Minimal

Hallelujah

I like acts of volition. It does a nice line in operating system user interface critique. Not only that, but it looks at Windows when most stuff on the web concentrates on the designer’s paradise that is Mac OS-X (or so it would appear). Today’s post on XUL even touches on something I wish Microsoft would get a lot more flak for — the inconsistency between their operating systems and their key application suite, Office. These two have steadily been growing further and further apart over the years, at least in terms of their UIs. The Office team seems hell-bent on innovating with a complete disregard for fitting into the OS. The menus in the latest versions of Office are a classic case in point.

For your average Windows developer trying to keep their apps looking current, this presents something of a dilemma. Do you try to imitate the look and feel of the applications most of your customers are probably using day-to-day? Or do you stay in line with the operating system, sacrificing some of the latest gimmicks and widgets? In times past, I’ve plumped with mimicking Office, but the more the Office team messes with standard UI widgets, the more likely it is I’ll favour the OS. Frankly, it pisses me off that I even have to make this choice. Why can’t the two key UI teams in Microsoft just work together for once, instead of trying to out-design each other? Surely someone has to rein them in? Please?