Windows 10: Hell Freezes Over: Users Now Want the Start Screen in...

"More useful Ribbons" like the Context Ribbons that cannot be seen at all, until you click in a specific location in a document/file?
Worse, there is no indication that the options even exist, so you can't even look them up.

At least with drop-down menus you can see what options are available, even if you can't access them.
Knowing the options exist means you can actually look up how to access them.

The only Ribbons I find helpful are in Excel.

IMO, it's still debatable whether or not they are superior to the toolbars in Excel 2003.
Two custom toolbars were enough to hold every common function and there was enough space for a handful of more esoteric ones.

Note:
I'm talking about the Office 2007 Ribbons.
I haven't had access and/or time to play with the newer versions, which are supposedly improved.

 

I love ribbons. I can go from product to product and I am never discombobulated.. And it's an old trick - if there is something you don't see, you right click somewhere on the top. LOL

 

"More useful Ribbons" like the Context Ribbons that cannot be seen at all, until you click in a specific location in a document/file?
Worse, there is no indication that the options even exist, so you can't even look them up.

At least with drop-down menus you can see what options are available, even if you can't access them.
Knowing the options exist means you can actually look up how to access them.

The only Ribbons I find helpful are in Excel.

IMO, it's still debatable whether or not they are superior to the toolbars in Excel 2003.
Two custom toolbars were enough to hold every common function and there was enough space for a handful of more esoteric ones.

Note:
I'm talking about the Office 2007 Ribbons.
I haven't had access and/or time to play with the newer versions, which are supposedly improved. The Ribbons in Windows 8, Office 2010 and 2013 show every single command available depending on what context the file or object contains.

 

I'm not sure what you mean.

Here is a screenshot from Office 2010.

That is why I said "Context Ribbons".

Where is the:

• Table Ribbon if you don't click in a table?
• Header & Footer Ribbon is if you don't click in the header or footer?

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that there a dozens of Ribbons I've never seen, because I haven't clicked at the right time.

It also seems that the commands I'm interested in, are hidden under the little squiggle button in each section.

I realise that I'm in the minority with my opinions about the Ribbon.
It is mysteriously loved by lots of people (just like Chrome). *Confused

 

I think it is pretty clear what the tabs and symbols mean. Example Word.





And it very similar in e.g. PowerPoint.

 

That is why I said "Context Ribbons".

Where is the:

• Table Ribbon if you don't click in a table?
• Header & Footer Ribbon is if you don't click in the header or footer?

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that there a dozens of Ribbons I've never seen, because I haven't clicked at the right time.

It also seems that the commands I'm interested in, are hidden under the little squiggle button in each section.

I realise that I'm in the minority with my opinions about the Ribbon.
It is mysteriously loved by lots of people (just like Chrome). *Confused Funny, I love the ribbon and hate Chrome. Go figure.*Wink

 

That is why I said "Context Ribbons".

Where is the:

• Table Ribbon if you don't click in a table?
• Header & Footer Ribbon is if you don't click in the header or footer?

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that there a dozens of Ribbons I've never seen, because I haven't clicked at the right time.

It also seems that the commands I'm interested in, are hidden under the little squiggle button in each section.

I realise that I'm in the minority with my opinions about the Ribbon.
It is mysteriously loved by lots of people (just like Chrome). *Confused That's been a nonissue for me and lot of people since at least 2009. You don't need the Table editing or Header editing tools when you haven't selected them. I haven't used Office 2003 for many many years but when I did have to use it past 2007, that was frustrating as it seemed commands were hidden and tucked away. That is the entire point of the Ribbon to take those bajillion commands and put them at the forefront and the ones that are context enabled only show up with those objects selected. Why have a Table editing ribbon showing at the same time when you haven't even inserted a table? It would make the Ribbon have too many tabs that aren't even usable. The more advanced commands are much more easily accessible by hitting the little expand arrow in each box, again advanced commands aren't used frequently enough to merit the need for them to be showing and present all the time.

There are about maybe half a dozen context tabs in Office, maybe a bit more because of PowerPoint and Excel.

But either way, this is debating which side of the bread slice is best to butter. The drop down menu based UI of Office was dreadful and required going through each and every menu entry to see where the command you needed was under. The Ribbon UI took all those commands and put them front and center, but kept the non-frequently used or context based tabs out of the spotlight only when needed. Actually, there is a better side of the bread slice here... *Tongue

 

Perfect.
Where are the Table Ribbons in your screenshot?
I don't mean the Table button on the Insert Ribbon.

Funny, I love the ribbon and hate Chrome. Go figure.*Wink It doesn't necessarily follow that someone who loves the Ribbon loves Chrome (or vice versa).

 

I never really minded the ribbon interface,
I did not see why the quick access toolbar did not have a option to increase it's size :/

 

To see what commands are available?
The menus showed the main commands available in the program (even if they were unavailable in the current file).

Under the drop-down menu paradigm, the first thing I'd do when I installed a new program was to take a glance at what commands were available in the menus.
If you wanted to:

• Open/Save a file you'd go to the File menu.
• Find out the program version you'd go to "Help > About".

It would work with any program that used that model (and most programs I used did).

MS excel at hiding options in (apparently) random locations.

There are at least 4 hidden Ribbons in Word (not counting the one you have to enable in the options).

The "Customize Ribbon" section in Word 2010, indicates that there are a bunch of Main Ribbons that I've never seen outside of this window.




There are quite a few Context Ribbons (called Tool Tabs apparently).



Ironically, I've always thought that WMP12 would've been better with a Ribbon, rather than the multi-screen horror it came with.

 

I don't think anybody can win this discussion. It is like between people who like beer and others who like wine.

 

MS excel at hiding options in (apparently) random locations.

There are at least 4 hidden Ribbons in Word (not counting the one you have to enable in the options).

The "Customize Ribbon" section in Word 2010, indicates that there are a bunch of Main Ribbons that I've never seen outside of this window.



There are quite a few Context Ribbons (called Tool Tabs apparently).



Ironically, I've always thought that WMP12 would've been better with a Ribbon, rather than the multi-screen horror it came with. I don't see the logic in needing to view unavailable commands that won't show or enable themselves without a particular object in question.

 

That is assuming a user has never used the same process
Adding repetitive commands to the Quick access toolbar is as the name insists *Wink

 

Thank you very much! (Btw, I don't like neither wine nor beer. *Wink Seriously.)

 

Thank you very much! (Btw, I don't like neither wine nor beer. *Wink Seriously.) I like me a good red wine and a good lager.