4 ms·

If they fixed my two biggest pet peeves with Windows 10, I'd be so, so happy. My number one pet peeve after switching back to Windows from Mac is the search.

If they fixed my two biggest pet peeves with Windows 10, I'd be so, so happy. My number one pet peeve after switching back to Windows from Mac is the search. On Mac, I used a hotkey for Spotlight to launch apps. It always found the right stuff, even with typos. On Windows, the Search results can be ridiculously bad even when you spell things correctly. Given how MS owns a search engine and that Apple doesn't, you'd expect it to be much, much better. My number two pet peeve is that there are two types settings - the new Windows 8/10 settings and the old Windows Control Panel. I don't know why it's taking so long to consolidate them, it unnecessarily complicates the user experience. Just pick one and go with it.

ocdtrekkie 9y ago
There's a lot more than two types of settings! For example, many of the Windows 7-style Control Panel dialogs are missing more sophisticated features until you click on Advanced or some sort of similar properties button, which actually will then pull up a Windows XP-style dialog! Microsoft has never successfully unified their settings and likely never will. Even though the Settings app has come a long way, it's still unideal for a lot of purposes, and they annoyingly have been making it harder to get to the Control Panel quickly. (Protip: If you want the legacy Programs and Features, searching "appwiz.cpl" is now the fastest way to get there, since they explicitly block "Programs and Features" from appearing in the search box it seems.) While annoyingly they've broken the legacy user management to force people to use Settings so they can repeatedly shove Microsoft accounts down people's throats (even in a domain environment), things like managing local/roaming profiles still requires you go all the way back to an XP-style advanced properties dialog you can only get to from the 7-style System Control Panel.
marcoperaza 9y ago
I don’t see the settings ever fully converging. The various control panel dialogs, MMC snap-ins, and other “old” settings dialogs expose an incredibly rich amount of functionality that most users will never need.
blinkingled 9y ago
Not sure why you have issues with W10 search - it always seems to do the right thing for most common use cases for me - C brings up Chrome, F Firefox, cm command prompt, A android studio to give a few examples. Settings - it's a transition thing. With so many legacy CPLs out there - system and 3rd party ones - that's the only reasonable approach they could take - to duplicate everything over to modern settings and leave the old ones around long enough. As time has progressed more and more stuff has appeared in modern settings. With the availability of great hardware options, it's hands down the best platform right now for users and developers.
- slantyyz 9y ago
  It works about 70% of the time on the first couple of keystrokes. On obviously easy stuff like the examples you mention, it's fine. On others, i.e. multiple apps that share the same words or prefix, like `photo`, or multiword apps where the keyword is not the first word in the name, it fails miserably. For example, if I type in the word `power` on my desktop, and I have Cyberlink PowerDirector and Cyberlink Power2Go and Cyberlink PowerMedia installed, only Powerpoint shows up in my app list to run. For me to even get all of my Cyberlink apps to show up, I have to type in the word `cyberlink` completely. Typing in `cyber` only shows two of the five Cyberlink apps I have installed. Mentally in my head, when I think of my Cyberlink apps, I think of the app names, not prefixed by vendor name. For your example "cm command prompt" - I use Cmder instead of the standard command prompt, which literally starts with `cm` unlike command prompt (yes, I get that the actual file name does start with `cm`), and Cmder is never the first option until I get to the `e`. Misspell a word, and all bets are off. Spotlight on Mac was way better at guessing what I wanted than Windows. IIRC, the accuracy was in the high 90% range on the first couple of keystrokes.
Someone1234 9y ago
Search on Windows is almost impressive in its "badness." And I'd love to say it is a recent development (or "bug") but Windows search has been junk for many years and releases. I mean they themselves must know something is wrong since they tried to reboot it in the failed Vista offshoot (WinFS in Longhorn[0]) using a relational database instead of their current index. But since that failed, they just stuck with it and kept piling on failed concepts to a broken core. Windows 8/8.1's web search took something inherently unreliable and tacked on a web search. Windows 10 tacked on a personal assistant. But often all people want is a reliable way to search file metadata (name, date, author, etc), file content, and misc OS constructs (Settings/Control Panel Applets, Shortcuts, etc). It gets none of that right. If I was in charge of the Windows division I'd fire the entire search team, and bring in a fresh set of eyes. There's something dysfunctional in a division that can consistently put out such poor software. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WinFS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WinFS
avtar 9y ago
They're third party app launching and search solutions but Wox [1] and Listary [2] (not entirely free) come to mind. For me the staggering number of Windows non-server SKU options [3] has been a pet peeve. I have zero insight into how profitable it is for them to structure things this way but in terms of optics it's just comical. Now they might be carving out the Home editions even further [4]?? [1] http://www.wox.one/ http://www.wox.one/ [2] http://www.listary.com/ http://www.listary.com/ [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10_editions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10_editions [4] https://www.onmsft.com/news/new-windows-10-editions-windows-10-in-s-mode-what-you-need-to-know-about-this-weekends-revelations https://www.onmsft.com/news/new-windows-10-editions-windows-...
- slantyyz 9y ago
  I bought a license for Listary when I switched from Mac to Windows 8. It's ok, but it's not quite as clean as just hitting the Windows key with your pinky finger and starting to type away.
  - mistermann 9y ago
    For file search: https://www.voidtools.com/ https://www.voidtools.com/ Under Search, you may want to enable "match path", then set up your favorite hotkey and read the search options and you should be all set. For apps, I just use Classic Start Menu (wonderful), but Launchy or something like that may be more up your alley for super common apps, not sure what the current best of breed is in that space.
Multicomp 9y ago
I gave up on Windows Search long ago. These days, I disable Windows Search indexing entirely, and use the Void Tools software called "Everything" - it needs a new name so you can use it as a verb (I Everythinged for the file sounds wrong), but other than that, it is a near-flawless, INSTANT search. Once, I was searching and searching for a particular file, couldn't find it anywhere. Was starting to wonder if I had deleted it or lost it...so I went looking and found HN users referring to this Everything thing. I installed it, checked the box for "run Everything now" on the finish wizard, the window loaded, I typed the name, and poof, there the file was, 27 (or whatever, way more than 5) directories deep. My jaw hit the floor, and the rest is history.
- slantyyz 9y ago
  Yeah, I get it. The first thing I disable on any Windows machine is the "search the web" part of search. I never ever want a web search when I'm using the Windows search box. That default behavior drove me nuts. The only thing I really use it for is launching apps (via the Windows key), in the way I used to use a hot key + spotlight on Mac.
- mistermann 9y ago
  That Microsoft does not use this functionality in their search, at least in a useful way, to me implies malice rather than incompetence. There's simply no way you can be that incompetent at UI design.

