[Jacob]

This is the latest Windows Vista Build 5231 screenshots:

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Wow that's friggin attractive.

[gururafiki]

Windows Media Player is just way too busy.

[OreoCookie]

Was that intentionally cluttered?
They still use way too much transparency. Plus they resurrected the Sidebar (forgot how they actually call it).

[olePigeon]

What does it look like without Aero? Most people are going to be running off of Intel integrated graphics.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie

Was that intentionally cluttered?
They still use way too much transparency. Plus they resurrected the Sidebar (forgot how they actually call it).

Wow, their photocopiers are actually electronscan microscopes. Not only did they copy OS X, but they copied the NeXT/X-Windows side bar as well.

[goMac]

The new start menu looks good.

The rest looks like crap.

[ghporter]

As a user shell, it is quite attractive. But what kind of default scheme will ship with Vista, and what other choices will a user have? One cool scheme with a lot of crap is pretty much the model MS has used for a while.

As for being busy, that's how you demonstrate features like transparency and such, and it is effective at that. But haven't we all discussed why being able to do something like that is not the same as needing to do it? Besides, what I'm not seeing is one title bar over another window-with the background shown it's hard to tell if the effect is pure transparency or if it's refractive, which would be not only processor intensive but might also confuse users too.

And of course, what's "under the hood" behind the UI is several times more important than the shiny chrome and fancy tail lights. So far I haven't seen a lot of reason to go for it.

[Tyler McAdams]

Interesting!

[itistoday]

I like the black theme. Everything else is way too ****ing cluttered.

[Lateralus]

Originally Posted by goMac

The new start menu looks good.

What's new about it?

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by Lateralus

What's new about it?

It's exactly like the XP bar, except it has the search thingy.

[mdc]

i like how the search bars extend over the side bar :/

[monkeybrain]

The internet explorer tab-preview-look we copied it off Omniweb thing looks interesting, surprised they'd attempt something mildly innovative like that.

It all looks cluttered for sure, but still seems a bit more consistent (ok, take that with a pinch of salt) and more 'polished' (perhaps literally) than the new iTunes (for instance, since it is the latest Apple UI).

One thing I do like about Windows is the custom views you can get for things, such as those bars that show hard drive space in the computer window. Just seems user friendly to me.

[goMac]

Originally Posted by Lateralus

What's new about it?

The giant recently used icons along with the internet and email icons that took up tons of space are gone. The start menu no longer spawns submenus either. Instead all navigation looks to be contained inside the start menu.

[Tesseract]

Sure it looks pretty, but they haven't got rid of what makes Windows so unusable: cluttered toolbar interfaces, stacked tab bars, frivolous use of new colorschemes (though iTunes 5 has exactly the same problem!), etc.

[rozwado1]

+10 points for using frivolous in a post.

[Peter]

Originally Posted by olePigeon

It's exactly like the XP bar, except it has the search thingy.

I saw your post and it reminded me of somthing about vista when i tried it.
If you open the start menu, i usually 'type' the shortcut keys (eg, Windows Key > 'P' to open the 'All programs menu'). However, in Vista focus is/was on the search box when the start menu is opened, this is INCREDIBLY ANNOYING.
Call me petty or whatever, but i hate it when they change such small but significant things.
And vista has too much transparency, they're using it just because they can.

<- unimpressed, gimme new OS X. At least they test there GUIs.

[Tesseract]

Originally Posted by rozwado1

+10 points for using frivolous in a post.

Didn't know it was that unusual.

[production_coordinator]

IMHO, it's still ugly.

[FulcrumPilot]

The desktop looks not too different from xp to me. The wmv looks baaaad!

[Y3a]

It'll be a LOT harder to find the virus.

[Big Mac]

It's officially Vomit Worthy™. Btw, the Vista sidebar is its Dashboard rip-off.

[EFFENDI]

Wow, that's hideous.

[Albert Pujols]

Originally Posted by EFFENDI

Wow, that's hideous.

It really doesn't look that bad. I mean it could literally look like a turd. Then it would be hideous.

[Cubeoid]

It's boring and over accesorised.

[loki74]

Originally Posted by Albert Pujols

It really doesn't look that bad.

Thanks to all the UI graphics that just scream "ripped off of OSX." If only they could rip off what matters: useability.

