

> - Drive Mapping... How is it done? I don't have a menu bar on any of my
> Explorer windows. Right clicking on a network resource doesn't give me the
> Map Network Drive option.
> * Open an Explorer window > click Organize > Layout > click "Classic
> Menus"

> > click Tools > Map Network Drive...

> - The User Account Control is annoying. I can understand why it's there,
> but
> the Windows Help doesn't tell you how to disable it.
> * Because you are not suppose to disable it.

> - You can't specify where you want your Gadgets. Gadgets have to be
> installed on a bar, and they are top/left justified. Move them down and
> they
> will just slide back up. On my XP system I have a nice clock that runs in
> the bottom right corner of my desktop. There is no way to put the Vista
> clock gadget into the lower right corner of my desktop.
> * Don't understand, if you were to have Clock gadget miniturized to be
> placed in the Notification area you wouldn't be able to read it. Click
> Clock in notification area and you will see a nice Clock and Calendar
> anytime you need it. I wish there was a AutoHide option for Sidebar though
> and an option to place it at the top, so I can get more screen real
> estate.

> select Windows Classic.

> "Andre Da Costa [Extended64]" <andred25@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:ewxpqdsgGHA.1856@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

>>- "Which window is the active one?" Windows are all the same color. There
>>is
>> no way to specify different colours for the active and inactive windows.
>> * Don't have an answer but I agree with you, this was not thought out I
>> guess. But why would you want to know Active window unless you are using
>> para-normal brain activity to select the window. I don't know about you
>> but I select my windows just fine any and you can use the Taskbar if its
>> giving you problems still.

>
> My active XP window frame is orange. Inactive frames are dark grey. This
> is on a relatively dark background. All I want is the option to specify a
> different colour scheme for unfocused windows.
>

>> - "Where's my program?" The first thing that I did after installing Vista
>> was to install the Office 2007 beta. Once the installation completed I
>> clicked the Start button (ball?) but didn't see anything new. So I
>> clicked
>> All Programs... Not in that list either? After about 20 minutes I
>> realized
>> that I had to scroll the program list. There is no way that this new
>> Start
>> button is going to work for most people. The text in the list is tiny and
>> there STILL isn't enough room for all my programs. Move the "My
>> Computer",
>> "Network", etc. list to the left side of the menu and let the right side
>> get
>> big enough to hold more programs... and let the groups pop open to show
>> more
>> lists.
>> *Uh, the Programs group for each application group is there, simply click
>> it and it will reveal the list. I sent in a suggestion for an arrow
>> should be beside the folder to indicate that it is expandable. You can
>> also do a search for the name of the app on the Start menu and it will
>> show up, you can even filter down to to the file name, hit enter and it
>> will open.

>
> So I need to work in this little tiny box? Why can't I have a flyout menu
> as before? In XP I can nest my program groups as I like and have enough
> realestate (the entire screen) to find my way through it.
>

>> - New device detection. All you are told by Windows is that something was
>> found - NO indication at all if it's a Network device, soundcard,
>> mouse...etc. I've got a few items in my Device Mangler with the wrong
>> drivers installed because I didn't know what I was looking for.
>> * Detected my Motorola E398 phone, but that I need a driver from the
>> manuafacturer. A lovely floating dialog popped up, which was nice.

>
> My popups didn't identify what it found at all.
>

>> - Aero... the new "glassy" interface. What is the point? First of all,
>> being
>> able to see through the few pixels around the border of the window isn't
>> helpful at all. To make matters worse, everything under your window is
>> blurred beyond recognition. Also, the placement of the Minimize, Maximize
>> and Close buttons is just plain ugly. Looks like someone goofed. No
>> border
>> above and a thick chunk of border below. They are also all different
>> sizes
>> as well. UGLY.
>> * Glass does have its purpose by putting
>> more focus on the content of a window, so less focus is given to the
>> window
>> frame, in XP, the Luna frame is always in your eye sight. Window titles
>> are
>> not difficult to decipher, when Glass windows are are over each other,
>> the
>> intensity of the outer glow is more visible, making the text very
>> legible.
>> Window title bars are now found in the Bread crumb menu (Address bar).

>
> If we want to focus on the content, then why all the focus of a pretty
> background and flashy animations? I don't see any difference in intensity
> between any of the windows I currently have open. If these windows weren't
> overlapped, I wouldn't know which one was active.
>

>> - Drive Mapping... How is it done? I don't have a menu bar on any of my
>> Explorer windows. Right clicking on a network resource doesn't give me
>> the
>> Map Network Drive option.
>> * Open an Explorer window > click Organize > Layout > click "Classic
>> Menus"

>> > click Tools > Map Network Drive...

>
> This is supposed to be easy, or logical?
>

>> - The User Account Control is annoying. I can understand why it's there,
>> but
>> the Windows Help doesn't tell you how to disable it.
>> * Because you are not suppose to disable it.

