From: peter (Peter da Silva) Date: 12:57 on 03 Sep 2003 Subject: I hate MDI I hate MDI. But... it never occurred to me that Microsoft might screw up whatever little value MDI has... until now... > Don't get me started. Here's a nice example of Windows applications in > action: > http://www.jshift.com/services/design/horrors/taskbar_abuse.asp To me, each thing in the task bar is a *document*. I hate MDI. I hate the whole "single-instance" nature of Windows. Windows is so relentlessly 'there is a single instance of an application, a single instance of a user' that they had to invent a whole extra "session" layer that digs its filthy fingers deep into the OS to make each session act like a separate virtual machine to allow multiple user sessions. And then Jobs had to bloody well copy that on Mac OS X, when Mac OS X (being UNIX) already has a better way of dealing with multiple users. [remainder of subrant deleted to spare the Internet from my filthy language] I've seen that pseudo-MDI-ha-ha-fooled-you behaviour before. Acrobat Reader on UNIX does the same thing, without the courtesy of giving you a hint that closing the last window won't close the last window but turn it into an "empty MDI". I think that they're trying to emulate Apple's "close-isn't-exit" behaviour. But I had no idea how far Microsoft was willing to go in search of suck: Thank god I've never had to use access: "Unfortuntely, MS decided to treat each object as a document and give it its own slot in the taskbar." Jesus Harold Christ on a pogo stick. That picture has so much suckage I'm completely blown away. Whatever drugs those people were on when they created MULTIPLE taskbar slots for a single objects... Windows, Just Say No. But, anyway, MDI sucks. The only program I like using MDI in is Notes because I don't *care* about Notes: it's an obstacle, not a tool, so hiding it all off in a single window is great. Otherwise, MDI is just a way to make virtual desktops annoying so Microsoft has an excuse not to implement them. There's a useful subset to MDI: tabbed windows. That makes the "new window or new subwindow" choice mine, not the application's. http://www.jshift.com/services/design/honors/mdi_browsers.asp Oh god, I wish Opera did tabs rather than MDI.
From: Jody Belka Date: 13:11 on 03 Sep 2003 Subject: Re: I hate MDI On Wed, 3 Sep 2003, Peter da Silva wrote: > But I had no idea how far Microsoft was willing to go in search of suck: I have unfortunately, and forgetting it's general shiteness for just a moment, the change to faux-mdi was completely and utterly fucking SHITE. Hmm, maybe I have unresolved issues from my time using it? Jody
From: Jody Belka Date: 13:18 on 03 Sep 2003 Subject: Re: I hate MDI On Wed, 3 Sep 2003, Jody Belka wrote: > On Wed, 3 Sep 2003, Peter da Silva wrote: > > But I had no idea how far Microsoft was willing to go in search of suck: hmm, i'm obviously more tired than i thought. i could of sworn i'd quoted this line: > Thank god I've never had to use access: Jody
From: Philip Newton Date: 14:32 on 03 Sep 2003 Subject: Re: I hate MDI On 3 Sep 2003 at 6:57, Peter da Silva wrote: > I think that they're trying to emulate Apple's "close-isn't-exit" > behaviour. Yes, thank goodness that Windows apps have Exit menu items. Except for Windows CE (or Pocket PC or whatever it's called this week). I wonder whose wonderful idea it was that WinCE apps don't have a way to exit the app? The docs claim that the OS does such a jolly good job of handling memory that it'll close applications automatically when needed and you should just leave them open until then. Except that it isn't that good -- I can't say I've had it run out of memory but it does get very sluggish when you've got too many things open at once. And even now that I've found a third-party application that can close WinCE apps -- after I've been working for a while, I never get back all the program memory even by closing all apps; instead, I need to reset the thing. Great! Memory management that's so superior you need to reboot your machine every once in a while. Just like good old Windows. Cheers, Philip
Generated at 10:27 on 16 Apr 2008 by mariachi