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Windows 7 M3 Build 6780: The New WordPad UI!
(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)
Let me start by saying I am extremely grateful to the people who are giving me the opportunity to post this information. I’m not one for acting over-priviledged, so let me clarify that I’m just a medium here. I don’t know who the people are behind these screenshots, but as far as I’m concerned, all the credit goes to them, so, thank you, whoever you are!
This time, I’m able to bring you a screenshot of the WordPad UI. As you can see, it essentially looks just like Word 2007. These two screenshots show that the ribbon UI is indeed making its way into even the most basic applications of Windows as Bill Gates stated it would earlier in the year. How useful that implementation will be in the end won’t be fully determined until Windows 7 goes gold, but for now, it’s cool to see their ideas being implemented up to this point. What do you think about the continuity of the ribbon UI being used in Windows 7? I’ve mainly seen 2 types of opinions up until now and they’re both the extremes of one another; people either love the ribbon bar or they despise it. See my write-up a couple of posts down to make the link between my previous notation of generalized specifics and this screenshot. For the record, .docx files are not yet supported. I certainly hope they are by 2009/2010. Anyway, onward to the screenshot!
(Click the picture for the full-resolution image)
Until next time, friends!
-Stephen
I don’t think there are just 2 extremes – I believe that people are just expressing their feelings that ribbons might not be just useful in each and every application. As I said earlier and on UXPassion blog, ribbons in Paint are OK, those in Movie Maker are not but they sure have potential – but this time – WordPad is bingo – but, again – there is just one “tab” – Home, but at least it is filled and looks rich.
So, ribbons in Windows 7 – big YES, ribbons in each and every application – let us think about that one again.
Nice screenshot! Anyway, I hope they try and remove as much of the legacy look and feel as possible. For instance, in that screenshot, I am still seeing the old style Ruler bar. Hopefully we see the flatter looking we now see in Word 2007.
Who will not wear the wibbon!?
It took some time to get used to the ribbon in Office, but now I really like it. In fact, I don’t like using the menu system on older versions. One thing that helped me make the transition is Search Commands from Office Labs. Check it out: http://www.officelabs.com/proj.....fault.aspx
Thanks for the suggestion, Joey. =)
Unless the app has a multitude of commands, the ribbon UI sucks big time. The Wordpad is the extreme example: there’s single tab, padded with such essentials as “Date and Time”.
This comment is from happy Office 2007 user, BTW. I like the ribbon concept when it’s applied in appropriate place.
UXPassion,
Note that they’re only adding ribbon interfaces to document-type applications so far. So where you’re editing a document, whether it be a bitmap image or a rich text file or a movie.
No doubt WordPad will have a few contextual tabs.
And I look forward to the possibility, if they allow it, for people to make add-on tabs to all these apps (and hopefully notepad) in order to extend functionality.
I don’t think the ribbon interface works for everything either, but I think the document interface is a good example where it does work. IT doesn’t matter how many tabs you have.
Of course I think the layout for Paint needs to be better, and I wish certain things like the color swatch could be torn off and made floating. (And maybe be more advanced so you don’t have to select colors to be added).
I think you guys are missing the point, the reason for the shift to ribbon is to enable touch-friendly UI. Menus aren’t really all that touch friendly. Get it?
I don’t use Vista, i was switching to Mac when it was coming out, but i did tried sometimes office 07 and i think the ribbon is a good feature for usability. It takes a little study from the user, but it’s intuitive, while normal user would roam in the menus for various minutes ending up:
* don’t finding what they wanted
* finding by error
So nice it’s coming in other places… BUT, for a basic app like wordpad i think it’s stealing too much space!
The only things i need to migrate from Windows XP to another new Windows operating system is:
1. The return of “tabs” in Windows like “Apparience”. In XP on one window with tabs i change Desktop, Resolution, Background, Screen Saver, etc. with one click. On Windows Vista I need to navigate over some Windows with a lot of clicks. This make an operating system like Vista and Windows Server 2008 more slow to work that XP. I do more things in few time in XP than in Vista.
2. Windows Media Player 11 is only ALBUM CENTRIC. The mayority of users need a Media Player that is ALBUM CENTRIC, SONG CENTRIC, ARTIST CENTRIC, ALL CENTRIC like Windows Media Player 10. Do you see that Windows Media Player 10 is the most popular download on the Microsoft website? Why? Do yo know that Windows Media Player 11 is minor popular download? Why? (Is not Windows the OS more personalizable and configurable?).
3. The icon on the toolbar on the Explorer to go up a folder, not the back icon. (Is not Windows the OS more personalizable and configurable?).
