Comments on: Why Are WPF Developers Trying to Kill Menus? http://www.christopherestep.com/2009/10/why-are-wpf-developers-trying-to-kill-menus/ All things WPF, Silverlight and Windows Phone 7 Tue, 25 May 2010 13:45:13 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: John Schroedl http://www.christopherestep.com/2009/10/why-are-wpf-developers-trying-to-kill-menus/comment-page-1/#comment-226 John Schroedl Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:20:00 +0000 http://www.christopherestep.com/2009/10/why-are-wpf-developers-trying-to-kill-menus/#comment-226 Gotta agree with this one. Kiosks + Touch is good (simplify for the masses). I tried the HP touch machine and after a while the touch just seemed like a gimmick. Without a killer touch desktop app it was more of a hassle. Who wants to reach up all the time. Perhaps a tablet PCs 2.0 could revive touch. Win7 having easier touch APIs will help. UPS/FexEx delivery man apps will be all over that. I can see your point on Office having menus as well as the follow the mac approach. Of course on the mac you have the one-menu-to-rule-them-all. Personally, I don't like that model (use a mac for some of my dev work) having an app running w/ no windows still uses the menu bar. John Gotta agree with this one. Kiosks + Touch is good (simplify for the masses). I tried the HP touch machine and after a while the touch just seemed like a gimmick. Without a killer touch desktop app it was more of a hassle. Who wants to reach up all the time.

Perhaps a tablet PCs 2.0 could revive touch. Win7 having easier touch APIs will help. UPS/FexEx delivery man apps will be all over that.

I can see your point on Office having menus as well as the follow the mac approach. Of course on the mac you have the one-menu-to-rule-them-all. Personally, I don’t like that model (use a mac for some of my dev work) having an app running w/ no windows still uses the menu bar.

John

]]> By: Yogesh Jagota http://www.christopherestep.com/2009/10/why-are-wpf-developers-trying-to-kill-menus/comment-page-1/#comment-225 Yogesh Jagota Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:23:01 +0000 http://www.christopherestep.com/2009/10/why-are-wpf-developers-trying-to-kill-menus/#comment-225 Your statement... "I don’t believe that touch will ever be prominent on anything but mobile devices and consumer/kiosk application"... sounds something like these: "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." by Ken Olson, or, "We will never make a 32 bit operating system.", Bill Gates. :P No offense. Your statement…
“I don’t believe that touch will ever be prominent on anything but mobile devices and consumer/kiosk application”…
sounds something like these:
“There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” by Ken Olson, or,
“We will never make a 32 bit operating system.”, Bill Gates.

:P

No offense.

]]> By: Christopher Estep http://www.christopherestep.com/2009/10/why-are-wpf-developers-trying-to-kill-menus/comment-page-1/#comment-224 Christopher Estep Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:43:49 +0000 http://www.christopherestep.com/2009/10/why-are-wpf-developers-trying-to-kill-menus/#comment-224 Thanks for your comments. I don't believe that touch will ever be prominent on anything but mobile devices and consumer/kiosk applications. While significant, they don't really comprise the lion's share of what's being written and I don't see that changing. ATM's are more akin to a kiosk device and as such naturally have a completely custom interface, the same way you do with electronics on vehicles as well as consumer electronics. Thanks for your comments.

I don’t believe that touch will ever be prominent on anything but mobile devices and consumer/kiosk applications. While significant, they don’t really comprise the lion’s share of what’s being written and I don’t see that changing.

ATM’s are more akin to a kiosk device and as such naturally have a completely custom interface, the same way you do with electronics on vehicles as well as consumer electronics.

]]> By: Yogesh Jagota http://www.christopherestep.com/2009/10/why-are-wpf-developers-trying-to-kill-menus/comment-page-1/#comment-223 Yogesh Jagota Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:21:14 +0000 http://www.christopherestep.com/2009/10/why-are-wpf-developers-trying-to-kill-menus/#comment-223 First of all, I think this article's title should read "Why Are WPF Developers Trying to Kill Topbar menus?". Secondly, I wonder you will say this after a few years too when touch will become a prominent way to interact with your system. Wonder how a top bar menus will work on a ATM? Menus will never be dead. When you have too many options, menus is the way to go. But yes, the way a menus looks today might change. Evolution. Toolbars are nothing but menu shortcuts. Office ribbon is a combination of a toolbar and a top bar menus. First of all, I think this article’s title should read “Why Are WPF Developers Trying to Kill Topbar menus?”.

Secondly, I wonder you will say this after a few years too when touch will become a prominent way to interact with your system. Wonder how a top bar menus will work on a ATM?

Menus will never be dead. When you have too many options, menus is the way to go. But yes, the way a menus looks today might change. Evolution. Toolbars are nothing but menu shortcuts. Office ribbon is a combination of a toolbar and a top bar menus.

]]> By: Christopher Estep http://www.christopherestep.com/2009/10/why-are-wpf-developers-trying-to-kill-menus/comment-page-1/#comment-222 Christopher Estep Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:11:53 +0000 http://www.christopherestep.com/2009/10/why-are-wpf-developers-trying-to-kill-menus/#comment-222 I thought that at first but I started thinking hard about it and I don't think that's the case. Office 2007 still has menus. Vista and Windows 7 still have menus. They're just not as prominent. Even the ribbon panel has menus within it, but at its heart it's a toolbar. More and more apps are eschewing even toolbars. I don't think it's so much a "follow Office" as it is "Apple are gods of design". Apple tends toward over-simplification of its UI in its devices, and it's those devices that are most visible. At least that's what I'm thinking. I thought that at first but I started thinking hard about it and I don’t think that’s the case. Office 2007 still has menus. Vista and Windows 7 still have menus. They’re just not as prominent. Even the ribbon panel has menus within it, but at its heart it’s a toolbar.

More and more apps are eschewing even toolbars.

I don’t think it’s so much a “follow Office” as it is “Apple are gods of design”. Apple tends toward over-simplification of its UI in its devices, and it’s those devices that are most visible.

At least that’s what I’m thinking.

]]> By: John Schroedl http://www.christopherestep.com/2009/10/why-are-wpf-developers-trying-to-kill-menus/comment-page-1/#comment-221 John Schroedl Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:05:23 +0000 http://www.christopherestep.com/2009/10/why-are-wpf-developers-trying-to-kill-menus/#comment-221 I blieve that it's the "follow Office" mentality. Office goes with a ribbon and no menu thus the lemmings follow. John I blieve that it’s the “follow Office” mentality. Office goes with a ribbon and no menu thus the lemmings follow.

John

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