Windows Sidebar better than Apple's Dashboard

Folder navigation initially drove me nuts... until I managed to get a trade-off between the new addressbar navigation options and the content display-area navigation.

Now I keep my content display-area sorted by name and grouped by type... and navigate through the folders using the addressbar drop-downs.

littleguru wrote:

I have been playing around with the new Windows Vista Beta 2 for a few hours now. And I must say that I like it. There are a few things that need to be fixed: Microsoft keep in mind that vista should be easy to navigate (folder navigation, save as dialog => still clumpsy and difficult)

What I like the most is the Sidebar. I can't wait to see gadgets coming out for it. It's better then the Apple Dashboard (in my eyes), because you always see the gadgets. Apple's solutions needs to be brought on the screen each time you need it. The sidebars is always there. Good work guys!

Oh yeah, it's just so difficult to hit F12 on my Mac to make the widgets instantly visible, and a single mouse click to make them go away...YMMV...in my eyes, I like something that is always there only when I want it to be.

littleguru wrote:

brichpmr wrote:Oh yeah, it's just so difficult to hit F12 on my Mac to make the widgets instantly visible, and a single mouse click to make them go away...YMMV...in my eyes, I like something that is always there only when I want it to be.

The difference is that you see them always in Vista. Which enables them for other scenarios...

What other scenarios are you thinking of, just out of curiosity?

I disagree that it is better.  It is different, and still very good - and they both have their place.  For me, when I'm working, there are times I want all my screen real estate available, so the side bar goes away. 

Cheers,

Stu

Having gadgets/whatever always visible has its advantages. People still use Konfabulator on the Mac, and have figured out ways to have dashboard widgets run outside the dashboard.

There's also advantages to being able to call them up and then put them away, the way OSX does it. Konfabulator has a "konspose" mode that does something similar.

Frankly, the option to do it either as you see fit would be the best.

Having used Konfab and Dashboard, I tend to favor the dashboard approach, because they don't eat my screen space when I don't want to look at them. Having said that, I install "menumeters" on every Mac I touch -- which essentially functions the way the sidebar does.

littleguru wrote:

Don't know, perhaps something jumping in the sidebar... To get the attention of the user... Something like that. You can attract the users attention because always being on the screen.

Good Lord!!! I just had visions of "The Return Of Clippy"

* tap tap tap
* You have Live Mail that is 5 days old, and you haven't defragged in 14 days

scarnie wrote:



I disagree that it is better.  It is different, and still very good - and they both have their place.  For me, when I'm working, there are times I want all my screen real estate available, so the side bar goes away. 

Cheers,

Stu

For my money, Sidebar *is* better. You want to hide Sidebar? Double-click the icon. Meanwhile, whatever you have dragged to your desktop will stay there, as you would expect I think.

I don't see anything not to like...

Yeah the Save As Dialog's and Open Dialogs drive me insane!  Also I don't like the way the new Explorer does the hierarchy of the left pane, its very confusing even for elitist's!

Fortunately the Sidebar currently doesn't take space from other running apps on the screen by default. If you maximize an app it will cover the Sidebar.

Unfortunately all the Sidebar gadgets, whether on the Sidebar or detached and on the Desktop, will disappear if you hit the "Show Desktop" button or its equivalent keystroke (Win+D). I think this is stupid and filed a bug on it. Hopefully they'll fix it (If I show the desktop I'd expect things "on it" would still be visible), or add some keyboard commands to hide and show gadgets.