Windows 7 removes Quick Launch

Ever since I can remember, I have used quick launch to access my desktop. Now for no apparent good reason, this has been removed completely. I love the new taskbar, the larger icons and preview features.
 
I just don't understand why this has been removed? I am really quite annoyed about this, as there is no justiication to remove such a simple, traditional command.

It's still there. Click the transparent bit on the far right of the taskbar.

err what, did you perhaps miss the entire point of the new taskbar being quicklaunch + taskbar all in one.. also show desktop is as bas says, the little button thing next to the clock.

Bas said:

It's still there. Click the transparent bit on the far right of the taskbar.

Also windows+d will peek at the desktop.

alwaysmc2 said:

Bas said:

*snip*

Also windows+d will peek at the desktop.

Added bonus: you don't have to specifically target the little 'show desktop' shortcut anymore. You can just throw your mouse in the bottom right corner and click, and always hit it. Same as with the start button. There's a fancy name for that, but I forgot it, and I'm sure someone will mention it in a bit.

(Not meant as a reply to alwaysmc2. Why is there still no way to edit this?)

Bas said:

It's still there. Click the transparent bit on the far right of the taskbar.

Okey dokey, I have managed to find it. 

 

This really is quite bad. For a start it's on the other side of the screen from the one I am used to. It is poor usability because if you see how far my mouse has to travel each time, yet my taskbar icons are on the other side.

Another thing is where is it in the properties pane?



And things have not improved here since the istartedsomething.com stuff on UI inconsistency, look at this



I think I may need to revist that UI taskforce post.

vesuvius said:

Bas said:

*snip*

Okey dokey, I have managed to find it. 

 

This really is quite bad. For a start it's on the other side of the screen from the one I am used to. It is poor usability because if you see how far my mouse has to travel each time, yet my taskbar icons are on the other side.

Another thing is where is it in the properties pane?



And things have not improved here since the istartedsomething.com stuff on UI inconsistency, look at this



I think I may need to revist that UI taskforce post.

This really is quite bad. For a start it's on the other side of the screen from the one I am used to.

That's just because you're used to it. No doubt you'll get used to this in no time too.
 

It is poor usability because if you see how far my mouse has to travel each time, yet my taskbar icons are on the other side.

But, you don't have to hunt for it specifically. You can just give your taskbar a swing and always land on that thing. I find that a better alternative than having to actually look for that teeny icon. Your mileage may vary, but with cursor acceletarion, I don't really care how far I have to travel if I can give a quick, small jerk to the right and am guaranteed to land on the right button, while a quick jerk left instantly brings me back to the start button and taskbar icons.

Bas said:

vesuvius said:

*snip*

But, you don't have to hunt for it specifically. You can just give your taskbar a swing and always land on that thing. I find that a better alternative than having to actually look for that teeny icon. Your mileage may vary, but with cursor acceletarion, I don't really care how far I have to travel if I can give a quick, small jerk to the right and am guaranteed to land on the right button, while a quick jerk left instantly brings me back to the start button and taskbar icons.

That's just because you're used to it. No doubt you'll get used to this in no time too.

I don't know. I've been using the button on the left since Windows 95 with the IE4 desktop update. That's almost 13 years of getting used to it being on the left.

Sven Groot said:

Bas said:

*snip*

I don't know. I've been using the button on the left since Windows 95 with the IE4 desktop update. That's almost 13 years of getting used to it being on the left.

My point entirely, but I fear that we mave have no choice in the matter.
 
I already see a hack when you "hook-up" the show desktop/quick launch command, to a button that you can then drag onto the task bar. This may be possible, but it would have been nice to have left the old option left in, or I may have to resort to the windows button + d [keyboard].

I feel for you guys..

vesuvius said:

Sven Groot said:

*snip*

My point entirely, but I fear that we mave have no choice in the matter.
 
I already see a hack when you "hook-up" the show desktop/quick launch command, to a button that you can then drag onto the task bar. This may be possible, but it would have been nice to have left the old option left in, or I may have to resort to the windows button + d [keyboard].

The icon was lame. There I said it.

Real programmers used Window+D. The little button on the right is a vast improvement to and Icon on an optional tool bar.

