UPDATE: If you're coming to this page via a direct link, I've since received a screenshot I could make public. Scroll up and click "Start". It'll take you to my main page.
Yes, both Paint and WordPad have finally received the royal treatment. Via permission given to me to remotely access build 6780 to play around a bit, Paint and WordPad both look great and have much-needed updates. I've got to work within the permissions granted to me by my source and unfortunately, screenshots don't fall within those permissions (yet), so you all will still have to wait to actually see this stuff. (Don't worry, there is a LOT of chatter about this build going around by people who have it. I can't help but think the next week or two will be quite fruitful for the community in terms of information, screenshots, and perhaps the build even leaking if someone is brazen enough. Just beware the wrath of Sinofsky if any of you dare the latter of the aforementioned choices...) Something I have been given the liberty to do is give a very broad teaser explanation of Paint and WordPad in their current 6780 state, so here goes.
MS Paint: In terms of functionality, imagine a software somewhere between the currently-existing MS Paint and the wonderful Paint.NET freeware application. Make everything accessible through a ribbon bar (tabs 'n all) ala Office 2007 and voila. Even remoted in, the performance was quite nice. All of you users who love MS Paint but still need a second photo editing application just to do that one thing or two that Paint won't do (like working with transluscent/transparent .png files)will be delighted to know that you may very well no longer need said second application. Bear in mind that this is MS Paint as it currently exists in a milestone 3 build OS not scheduled to be completed until mid to late 2009, so a lot could still change between now and then. Long story short, regardless of what changes, rest assured that MS Paint is going to be the cat's pajamas!
WordPad: Basically, imagine Microsoft taking Office 2007 Word, slimming it down, tweaking the ribbon bar UI a bit, and calling it WordPad. While not as functional as Office 2007 Word (hence, the "slimming it down" mention), this version of WordPad is coming along nicely. It's much easier to perform tasks such as adding a picture, editing text (I know this seems like a very generic mention, but trust me when I say that everything you do to edit text is made much more accessible thanks to the ribbon bar), and even cooking up your own drawings right there in a document. Office 2007 document converter no longer needed to view .docx files? Perhaps. =) Just wait until you get your hands on this build. Many of you will have a field day.
Well, that's it for now. I know all of that is just generic info and I really wish I was at liberty to say and show more at this point, but I'm not. Trust me, I'm as excited as the rest of you to actually install this build locally, so... even if it's not until after PDC, the excitement and anxiety is definitely there!
All @ Microsoft: Keep it up! Personally, I think 7 is shaping up to be one hell of product thus far. You guys and gals are doing a phenomenal job!
-Stephen
Windows 7 Paint and WordPad: New UI, New Functionality
Tuesday, September 16, 2008 |
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original design: Binary Bonsai | blogger port: Blog and Web | final uxevangelist.net design: UX Evangelist
18 comments:
I'm slightly boggled that you're so excited over ... WordPad and Paint.
It's not that I'm excited about WordPad and Paint, specifically. I am excited about the build and progress of Windows 7 up to this point. Trying to tone down the excitement of what I've messed around with and seen to cater to the amount of permission I've been given by the people who have shown me what they have is admittedly difficult. So, if it seems like I'm jumping for joy over Paint and WordPad, well... I am. But there is also much more to that excitement.
Paint with a ribbon is kind of a strange idea to me ;) but I like it.
They seem to be learning lessons from Windows Vista quite fast and results are already here.
Regarding UX changes, ribbons are really neat, Dynamics familiy is getting them, now Paint and WordPad...
Fair enough :-) I do expect they'll fix most of the problems with Vista and it'll be a decently polished Vista Second Edition. Vista First Edition looks gorgeous, it just,uh, works way too clunkily. But Microsoft have learnt enough to do a lot better next time.
David,
I'm excited that they're starting to pay attention to all the small the details in the OS, which includes all the apps that come with it. Too long MS has been concentrated too much on the big picture while ignoring the small details.
I really hope that there is more to this "excitement" than Wordpad and Paint!
