Windows 7 New Taskbar Fundamental Flaw in Notifications

[thestonefox]

The new taskbar has a massive flaw in its design, that is if you are using the icons only mode you are not efficiently notified of events.

If you are using MSN Messenger (or another messenger) and you have 3 chat windows all minimised, if someone sends you a message the MSN Messenger icon lights up.

This does not tell you who sent the message and the only way to find out is to hover over the icon and get the previews of all open windows!

In the old style task bar, you would have 3 windows minimised and when a message was sent that window would flash so you would know directly which window to open.

This is the same problem with the OSX Dock solution, you only know you have a message, you dont know who it is from until you investigate (meaning more button clicks to get to your desired window!)

However, Growl on OSX offers a popup notification system to actually let you know who has sent you a message (and clicking on this notification takes you to the relevant window).

Windows 7 is now more clicks to get to the same information. nice

 

[patrickt]

"if you are using the icons only mode"

What happens if you use the notification mode?

 

[thestonefox]

If you put it into Icon & Text mode, then you will see an individual window with the text for each opened window and therefore the notification concept works ok, however this system looks disjointed and a bit messy.

The ability to have a double height task bar with 1 layer allocated to quicklaunch and 1 layer allocated to open windows (which I have used in XP and Vista) is a much better layout than the new taskbar icon only view that Windows 7 provides.

 

[Radenight]

The new taskbar can be modified to look and act pretty much like previous versions.. you know this right?

 

[thestonefox]

yes i know you can put the taskbar back to the XP/Vista way, but this is beside the point.

My original point is that the "new" style taskbar has a fundamental flaw with notification, whats the point in having something new if the only solution to the issue raised is to use the old style?