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Does Microsoft have a UI spring surprise up its sleeve? Redmond has been telling closed beta test groups that new icons notwithstanding, the Whistler UI isn't finished yet, leading to some rampant speculation that the converged Windows desktop could see a major overhaul between now and its final release.
Well, from our enquiries, it doesn't look like anything that dramatic is likely. But Microsoft Research has been doing some intriguing work that could ease Winders, a derivative of the 15 year old 2D Mac desktop, into a real 3D environment. And do so fairly painlessly.
Changing rooms
As its name suggests TaskGallery is a Microsoft Research project that drops the user into a 3D space, with Windows represented by reduced-size thumbnails. The MSR team took advantage of a specially engineered kernel and GDI libraries in Windows 2000 - having the work blessed at an early stage by Bill himself must have helped - and renders a 3D polygon.
Windows are reduced to thumbnails that can be "hung" in a room, giving the user context associations. It sounds clunky, but amazingly, isn't.
Want to learn more?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/16270.html
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"Where was I? Oh yes, cheeze whiz!" - KNSinatra
Well, from our enquiries, it doesn't look like anything that dramatic is likely. But Microsoft Research has been doing some intriguing work that could ease Winders, a derivative of the 15 year old 2D Mac desktop, into a real 3D environment. And do so fairly painlessly.
Changing rooms
As its name suggests TaskGallery is a Microsoft Research project that drops the user into a 3D space, with Windows represented by reduced-size thumbnails. The MSR team took advantage of a specially engineered kernel and GDI libraries in Windows 2000 - having the work blessed at an early stage by Bill himself must have helped - and renders a 3D polygon.
Windows are reduced to thumbnails that can be "hung" in a room, giving the user context associations. It sounds clunky, but amazingly, isn't.
Want to learn more?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/16270.html
------------------
"Where was I? Oh yes, cheeze whiz!" - KNSinatra
