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20 todo's for Windows 7

Written by: Michael Pilling

Article Overview: The focus of windows 3.1 to 2000 was usability. The focus of XP was security and, again contrary to some gripers, the security problems were mostly fixed. The hype of Vista seemed to be about visual design - and not usability, so a lot of users like me went "pfffff". Will the next version of windows goes back to the basics and focus on the daily needs of us users to help us do what we do a little faster and with fewer frustrations? Here's twenty things to hope for.

20 todo's for Windows 7

Like most windows users, I like to gripe about windows sometimes, but also like most windows users, I will probably never switch. Contrary to what a lot of apple fanatics like to preach, windows is a user friendly operating system that has weathered the technical storms of a rapidly changing IT world and generally stood the test of time. How good is windows? Well if your main competition is a free operating system (Linux) and you are still holding on to your market share, your stuff must be pretty good.

The focus of windows 3.1 to 2000 was usability, and the results were good. Not a whole lot about the windows user interface has changed since then, and for the most part it "just works". The focus of XP was security and, again contrary to some gripers, the security problems were mostly fixed, I don't think I've had a virus since 2004, despite having some pc's that ran naked on the internet (without anti-virus protection). The hype of Vista seemed to be visual design - and not usability, so a lot of users like me went "pfffff". I hope the next version of windows goes back to the basics and focuses on the daily needs of us users to help us do what we do a little faster and with fewer frustrations.

Here's my list of the top 20 things i want windows to do that it doesn't do for me now.

1. File and Folder management: Make folders work like tags so that a program/file can be tagged and indexed in multiple folders.
2. Have a filing system wizard that helps users develop a proper hierarchical filing system and that creates desktop or menu links automatically to the most used folders.
Imagine this: your files are always tagged by your own filing system and with one click on your desktop, the files and folders on it fly back to their proper resting places.
Imagine this: never having to tell windows where to save a file. - it already knows.
3. User security: make groups and permissions and program access controls more user friendly. Sure these options exist but right now only professional sys admins can make them work.
Imagine this: simply by putting something in a "parents" folder, it is only accessible to users who are in the group "parents".
Imagine this: by default your files are safe even if someone steals your computer/laptop.
4. Make it the default to place programs and user data on separate drive partitions. (keep windows on C:\ and user files on D:\
Imagine this: Never having to try to navigate a maze of folders within "documents and settings"
5. Get rid of "my documents" and make give each user a folder with that user name on D:\
Imagine this: everything you make or do goes to one place. Including the temp folder and any other folders that contain user generated data.
6. Have an automatic and easier! to use external backup system.
7. Improve the files explorer to have a thumbnail preview of folder contents on mouseover.
8. Make an excellent todo manager that works online and offline and bundle it with the next windows.
9. Make windows check for and prevent common hardware problems.
10. End hardware conflicts! Video cards, sound cards, controllers and memory devices should work right the first time and every time.
11. Prevent system slowdowns.
12. Run for 10 years without a reinstall.
13. Run continuously for 12 months without a system restart.
14. Be able to export all your programs and settings to another computer with one click.
15. Keep user files in sync across two or more computers.
16. Make home networking a 100% "plug and play" experience.
17. Allow open source developers to easily develop extensions and utilities.
18. Have a clipboard manager that will run all the time and allow a person to cut A,B and C, and then paste A,B, and C (in that order).
19. Improve Task Manager to prevent spy ware and bloatware by ensuring that users know (and understand the purpose of) ALL the programs running on their computer.
20. An online software/hardware quality management system that end users can see.
Imagine that: all those defects and bug reports that my PC sends to Microsoft HQ become visible statistics that will help you avoid buying the next dud software.
Imagine that: you know upfront that 40% of people who installed program A could not get it to work properly (out of the box).
21. Start up in less than 60 seconds.
22. Use less RAM. Lets get back to the days when you could run windows with only 256MB of RAM.

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Article Tags: anti virus protection, filing system, folders, free operating system, frustrations, gripers, hype, market share, next version of windows, resting places, security problems, storms, system wizard, test of time, usability, user interface, user security, whole lot, windows user, windows users



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Re: Quote of the Day - "Just because something works doesn't mea - Good qoutes. Case study Microsoft Dos Microsoft Windows 1 very good Microsoft Window 3.0 Very good Microsoft Windows 95 Better Microsoft Windows 98 Better Microsoft Windows XP Better Microsoft Windows Vista Better Windows 7 Best More is still coming I used them all
Bye Bye Vista - I've been cleaning house...Finally rid myself of this atrocious operating system called Windows Vista. Eeeegads! It's good to have a nice clean computer again - all reformatted and shiny new! Windows XP has been reinstalled and Vista is in the trash can. Vista is a bomb... plain and simple. ..
Re: A picture (video) is worth a thousand words.... - Phil, I switched to Mac leopard last year. I love it. It can also handle Windows on a separate hard-drive, so you get the best of both worlds. And if you are keen on doing more with video technology MAC is DEFINITELY the way to go. However, a note of caution - I have no intention of "upgrading" to Snow Leopard, which sounds bad. Also, on the Windows side, I chose XP rather than Vista.
Re: Working with Camtasia - [quote="kayanat":3og0rosu]Can I make Camtasia recordings work on Windows Movie Maker? Is it possible to save the recordings I record with Camtasia into another format so they will work on Windows Movie Maker?[/quote:3og0rosu] Absolutely. Just save the recording as an AVI or MPEG and then load it into Windows Movie Maker and edit from there. Of course, Camtasia provides some nice editing tools as well.
Should I buy Vista This Year?? - I’m a woman entrepreneur and running computer data entry center with 30 computers in my office. I’m planning to upgrade my OS from Windows XP to Vista. Since December Windows vista is out on sale for businesses. Just wondering how many of you are going to invest in this new operating system upgrade. I think I should wait until 2008 as it will cost a huge amount of money to upgrade to vista. Computer prices need to fall first.


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