My View: Vista Takes Too Many Clicks to do the Job

I just posted about the Start Menu Search box, a Vista feature that saves time, but I've found that most tasks seem to take extra keystrokes to complete than the corresponding function in XP.

Let's use changing the time on the clock as an example.

In XP, it takes two quick clicks:

1. Double-click the clock in the System Tray. The Date and Time Properties dialog box opens.
2. Change the time and click OK.

In Vista, the same action takes five steps.

1. Click the clock in the System Tray.
2. Click the Change Date and Time Settings link. The Date and Time dialog box opens.
3. Click the Change Date and Time button.  The Date and Time Settings dialog box opens where you can finally adjust the time.
4. Adjust the time and click OK to set the time.
5. Click OK again to close the Date and Time dialog box.

How is this an improvement? In my mind as the OS evolves, it should require fewer keystrokes to do the job (or at least that should be the goal).

Lest you think I'm nitpicking, let's look at one more example on changing Display Settings.

In XP, you right-click the Desktop and choose Properties and all of the possible display setting are presented to you in a single multi-tab dialog box. You can change the ones you want, click OK and you are done.

In Vista, to do the same thing, right-click the Desktop and choose Personalize (an odd choice of names to me). The Personalize Appearance and Sounds window opens where you can choose each of the personalization options (and by the way I don't see anything to do with sound here).

Instead of the single dialog box you get in XP, you have to click each display option one at a time, make your changes, click OK, return to the Personalization window, then repeat. Again, how is this better? It is, in fact, a step back in my opinion because now instead of having the feature neatly combined in a single dialog box, it is spread out over several pieces requiring you to do more work to accomplish the same task.

I think in this case Microsoft engineers really missed the mark in this regard and I'll write more soon about similar issues with too many keystrokes in Office 2007.

Comments

[Jake]

I haven't used Vista yet, but I am amazed at how many people have similar, negative experiences with it. DIdn't they test this thing out?

I recently read Shelly's Palmer's
"Cracked Windows" essay:

http://advancedmediacommittee.typepad.com/emmyadvancedmedia/2007/02/cracked_windows.html

It made me just wonder if we even need Microsoft anymore. I mean, Google Apps just keep gettting stronger and stronger. There's something cool about being able to access your documents from anywhere.

- Jake
__
Thanks for the note. Interesting point. I'm wondering the same thing. I think Microsoft will always have a place in the enterprise, but I think they will grow less relevant over time in the consumer market, especially as you point out web-based alternatives that make the OS less relevant.

Thanks again for taking the time to leave a comment.

Regards,
RM

[mfatal]

Hiya,

Anyone already discoverd how you can navigate in Vista to display properties like we use to in xp? It drives me nuts to go the Granny six thousand clicks path. :/

Rundll32.exe doesn't do it. :/

Pure sufferage if you ask me.

Sincerely,
Mfatal