4 ms·

Don't upgrade for the center taskbar. Use https://github.com/mdhiggins/CenterTaskbar https://github.com/mdhiggins/CenterTaskbar instead.

bellyfullofbac 5y ago
Center taskbar seems like another one of those "looks cool, but is actually is degradation of usability" idea. If my icons are left-justified, then if I want to switch to e.g. IntelliJ (if for some reason I'm not alt-tabbing), my muscle memory remembers that it's the 8th or so icon from the left, so around pixel 400 from the left, and I can just move my mouse and my eyes towards that area. But with center taskbar, the location of that icon is variable depending on how many apps I have open, so I would be wasting more brain cycles having to search for it...
- cout 5y ago
  I don't get why designers want to redesign fundamental UI components every few years. It would be like a car company redesigning the steering wheel after decades of it being round (Austin-Morris tried that with the Allegro, and it didn't go so well).
  - MiddleEndian 5y ago
    I wrote a short "story" about this and automatic updates https://www.middleendian.com/furniture https://www.middleendian.com/furniture
  - giobox 5y ago
    If you force a team of talented people to go into perpetual “maintenance mode” for a product many of them will want to quit (understandably!). At any rate, a new UI generates interest in an OS the way few other features will, so while it annoys old timers it has a clear marketing function too - see the ridiculous speed at which everything had to get a “dark mode” for their UI a few years ago as another example of this.
- MiddleEndian 5y ago
  Agreed. The consistent muscle memory support for both the mouse and the keyboard shortcuts (Win 1,2,...,9,0), whether your regular programs are open or closed, is probably my favorite part of the Windows 7-10 UI.
devetec 5y ago
Or TaskbarX: https://github.com/ChrisAnd1998/TaskbarX https://github.com/ChrisAnd1998/TaskbarX

bellyfullofbac 5y ago

Center taskbar seems like another one of those "looks cool, but is actually is degradation of usability" idea. If my icons are left-justified, then if I want to switch to e.g. IntelliJ (if for some reason I'm not alt-tabbing), my muscle memory remembers that it's the 8th or so icon from the left, so around pixel 400 from the left, and I can just move my mouse and my eyes towards that area. But with center taskbar, the location of that icon is variable depending on how many apps I have open, so I would be wasting more brain cycles having to search for it...

cout 5y ago
I don't get why designers want to redesign fundamental UI components every few years. It would be like a car company redesigning the steering wheel after decades of it being round (Austin-Morris tried that with the Allegro, and it didn't go so well).
- MiddleEndian 5y ago
  I wrote a short "story" about this and automatic updates https://www.middleendian.com/furniture https://www.middleendian.com/furniture
- giobox 5y ago
  If you force a team of talented people to go into perpetual “maintenance mode” for a product many of them will want to quit (understandably!). At any rate, a new UI generates interest in an OS the way few other features will, so while it annoys old timers it has a clear marketing function too - see the ridiculous speed at which everything had to get a “dark mode” for their UI a few years ago as another example of this.
MiddleEndian 5y ago
Agreed. The consistent muscle memory support for both the mouse and the keyboard shortcuts (Win 1,2,...,9,0), whether your regular programs are open or closed, is probably my favorite part of the Windows 7-10 UI.

devetec 5y ago

Or TaskbarX: https://github.com/ChrisAnd1998/TaskbarX https://github.com/ChrisAnd1998/TaskbarX