4. The possibility to expand “All Programs” in “Start Menú” like in XP, not like classic “Windows 95″ style. And the possibility to order it in my own manner. In Windows Vista always order it alphabetically also with this option disable.
Thanks,
Javier Álvarez.
Madrid. Spain.
javi@mantis-informatica.es
5. A more improved and fast file copying and moving like XP. Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 SP1 is very very very very very slow copying and moving files like Windows XP. Is this very complicate to do or repair?
Thanks,
Javier Álvarez.
Madrid. Spain.
javi@mantis-informatica.es
Shame on Microsoft.
If you look at the screenshot, you’ll notice that there’s a feature STILL sorely missing from WordPad: the ability to justify text.
It is sad, because Windows Write for Windows 3.1 HAD that capability, and we lost it in the transition to WordPad, in Windows 95.
To me, the ability to justify text marks the difference between an useful entry level word processor and a piece of crap. And no ribbon is going to fix that.
erm….
In case this hasn’t been said already, I think the ribbon only suits document-based applications. We looked at implementing a ribbon-like interface in our application when it first came out, and we just couldn’t make it work well. That’s not to say it wouldn’t be possible, just that there was no gain.
Missing text justification? I guess you missed the bright yellow dot on the ribbon.
I -=>*HATE*<=- the stupid, frakin' ribbon bar. I've been using Office 2007 for 2 months now and I STILL hate it! I'm a software architect and UI designer. NONE of my software will EVER have such a ridiculous UI. Mine is and will remain *USEFUL*, unlike the ribbon bar. I've given it plenty of time. It sux. Why the heck couldn't they just make it OPTIONAL? Gee, what a concept!
Yeah I *detest* the Ribbon UI. I don’t know what the first commenter was saying, but he disproved the idea that someone could be between love and hate of the Ribbon, as he said he loved it. Anyway, this hate isn’t arbitrary, nor is it a fear of change or a problem getting used to it. I’ve never particularly liked Word, but after using Office 2007 for a few months, and I mean actually *using* it for *months*, I knew I would never use it again. Instead, I use Corel (WordPerfect). It has its faults as well, but is still much better than this illogical placement of buttons. In fact, I wouldn’t mind the Ribbon nearly as much had the buttons not been so ridiculous. I don’t need a huge picture of a clipboard to click “Paste”, I just need a tiny icon. And why isn’t “Copy” at least as big? If you are pasting, you need to have either copied or cut from somewhere else. Also, I greatly dislike navigating through a menu just to get to a button. The few things I don’t use command keys for, or those which aren’t available, I hated going into a menu and looking through the disorganizedly large buttons for the right one. I much prefer classic menus. In fact, I could care less about classic menus or not, just don’t make me go through *thirty* menus to get to something. And I think the pictures are far too overdone. I like simplicity. I use Google Docs much more than Corel, in fact, the only thing I even use Corel for is when the Internet is out, or I want an envelope. Otherwise, Google Docs is where it’s at (although the lack of page lengths is annoying).
Anyway, this is just to say that I would be *really* disappointed with Window, more so than with Vista, if all of 7 was like this. I simply wouldn’t use it. Windows is the last remnant of Microsoft in my life, and were anything other than Apple supported as widely as Vista, because I hate Apple, I would certainly use it. I hope *Win*dows can *Win* me back again with 7, but this isn’t a good trend. Ribbon Start bars would be evil!
Hate the ribbon bar! I only have so much screen real estate and I don’t want it taken up by needless functions. I far prefer the classic Office look, which I can get in OpenOffice for free!
Windows is aimed at consumers and enteprise customers, not geeks and developers like most of you guys. users appreciate the ease of use that comes with the ribbon coz the point is to get the job done. sorry cant please everyone, especially people who already have an eye on the linux or mac ball!
well, then they are failing there too. I’m a network services manager and most of my corp users dislike the ribbon as well. I myself have given it months but some things still take -way- to long to find again. the ultimate design problem of the ribbon is this, (so far) you can -only- have one open at a time.
they should also allow the user to create a custom tab so I can put the thing that -I- use most on the same tab.
they should also create the ability to pull out a ribbon tab(s) into it’s(their) own dockable window(s).
@Anonymous on September 23, 2008 5:55 AM
i've never seen a multiple dropdown menu open at a time :p and the "good 'ol" catwalk of icons in Office 97>2000?
Who the hell was using all that stuff?
Normally when writing your principal task is formatting, so you don't need anything but: font, font-size, align, P management.
If i'm formatting tables i want to see the related stuff: borders, cells etc, not floating windows that clutter the view.
One of the few things Adobe made in the last CS versions of his Suite is the last dock-panel in the CS3, lot of UI guys should think about that.
