Windows Phone Thoughts: What Happened To A Standard Interface?

Remember the days of DOS, when every application had its own user interface? (For those that are too young to remember the days when DOS ruled the planet, just go read another thread on OlsenSisterThoughts.com or something :wink: ) When you opened up an application, there is no telling how the menu would be laid out, how you would access it or what the commands would be. Then, Windows 3.0 began to bring all of that under control. You could open Windows applications and even if you had little idea what the application did, you could open files, print them, close the application and a few other things. Then, you could customize your user interface. Didn't like the blue application bar? Make it red, and all applications honored that.


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Now, we are headed back to where the application writer is making up their own custom user interfaces and are not paying any attention to what the other applications look like, nor do they honor any of the visual preferences of the user. The above picture has Outlook 2003 in the background, and that does a pretty good job of following the user's preferences. Then, there is Internet Explorer 7 in front of that. The colors match my preferences, but where is the menu? Yes, I know you can enable the menu as a "toolbar" but then it sticks it under the address/navigation bar instead of at the top. Well, it could be worse I guess. In front of that is Windows Media Player 10, and it has some hokey down arrow that looks like a Windows 3.x "minimize" button that creates a flyout menu. :roll: And does WMP10 care one whit about my color preferences? Do you see the color blue in my theme anywhere? In front of that is Windows Live Messenger. It uses a different menu flyout button and has yet another color preference, which still isn't my preference. In front of that is Money 2007. It has seen fit to also customize the close/minimize buttons and also doesn't use my color preferences. This one has a real menu though, except, believe it or not, 99% of it's functionality can't be found in the menu. You have to use tabs to get to things, and then buttons and links. And finally, my personal favorite, Audible Manager 5, which you can configure to any color you like, as long as you like "what-the-heck-did-that-baby-poop-in-its-diaper green." And for good measure, Audible stuck some low res really hideous close/minimize buttons at the top. By the way, if any of you are fortunate enough to be using Audible Manger 4.x or lower, do not upgrade. :evil:

If I had iTunes installed, I am sure I would be shown Apple's lovely glass or stainless steel interface. Bleh. Can application developers get creative in how the application works and leave the border and menus alone? I can see some apps might want those turned off, as WMP10 does, but can I turn them on please? Maybe it is just me. I like consistency. I like my desktop to look somewhat organized, but that thing above looks like a random jumble of UIness. I know... what does this have to do with Windows Mobile? Everything. Every one of the apps above is used in conjunction with Windows Mobile, and chances are, you have most/all of them installed too and your desktop looks equally chaotic. Well, except for Money 2007, which no longer supports Windows Mobile. I guess in a way I am thankful Windows Mobile has such little screen real estate that developers leave it alone, and all of my apps look the same, and honor the theme I choose. :) What about you? Do you like all the differences or would you rather developers leave that stuff alone?