Make a non-idiot mode. When non-idiot mode is activated the following occurs:
#1 All folders show "name" "extension" "size" "date created" "date modified" and nothing else. All alterations made by the user are automatically filtered into the entire filesystem. Don't ever "guess" what a directory is for. Computers are shit at guessing things.
#2 When I try to change a .png extension to .jpg I don't want alerted that this will "make the file unusable". That is an insult to my intelligence.
#3 When I try to delete a file that another process has a lock on you TELL ME WHAT GODDAMNED PROCESS HAS A LOCK ON IT so I can kill it.
#4 The GUI should look like windows 2000, no fussing with silly transparent windows or Mac wanna-be bullshit. I avoid macs for the same reason I avoid the Candyland.
#5 All files are assumed to be text files unless otherwise associated with other applications. That is, if I click on phat.properties, load it into whatever phat.txt would have been loaded into, most likely notepad.
#6 I use notepad more than almost any other application. It's time to start giving it more features. I'll bet there are 100 hackers at microsoft who would love to make notepad into a new emacs.
#7 Port every popular unix utility (grep, locate, sed, whatever) to windows and let me run them from the command prompt.
I detest the idea of a "non-idiot mode" or "expert mode". Software doesn't need to be complicated to be powerful.
#1 Google Docs has a fantastic organizational tool which is much better suited to the task than a traditional file system.
#2 Why are we messing with file names anyway? Flickr doesn't force me to think about this problem.
#3 Why can't I unlink a file instead of deleting it? Why should I have to kill a process?
#4 shrug Beautiful is welcome if you don't suck down my resources too badly.
#5 Again, normal users are forced to interact with file systems far too often.
#6 If you like Emacs so much, why don't you just use Emacs?
#7 PowerShell comes with Windows 7... or you can install Cygwin.
#8 shrug both technically already work nearly everywhere.
You are proposing "solutions" to common problems you have had. Your solutions have a remedy nature to them. You exhibit the traditional Microsoft band-aid mentality. Microsoft's culture is designed around managing complexity. We're damn good at coming up with complex solutions to complex problems. We are very weak at deriving simple solutions to complex problems. However, more importantly, we are very weak at identifying important problems to solve, and hence simplifying the needs for solutions. It seems to me like you would fit right in here. That is not necessarily a good thing.
If you like Emacs so much, why don't you just use Emacs?
Not the point. Microsoft has had a blank-slate opportunity with things like calc and notepad but has squandered them. Why not make calc the world's best calculator? Why not make notepad the best text editor? Instead, those apps are just like the 1998 versions, while they've diddled with the meaningless start menu and control panel for probably 200 million dollars in man hours.
"Not capable" can have two meanings. First, you could mean that Microsoft engineers lack the skill and ability to make a better calculator or text editor. Second, you could mean that Microsoft's hands are tied by a variety of reasons (legacy support, antitrust concerns, etc).
I know it's popular to assume Microsoft's incompetency, but that's not the case here.
Many engineers internally have proposed changes and provided patches that could drastically improve the functionality. However, the gatekeepers are incredibly conservative. Not only do they have to consider the legacy issues, but they also have to consider all of the ISVs who would kick and scream about anti-trust. The subset of the customer base who would truly appreciate a better notepad do not justify the risks.
It is 100% the point. If you want a specific tool, go use that tool. There are probably more lines of code to handle indentation in emacs than in all of notepad.
Fwiw, since '98, notepad gained keyboard shortcuts and calculator had its backend rewritten to handle higher precision decimals. Both are simple utilities for simple tasks.
And you know what? The best calculator in the world, it has physical buttons. Or, it is Mathematica. Answering which is best depends completley on the question, and totally misses the point.
Microsoft has a high-end text editor, it is called Visual Studio. The express versions are available for free.
Microsoft does ship a more powerful calculator, also for free, as a "Power Toy". It is just about as powerful as you can get without competing against Mathematica or Maple. However, I'd assume they have not included it with the OS for fear of anti-trust complaints from Wolfram or Maplesoft. All that said, Windows 7 will include an upgraded calculator with a "programmer mode": http://www.online-tech-tips.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/w...
The funny thing is that NO ONE (that matters) complains about calc or notepad. Calc and notepad are completely inconsequential to IT decision makers and personal buyers. The start menu, however, has not scaled to support the shear number of applications the average user has. It is a pain point which IT administrators complained about on a routine basis. It also supports an insanely high level of customization which is 100% controllable by group policy and the like. The squeaky wheel gets the oil.
#1 All folders show "name" "extension" "size" "date created" "date modified" and nothing else. All alterations made by the user are automatically filtered into the entire filesystem. Don't ever "guess" what a directory is for. Computers are shit at guessing things.
#2 When I try to change a .png extension to .jpg I don't want alerted that this will "make the file unusable". That is an insult to my intelligence.
#3 When I try to delete a file that another process has a lock on you TELL ME WHAT GODDAMNED PROCESS HAS A LOCK ON IT so I can kill it.
#4 The GUI should look like windows 2000, no fussing with silly transparent windows or Mac wanna-be bullshit. I avoid macs for the same reason I avoid the Candyland.
#5 All files are assumed to be text files unless otherwise associated with other applications. That is, if I click on phat.properties, load it into whatever phat.txt would have been loaded into, most likely notepad.
#6 I use notepad more than almost any other application. It's time to start giving it more features. I'll bet there are 100 hackers at microsoft who would love to make notepad into a new emacs.
#7 Port every popular unix utility (grep, locate, sed, whatever) to windows and let me run them from the command prompt.
#8 Switch backslashes to forward slashes.
#9 Bring back qbasic gorilla.