"Piles" in 10.3????

Yes, I have to say that's something I'd find very useful! Particularly if the actual thing is as responsive as that user-created "vision" demo!
 
Like a folder on steroids... The difference is: You've gotta open a folder to see what's inside, while you merely 'hover' above the pile (or stack) and get a visual clue on what's inside even before hovering above it.
 
Originally posted by uoba
So my OS X desktop is gonna look like my office desktop!! Aaargghh!!

Gotta tidy up!
Click to expand...
if only you could hover your hand over that pile on your office desktop to see whats hiddden in there.
i can see it now. i will be sitting there, and will actually try to touch a pile of paper on my desk expecting it to rise up so i can see whats there.
have a look at the "you know your an osx geek when.." thread, you will know what im saying.

anyways. i like the idea.
 
Originally posted by fryke
Like a folder on steroids... The difference is: You've gotta open a folder to see what's inside, while you merely 'hover' above the pile (or stack) and get a visual clue on what's inside even before hovering above it.
Click to expand...

This is actually the first time this Piles concept I've heard rumored makes any sense. Nice description.
 
But what if the pile stand on the top of your screen? If the pile is to high, it will disappear behind the menubar/end of screen.

So i think it will be something that you can create in your dock, not on a desktop.
 
I hope this makes it to the GM release of Panther, and I hope Steve doesn't do anything stupid or crazy (as he's known to do somtimes) This is the coolest concept ever for an OS...
 
Although I think the idea is good, I would hate to see another bad implementation here. By focusing so much on making things genie around the screen, you lose a lot of functionality. Not that this demo is what apple would actually have, but notice how confusing this would be if you already knew where in the pile you needed to click, but the pile was still springing open, and when you mouse up to a doc, the pile starts to close. Or you quickly try to click on a doc in the pile and it wants to make you wait while it fully expands, then you can click on it, then you have to wait again while it closes.
Look at the dock; if you throw your applications folder in there for a quick way to launch apps, forget it. Unlike the classic apple menu, putting folders in the dock and right clicking/control clicking on them is slow and sticky.
What I am saying is that you can still have a graphically elegant system, without having features in there that slow down/foul up the actual use of the computer. Features like this and the genie stuff should be further simplified.
 
i prefer just throwing a folder in the dock, or whatever... i personally have links to my hds in a folder, in my dock, so i can browse to any point through my dock

osxmenu.jpg
 
it's not yet official. Maybe a pile is going to be something totally different. Wait for Panther and then start to talk negative about everything.
 
um we are talking about our opinions on what information (whether it be true or not) that we have recieved... everyone has a right to an opinion :)
 
Didn't Apple learn with the dock that it's a bad, bad, terrible idea to present the user with a group of generic icons that they have to mouse over to see what they are?

I got to watch a new computer user stumble around OS X for the first time yesterday. Absolute fucking NIGHTMARE. Sadly, everything the person did wrong made perfect logical sense; it was the GUI that was illogical. GUIs still have a long, LONG way to go, and features like this are a step backward.
 
That's not what the documents of the patent describe. Actually, you _do_ see it on the pile. It all depends on how they implement it, really.

It's also not like a folder were better in that respect. Plus: You don't have to use it. Every user can set your computer up in a way that YOU are confused. ;-)
 
Originally posted by phatcactus
Didn't Apple learn with the dock that it's a bad, bad, terrible idea to present the user with a group of generic icons that they have to mouse over to see what they are?

I got to watch a new computer user stumble around OS X for the first time yesterday. Absolute fucking NIGHTMARE. Sadly, everything the person did wrong made perfect logical sense; it was the GUI that was illogical. GUIs still have a long, LONG way to go, and features like this are a step backward.
Click to expand...

Happened to me too yesterday. But in my case it was because he was only familiar with Windows. (Windows' GUI isn't very logical either)
 
I think the need for a more efficent browsing structure is needed. Folders work, but if you have a large number nested within each other, navigating through them can be a pain. Piles won't fix this obviously. I once saw some guy on Tech TV talkiing about using tons of lines of text to replace the desktop. Looked like a hacked word document, i would go crazy looking through a maze as confusing as that. I think a smart browser that learns are actions would be good. When we open certain apps it could adjust, expecting us to go to the folder we last worked in, yes that is there somewhat already, but also find data that can be used in the app and organizing by file type regardless the drive or partition it is on. If i don't access certain files in a long time, move them to a old area, a data grave, that way i can find them there, already organized. We remember things when other things trigger a memory, so if the computer can remember something when we repeat certain patterns, or something connects to some data due to some relation, that would be great.
 
What I think is neat abour piles, or even folders if it were done like this. Is making them like smart playlist in itunes. For instance. I keep a folder full of alias to all my apps. How nice would it be if I could make a pile or folder and say "add all app files" then it undates live like a smart playlist. Then there is a pile, and I know all apps are in it! Great! Could do if for different thinkgs. I think that would be cool.

Matthew
 
I don't know if we really need better systems to consolidate our data. I think that we need to be smarter with our data. I would say that the best way to do it is not in piles, but just to get rid of the extra data that we don't need. Maybe even a simpler life. That is what computers were supposed so do, but they just seem to make it more complicated.

Just some thoughts.
 
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