7 ms·

Use a taskbar replacement. I use StartAllBack [0] because unlike the Windows devs, I use my monitors in landscape mode (sassy way of saying it gives you a verti

Use a taskbar replacement. I use StartAllBack [0] because unlike the Windows devs, I use my monitors in landscape mode (sassy way of saying it gives you a vertical taskbar). It’s not free (not even as in beer, cheap and a one-time payment though), but it’s the only one that did what I wanted. If you are okay with a horizontal taskbar, there are even FLOSS tools. [0]: https://www.startallback.com/ https://www.startallback.com/

phreack 4y ago
It's sad because I liked Windows, but at this point if they keep doing this stuff I'd rather change the OS than the task bar. I still get all sorts of hardware and driver trouble that require arcane commands buried in old forums to fix, but Windows' UX is getting so much worse every update.
- Semaphor 4y ago
  Besides being very much in love with a bunch of Windows-only programs, I also work on .NET Framework (from before cross-platform times) apps, so I’d need to dual-boot anyway.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
usrusr 4y ago
I'm on https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher to make 11 bearable, but it's a bit of a rough ride every time an update hits. First time ever I went through with a "donate" link on some software, that's how bad 11 is!
- Semaphor 4y ago
  Thanks to using Directory Opus [0] as my explorer replacement for 1.5 decades by now, I got never hit by the explorer annoyances ;) [0]: https://www.gpsoft.com.au/ https://www.gpsoft.com.au/
  - mrandish 4y ago
    I used Directory Opus on my Amiga back in the early 90s. Couldn't live without it. Glad to see the same program is still alive and well.
    - Semaphor 4y ago
      Not only that, they are also still doing the traditional way of selling software for a fixed price, and not subscriptions
- francislavoie 4y ago
  My problem is that I need a left-screen-edge taskbar, which they totally removed as a feature in Win11. StartAllBack gives me that. Does ExplorerPatcher do that too?
  - usrusr 4y ago
    Just checked, left/right is possible, with two settings (one for the display designated primary, the other for all other displays). Taking another look at StartIsBack I'm somewhat surprised that I preferred donating to ExplorerPatched over buying StartIsBack, I guess I didn't want to get used to something that I could not install on any new computer encounter without money getting involved. That, and the massive Google results dominance StartIsBack enjoyed while I was desperately looking for an 11-fix: at a certain level of SEO success the trust heuristics in my brain start screaming "scam" no matter what. In an objective level I really don't believe that StartIsBack is anything close to malware (doesn't even require admin, apparently (1)), but the SEO success and intense layman appeal of the site triggers all my fight or flight reflexes. Far too reminiscent of those old system cleaner tool traps. ((1) not that "no admin" would be a panacea: that might have been a difference back in the day when "taking over the system" was the only thing to really be concerned about, but these days on a typical personal computer there's plenty of valuable identity stuff that a piece of malware could harvest without ever escalating beyond user)
    - francislavoie 4y ago
      Yeah that's totally fair. I had the same reticence, I didn't want to pay for a fundamental fix. But I needed it and I found no better option so I installed it. And it's pretty impressive overall. I avoided paying for it as long as I could (90 days) and then told myself, yeah, definitely can't do without this still, and paid for it.
- mrandish 4y ago
  I ordered an MS Surface Pro 8 when orders went live on the MS site. It turns out it had the dubious honor of being the very first laptop to ship with Win11 pre-installed. There was no mention of this on the order page or way to opt out. So it was a surprise when it showed up. I rely heavily on taskbar features so ExplorerPatcher has been my savior and the only way I stil have Win11 installed on that machine. It was a little rough in the early days but it's gotten much more reliable, especially if you're not taking bleeding edge Win11 Insider builds from Microsoft.
smusamashah 4y ago
I recommend using RetroBar https://github.com/dremin/RetroBar https://github.com/dremin/RetroBar Its portable and gives your taskbar look of Windows 98 -> Vista.
- Semaphor 4y ago
  > look of Windows 98 -> Vista I find that one ugly and inconvenient (I think around XP was the time I tried alternate window managers because the default look was so ugly). The modern look with the icons and icon-actions is perfect for a vertical taskbar

phreack 4y ago

It's sad because I liked Windows, but at this point if they keep doing this stuff I'd rather change the OS than the task bar. I still get all sorts of hardware and driver trouble that require arcane commands buried in old forums to fix, but Windows' UX is getting so much worse every update.

Semaphor 4y ago
Besides being very much in love with a bunch of Windows-only programs, I also work on .NET Framework (from before cross-platform times) apps, so I’d need to dual-boot anyway.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

usrusr 4y ago

I'm on https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher to make 11 bearable, but it's a bit of a rough ride every time an update hits. First time ever I went through with a "donate" link on some software, that's how bad 11 is!

Semaphor 4y ago
Thanks to using Directory Opus [0] as my explorer replacement for 1.5 decades by now, I got never hit by the explorer annoyances ;) [0]: https://www.gpsoft.com.au/ https://www.gpsoft.com.au/
- mrandish 4y ago
  I used Directory Opus on my Amiga back in the early 90s. Couldn't live without it. Glad to see the same program is still alive and well.
  - Semaphor 4y ago
    Not only that, they are also still doing the traditional way of selling software for a fixed price, and not subscriptions
francislavoie 4y ago
My problem is that I need a left-screen-edge taskbar, which they totally removed as a feature in Win11. StartAllBack gives me that. Does ExplorerPatcher do that too?
- usrusr 4y ago
  Just checked, left/right is possible, with two settings (one for the display designated primary, the other for all other displays). Taking another look at StartIsBack I'm somewhat surprised that I preferred donating to ExplorerPatched over buying StartIsBack, I guess I didn't want to get used to something that I could not install on any new computer encounter without money getting involved. That, and the massive Google results dominance StartIsBack enjoyed while I was desperately looking for an 11-fix: at a certain level of SEO success the trust heuristics in my brain start screaming "scam" no matter what. In an objective level I really don't believe that StartIsBack is anything close to malware (doesn't even require admin, apparently (1)), but the SEO success and intense layman appeal of the site triggers all my fight or flight reflexes. Far too reminiscent of those old system cleaner tool traps. ((1) not that "no admin" would be a panacea: that might have been a difference back in the day when "taking over the system" was the only thing to really be concerned about, but these days on a typical personal computer there's plenty of valuable identity stuff that a piece of malware could harvest without ever escalating beyond user)
  - francislavoie 4y ago
    Yeah that's totally fair. I had the same reticence, I didn't want to pay for a fundamental fix. But I needed it and I found no better option so I installed it. And it's pretty impressive overall. I avoided paying for it as long as I could (90 days) and then told myself, yeah, definitely can't do without this still, and paid for it.
mrandish 4y ago
I ordered an MS Surface Pro 8 when orders went live on the MS site. It turns out it had the dubious honor of being the very first laptop to ship with Win11 pre-installed. There was no mention of this on the order page or way to opt out. So it was a surprise when it showed up. I rely heavily on taskbar features so ExplorerPatcher has been my savior and the only way I stil have Win11 installed on that machine. It was a little rough in the early days but it's gotten much more reliable, especially if you're not taking bleeding edge Win11 Insider builds from Microsoft.

smusamashah 4y ago

I recommend using RetroBar https://github.com/dremin/RetroBar https://github.com/dremin/RetroBar Its portable and gives your taskbar look of Windows 98 -> Vista.

Semaphor 4y ago
> look of Windows 98 -> Vista I find that one ugly and inconvenient (I think around XP was the time I tried alternate window managers because the default look was so ugly). The modern look with the icons and icon-actions is perfect for a vertical taskbar