ocdtrekkie 9y ago

There's a lot more than two types of settings! For example, many of the Windows 7-style Control Panel dialogs are missing more sophisticated features until you click on Advanced or some sort of similar properties button, which actually will then pull up a Windows XP-style dialog! Microsoft has never successfully unified their settings and likely never will. Even though the Settings app has come a long way, it's still unideal for a lot of purposes, and they annoyingly have been making it harder to get to the Control Panel quickly. (Protip: If you want the legacy Programs and Features, searching "appwiz.cpl" is now the fastest way to get there, since they explicitly block "Programs and Features" from appearing in the search box it seems.) While annoyingly they've broken the legacy user management to force people to use Settings so they can repeatedly shove Microsoft accounts down people's throats (even in a domain environment), things like managing local/roaming profiles still requires you go all the way back to an XP-style advanced properties dialog you can only get to from the 7-style System Control Panel.

marcoperaza 9y ago

I don’t see the settings ever fully converging. The various control panel dialogs, MMC snap-ins, and other “old” settings dialogs expose an incredibly rich amount of functionality that most users will never need.

blinkingled 9y ago

Not sure why you have issues with W10 search - it always seems to do the right thing for most common use cases for me - C brings up Chrome, F Firefox, cm command prompt, A android studio to give a few examples. Settings - it's a transition thing. With so many legacy CPLs out there - system and 3rd party ones - that's the only reasonable approach they could take - to duplicate everything over to modern settings and leave the old ones around long enough. As time has progressed more and more stuff has appeared in modern settings. With the availability of great hardware options, it's hands down the best platform right now for users and developers.

