imho, ribbon is not just bad idea, it is horrible but users have different needs and for some this may be improvement.
to me ribbon simply takes way too much of resource (in this context resource is the display resolution). mainstream display nowdays is 1366x768 and quick check on my MS Office 2007 says that from top of screen (maximized Word) to top of the document is 184 pixels. add to that lost pixels at the bottom of the screen and task bar and we are talking about less than 70% of screen vertically available for actual work area (exposed portion of the document).
Add to that large unused areas on sides of the document (about 25% on both left and right) and what is left is less than only some 40% of the entire screen space is left as usable work area (and that is when window is maximized). If this is not horrible waste of resources, i don't know what is it.
but since most people are computer illiterate lemmings using computers exclusively for email and entertainment, they can see ribbon as improvement. you may disagree all you want, but testament to this is one look into any computer store filled with junk (low resolution displays, glossy surfaces that are fingerprint magnet, terrible thermal management, huge bezzels and 'junk' such as batteries or fans sticking out of even oversized laptops etc.). that junk is meant to appeal to those lemmings, next you know computers will be sold in dollar stores.
anyone using computer for slightly more serious things will cry foul every time they see acres of screen space wasted on stupid ribbon. and it is vertical resolution that suffers most. does not matter that almost every product is wide screen when the software uses horizontal ribbon spanning entire screen.
I want it to display list of files and folders, see their name extension, size and date. As for frequently used function I need means to copy, move, rename and delete files. Does one really need ribbon for that much functionality?
Need proof that MS did terrible job on explorer? Here is what I absolutely hate about Vista Explorer:
i prefer Detail view, yet windows keeps changing view when i open another folder and no amount of tweaking can fore it to stick with Detail view PERMANENTLY. it may stay for few clicks but it is only matter of time until Explorer decides that it should display things as thumbnails or large icons or change MY columns to something else (for example navigating to a folder with media files hides some columns and introduces rating, ganre, bitrate etc.). I want everything to stay the way it was. worse, every time you click on any folder, all columns RESIZE!!!! so you go browsing through folders with long file names and you need to see the full names but with every click explorer keeps setting width of NAME, DATE etc to it's own defaults.
So someone decided that windows explorer sucks and needs improvement. That's GOOD!!!
Unfortunately they focus on wrong things to make the desperately needed improvements.
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