>
> I understand why it's there... but I'm the ONLY user on this PC. I'm the
> administrator. Anything that I'm trying to do, I WANT to do.
>

>> - You can't specify where you want your Gadgets. Gadgets have to be
>> installed on a bar, and they are top/left justified. Move them down and
>> they
>> will just slide back up. On my XP system I have a nice clock that runs in
>> the bottom right corner of my desktop. There is no way to put the Vista
>> clock gadget into the lower right corner of my desktop.
>> * Don't understand, if you were to have Clock gadget miniturized to be
>> placed in the Notification area you wouldn't be able to read it. Click
>> Clock in notification area and you will see a nice Clock and Calendar
>> anytime you need it. I wish there was a AutoHide option for Sidebar
>> though and an option to place it at the top, so I can get more screen
>> real estate.

>
> No, it's a third party application. Its a larger clock that sits in the
> bottom right corner of my screen. I could place it in the middle of my
> desktop if I wanted to. I keep my task bar at the top of the screen as it
> makes more sence here (at least for me).
>
> A gadget isn't going to be useful if the computer wont let me place it
> where I can use it.

>I don't know what is being done about the inactive window issue, I hope it
>is resolved though. I would make a suggestion of more frosty for inactive
>windows.

> Cascading menus were thought to be too unwieldy. But if you have a limited
> set of programs installed, I agree, you should still have Cascading menus,
> basically, it should be an available choice.

> You can drag the Clock gadget and any other gadget off the Sidebar and
> place it anywhere on your desktop.

>
> "Andre Da Costa [Extended64]" <andred25@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:ubTxAzsgGHA.5104@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>>I don't know what is being done about the inactive window issue, I hope it
>>is resolved though. I would make a suggestion of more frosty for inactive
>>windows.

>
> Maybe they should add a "frosty" slider to the custom section?
>
> : )
>

>> Cascading menus were thought to be too unwieldy. But if you have a
>> limited set of programs installed, I agree, you should still have
>> Cascading menus, basically, it should be an available choice.

>
> I can deal with the current interface, but it's definately not an
> improvement. It would REALLY help if Microsoft didn't stuff the root of
> ALL PROGRAMS with tonnes of their own programs.
>

>> You can drag the Clock gadget and any other gadget off the Sidebar and
>> place it anywhere on your desktop.

>
> Doh! Almost no point to the sidebar then... You can't set the sidebar to
> autohide, so what use it it?
>
> Thanks!

>
> "Andre Da Costa [Extended64]" <andred25@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:ubTxAzsgGHA.5104@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>>I don't know what is being done about the inactive window issue, I hope it
>>is resolved though. I would make a suggestion of more frosty for inactive
>>windows.

>
> Maybe they should add a "frosty" slider to the custom section?
>
> : )
>

>> Cascading menus were thought to be too unwieldy. But if you have a
>> limited set of programs installed, I agree, you should still have
>> Cascading menus, basically, it should be an available choice.

>
> I can deal with the current interface, but it's definately not an
> improvement. It would REALLY help if Microsoft didn't stuff the root of
> ALL PROGRAMS with tonnes of their own programs.
>

>> You can drag the Clock gadget and any other gadget off the Sidebar and
>> place it anywhere on your desktop.

>
> Doh! Almost no point to the sidebar then... You can't set the sidebar to
> autohide, so what use it it?
>
> Thanks!

