Tuesday, September 3, 2002
I don't like to wait
Posted by Andy Sjostrom in "OFF-TOPIC" @ 12:23 AM
Here's an off-topic rant that I have been thinking of writing but have never really come around to do it. But now I have had it. I just have to put this in writing.
<rant>
Why does an excellent operating system like Windows 2000 need more than fifteen seconds to open up a window with folders and files, or to create a new folder? I am referring to the shared Open system component, for example the File Open dialog box used in almost every Windows application. Try starting Excel and open the File Open dialog box. First, it takes like forever to get it to display the contents of the "Look in" drop down list. Then, if I navigate to the folder that I am looking for and want to create a subfolder, it takes another "for ever" to do that. If I do the same thing again, directly following the first time then it goes a lot faster as if things got cached from the first time. I don't know how many times every day for the last few years I have gotten frustrated over this. (Since the birth of the Common Dialog component in Windows 3.1, I guess!)
I realize that it takes time to browse CD-ROM drives, DVD drives and network connections. I realize that the first time I invoke a function such as creating a folder, it might take a little longer than the subsequent times due to the caching occuring. But there are no excuses for a fifteen second execution time. Especially not given the multithreading capabilities of the operating system. It would not be rocket science to have this shared system component do some background work while the application or even operating system launches and is being used, so that when I do want to manage my folders and files, I don't have to waaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit until foooor eveeeeeeeeeeeeerrr!
</rant>
<rant>
Why does an excellent operating system like Windows 2000 need more than fifteen seconds to open up a window with folders and files, or to create a new folder? I am referring to the shared Open system component, for example the File Open dialog box used in almost every Windows application. Try starting Excel and open the File Open dialog box. First, it takes like forever to get it to display the contents of the "Look in" drop down list. Then, if I navigate to the folder that I am looking for and want to create a subfolder, it takes another "for ever" to do that. If I do the same thing again, directly following the first time then it goes a lot faster as if things got cached from the first time. I don't know how many times every day for the last few years I have gotten frustrated over this. (Since the birth of the Common Dialog component in Windows 3.1, I guess!)
I realize that it takes time to browse CD-ROM drives, DVD drives and network connections. I realize that the first time I invoke a function such as creating a folder, it might take a little longer than the subsequent times due to the caching occuring. But there are no excuses for a fifteen second execution time. Especially not given the multithreading capabilities of the operating system. It would not be rocket science to have this shared system component do some background work while the application or even operating system launches and is being used, so that when I do want to manage my folders and files, I don't have to waaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit until foooor eveeeeeeeeeeeeerrr!
</rant>