I use Wordpad to view Unix encoded text files which aren't properly handled by Notepad.
I never use paint. Oh, I forgot, except for odd time I accidentally double click on an image in Expression Web.
How much, really, of effect will these programs have on purchasing decisions?
I was so frustrated at Vista today that I almost picked up my machine and through it into the wall. After it froze up about 15 times and then the joy of listening to searchindexer.exe running all day, what do I get? Excitement over the next version of windows because there's an update to Wordpad and Paint!
I think I've had enough ...
Very interesting. I'm very glad Microsoft has taken a look at its outdated programs.
The development of Windows 7 is going to be interesting!
Sorry to be the killjoy here, but ....
I hope the ribbon doesn't keep spreading through the rest of the product. Office 2007 is what finally prompted me to make the switch to OpenOffice.
Yip, Paint has been very neglected. As, a lot of Home pc users like using paint.(but it is really out-dated). I am so glad that it is becoming more trendy and more "office -professional" . :-)
How about them incorporating the WPF with paint?
I think the ribbon is invasive in my opinion, why should i give up a quarter of my screen real estate for some menu items? What is the point?
Nice to see paint gets an update though, shame about wordpad, i can only imagine it will make it less flexible.
I think updating these minor accessories will be good for windows. In my review of windows vista,
http://www.businessgeeks.org/windows-vista-ultimate-review-ubuntu/
the lack of a more power photo editing app is one of the key missing part for vista. as for wordpad, maybe they can add syntax highlighting this can be good for light coders.
cheers!
My goodness! It sounds like Paint will finally come into the 90's. Seriously though, the markeplace is too competitive to glob on mediocre utility placeholders. Oh, and I utterly despise the "ribbon". In fact I have yet to hear of anyone who finds it more useful. My sample set is too small but it still makes me suspicious. Are they in love with it simply because it gives them a UI differentiation point or because their tests genuinely show it to be better? For me, it takes up too much of the vertical real estate on the newer widescreen (but shorter) laptops.
In my opinion ribbons are a major usability blunder comparable to Microsoft's "adaptive menus" or the hiding of inactive icons. Rather than trying to fix problems caused by complexity using "intelligent" functions or new paradigms, they should rather try to reduce complexity itself through redesign.
Any chance that Microsoft can be persuaded to replace the ridiculous Notepad with its ridiculous 64kB limit - or something of the sort - with something slightly more usable, like the Scite text editor, or the Notepad+, or something like that?
A common ribbon interface is all very well, but I've used MS Office 2k7, and can't say I'm impressed.
The only things i need to migrate from Windows XP to another new Windows operating system is:
1. The return of "tabs" in Windows like "Apparience". In XP on one window with tabs i change Desktop, Resolution, Background, Screen Saver, etc. with one click. On Windows Vista I need to navigate over some Windows with a lot of clicks. This make an operating system like Vista and Windows Server 2008 more slow to work than XP. I do more things in few time in XP than in Vista.
2. Windows Media Player 11 is only ALBUM CENTRIC. The mayority of users need a Media Player that is ALBUM CENTRIC, SONG CENTRIC, ARTIST CENTRIC, ALL CENTRIC like Windows Media Player 10. Do you see that Windows Media Player 10 is the most popular download on the Microsoft website? Why? Do yo know that Windows Media Player 11 is the minor popular download? Why? (Is not Windows the OS more personalizable and configurable?).
3. The return of the Windows Explorer icon on the toolbar to go up a folder, not the back icon. (Is not Windows the OS more personalizable and configurable?).
4. The possibility to expand "All Programs" in "Start Menú" like in XP, not like classic "Windows 95" style. And the possibility to order it in my own manner. In Windows Vista always order it alphabetically also with this option disable.
Thanks,
Javier Álvarez.
Madrid. Spain.
javi@mantis-informatica.es
5. A more improved and fast file copying and moving like XP. Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 SP1 is very very very very very slow copying and moving files like Windows XP. Is this very complicate to do or repair?
Thanks,
Javier Álvarez.
Madrid. Spain.
javi@mantis-informatica.es
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