>- "Which window is the active one?" Windows are all the same color. There
>is
> no way to specify different colours for the active and inactive windows.
> * Don't have an answer but I agree with you, this was not thought out I
> guess. But why would you want to know Active window unless you are using
> para-normal brain activity to select the window. I don't know about you
> but I select my windows just fine any and you can use the Taskbar if its
> giving you problems still.
>
> - "Where's my program?" The first thing that I did after installing Vista
> was to install the Office 2007 beta. Once the installation completed I
> clicked the Start button (ball?) but didn't see anything new. So I clicked
> All Programs... Not in that list either? After about 20 minutes I
> realized
> that I had to scroll the program list. There is no way that this new Start
> button is going to work for most people. The text in the list is tiny and
> there STILL isn't enough room for all my programs. Move the "My Computer",
> "Network", etc. list to the left side of the menu and let the right side
> get
> big enough to hold more programs... and let the groups pop open to show
> more
> lists.
> *Uh, the Programs group for each application group is there, simply click
> it and it will reveal the list. I sent in a suggestion for an arrow should
> be beside the folder to indicate that it is expandable. You can also do a
> search for the name of the app on the Start menu and it will show up, you
> can even filter down to to the file name, hit enter and it will open.
>
> - There is ***NO*** shutdown button. Click start and you get a STANDBY
> button and a LOCK this computer button. There is a tiny little button next
> to these to get to the Shutdown, but I'm constantly missing it. I will
> ***NEVER*** lock my PC, nor use Standby. There is no way to modify these
> buttons to the more useful Shutdown and Hibernate functions.
> * I guess Microsoft is saying, you will hibernate your PC more with
> Windows Vista instead shutting it down regularly. I definitely agree with
> you though, this area needs more work, I hope they come with a better
> layout. Either remove Lock and Standby, and make those the optional ones
> instead of the default.
>
> - New device detection. All you are told by Windows is that something was
> found - NO indication at all if it's a Network device, soundcard,
> mouse...etc. I've got a few items in my Device Mangler with the wrong
> drivers installed because I didn't know what I was looking for.
> * Detected my Motorola E398 phone, but that I need a driver from the
> manuafacturer. A lovely floating dialog popped up, which was nice.
>
> - Aero... the new "glassy" interface. What is the point? First of all,
> being
> able to see through the few pixels around the border of the window isn't
> helpful at all. To make matters worse, everything under your window is
> blurred beyond recognition. Also, the placement of the Minimize, Maximize
> and Close buttons is just plain ugly. Looks like someone goofed. No border
> above and a thick chunk of border below. They are also all different sizes
> as well. UGLY.
> * Glass does have its purpose by putting
> more focus on the content of a window, so less focus is given to the
> window
> frame, in XP, the Luna frame is always in your eye sight. Window titles
> are
> not difficult to decipher, when Glass windows are are over each other, the
> intensity of the outer glow is more visible, making the text very legible.
> Window title bars are now found in the Bread crumb menu (Address bar).
>
> - How many Network icons do we need in the Control Panel??? Network
> Center,
> iSCSI, Firewall, Network Map, Network List, Network File & Printer
> sharing... Why can't these all be within a SINGLE Network icon?
> Agreed, its confusing.
>
> - Drive Mapping... How is it done? I don't have a menu bar on any of my
> Explorer windows. Right clicking on a network resource doesn't give me the
> Map Network Drive option.
> * Open an Explorer window > click Organize > Layout > click "Classic
> Menus"

> > click Tools > Map Network Drive...

>
> - The User Account Control is annoying. I can understand why it's there,
> but
> the Windows Help doesn't tell you how to disable it.
> * Because you are not suppose to disable it.
> User Access Control (UAC) enables a lock on administrative features
> throughout the OS, making it more difficult for users to mess up areas of
> the operating system that are vulnerable to attack or user accidents.
> Whether it's Device Manager, Windows, System/System 32 folders or changing
> account settings. Limited account users (now called Standard User) can
> benefit from this very much, by getting more flexibility when it comes to
> doing common task such as setting date and time or changing your account
> password. For computers in public places I consider this beneficial and it
> provides a better peace of mind for Administrators and even confidence for
> inexperienced users when using the operating system, the major advantage
> really is it brings awareness to what the user is doing and certain
> persons will at least take the time to read the consequences of their
> actions before they click "Allow". So in end, there is no excuse for
> running as Administrator. So far, the status from the public on UAC is, it
> seems like a highly annoying feature and trust me, it is at times. It's
> the first thing I disable after I log into Vista for the first time. For
> me, I can manage the consequences from turning it off, but I still see it
> as a benefit for the novice, grandma or non computer savvy uncle who
> occasionally use their computer and want to stay out of trouble every time
> they use it. So, it's really a necessary annoyance, if you do know what
> you are doing, you can disable UAC by clicking Start > All Programs > Run

> > type in MSCONFIG > Tools (tab) > scroll down select Disable UAC > click

> Launch, restart your system for the changes to take effect.
>
>
> - You can't specify where you want your Gadgets. Gadgets have to be
> installed on a bar, and they are top/left justified. Move them down and
> they
> will just slide back up. On my XP system I have a nice clock that runs in
> the bottom right corner of my desktop. There is no way to put the Vista
> clock gadget into the lower right corner of my desktop.
> * Don't understand, if you were to have Clock gadget miniturized to be
> placed in the Notification area you wouldn't be able to read it. Click
> Clock in notification area and you will see a nice Clock and Calendar
> anytime you need it. I wish there was a AutoHide option for Sidebar though
> and an option to place it at the top, so I can get more screen real
> estate.
> --
> --
> Andre
> Windows Connected | http://www.windowsconnected.com
> Extended64 | http://www.extended64.com
> Blog | http://www.extended64.com/blogs/andre
> http://spaces.msn.com/members/adacosta
>
>
> "Noozer" <dont.spam@me.here> wrote in message
> news:%23xInyEsgGHA.2208@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