I would say it looks hideous not because it's physically ugly, but because it is indeed cluttered and looks like a bitch to use...

Cuboid is right--boring, because we've (well, not me as I switched recently, but most of the rest of you) seen the real deal of what they are trying to rip off since... well a very long time ago, and over accesorised, well this one is pretty obvious--its too cluttered, busy, etc etc.

But as someone mentioned, I would like to see what it looks like w/o Aero. (Imagine how funny it would be if the windows were pinstriped...heh.)

The sidebar could not be a worse idea. I mean, typicall PC monitors are already 4:3 aspect ratio. I find it MUCH easier to work in 16:9. They but that thing vertically on the side, and that makes the display even more vertical/narrow. Not to mention.. are those dropdown boxes going OUTSIDE of their containter (the sidebar)??

[Jacob]

Microsoft basically goes overboard with whatever they do. They don't know when to cut the line...this is pure fact of that.

[Cubeoid]

I don't know why they don't scrap that whole Windows 95 architecture and try to design something new.. windows hasn't really changed since 95, other than minor visual tweaks and how intems are viewed. It's been the same sheit for ten years. Darn it. Going minimal would help them out.

[EFFENDI]

Originally Posted by Albert Pujols

It really doesn't look that bad. I mean it could literally look like a turd. Then it would be hideous.

No, it really is "turd" bad.

[Cubeoid]

..jee where have I seen that a new mail indication like that before..
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvist...eenSidebar.jpg

I can just see these ignoramus windows morons saying.. "Oh cool! that looks neat!" or "Good idea!..wow!"
Geez! Stop blatantly copying Apple Microsoft!!! Yous damn bastards!

[EFFENDI]

Originally Posted by Cubeoid

I don't know why they don't scrap that whole Windows 95 architecture and try to design something new.. windows hasn't really changed since 95, other than minor visual tweaks and how intems are viewed. It's been the same sheit for ten years. Darn it. Going minimal would help them out.

I agree. It seems that MIcrosoft's design team is asking, "How many ways can we give the user to do one thing, and how can we give them the most information at once?"

I really think giving the user one simple way of doing something, and presenting the bare necessity of information and details, while still allowing a user to access that information efficiently if its needed, would be the most effective UI design.

Of course its just mine and your opinion, but it really does make productivity difficult when you are bombarded with details and clutter.

[EFFENDI]

Originally Posted by Cubeoid

..jee where have I seen that a new mail indication like that before..
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvist...eenSidebar.jpg

Geez! Stop blatantly copying Apple Microsoft!!! Yous damn bastards!

Yea, this time its very blatant. You know that they are calling their widgets "gizmos"? Unbelievable.

[goMac]

Apple needs the pump up the interface a bit in the next version of OS X. I still remember when Windows 95 came out. The Windows 95 interface made broad use of color, sound, and used OpenGL for it's screen savers (3D Maze was awesomeness, although that may have not been until 98). Meantime my Mac back home rendered it's interface in almost black and white.

[Judge_Fire]

I think it's ok to start off with all features turned on, as this pic seems to indicate. Enlightened users can then use a minute or two to turn undesired things off.

Better that way, than having a zillion users never finding 'hidden' basic features.

Of course there's a point where it becomes clutter, or noise, but that has to be judged on actual usage scenarios, not screenshots.

The font is better.

Stacked tabs do indicate some of their design work is still being outsourced to Hell. Poor bastards.

J

[DeathMan]

Originally Posted by goMac

Apple needs the pump up the interface a bit in the next version of OS X. I still remember when Windows 95 came out. The Windows 95 interface made broad use of color, sound, and used OpenGL for it's screen savers (3D Maze was awesomeness, although that may have not been until 98). Meantime my Mac back home rendered it's interface in almost black and white.

Steve: don't listen to him. He doesn't know what he's saying. We had color and sound way back when and we liked it. We don't need cheezy screensavers with 3D chrome jaggy words bouncing around on a black background. Make it stop!!!

[JoshuaZ]

Hmm... I must say that thats the nicest Freecell icon I've ever seen. Awww.... Windows VISTA, long live the FreeCell OS.

