Microsoft Ignores Usability With All-Caps Menu in Visual Studio 415
mikejuk writes "The recent release of Visual Studio 2012 contained a UI element that few believed could make it into the final version — ALL-CAPS menus. After lots of user criticism and disbelief, Microsoft has moved swiftly to do something about it — by tweaking the typography. '... we explored designs with and without uppercase styling. In the end we determined it to be a very effective way of providing structure and emphasis to the top menu area in Visual Studio 2012.' This must be a new meaning of the word 'structure,' because putting the menu items into all-caps means that they are all the same height. When each menu items starts with a cap then there is structure because you can see the change in height, marking the start of the next menu item. The idea that putting a menu into all caps adds structure is something that is very difficult to see. If you wanted to put structure into a menu, well how about color? Oh wait, I forgot the design department dumped color in favour of the 'everything-is-grey UI.' Developers are the people who invented CamelCase to make sure that the structure of run together words would stand out better — and now we are asked to believe that making a menu all-caps adds structure. I don't think so."
All part of their retro-COBOL strategy (Score:5, Funny)
You see, MS is so hip, so ahead of the curve, that they know already that COBOL is about to come back into style in the developer world. Soon everything will be in all caps, mainframes will be all the rage, and GUI's will be passe. Apple will be behind the times with their over-designed software, and MS will be out in front with their all caps, command-line interface only version of Windows 9--renamed "DOS 9 FOR TERMINALS."
GOOD JOB, MICROSOFT!
Iâ(TM)m horrified. (Score:5, Funny)
Iâ(TM)m horrified. Absolutely shocked. I tell you, this is the final nail in Microsoft and Visual Studioâ(TM)s coffin. Oh, and âoeMy eyes, it burns! The goggles do nothing!â
Re:All part of their retro-COBOL strategy (Score:5, Funny)
(Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING. Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING. Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.)
Re:Iâ(TM)m horrified. (Score:5, Funny)
http://www.wikihow.com/Detect-Sarcasm-in-Writing [wikihow.com]
Re:Ribbon menu (Score:3, Funny)
Ssssshhh! Don't say stuff like "'ribbon menu' for Visual Studio", Microsoft might hear you!
Re:Iâ(TM)m horrified. (Score:5, Funny)
Iâ(TM)m horrified that you canâ(TM)t seem to find a simple apostraphe button on your keyboard. (here's one you can borrow ' actually, here's a bunch ''''''''''')
Re:Ribbon menu (Score:5, Funny)
I used to code .NET but am a manager now. Suddenly a VS Ribbon Menu sounds appealing! ;-)
This reflects .... (Score:5, Funny)
Next up: They are going to replace Clippy with a flying chair.
Re:Backronyms. (Score:5, Funny)
Even better: Circular backronyms!
FILE -- FILE Input Listing Element
EDIT -- EDIT Document Interface Tool
VIEW -- VIEW Interface Element Window
etc.
Re:MS are fully into change-for-its-own-sake mode (Score:5, Funny)
> In the last 20 years, Microsoft has been busy solving
> problems nobody I know seems to have had.
That's not entirely fair. In the last 10 years, Microsoft has been very busy solving problems they themselves created in the previous 10 years.
That being said, Windows 8 is looking like they're ready to start another 10 year cycle of creating new problems.
Re:All part of their retro-COBOL strategy (Score:4, Funny)
Freaking Office 2010 with the ribbon crap confuses the heck out of me, because I can never find the function I want. Where's the undo function? Find-and-replace? Full justification? I know they're in that mess of Egyptian hieroglyphics, but I have no clue where.
CTRL+Z, CTRL+H, CTRL+J?
Re:MS are fully into change-for-its-own-sake mode (Score:5, Funny)
Speaking of Windows 8, maybe they should just get rid of the menus altogether! Instead, you should have to point to an invisible, 2-pixel-wide area of the lower-left corner of the window to see a full-screen page of active tiles representing what Visual Studio can do with your project. Each tile should move, spin, twirl, or change color in some way to keep your eyes busy while you look for the item you want. And since it's hard to do multi-touch on a desktop, it should require two mice to operate!
Re:All part of their retro-COBOL strategy (Score:4, Funny)