>> Well... I've had a chance to play with build 5384.4. Thought I'd share my
>> thoughts on the next incarnation of Windows.
>>
>> I've been using PC's since the CP/M days. I've used OS/2. Tried BEOS and
>> Linux. I've done desktop support and have been a programmer. Suffices to
>> say that I've used MANY different computers and many different operating
>> systems.
>>
>> The system I'm using is an Opteron 165 (dual core @ 1.8Ghz) based system
>> with the nVidia nForce4 chipset. 1 gig of memory and an eVGA 7600GT PCIe
>> video card.
>>
>> Here's my list of issues that I have with Vista. It's not a complete
>> list, but enough to let you know what to watch for when you switch to
>> Vista.
>>
>> - "Which window is the active one?" Windows are all the same color. There
>> is no way to specify different colours for the active and inactive
>> windows.
>>
>> - "Where's my program?" The first thing that I did after installing Vista
>> was to install the Office 2007 beta. Once the installation completed I
>> clicked the Start button (ball?) but didn't see anything new. So I
>> clicked All Programs... Not in that list either? After about 20 minutes
>> I realized that I had to scroll the program list. There is no way that
>> this new Start button is going to work for most people. The text in the
>> list is tiny and there STILL isn't enough room for all my programs. Move
>> the "My Computer", "Network", etc. list to the left side of the menu and
>> let the right side get big enough to hold more programs... and let the
>> groups pop open to show more lists.
>>
>> - There is ***NO*** shutdown button. Click start and you get a STANDBY
>> button and a LOCK this computer button. There is a tiny little button
>> next to these to get to the Shutdown, but I'm constantly missing it. I
>> will ***NEVER*** lock my PC, nor use Standby. There is no way to modify
>> these buttons to the more useful Shutdown and Hibernate functions.
>>
>> - New device detection. All you are told by Windows is that something was
>> found - NO indication at all if it's a Network device, soundcard,
>> mouse...etc. I've got a few items in my Device Mangler with the wrong
>> drivers installed because I didn't know what I was looking for.
>>
>> - Aero... the new "glassy" interface. What is the point? First of all,
>> being able to see through the few pixels around the border of the window
>> isn't helpful at all. To make matters worse, everything under your window
>> is blurred beyond recognition. Also, the placement of the Minimize,
>> Maximize and Close buttons is just plain ugly. Looks like someone goofed.
>> No border above and a thick chunk of border below. They are also all
>> different sizes as well. UGLY.
>>
>> - How many Network icons do we need in the Control Panel??? Network
>> Center, iSCSI, Firewall, Network Map, Network List, Network File &
>> Printer sharing... Why can't these all be within a SINGLE Network icon?
>>
>> - Drive Mapping... How is it done? I don't have a menu bar on any of my
>> Explorer windows. Right clicking on a network resource doesn't give me
>> the Map Network Drive option.
>>
>> - The User Account Control is annoying. I can understand why it's there,
>> but the Windows Help doesn't tell you how to disable it.
>>
>> - You can't specify where you want your Gadgets. Gadgets have to be
>> installed on a bar, and they are top/left justified. Move them down and
>> they will just slide back up. On my XP system I have a nice clock that
>> runs in the bottom right corner of my desktop. There is no way to put the
>> Vista clock gadget into the lower right corner of my desktop.
>>
>>
>> ...and some of the things I like about Vista...
>>
>> - Gadgets. Definately an improvement from XP. They just need to get rid
>> of the requirement of installing them onto a "bar". I want to decide
>> where to put my gadgets, not have Windows stack them up in a pile.
>>
>> - Operation seems smoother and more responsive than XP.
>>
>> - Media Center has improved a bit. I don't have any TV tuners, so I can't
>> tell if recording has improved or if multiple sources are supported.
>>
>>
>> ...all in all, I don't see enough improvement to go through the trouble
>> of working through the poor user interface changes. I'd suggest that
>> folks stick with XP until Vista has been out a year or two.
>>
>>

>
>

> Glass does have its purpose by putting
>more focus on the content of a window, so less focus is given to the window
>frame,

