Is an Organized Efficient Start Menu the Holy Grail of Daily Computing?

[cmpm]

something like this possibly

http://smartmenus.fi...imited.qarchive.org/

[tomos]

Nobody using the vista start button?

-urlwolf (June 18, 2007, 06:25 PM)

do you mean http://www.vistastartmenu.com ?
are you  ?

I have it but never got into the habit of using it cause of a bug that made it bigger than the screen - this is fixed now but I still havent gone back to it.

I like it so hope to get back to it, still have to organise things to make it more useful & hope it will get new skins soon - I like the look of it but it clashes so much with the older win(2000?) styles

[tomos]

When loading various programs, like for music for instance, it wants to be the default player. As well as other programs for pictures, pdfs, documents and more.

Why not have the option to make all programs associate with what they can do with what is on your pc.

Have a list of the programs, and the ones you use most frequently be dropped in a favorites type section. With the rest of the programs below or listed somehow.
....

And then generate a working menu of everything on the computer.
It would scan and show what files can be opened with what programs and give the user choices quickly.

-cmpm (June 20, 2007, 09:43 PM)

sounds great 

I know there is the 'open with' command, but somehow modify that to show the programs that will run the file. Instead of showing programs that will not open the file.

An Auto file association checker or something, instead of random programs that won't work with the file selected.

-cmpm (June 20, 2007, 09:43 PM)

approaching it from the "open with" end of things is this thread...
IDEA: Replacement for Windows 'Open With...' dialogue

ChoiceEditor works great for this!

For example, I have the following ini file:

[Select]

[Options]
Language=0
CheckCursor=1
CheckKey=27
AlwaysChecked=1
[General]
DisplayName0=IrfanView
Editor0=C:\Program Files\IrfanView\i_view32.exe
Ext0=JPG,png,gif
DisplayName1=XnView
Editor1=D:\Applications\XnView\xnview.exe
Ext1=JPG,png,gif

I then associated jpg, png, and gif with ChoiceEditor, and a double click brings up this menu:
[ Invalid Attachment ]

Clicking the double arrow in the lower right lets you add another program:
[ Invalid Attachment ]

After you add the first program for an extension, you need to open the ini file and add a second program entry for the same extension to get the menu to show up.

-cthorpe (May 09, 2007, 05:14 PM)

has to be set up manually but still sounds good -
I havent tried it yet - it's on my todo list

EDIT added other thread link

[Lashiec]

Vista Start Menu have some good ideas... but nothing you can't achieve with FARR.

I think that doing things the old way its preferrable. The online database could be a good solution, but then there's the problem that mitzevo suggests, which incidentally is the problem most music databases face (except for All Music Guide).

As for myself, the menu is well organized, with submenus like "Development", "Multimedia" and so on. Even without that organization, unless you have a lot of programs under the "Start" button, the issue is not that big considering the resolution of nowadays monitors.

FARR and AutoHotkey killed the Start (lame joke).

[y0himba]

An organized start menu is the first thing I do after a complete fresh install and complete updates.  Can't live without it.

[Armando]

I can't find any use for my start menu. I only keep it around in the rare cases where i can't remember the name of the app i'm looking for.

-jgpaiva (June 18, 2007, 02:04 PM)

Same thing here.

I am handicapped when it comes to the popular FARR: I have a visual oriented memory and cannot remember many program names. At least not when I want to use the program in mind! But I remember the exact location of the shortcut, and the look of the folder's icon!

-Curt (June 18, 2007, 05:16 PM)

This is one reason that makes the start Menu, even nowadays, an "important" interface (although I generally navigate to/in the Program Files folder instead…) for many people — and, as somebody else mentionned, it’s still a standard: il you happen to work on a “foreign” computer, and you don't have all your favorite portable apps on a thumbdrive, the start menu is always handy…

Before I knew FARR I did categorize my startmenu like SYSTEM, GAMES, Graphics...

But today I just use FARR as my first choice. the order of my startmenu doesn't interest me anymore.
Thanks to FARR 

-masu (June 18, 2007, 02:12 PM)

Yup. (And before Farr, back in 2003, I was using the address bar as a launchbar, manually entering all the links in my favorites... I was such a visionary  )

In my case, the only useful startmenu shortcut is… the shortcut to FARR. 
Just in case.

Interesting thought: farr could be categorized as a "start menu disorganizer".
 

-jgpaiva (June 18, 2007, 02:24 PM)

My start menu is always sorted alphabetically — simple, easy to remember. I don’t like to change anything there because uninstallation routines will usually leave stuff behind when I move shotcuts around (and I generally install all software in the suggested folder — easy, fast…). It’s just a pure waist of time.

Sometimes I'll visit the startmenu, and see what I’ve installed and forget to test (A.D.D.?) (the “glowing” programs in the list… Most links to installed softwares are there. But then, when I really want to delve in the depth, like I said…I open "program files"). And then… I’ll sort the list and do something more interesting.

[mouser]

This thread was normally locked because of overlap with this thread:
https://www.donation...index.php?topic=8950

But i've unlocked it now so feel free to reply.

[Armando]

This thread was normally locked because of overlap with this thread:
https://www.donation...index.php?topic=8950

But i've unlocked it now so feel free to reply.

-mouser (July 10, 2007, 04:43 PM)

Oups... Sorry.
Mouser, why did you unlock it?