Bas said:

vesuvius said:

*snip*

But, you don't have to hunt for it specifically. You can just give your taskbar a swing and always land on that thing. I find that a better alternative than having to actually look for that teeny icon. Your mileage may vary, but with cursor acceletarion, I don't really care how far I have to travel if I can give a quick, small jerk to the right and am guaranteed to land on the right button, while a quick jerk left instantly brings me back to the start button and taskbar icons.

Problem is, nothing about that says "click me, something is here". It looks like an endcap to me. Even if it was square in shape, and had an icon of a little loderunner-type guy running, that qould have more of a "quicklinks here" feel to it.

Sven Groot said:

Bas said:

*snip*

I don't know. I've been using the button on the left since Windows 95 with the IE4 desktop update. That's almost 13 years of getting used to it being on the left.

That's almost 13 years of getting used to it being on the left.

I drove a car with a manual transmission for eight years, but got used to an automatic in a day. I dunno. I also never felt a need to switch back to the classic start menu in XP. Maybe I just react to change more easily.

So we're actually talking about the Show Dekstop Button being moved and not Quick Launch being removed here right?

Since the new taskbar is bascially one big Quick Launch area, maybe some enterprising programmer will create an app that sends the shell a Show Desktop command so you can put that app first in the new taskbar.

I'm not bothered much by it moving. I have it on my Quick Launch but I usually use Win+D

What worries me is: What happened to the Flip 3D button!?!? OK, maybe not.

Bas said:

Sven Groot said:

*snip*

I drove a car with a manual transmission for eight years, but got used to an automatic in a day. I dunno. I also never felt a need to switch back to the classic start menu in XP. Maybe I just react to change more easily.

Yeah, that's what I love about most criticisms of any new Windows version.  98% of them are simply "I don't like change" rants.  However, without change you can't improve.  Even more illogical is that the response by most of these folks is also usually "I'm going to switch to [OS of your choice]!"  Talk about change!  And it's not like every other OS doesn't do the same thing with their new releases.

In this case, I have to say I'm not even sure why we're retaining the ability to show the desktop.  I pretty much never use this.  The desktop is the worst place to store anything, even in XP.  Of course I realize this is an opinion, and like the famous saying goes, everyone has one of those as well.

DCMonkey said:

So we're actually talking about the Show Dekstop Button being moved and not Quick Launch being removed here right?

Since the new taskbar is bascially one big Quick Launch area, maybe some enterprising programmer will create an app that sends the shell a Show Desktop command so you can put that app first in the new taskbar.

I'm not bothered much by it moving. I have it on my Quick Launch but I usually use Win+D

What worries me is: What happened to the Flip 3D button!?!? OK, maybe not.

Anyone on Win7 want to tell me what happens if you put 

CannotResolveSymbol said:

DCMonkey said:

*snip*

Anyone on Win7 want to tell me what happens if you put 

[Shell]

Command=2

IconFile=explorer.exe,3

[Taskbar]

Command=ToggleDesktop

into a text file named "test.scf" (or copy the Show Desktop link from XP/Vista), drag it onto the taskbar, and click it?  Might be the solution you're looking for.

If that doesn't work, writing a little C application to send Explorer the ToggleDesktop command shouldn't be difficult, and you could pin that to the taskbar.

What you get is the old XP show desktop icon, and it does toggle the screen as you would expect.

Only issue here is that, when you drag it onto the taskbar, it tells you that it is pinned, but you don't get an icon at the bottom. The only icon you have to use is the one in the right hand corner - not really an icon but see above image with red arrow.

It looks as if this is all predetermined behavior. I am going to watch a few of the new taskbar videos just posted to see why the shift.

vesuvius said:

CannotResolveSymbol said:

*snip*

What you get is the old XP show desktop icon, and it does toggle the screen as you would expect.

Only issue here is that, when you drag it onto the taskbar, it tells you that it is pinned, but you don't get an icon at the bottom. The only icon you have to use is the one in the right hand corner - not really an icon but see above image with red arrow.

It looks as if this is all predetermined behavior. I am going to watch a few of the new taskbar videos just posted to see why the shift.

They explain the "why" of certain features very well. They also show some early prototypes and explain why they changed those prototypes into the current implementation.