>- "Which window is the active one?" Windows are all the same color. There
>is
> no way to specify different colours for the active and inactive windows.
> * Don't have an answer but I agree with you, this was not thought out I
> guess. But why would you want to know Active window unless you are using
> para-normal brain activity to select the window. I don't know about you
> but I select my windows just fine any and you can use the Taskbar if its
> giving you problems still.
>
> - "Where's my program?" The first thing that I did after installing Vista
> was to install the Office 2007 beta. Once the installation completed I
> clicked the Start button (ball?) but didn't see anything new. So I clicked
> All Programs... Not in that list either? After about 20 minutes I
> realized
> that I had to scroll the program list. There is no way that this new Start
> button is going to work for most people. The text in the list is tiny and
> there STILL isn't enough room for all my programs. Move the "My Computer",
> "Network", etc. list to the left side of the menu and let the right side
> get
> big enough to hold more programs... and let the groups pop open to show
> more
> lists.
> *Uh, the Programs group for each application group is there, simply click
> it and it will reveal the list. I sent in a suggestion for an arrow should
> be beside the folder to indicate that it is expandable. You can also do a
> search for the name of the app on the Start menu and it will show up, you
> can even filter down to to the file name, hit enter and it will open.
>
> - There is ***NO*** shutdown button. Click start and you get a STANDBY
> button and a LOCK this computer button. There is a tiny little button next
> to these to get to the Shutdown, but I'm constantly missing it. I will
> ***NEVER*** lock my PC, nor use Standby. There is no way to modify these
> buttons to the more useful Shutdown and Hibernate functions.
> * I guess Microsoft is saying, you will hibernate your PC more with
> Windows Vista instead shutting it down regularly. I definitely agree with
> you though, this area needs more work, I hope they come with a better
> layout. Either remove Lock and Standby, and make those the optional ones
> instead of the default.
>
> - New device detection. All you are told by Windows is that something was
> found - NO indication at all if it's a Network device, soundcard,
> mouse...etc. I've got a few items in my Device Mangler with the wrong
> drivers installed because I didn't know what I was looking for.
> * Detected my Motorola E398 phone, but that I need a driver from the
> manuafacturer. A lovely floating dialog popped up, which was nice.
>
> - Aero... the new "glassy" interface. What is the point? First of all,
> being
> able to see through the few pixels around the border of the window isn't
> helpful at all. To make matters worse, everything under your window is
> blurred beyond recognition. Also, the placement of the Minimize, Maximize
> and Close buttons is just plain ugly. Looks like someone goofed. No border
> above and a thick chunk of border below. They are also all different sizes
> as well. UGLY.
> * Glass does have its purpose by putting
> more focus on the content of a window, so less focus is given to the
> window
> frame, in XP, the Luna frame is always in your eye sight. Window titles
> are
> not difficult to decipher, when Glass windows are are over each other, the
> intensity of the outer glow is more visible, making the text very legible.
> Window title bars are now found in the Bread crumb menu (Address bar).
>
> - How many Network icons do we need in the Control Panel??? Network
> Center,
> iSCSI, Firewall, Network Map, Network List, Network File & Printer
> sharing... Why can't these all be within a SINGLE Network icon?
> Agreed, its confusing.
>
> - Drive Mapping... How is it done? I don't have a menu bar on any of my
> Explorer windows. Right clicking on a network resource doesn't give me the
> Map Network Drive option.
> * Open an Explorer window > click Organize > Layout > click "Classic
> Menus"

> > click Tools > Map Network Drive...

>
> - The User Account Control is annoying. I can understand why it's there,
> but
> the Windows Help doesn't tell you how to disable it.
> * Because you are not suppose to disable it.
> User Access Control (UAC) enables a lock on administrative features
> throughout the OS, making it more difficult for users to mess up areas of
> the operating system that are vulnerable to attack or user accidents.
> Whether it's Device Manager, Windows, System/System 32 folders or changing
> account settings. Limited account users (now called Standard User) can
> benefit from this very much, by getting more flexibility when it comes to
> doing common task such as setting date and time or changing your account
> password. For computers in public places I consider this beneficial and it
> provides a better peace of mind for Administrators and even confidence for
> inexperienced users when using the operating system, the major advantage
> really is it brings awareness to what the user is doing and certain
> persons will at least take the time to read the consequences of their
> actions before they click "Allow". So in end, there is no excuse for
> running as Administrator. So far, the status from the public on UAC is, it
> seems like a highly annoying feature and trust me, it is at times. It's
> the first thing I disable after I log into Vista for the first time. For
> me, I can manage the consequences from turning it off, but I still see it
> as a benefit for the novice, grandma or non computer savvy uncle who
> occasionally use their computer and want to stay out of trouble every time
> they use it. So, it's really a necessary annoyance, if you do know what
> you are doing, you can disable UAC by clicking Start > All Programs > Run

> > type in MSCONFIG > Tools (tab) > scroll down select Disable UAC > click

> Launch, restart your system for the changes to take effect.
>
>
> - You can't specify where you want your Gadgets. Gadgets have to be
> installed on a bar, and they are top/left justified. Move them down and
> they
> will just slide back up. On my XP system I have a nice clock that runs in
> the bottom right corner of my desktop. There is no way to put the Vista
> clock gadget into the lower right corner of my desktop.
> * Don't understand, if you were to have Clock gadget miniturized to be
> placed in the Notification area you wouldn't be able to read it. Click
> Clock in notification area and you will see a nice Clock and Calendar
> anytime you need it. I wish there was a AutoHide option for Sidebar though
> and an option to place it at the top, so I can get more screen real
> estate.
> --
> --
> Andre
> Windows Connected | http://www.windowsconnected.com
> Extended64 | http://www.extended64.com
> Blog | http://www.extended64.com/blogs/andre
> http://spaces.msn.com/members/adacosta
>
>
> "Noozer" <dont.spam@me.here> wrote in message
> news:%23xInyEsgGHA.2208@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

