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Since I installed PowerToys[0] and activated Run, I barely use the taskbar to start any program. It works like alt+f2 on Ubuntu, which is the experience I find

Since I installed PowerToys[0] and activated Run, I barely use the taskbar to start any program. It works like alt+f2 on Ubuntu, which is the experience I find most useful. [0] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/

bigmattystyles 3y ago
Powertoys feels like one arm of Microsoft to fix windows’ shortcomings due to the other arm via an independent app rather than fixing the actual component because doing so is too fraught with politics and incentives.
- mcv 3y ago
  So Microsoft does know how to fix the problems with Windows, but simply chooses not to because of internal politics? Because I keep wondering how such a big, well-established company full of smart people can create such a piece of crap as their flagship product.
  - Jochim 3y ago
    The impression I got from reading through some of the Windows Terminal[0] issues/release notes, is that It's understandable that it's much slower and more challenging to make changes to functionality that's become part of Windows core. If something in PowerToys turns out to be a bad idea, it can be removed. It's much harder to justify that when it's been baked into the OS. [0] https://github.com/microsoft/terminal https://github.com/microsoft/terminal
    - askiiart 3y ago
      > If something in PowerToys turns out to be a bad idea, it can be removed. It's much harder to justify that when it's been baked into the OS. Yet Microsoft seems to have no concerns about changing out functional, fast, easy to use components for worse replacements.
      - Jochim 3y ago
        I wasn't speaking to the quality of their decision making. A lot of their new UI fails to satisfy anything but the simplest of use cases but I'm sure it took a very long time and lots of meetings for it to get approved and deployed. The Frankenstein period of old/new settings UI coexisting is further evidence of how painful ripping out OS functionality can be. I doubt anyone wanted to keep those dialogs around.
        askiiart 3y ago
        Ah, I see your point. Thank you for the clarification :)
      - bigmattystyles 3y ago
        If you look at it from their incentives (serving you adds, getting you to use their products over competitor's, etc...) then it makes sense. Uniformity and Usability appears to be a secondary concern.
  - vxNsr 3y ago
    this[0] might be some insight in how microsoft works, this is from the inventor of powershell [0]https://twitter.com/jsnover/status/1653541834751180803?s=20 https://twitter.com/jsnover/status/1653541834751180803?s=20
- geraldhh 3y ago
  well put! aand it's doing so for some time now (20y?)
- easton 3y ago
  Microsoft's org chart makes this pattern evident: https://ritholtz.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/2011.06.27_organizational_charts.png https://ritholtz.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/2011.06.27_o... (that's not the original source for that image, I can't remember where it came from originally)
  - akaij 3y ago
    https://goomics.net/62/ https://goomics.net/62/

bigmattystyles 3y ago

Powertoys feels like one arm of Microsoft to fix windows’ shortcomings due to the other arm via an independent app rather than fixing the actual component because doing so is too fraught with politics and incentives.

mcv 3y ago
So Microsoft does know how to fix the problems with Windows, but simply chooses not to because of internal politics? Because I keep wondering how such a big, well-established company full of smart people can create such a piece of crap as their flagship product.
- Jochim 3y ago
  The impression I got from reading through some of the Windows Terminal[0] issues/release notes, is that It's understandable that it's much slower and more challenging to make changes to functionality that's become part of Windows core. If something in PowerToys turns out to be a bad idea, it can be removed. It's much harder to justify that when it's been baked into the OS. [0] https://github.com/microsoft/terminal https://github.com/microsoft/terminal
  - askiiart 3y ago
    > If something in PowerToys turns out to be a bad idea, it can be removed. It's much harder to justify that when it's been baked into the OS. Yet Microsoft seems to have no concerns about changing out functional, fast, easy to use components for worse replacements.
    - Jochim 3y ago
      I wasn't speaking to the quality of their decision making. A lot of their new UI fails to satisfy anything but the simplest of use cases but I'm sure it took a very long time and lots of meetings for it to get approved and deployed. The Frankenstein period of old/new settings UI coexisting is further evidence of how painful ripping out OS functionality can be. I doubt anyone wanted to keep those dialogs around.
      - askiiart 3y ago
        Ah, I see your point. Thank you for the clarification :)
    - bigmattystyles 3y ago
      If you look at it from their incentives (serving you adds, getting you to use their products over competitor's, etc...) then it makes sense. Uniformity and Usability appears to be a secondary concern.
- vxNsr 3y ago
  this[0] might be some insight in how microsoft works, this is from the inventor of powershell [0]https://twitter.com/jsnover/status/1653541834751180803?s=20 https://twitter.com/jsnover/status/1653541834751180803?s=20
geraldhh 3y ago
well put! aand it's doing so for some time now (20y?)
easton 3y ago
Microsoft's org chart makes this pattern evident: https://ritholtz.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/2011.06.27_organizational_charts.png https://ritholtz.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/2011.06.27_o... (that's not the original source for that image, I can't remember where it came from originally)
- akaij 3y ago
  https://goomics.net/62/ https://goomics.net/62/