5 ms·

When I still was using Windows few years ago (and was not very active developer), I though MS finally made app developers to use Windows native UI/UX design. I

by trymas 11y ago

When I still was using Windows few years ago (and was not very active developer), I though MS finally made app developers to use Windows native UI/UX design. I mean that, I thought tabular design of complex apps was pushed to third party app developers from MS. IMHO tabular GUI is rather good, so I was happy user, where many big apps were rather similar and easy to use. Before MS Office 2007, every app had very cluttered UI and after many apps had similar design. I cannot remember many, but I know AutoCAD [1] started using design as in MS Word, also MathCAD [2]. TIL it wasn't new Microsofts design language and many apps were/are living on the knifes edge and can be sued if they will get too close to MS's GUI design. [1] http://www.softpedia.com/screenshots/AutoCAD_1.png http://www.softpedia.com/screenshots/AutoCAD_1.png [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathcad#/media/File:Top_right_Prime_screengrab.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathcad#/media/File:Top_right_...

iamtew 11y ago
The UI/UX could also be licensed, so you were allowed to use it. I can't remember what they called it, but I do remember a few years ago my job at the time we had a big .NET application that was using the same design, and we had a license to use it all.
- yuhong 11y ago
  Yea, and that license had restrictions, as mentioned in the complaint.
- huac 11y ago
  I think the relevant portion is a non-compete with MS Office products. further info about license: http://weblogs.asp.net/fbouma/the-evil-of-the-office-ui-ribbon-license http://weblogs.asp.net/fbouma/the-evil-of-the-office-ui-ribb... original license and requirements (now dead): https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa973809.aspx https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa973809.aspx archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20120317065353/http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa973809.aspx https://web.archive.org/web/20120317065353/http://msdn.micro... apparently the non-compete is removed now: https://www.devexpress.com/Support/Center/Question/Details/Q559500 https://www.devexpress.com/Support/Center/Question/Details/Q...
- spyder 11y ago
  It's called "ribbon" UI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribbon_%28computing%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribbon_%28computing%29 And from the bottom of the wiki page: "The Microsoft Ribbon Licensing Page has been retired, therefore it is no longer possible to license the ribbon control from Microsoft."
  - dogma1138 11y ago
    There are quite a few vendors like Telerik that would sell your ribbon controls for .NET/WPF/Native/Web applications. http://demos.telerik.com/aspnet-ajax/ribbonbar/examples/overview/defaultcs.aspx http://demos.telerik.com/aspnet-ajax/ribbonbar/examples/over... Telerik is quite huge in the .NET world but they also could've licensed it from MSFT for resell.
  - nailer 11y ago
    Going to be picky here and clarify that Microsoft - and the small niche of people who run wikipedia - want people to call it ribbon. But anyone who's used major software from Lotus or KDE knows that tabbed toolbars are tabbed toolbars and Microsoft didn't invent them in 2007.
    - tamana 11y ago
      MS also had tabbed toolbars before they built their ribbon format.
    - deleted 11y ago
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by trymas 11y ago

iamtew 11y ago

The UI/UX could also be licensed, so you were allowed to use it. I can't remember what they called it, but I do remember a few years ago my job at the time we had a big .NET application that was using the same design, and we had a license to use it all.

yuhong 11y ago
Yea, and that license had restrictions, as mentioned in the complaint.
huac 11y ago
I think the relevant portion is a non-compete with MS Office products. further info about license: http://weblogs.asp.net/fbouma/the-evil-of-the-office-ui-ribbon-license http://weblogs.asp.net/fbouma/the-evil-of-the-office-ui-ribb... original license and requirements (now dead): https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa973809.aspx https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa973809.aspx archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20120317065353/http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa973809.aspx https://web.archive.org/web/20120317065353/http://msdn.micro... apparently the non-compete is removed now: https://www.devexpress.com/Support/Center/Question/Details/Q559500 https://www.devexpress.com/Support/Center/Question/Details/Q...
spyder 11y ago
It's called "ribbon" UI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribbon_%28computing%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribbon_%28computing%29 And from the bottom of the wiki page: "The Microsoft Ribbon Licensing Page has been retired, therefore it is no longer possible to license the ribbon control from Microsoft."
- dogma1138 11y ago
  There are quite a few vendors like Telerik that would sell your ribbon controls for .NET/WPF/Native/Web applications. http://demos.telerik.com/aspnet-ajax/ribbonbar/examples/overview/defaultcs.aspx http://demos.telerik.com/aspnet-ajax/ribbonbar/examples/over... Telerik is quite huge in the .NET world but they also could've licensed it from MSFT for resell.
- nailer 11y ago
  Going to be picky here and clarify that Microsoft - and the small niche of people who run wikipedia - want people to call it ribbon. But anyone who's used major software from Lotus or KDE knows that tabbed toolbars are tabbed toolbars and Microsoft didn't invent them in 2007.
  - tamana 11y ago
    MS also had tabbed toolbars before they built their ribbon format.
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  - deleted 11y ago
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