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Let your voices be heard...
... by MicroSoft. If everyone who wants tabs in other windows besides IE tells Microsoft about it, they will listen. After all, IE9 added several features that had been a part of Google Chrome for quite a while. Even though people may not have directly told MS they liked those specific features, the dramatic jump in Chrome's popularity sent the same message. However, since MS doesn't have an alternative to QTTabBar or WindowsTabs, they can't really make the same comparison of their product to someone else's. The best way to let someone know what you want has always been to just come right out and tell them.
Now, having said all that, I am not interested in tabbed functionality for other windows. I love using tabs in Internet Explorer, but I'm perfectly content using the taskbar thumbnails for other apps. Personally, my taskbar is four lines tall. I have created tool groups on it for my Desktop icons (I figure what's the point in applying Desktop wallpaper if it's plastered with icons, so I hide them from the Desktop itself), the Quick Launch toolbar (which you have to hunt down now, since it's not a native toolbar anymore), My Computer, and my Links folder (the Favorites section at the top of Windows Explorer's navigation pane). I have the running applications section only two lines high, and only about 1/3 of the screen width, and I have the running app tabs reduced to just their icon, and have them grouped together from the start, not just when there are too many of them. Then I have the whole mess set on autohide so I don't lose all that screen real estate. I think the taskbar thumbnail previews are much better than just a bunch of tabs. The window titles that would end up on tabs often don't tell me enough to know which tab has what I want, and with the thumbnails, I can actually see all the windows themselves, making it easier to pick the one I want. I even use the taskbar thumbnails to choose from among my open IE tabs when their titles are too ambiguous to know which one I want.
Like PalKerekfy, I have tried both methods - trying to configure the new version to look like the old one I was used to, or adjusting my usage to the new one - and both methods indeed have their merit. So I usually wind up doing a little of both. I had actually put off upgrading away from Office 2000 until this year when I bought two new Windows 7 laptops, and couldn't get Office 2000 to install on them. Now that I am used to using the new Ribbon in Office 2010, I wish I had upgraded to Office 2007 back when it introduced the Ribbon years ago. But I still use some of the old menu keyboard shortcuts because they're still faster than using the mouse to navigate the Ribbon.
It all boils down to personal preference. And like I said at the start, if you want tabbed functionality in Windows Explorer (and other windows), the best way to let Microsoft know it remains the direct approach, and with at least two third-party programs designed for such functionality, there are plenty of users who want it. If enough people tell Microsoft, they will get the message.
Now, having said all that, I am not interested in tabbed functionality for other windows. I love using tabs in Internet Explorer, but I'm perfectly content using the taskbar thumbnails for other apps. Personally, my taskbar is four lines tall. I have created tool groups on it for my Desktop icons (I figure what's the point in applying Desktop wallpaper if it's plastered with icons, so I hide them from the Desktop itself), the Quick Launch toolbar (which you have to hunt down now, since it's not a native toolbar anymore), My Computer, and my Links folder (the Favorites section at the top of Windows Explorer's navigation pane). I have the running applications section only two lines high, and only about 1/3 of the screen width, and I have the running app tabs reduced to just their icon, and have them grouped together from the start, not just when there are too many of them. Then I have the whole mess set on autohide so I don't lose all that screen real estate. I think the taskbar thumbnail previews are much better than just a bunch of tabs. The window titles that would end up on tabs often don't tell me enough to know which tab has what I want, and with the thumbnails, I can actually see all the windows themselves, making it easier to pick the one I want. I even use the taskbar thumbnails to choose from among my open IE tabs when their titles are too ambiguous to know which one I want.
Like PalKerekfy, I have tried both methods - trying to configure the new version to look like the old one I was used to, or adjusting my usage to the new one - and both methods indeed have their merit. So I usually wind up doing a little of both. I had actually put off upgrading away from Office 2000 until this year when I bought two new Windows 7 laptops, and couldn't get Office 2000 to install on them. Now that I am used to using the new Ribbon in Office 2010, I wish I had upgraded to Office 2007 back when it introduced the Ribbon years ago. But I still use some of the old menu keyboard shortcuts because they're still faster than using the mouse to navigate the Ribbon.
It all boils down to personal preference. And like I said at the start, if you want tabbed functionality in Windows Explorer (and other windows), the best way to let Microsoft know it remains the direct approach, and with at least two third-party programs designed for such functionality, there are plenty of users who want it. If enough people tell Microsoft, they will get the message.
Posted by awgiedawgie
7th Apr 2011
