Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Beta
Windows 7 beta help files are still a work in progress
by Brad Linder Jan 23rd 2009 at 5:00PM
There's no text, and there's no quick launch bar. When you open a program, an icon will show up in the taskbar. Open multiple windows and by default they'll b grouped together under a single icon, but by scrolling your mouse over that icon you can get live previews of what's going on in each window.
You can "pin" items to the taskbar, which gives you easy to access shortcuts in a manner that's similar to the old quick launch area. But when you launch an item from its shortcut Windows won't add a new icon to the taskbar. Instead, you can access any running instances of that program by clicking on the taskbar shortcut.
But you know what? You won't find any of this information in the Windows 7 help files. In fact, when you search for taskbar in the help and support area, nothing shows up at all. If you right click on the taskbar and select properties, there's a link that asks "How do I customize the taskbar," but it takes you to a help file that was clearly written for Windows Vista users. It shows the Vista taskbar and doesn't offer any information about the Windows 7 version of the taskbar.
To be fair, Windows 7 is currently beta software, and a lot of code has been borrowed from Windows Vista, not just the help documents. But I kind of expected that Microsoft would update the help files before releasing a public beta to help users navigate some of the major changes in the new operating system.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Cirdian said 6:11PM on 1-23-2009
right click the toolbar
then click the toolbar popup >
> click Desktop or click new toolbar... then find your desktop folder then activate it on the toolbar panel
there should be a Desktop >> bit
click >> (double arrows) and you have your whole PC on your desktop double click to open in window but that might not work sometimes so right-click and click open.
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David said 6:17PM on 1-23-2009
As a developer, this is a ridiculous post. Why would a developer want to write finalised help files for a product that is still in beta? Developers release beta and other pre-release products to testers and focus groups, in this case including the public, so that they can not only fix bugs, but also gather feedback on modifying and altering the system for better user satisfaction in the final product. As a developer, I do not want to devote resources on writing a help file for features in a product that might change as a result in the feedback, wasting my resources as I would need to rewrite my help file, or worse, limit my changes in the product to reduce the scope of the rewrite.
This public beta is clearly targeted for enthusiasts and not for consumption for the general public. Microsoft has also officially extensively blogged on these features so that the public can understand them when using the system. Microsoft also have extensive links throughout the system allowing people to send feedback, encouraging people to tell them about what they would like to change in the system. If you want a full complement of help files, I suggest you wait for the final release of the product instead of bashing a developer that has chosen to release a beta to the public. There are plenty of developers that don't release betas to the public.
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sithtoast said 10:48PM on 1-23-2009
File this under the "No Duh" category.
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Robert said 9:55AM on 1-24-2009
I agree with the others, Its absurd to expect complete documentation on an unfinished release.
"Attention every one i found something in this bit of unfinished software that is unfinished"
Thanks download squad!
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dgdfgdfg said 9:55AM on 1-24-2009
The way you describe the new taskbar, it sounds like the dock in MacOS — terrible. I don't understand why Microsoft can't be self-confident enough to stay true to what made them so good in the past, and instead has to copy bad ideas by other people.
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SleepingPanda said 3:03PM on 1-24-2009
It's not anything like the dock in OS X. http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/dock-and-windows-7-taskbar.ars
fdgdfgdf said 7:21PM on 1-24-2009
The article you cited is very strange. It describes how similar both are and then arrives at the conclusion that they aren't...
The separation between quicklaunch, normal apps and systray is perfect in Windows XP. Because all three have totally different purposes. For just launching a program, the icon should be very small, so that it does not take up a lot of space => quicklaunch. The same applies for background programs, because they run all the time, but 99% of the time you don't want to interact with them => systray. The "normal" apps on the other hands are the ones you currently work with. So the buttons should be big, to allow for quick interaction => "normal" taskbar space.
Taking that separation away would be a huge annoyance.
John said 7:22PM on 1-24-2009
I'm pretty sure I read about the taskbar by clicking on something that said "what's new in windows 7" or something to that effect. It talked about the taskbar and window sizing hotspots and the like. So it's there, just not where it should be.
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John said 7:22PM on 1-24-2009
I found where I was.
control panel->getting started->find out what's new in windows 7
It only talks about larger icons and window previews, so it is still lacking.
But that's what you guys are for, right?
NGPixel said 8:42AM on 1-25-2009
Seriously, what is this ridiculous article? Of course the help files are not there, that's why it's called "BETA". Help files are added at the very end of the development cycle.
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