Has anyone else noticed that what once was called a “Progress Bar” has been replaced with a moving animation that is utterly meaningless? The “Progress Bar” was originally designed to give a visual representation as to the PROGRESS of a given task. When the bar reached the end, the task was complete. I have noticed that the latest incarnations of this feature do nothing of the sort (see IE7 installer). They move along, going from one side to the other, then, just when I think my wait is over… It starts over! Exactly what does this bar measure? What is it showing me? Since it can (and does) repeatedly start over (with no other indications of how many times it will do so) the bar itself is completely useless! What function does this bar now serve? Is it just eye candy to let you know your PC hasn?t completely frozen up? Is there actual logic behind this meaningless animation?
Why has this bizarre transformation occurred? Has it become impossibly complicated to calculate the amount of time required to complete a task and display an indicator of said tasks progress?
What is a progress bar that doesn?t show progress??
If a tree falls in the woods??.
Why do we drive down a Parkway, but park in a driveway?
Why? Why? WHY????
