Microsoft Ties a Ribbon on Windows 8 Explorer

Microsoft will apparently use the Ribbon graphic user interface first seen with Microsoft Office applications on Explorer, the OS’ file management utility. The decision’s drawing some mixed reactions. Microsoft said it went with the Ribbon after intense study of user behaviour; though some users think the Ribbon is either confusing or takes up too much screen space.

Speculation about what features Windows 8 will include is sizzling as Microsoft continues to remain tight-lipped about details of the new operating system. However, Redmond has talked to some extent about the upcoming OS’ handling of Explorer, the Windows file management system.

Posts on the Windows 8 blog indicate Explorer will have the ribbon GUI Microsoft Office users know — and, in some cases, hate. It will also let users mount VHD and ISO drives, possibly doing away with the need for optical storage media.

Microsoft says it has three main goals for Windows 8 Explorer: Optimize it for file management, create a streamlined command experience, and restore the most relevant and requested features from Windows XP that will fit.

Research through telemetry — where Windows users agreed to let Microsoft harvest data about their usage patterns of the operating system without tying it to them — formed the basis of the decisions Microsoft made about Windows 8 Explorer’s features.

Telemetry showed that more than 70 percent of usage is for core file management, and that the top 10 commands constitute almost 82 percent of usage, for example.

It also showed that almost 55 percent of commands are invoked with a right-click and another 32 percent using keyboard shortcuts, while only about 11 percent are invoked with the Command bar. Further only two of the top 10 commands invoked in Explorer are available in the Command bar.

After evaluating several approaches, Microsoft decided to use the Office-style ribbon as the user interface for commands. Among other benefits, this offers familiarity to users of Office, Microsoft Paint and Windows Live Essentials, so there’s little to learn.

The ribbon will have Home, Share and View tabs; a File menu; and various contextual tabs.

Existing add-ons will work in the right-click menus in Windows 8 but they won’t be able to plug into the ribbon UI, Microsoft said.

Share this article
Shareable URL
Prev Post

Smartphone may become history after 20 years from now

Next Post

Blogger gets new look and feature

Leave a Reply
Read next
Subscribe to our newsletter
Get notified of the best deals on our WordPress themes.
0
Share