>> Well... I've had a chance to play with build 5384.4. Thought I'd share my
>> thoughts on the next incarnation of Windows.
>>
>> I've been using PC's since the CP/M days. I've used OS/2. Tried BEOS and
>> Linux. I've done desktop support and have been a programmer. Suffices to
>> say that I've used MANY different computers and many different operating
>> systems.
>>
>> The system I'm using is an Opteron 165 (dual core @ 1.8Ghz) based system
>> with the nVidia nForce4 chipset. 1 gig of memory and an eVGA 7600GT PCIe
>> video card.
>>
>> Here's my list of issues that I have with Vista. It's not a complete
>> list, but enough to let you know what to watch for when you switch to
>> Vista.
>>
>> - "Which window is the active one?" Windows are all the same color. There
>> is no way to specify different colours for the active and inactive
>> windows.
>>
>> - "Where's my program?" The first thing that I did after installing Vista
>> was to install the Office 2007 beta. Once the installation completed I
>> clicked the Start button (ball?) but didn't see anything new. So I
>> clicked All Programs... Not in that list either? After about 20 minutes
>> I realized that I had to scroll the program list. There is no way that
>> this new Start button is going to work for most people. The text in the
>> list is tiny and there STILL isn't enough room for all my programs. Move
>> the "My Computer", "Network", etc. list to the left side of the menu and
>> let the right side get big enough to hold more programs... and let the
>> groups pop open to show more lists.
>>
>> - There is ***NO*** shutdown button. Click start and you get a STANDBY
>> button and a LOCK this computer button. There is a tiny little button
>> next to these to get to the Shutdown, but I'm constantly missing it. I
>> will ***NEVER*** lock my PC, nor use Standby. There is no way to modify
>> these buttons to the more useful Shutdown and Hibernate functions.
>>
>> - New device detection. All you are told by Windows is that something was
>> found - NO indication at all if it's a Network device, soundcard,
>> mouse...etc. I've got a few items in my Device Mangler with the wrong
>> drivers installed because I didn't know what I was looking for.
>>
>> - Aero... the new "glassy" interface. What is the point? First of all,
>> being able to see through the few pixels around the border of the window
>> isn't helpful at all. To make matters worse, everything under your window
>> is blurred beyond recognition. Also, the placement of the Minimize,
>> Maximize and Close buttons is just plain ugly. Looks like someone goofed.
>> No border above and a thick chunk of border below. They are also all
>> different sizes as well. UGLY.
>>
>> - How many Network icons do we need in the Control Panel??? Network
>> Center, iSCSI, Firewall, Network Map, Network List, Network File &
>> Printer sharing... Why can't these all be within a SINGLE Network icon?
>>
>> - Drive Mapping... How is it done? I don't have a menu bar on any of my
>> Explorer windows. Right clicking on a network resource doesn't give me
>> the Map Network Drive option.
>>
>> - The User Account Control is annoying. I can understand why it's there,
>> but the Windows Help doesn't tell you how to disable it.
>>
>> - You can't specify where you want your Gadgets. Gadgets have to be
>> installed on a bar, and they are top/left justified. Move them down and
>> they will just slide back up. On my XP system I have a nice clock that
>> runs in the bottom right corner of my desktop. There is no way to put the
>> Vista clock gadget into the lower right corner of my desktop.
>>
>>
>> ...and some of the things I like about Vista...
>>
>> - Gadgets. Definately an improvement from XP. They just need to get rid
>> of the requirement of installing them onto a "bar". I want to decide
>> where to put my gadgets, not have Windows stack them up in a pile.
>>
>> - Operation seems smoother and more responsive than XP.
>>
>> - Media Center has improved a bit. I don't have any TV tuners, so I can't
>> tell if recording has improved or if multiple sources are supported.
>>
>>
>> ...all in all, I don't see enough improvement to go through the trouble
>> of working through the poor user interface changes. I'd suggest that
>> folks stick with XP until Vista has been out a year or two.
>>
>>

>
>

>

>> Glass does have its purpose by putting
>>more focus on the content of a window, so less focus is given to the
>>window
>>frame,

>
> that is the lamest excuse for bad design I have ever read!
>
> Glass is confusing! PERIOD! I now have windowblinds with various glassy
> themes. Well glass makes things
> worse, but I am using it for a while because it is kinda cool....
> The way to have more focus in the content area is to make it thinner and
> light colored.
> Not transparent....
>
> By the way, I was experimenting with various transparent things long
> before vista, and although they were cool,
> you had to strain your eyes and it was non productive so every time I went
> back to the normal non transparent way.
>
> Bottom line: the only reason Vista has glass, is because it looks
> different from anything that out in the market,
> and its kinda cool, so they figure that will mean more money in their
> pockets. They NEED something different in vista.. because it has no REAL
> innovation!
>
>
>
>
> "Andre Da Costa [Extended64]" <andred25@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:ewxpqdsgGHA.1856@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

