←back to thread

Blue95: a desktop for your childhood home's computer room

(github.com)
567 points elvis70 | 3 comments | 30 Mar 25 15:30 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source
Show context
MarkusWandel ◴[30 Mar 25 18:23 UTC] No.43526323[source]▶
Three modern desktop environments that I use:

- Windows 10/11. Especially in 11, it's easiest just to type the start of an app's name into the search box. As opposed to the two clicks it takes to get to the "traditional" menu where you still have to scroll to find it.

- Gnome (only on fresh Linux installs, usually replaced with Mate pretty soon). Has a smartphone-style app grid, but here, too, its quickest just to type the start of the app's name.

- Mate: Modern, but still has the Windows 95 paradigm (easy enough to collapse the two toolbars into just one bottom one). Still my favourite desktop environment.

Not all fancy graphic stuff is good. And don't even get me started on how hard it is to drag an app window to another screen these days - on Windows. You really have to find the 2% or so of the top bar that's still draggable and not cluttered up by other stuff.

replies(3): >>43526717 #>>43526794 #>>43531835 #
wavemode ◴[30 Mar 25 19:25 UTC] No.43526794[source]▶
The decline in usability and organization of the Windows start menu over the years has been frankly staggering.

Whenever I see screenshots of the old menu I get pangs of nostalgia.

replies(3): >>43526860 #>>43526910 #>>43527629 #
1. MarkusWandel ◴[30 Mar 25 19:40 UTC] No.43526910[source]▶
I think they drank the Macintosh kool-aid and expect you to have all your commonly used apps pinned. In Win11 this even looks sort of like a Mac dock. Still made no sense to ruin the usability of the start menu which they invented.
replies(1): >>43527911 #
2. arcmechanica ◴[30 Mar 25 21:39 UTC] No.43527911[source]▶
What happens when you are no longer the darling. And PMs need to ship something new to get noticed, so they screw it all up
replies(1): >>43528546 #
3. protocolture ◴[30 Mar 25 22:50 UTC] No.43528546[source]▶
I am 99% sure that this is the result of academic GUI design and focus testing.

I read all the Windows 8 development blogs, and everything they wrote about seemed absolutely justified. Then you actually use the thing and it was a nightmare.

Same with their approach to hardware, the Duke Xbox controller tested really well, but then someone with daintier hands went to use it and uh actually its great for like 15% of the user base.