slantyyz 9y ago
It works about 70% of the time on the first couple of keystrokes. On obviously easy stuff like the examples you mention, it's fine. On others, i.e. multiple apps that share the same words or prefix, like `photo`, or multiword apps where the keyword is not the first word in the name, it fails miserably. For example, if I type in the word `power` on my desktop, and I have Cyberlink PowerDirector and Cyberlink Power2Go and Cyberlink PowerMedia installed, only Powerpoint shows up in my app list to run. For me to even get all of my Cyberlink apps to show up, I have to type in the word `cyberlink` completely. Typing in `cyber` only shows two of the five Cyberlink apps I have installed. Mentally in my head, when I think of my Cyberlink apps, I think of the app names, not prefixed by vendor name. For your example "cm command prompt" - I use Cmder instead of the standard command prompt, which literally starts with `cm` unlike command prompt (yes, I get that the actual file name does start with `cm`), and Cmder is never the first option until I get to the `e`. Misspell a word, and all bets are off. Spotlight on Mac was way better at guessing what I wanted than Windows. IIRC, the accuracy was in the high 90% range on the first couple of keystrokes.

Someone1234 9y ago

Search on Windows is almost impressive in its "badness." And I'd love to say it is a recent development (or "bug") but Windows search has been junk for many years and releases. I mean they themselves must know something is wrong since they tried to reboot it in the failed Vista offshoot (WinFS in Longhorn[0]) using a relational database instead of their current index. But since that failed, they just stuck with it and kept piling on failed concepts to a broken core. Windows 8/8.1's web search took something inherently unreliable and tacked on a web search. Windows 10 tacked on a personal assistant. But often all people want is a reliable way to search file metadata (name, date, author, etc), file content, and misc OS constructs (Settings/Control Panel Applets, Shortcuts, etc). It gets none of that right. If I was in charge of the Windows division I'd fire the entire search team, and bring in a fresh set of eyes. There's something dysfunctional in a division that can consistently put out such poor software. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WinFS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WinFS

avtar 9y ago

They're third party app launching and search solutions but Wox [1] and Listary [2] (not entirely free) come to mind. For me the staggering number of Windows non-server SKU options [3] has been a pet peeve. I have zero insight into how profitable it is for them to structure things this way but in terms of optics it's just comical. Now they might be carving out the Home editions even further [4]?? [1] http://www.wox.one/ http://www.wox.one/ [2] http://www.listary.com/ http://www.listary.com/ [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10_editions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10_editions [4] https://www.onmsft.com/news/new-windows-10-editions-windows-10-in-s-mode-what-you-need-to-know-about-this-weekends-revelations https://www.onmsft.com/news/new-windows-10-editions-windows-...

slantyyz 9y ago
I bought a license for Listary when I switched from Mac to Windows 8. It's ok, but it's not quite as clean as just hitting the Windows key with your pinky finger and starting to type away.
- mistermann 9y ago
  For file search: https://www.voidtools.com/ https://www.voidtools.com/ Under Search, you may want to enable "match path", then set up your favorite hotkey and read the search options and you should be all set. For apps, I just use Classic Start Menu (wonderful), but Launchy or something like that may be more up your alley for super common apps, not sure what the current best of breed is in that space.

Multicomp 9y ago

I gave up on Windows Search long ago. These days, I disable Windows Search indexing entirely, and use the Void Tools software called "Everything" - it needs a new name so you can use it as a verb (I Everythinged for the file sounds wrong), but other than that, it is a near-flawless, INSTANT search. Once, I was searching and searching for a particular file, couldn't find it anywhere. Was starting to wonder if I had deleted it or lost it...so I went looking and found HN users referring to this Everything thing. I installed it, checked the box for "run Everything now" on the finish wizard, the window loaded, I typed the name, and poof, there the file was, 27 (or whatever, way more than 5) directories deep. My jaw hit the floor, and the rest is history.

slantyyz 9y ago
Yeah, I get it. The first thing I disable on any Windows machine is the "search the web" part of search. I never ever want a web search when I'm using the Windows search box. That default behavior drove me nuts. The only thing I really use it for is launching apps (via the Windows key), in the way I used to use a hot key + spotlight on Mac.
mistermann 9y ago
That Microsoft does not use this functionality in their search, at least in a useful way, to me implies malice rather than incompetence. There's simply no way you can be that incompetent at UI design.