I think that by “justifying text”, it was meant full text justification. That is, not left-justified, right-justified, or centered, but the fourth option, where text stretches all the way from left margin to right margin. I agree that this is a useful feature that they should put in.
dude, this is so cool, and is just the start…
ill borrow those pics if you dont mind…
Thank you!!
I have used OpenOffice after Office 2000 on my win98 machine. When I look at the ribbon toolbar in this screenshot, I think, “All these functions could be fitted into 1 or 2 rows leaving you much more space.
More features my use it well, though.
@Javier Alvarez:
Your 4th point is unnecessary. Hit the windows key and start typing. I have personally clicked on “All Programs” twice since I’ve started using Vista. As for your 5th point, I believe–and I may be mistaken–that the slow copy speeds are due, in part, to the fact that Vista is indexing files as you add or move them within the file system.
@Everyone else:
I was recently able to hear some MS employees (one from the core Office team) mention that when getting feedback from customers from Office 2003, approximately 90% of the features that people requested were already in Office and that they just didn’t know how to access them. The old menu system was a tangled tree of nested menus that the average customer couldn’t figure out how to navigate. As for the customization of the ribbon, it was hinted that customization might be included (at least in the next version of Office), though it was never officially stated, and until MS officially declares it as a new feature, I would at least assume that they are working on it, even if they are unable to release it with Windows 7 or Office 2010.
@Developers:
If you use Visual Studio, you will be pleased to know that VS will not be gaining the ribbon for as long as the VS developers can predict. The ribbon was made for a more sparse collection of functions, and VS exceeds the maximum by about 2000.
Having a bad day with ribbon….
Just because it started on Office, and Windows suddenly wants to switch onto ribbon.
At least, try to make user comfortable.
My example:
Try to put a simple textbox in MS Word 2007. The insert > textbox button always open-up the menu for additional textbox style.
But for equation (some button beside), you'll have 2 separated button. The big button itself insert an empty equation space for typing, and the drop-down button gives you additional details on it.
Also try to push as much as possible into the ribbon itself. And give the "More…" button to open up the standalone conf. window
PS: The ribbon search function is a must. Custom tab also great (anonymous)
I dont have the time to read every comment here so sorry If Im repeating.. I love the effort and I agree with the first guy (UXPassion.com) that there is a time and a place…
I guess the idea of the ribbon here is more of a ‘hidden’ menu rather than looked upon as a feature rich application.
I really dont think wordpad needed that to be honest. If I had the time I wouldve maybe broken the ribbon down a bit more making those menus appear from button drop markers (like Word 07′s quick frame etc).
Other than banal criticism I like what you did to it, its looks cleaner and fits in better with the office 12 suite.
If my wordpad looked like that I might actually use it
thanks for your work!
I was brought here from another site and reading too quickly I assumed YOU ‘re-engineered’ wordpad.. he he. sorry!
I really only use wordpad for cut-and-paste operations for content with rich text, I prefer wordpad over one note because it makes documents more portable and quicker to use.. I like its simplicity but I think it needs more features rather than more gui toys…
I HAD the time to read all posts and i find my self very sympathetic with all opinions expressed here. so here’s one more: take these facts from an IT manager down from the trenches – a one guys vs 100s+ machines (pc’s + servers). THE FACTS:
1- USERS HATE THE RIBBON, especially the older ones, u know the ones that make up the decisions!!
haha! i’ve been ordered “not to deploy anything beyond MSO2003″
2- A simple COPY operation to a usb flash drive takes 3x times in Vista than XP. and to be exact: from a (a)SATA2 HDD,1GB RAM,2008 HP LAPTOP with Vista Vs. (b)PIII IDE DISK, at least a decade old
That happened JUST TODAY! scout’s honor and stuff m8s!
3- Vista’s menus are NOT customized from the user the way and depth xp does (or lets to be done via tweaking). Here the foreposted user mentioning the start menus battle is absolutely true: vista’s start menu IS NOT customizable by YOU but customizable by IT!
R U LISTENING??????????
What else is there? do i need to mention the 10x clicks and windows in vista??
Do i need to mention the “GLOWING” bullsh*t on every system animation or stuff like that? hell! we work on APPS not on windows explorer… come on, i need explorer to be a fire-fox
cheers, … and:
ONLY ONE THING COMES TO MIND: GIVE UP ON VISTA! MS WILL SURELY DO
in your case you won’t be needing win7 but you’ll just need a usb floppy
works EVERYTIME and assures digital lifestyle that is OWNED by ME or YOU, not MS, OEMs, DRMs etc… F*CK ‘EM. vistcrap or VISTA ΣΒΗΣΤΑ
drive and an xp cd
Where can I get the ISO image for this Milestone 3 build?