Main Area and Open Discussion > General Software Discussion

The Ribbon strikes again!

<< < (2/5) > >>

kiwi2b:
I think one reason why the ribbon is with us is that screens are much bigger these days. I have a dell 22 inch which is their "standard" option now, and even laptops are pretty big too. So with all that extra space, it gives Microsoft a chance to at least try to make things more obvious.

I'm getting used to the ribbon on the desktop and prefer it, but on the 12 inch laptop it's xp, toolbars and office 2003 for sure.

Which says I guess we need more options...

(Great avatar BTW, Josh. Gets my fly swat out every time. ;D )

Deozaan:
Is that because you want it to or because it would be for the better of all people who use windows and it's apps?
-Josh (January 05, 2009, 03:11 AM)
--- End quote ---

I don't see how the choice to make it a big fat ribbon or nice slim toolbar would be worse for all people who use Windows and it's applications.

zridling:
...I can tell you from first hand experience that once the users I support have learned the ribbon, upon our migration to O2K7, a lot of them are far more productive. Not all people can memorize menu locations and this provides them a much easier way to accomplish what they want. -Josh (January 05, 2009, 02:39 AM)
--- End quote ---

I'm curious: How exactly are they more productive? By not sifting through the menus? In just about any office app, you can customize keyboard shortcuts, or in some, rearrange the menus. If making them that big increases efficiency, why not make them twice again as big?

Most people use an app in practical, specific ways, no doubt many of them do so inefficiently. But visually, the Ribbon is just in my way. In the SolSuite example above, though, it's the redundacy that is crazy for so few options -- they've labeled the icons which are already labeled! Unlike Office 2007, I at least want the option to turn the thing off or revert to the smallest icons possible. If you need a huge icon for copy/paste, then it's hopeless.

zridling:
I think one reason why the ribbon is with us is that screens are much bigger these days. I have a dell 22 inch which is their "standard" option now, and even laptops are pretty big too. So with all that extra space, it gives Microsoft a chance to at least try to make things more obvious. -kiwi2b (January 05, 2009, 03:13 AM)
--- End quote ---

Yes, but that 22" screen is merely wider, not taller. The flaw of the Ribbon is that it takes up valuable vertical screenspace. If I could dock that monster on the side like you can OpenOffice's toolbars, then it would make more sense. The Ribbon is already competing with the taskbar, the menu bar, the title bar, and the status bar for the same [shrinking] vertical space (in the example above).

kiwi2b:
Well, I wasn't meaning 22 inch vertically.  :)  Although I guess you could get one of those screens that turn 90 degrees, problem solved, right?  :Thmbsup:

Seriously though, it's the diagonal, which does give some handy extra space.

And for the choice question, too much can be a problem too. I've taught and been taught, and there's enough of it with icons, menus, and shortcuts. Are we going to add the ribbon as well?

I guess so for some, but a lot of folks, good productive people, get lost in what went before and need a good, big, fat, visual cue. Not me though.  ;)

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page