>>- "Which window is the active one?" Windows are all the same color. There
>>is
>> no way to specify different colours for the active and inactive windows.
>> * Don't have an answer but I agree with you, this was not thought out I
>> guess. But why would you want to know Active window unless you are using
>> para-normal brain activity to select the window. I don't know about you
>> but I select my windows just fine any and you can use the Taskbar if its
>> giving you problems still.
>>
>> - "Where's my program?" The first thing that I did after installing Vista
>> was to install the Office 2007 beta. Once the installation completed I
>> clicked the Start button (ball?) but didn't see anything new. So I
>> clicked
>> All Programs... Not in that list either? After about 20 minutes I
>> realized
>> that I had to scroll the program list. There is no way that this new
>> Start
>> button is going to work for most people. The text in the list is tiny and
>> there STILL isn't enough room for all my programs. Move the "My
>> Computer",
>> "Network", etc. list to the left side of the menu and let the right side
>> get
>> big enough to hold more programs... and let the groups pop open to show
>> more
>> lists.
>> *Uh, the Programs group for each application group is there, simply click
>> it and it will reveal the list. I sent in a suggestion for an arrow
>> should be beside the folder to indicate that it is expandable. You can
>> also do a search for the name of the app on the Start menu and it will
>> show up, you can even filter down to to the file name, hit enter and it
>> will open.
>>
>> - There is ***NO*** shutdown button. Click start and you get a STANDBY
>> button and a LOCK this computer button. There is a tiny little button
>> next
>> to these to get to the Shutdown, but I'm constantly missing it. I will
>> ***NEVER*** lock my PC, nor use Standby. There is no way to modify these
>> buttons to the more useful Shutdown and Hibernate functions.
>> * I guess Microsoft is saying, you will hibernate your PC more with
>> Windows Vista instead shutting it down regularly. I definitely agree with
>> you though, this area needs more work, I hope they come with a better
>> layout. Either remove Lock and Standby, and make those the optional ones
>> instead of the default.
>>
>> - New device detection. All you are told by Windows is that something was
>> found - NO indication at all if it's a Network device, soundcard,
>> mouse...etc. I've got a few items in my Device Mangler with the wrong
>> drivers installed because I didn't know what I was looking for.
>> * Detected my Motorola E398 phone, but that I need a driver from the
>> manuafacturer. A lovely floating dialog popped up, which was nice.
>>
>> - Aero... the new "glassy" interface. What is the point? First of all,
>> being
>> able to see through the few pixels around the border of the window isn't
>> helpful at all. To make matters worse, everything under your window is
>> blurred beyond recognition. Also, the placement of the Minimize, Maximize
>> and Close buttons is just plain ugly. Looks like someone goofed. No
>> border
>> above and a thick chunk of border below. They are also all different
>> sizes
>> as well. UGLY.
>> * Glass does have its purpose by putting
>> more focus on the content of a window, so less focus is given to the
>> window
>> frame, in XP, the Luna frame is always in your eye sight. Window titles
>> are
>> not difficult to decipher, when Glass windows are are over each other,
>> the
>> intensity of the outer glow is more visible, making the text very
>> legible.
>> Window title bars are now found in the Bread crumb menu (Address bar).
>>
>> - How many Network icons do we need in the Control Panel??? Network
>> Center,
>> iSCSI, Firewall, Network Map, Network List, Network File & Printer
>> sharing... Why can't these all be within a SINGLE Network icon?
>> Agreed, its confusing.
>>
>> - Drive Mapping... How is it done? I don't have a menu bar on any of my
>> Explorer windows. Right clicking on a network resource doesn't give me
>> the
>> Map Network Drive option.
>> * Open an Explorer window > click Organize > Layout > click "Classic
>> Menus"

>> > click Tools > Map Network Drive...

>>
>> - The User Account Control is annoying. I can understand why it's there,
>> but
>> the Windows Help doesn't tell you how to disable it.
>> * Because you are not suppose to disable it.
>> User Access Control (UAC) enables a lock on administrative features
>> throughout the OS, making it more difficult for users to mess up areas of
>> the operating system that are vulnerable to attack or user accidents.
>> Whether it's Device Manager, Windows, System/System 32 folders or
>> changing account settings. Limited account users (now called Standard
>> User) can benefit from this very much, by getting more flexibility when
>> it comes to doing common task such as setting date and time or changing
>> your account password. For computers in public places I consider this
>> beneficial and it provides a better peace of mind for Administrators and
>> even confidence for inexperienced users when using the operating system,
>> the major advantage really is it brings awareness to what the user is
>> doing and certain persons will at least take the time to read the
>> consequences of their actions before they click "Allow". So in end, there
>> is no excuse for running as Administrator. So far, the status from the
>> public on UAC is, it seems like a highly annoying feature and trust me,
>> it is at times. It's the first thing I disable after I log into Vista for
>> the first time. For me, I can manage the consequences from turning it
>> off, but I still see it as a benefit for the novice, grandma or non
>> computer savvy uncle who occasionally use their computer and want to stay
>> out of trouble every time they use it. So, it's really a necessary
>> annoyance, if you do know what you are doing, you can disable UAC by
>> clicking Start > All Programs > Run > type in MSCONFIG > Tools (tab) >
>> scroll down select Disable UAC > click Launch, restart your system for
>> the changes to take effect.
>>
>>
>> - You can't specify where you want your Gadgets. Gadgets have to be
>> installed on a bar, and they are top/left justified. Move them down and
>> they
>> will just slide back up. On my XP system I have a nice clock that runs in
>> the bottom right corner of my desktop. There is no way to put the Vista
>> clock gadget into the lower right corner of my desktop.
>> * Don't understand, if you were to have Clock gadget miniturized to be
>> placed in the Notification area you wouldn't be able to read it. Click
>> Clock in notification area and you will see a nice Clock and Calendar
>> anytime you need it. I wish there was a AutoHide option for Sidebar
>> though and an option to place it at the top, so I can get more screen
>> real estate.
>> --
>> --
>> Andre
>> Windows Connected | http://www.windowsconnected.com
>> Extended64 | http://www.extended64.com
>> Blog | http://www.extended64.com/blogs/andre
>> http://spaces.msn.com/members/adacosta
>>
>>
>> "Noozer" <dont.spam@me.here> wrote in message
>> news:%23xInyEsgGHA.2208@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