[Y3a]

So what? A 'new' interface. Under it is the same old buggy, flakey, virus inviting, high schooler written code that has been the the major problem with MS products for decades. Gates BS a few months back about getting better with security is just words. (MS=Mostly Sucks)

[mdc]

Originally Posted by Judge_Fire

I think it's ok to start off with all features turned on, as this pic seems to indicate. Enlightened users can then use a minute or two to turn undesired things off.

J

as true as this is, i do not see that many (non enlightened) people changing it. the vast majority of windows users have no idea that in windows xp they have three colour choices (default blue, olive, silver), and they have absolutely no idea that they can turn off the new windows xp look and go back to a windows 2000 look.

i don't see many people figuring out how to "tone down" windows vista; which, in my opinion, isn't good since it is *far* too busy. like Peter said, it seems like they are doing this because they can. because apple has been getting a lot of attention, people are going to apple stores and seeing os x's eye candy, so microsft feels they need to better it. well maybe not better it, just give the end user *loads* of it.

because everyone knows, more is better.

[jcadam]

Originally Posted by Cubeoid

I don't know why they don't scrap that whole Windows 95 architecture and try to design something new.. windows hasn't really changed since 95, other than minor visual tweaks and how intems are viewed. It's been the same sheit for ten years. Darn it. Going minimal would help them out.

I hope you mean only that the Windows UI hasn't changed since '95. NT and its descendants (2000, XP, Vista...) are leaps and bounds beyond Windows '95, under the hood.

But the UI sucks. It was at its best in Windows 2000 (but not even approaching MacOS levels of 'good'), and then M$ completely f*cked it up in Windows XP.

M$ needs to enforce something similar to Apple's HIG (even if their UI standards weren't as good as Apple's AT LEAST there would be a consistent interface paradigm across the entire OS and major Applications), and then de-integrate Internet Explorer from the rest of the OS (I don't want a WEB-LIKE interface for a fscking FILE SYSTEM BROWSER!!!!). Then, Windows might approach being a decent user experience.

[goMac]

Windows 2000 actually had an excellent UI. Wasn't quite as powerful as the Mac OS UI of the time, but the whole environment generally had a nice feel.

XP took it and screwed it up majority. I don't want balloons popping up to tell me my antivirus isn't up to date and the the balloon going away when it figures out it really is up to date. And what's with the control panels?

[Rolling Bones]

Why didn't they stay with user interface with WMP. Why make it all shiny, ice and jelly looking.

[loki74]

Originally Posted by Rolling Bones

Why didn't they stay with user interface with WMP. Why make it all shiny, ice and jelly looking.

hahah they are trying to make it look like aqua if you ask me... and of course they're totally over-doing it.

[cenutrio]

I see an improvement, i like it.

(flame me)

[demograph68]

OMG, M$ iS teH sTupiD!!111111

[olePigeon]

Someone needs to updated the Windows RG flash thing for Vista and 200 popup bubbles telling you "useful" information. Then it should take control of your mouse after it's exploited wtih the latest security hole.

[torsoboy]

Originally Posted by Y3a

So what? A 'new' interface. Under it is the same old buggy, flakey, virus inviting, high schooler written code that has been the the major problem with MS products for decades. Gates BS a few months back about getting better with security is just words. (MS=Mostly Sucks)

High schooler written? You're an idiot.

Aside from that comment, you don't know what you're talking about with the rest of it either. Microsoft has redeveloped a large portion of Windows many times, including re-coding it for Windows Vista. Read a little and learn about it...

Linky

They may not be perfect, but it is a vey big task that they have (making the primary piece of software for billions of users, not to mention trying to make it not crash while using crappy 3rd party hardware and software, plus the 24/7 attack of hackers and virus writers trying to exploit every little piece in it). Besides that, I don't know of any software that is bug free. They have a tough job. Maybe when the mac gets as popular you will see the same things happening and being brought to the surface with their products. Right now it is pretty much apples and oranges I'd say.

[olePigeon]

NASA has a few computer on the Shuttle that are considered bug free. Of course, the computers certified for those types of operations are still 286 IBM PCs running a customized version of UNIX.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by torsoboy

High scooler written? You're an idiot.

Hehe.

[teszeract]

Originally Posted by Cubeoid

It's boring and over accesorised.

Well summarised.