>>> Well... I've had a chance to play with build 5384.4. Thought I'd share
>>> my thoughts on the next incarnation of Windows.
>>>
>>> I've been using PC's since the CP/M days. I've used OS/2. Tried BEOS and
>>> Linux. I've done desktop support and have been a programmer. Suffices to
>>> say that I've used MANY different computers and many different operating
>>> systems.
>>>
>>> The system I'm using is an Opteron 165 (dual core @ 1.8Ghz) based system
>>> with the nVidia nForce4 chipset. 1 gig of memory and an eVGA 7600GT PCIe
>>> video card.
>>>
>>> Here's my list of issues that I have with Vista. It's not a complete
>>> list, but enough to let you know what to watch for when you switch to
>>> Vista.
>>>
>>> - "Which window is the active one?" Windows are all the same color.
>>> There is no way to specify different colours for the active and inactive
>>> windows.
>>>
>>> - "Where's my program?" The first thing that I did after installing
>>> Vista was to install the Office 2007 beta. Once the installation
>>> completed I clicked the Start button (ball?) but didn't see anything
>>> new. So I clicked All Programs... Not in that list either? After about
>>> 20 minutes I realized that I had to scroll the program list. There is no
>>> way that this new Start button is going to work for most people. The
>>> text in the list is tiny and there STILL isn't enough room for all my
>>> programs. Move the "My Computer", "Network", etc. list to the left side
>>> of the menu and let the right side get big enough to hold more
>>> programs... and let the groups pop open to show more lists.
>>>
>>> - There is ***NO*** shutdown button. Click start and you get a STANDBY
>>> button and a LOCK this computer button. There is a tiny little button
>>> next to these to get to the Shutdown, but I'm constantly missing it. I
>>> will ***NEVER*** lock my PC, nor use Standby. There is no way to modify
>>> these buttons to the more useful Shutdown and Hibernate functions.
>>>
>>> - New device detection. All you are told by Windows is that something
>>> was found - NO indication at all if it's a Network device, soundcard,
>>> mouse...etc. I've got a few items in my Device Mangler with the wrong
>>> drivers installed because I didn't know what I was looking for.
>>>
>>> - Aero... the new "glassy" interface. What is the point? First of all,
>>> being able to see through the few pixels around the border of the window
>>> isn't helpful at all. To make matters worse, everything under your
>>> window is blurred beyond recognition. Also, the placement of the
>>> Minimize, Maximize and Close buttons is just plain ugly. Looks like
>>> someone goofed. No border above and a thick chunk of border below. They
>>> are also all different sizes as well. UGLY.
>>>
>>> - How many Network icons do we need in the Control Panel??? Network
>>> Center, iSCSI, Firewall, Network Map, Network List, Network File &
>>> Printer sharing... Why can't these all be within a SINGLE Network icon?
>>>
>>> - Drive Mapping... How is it done? I don't have a menu bar on any of my
>>> Explorer windows. Right clicking on a network resource doesn't give me
>>> the Map Network Drive option.
>>>
>>> - The User Account Control is annoying. I can understand why it's there,
>>> but the Windows Help doesn't tell you how to disable it.
>>>
>>> - You can't specify where you want your Gadgets. Gadgets have to be
>>> installed on a bar, and they are top/left justified. Move them down and
>>> they will just slide back up. On my XP system I have a nice clock that
>>> runs in the bottom right corner of my desktop. There is no way to put
>>> the Vista clock gadget into the lower right corner of my desktop.
>>>
>>>
>>> ...and some of the things I like about Vista...
>>>
>>> - Gadgets. Definately an improvement from XP. They just need to get rid
>>> of the requirement of installing them onto a "bar". I want to decide
>>> where to put my gadgets, not have Windows stack them up in a pile.
>>>
>>> - Operation seems smoother and more responsive than XP.
>>>
>>> - Media Center has improved a bit. I don't have any TV tuners, so I
>>> can't tell if recording has improved or if multiple sources are
>>> supported.
>>>
>>>
>>> ...all in all, I don't see enough improvement to go through the trouble
>>> of working through the poor user interface changes. I'd suggest that
>>> folks stick with XP until Vista has been out a year or two.
>>>
>>>

>>
>>

>
>