Windows 7 Will you buy Window 7 without Toolbars?

Toolbars are lame. If you're in that much need of a bunch of junk, you can hit the windows key, start typing the name, and hit enter.
Or use hotkeys.
 
toolbars are really useful but i hate to see more than a taskbar on my screen when i'm not doing anything, with the windows 7 taskbar you can just raise it height to hold all your stuff.
 
I just plain don't like toolbars.. ;) Never have really..

I do however like the idea of two taskbars like in Ubuntu.. ;) At first I didn't care for them but after having used linux for a few years I love the design now.. :) I still don't know if I'd like two in Windows or not but I doubt I have to worry about that ever happening.. ;)
 
I do however like the idea of two taskbars like in Ubuntu.. ;) At first I didn't care for them but after having used linux for a few years I love the design now.. :) I still don't know if I'd like two in Windows or not but I doubt I have to worry about that ever happening.. ;)


I haven't experimented with this any to speak of (I am a fan of desktop shortcuts. I use folders by category and multiple shortcuts within each folder); but can you not make the single taskbar double height (leaving icons standard size) and have overflow from one row spill into the second row? It would be fairly similar to the Ubuntu bars. I like to place both Ubuntu bars at the bottom of the screen; it seems less cluttered that way. I think somebody has already come up with a taskbar hack to separate, by catagory, shortcuts, open programs, etc, haven't they?
 
I personally don't use toolbars, so it will have zero impact on my decision to buy Windows 7 when released. All my shortcuts have always been on the quick launch bar with the occasional one on the desktop. Anything else just stays in the start menu :)

I can't imagine having all the toolbars the OP has, it just looks too cluttered for my taste. But each to their own ;)
 
I haven't experimented with this any to speak of (I am a fan of desktop shortcuts. I use folders by category and multiple shortcuts within each folder); but can you not make the single taskbar double height (leaving icons standard size) and have overflow from one row spill into the second row? It would be fairly similar to the Ubuntu bars. I like to place both Ubuntu bars at the bottom of the screen; it seems less cluttered that way. I think somebody has already come up with a taskbar hack to separate, by catagory, shortcuts, open programs, etc, haven't they?

Yes you can widen the Windows taskbar to double height but I don't like it that way.. ;) I like to leave the taskbar and start menu (in any OS) just the way they are from the start (with the exception of making the taskbar in Win 7 single height).. :) No hacking them or making them look completely different for me.. But that's just me.. ;)
 
I do however like the idea of two taskbars like in Ubuntu.. ;) At first I didn't care for them but after having used linux for a few years I love the design now.. :) I still don't know if I'd like two in Windows or not but I doubt I have to worry about that ever happening.. ;)

I agree, Ubuntu has a wonderful layout, although horrid color scheme, but unique! It's still Gnome but Ubuntu's implementation of it which works out nicely. Switching to KDE though is ackward and more Windows like, just like Gnome is more Mac like and "fitting". They could start by one default Gnome toolbar, but I tend to place shortcuts in the top bar (where they are by default) so having open Windows and the big expanded (Applications : Places : System) would cause clutter if it was a single bar.

As for the way Windows 7 integrates it's applications into the single bar, it really works out nice, and I gotta admit, the ease of use and features make it easier to navigate now than Ubuntu or OS X (which is a shock).
 
I definitely miss multiple toolbars

I suppose I'm one of few toolbar supporters, and this thread really suprises me with how so many responders don't seem to find toolbars particularly handy. I see comments such as "add icons to the desktop" or "use keyboard shortcuts" and have to say that neither appeal to me. For a while, there was a plug-in product for Adobe Photoshop that provided a toolbar functionality that allowed one to forego drilling through menus or remembering a myriad of keyboard shortcuts, and when that plug-in was no longer supported by the manufacturer, I was able to breathe life into to it through 3 subsequent versions of Photoshop. No more however, due to changes in the GUI archictecture of Photoshop, and so I feel I've been relegated to doing things the old-fashioned way, but have become somewhat reaccustomed to that.

Well, here comes Windows 7 now doing the same thing, and this is one of the first shortcomings I see that, while it will not stop me from upgrading from Vista 64 Ultimate, may very well prolong my rush. Vista works fine and not only can I have an auto-hiding toolbar docked at the top of my desktop, but I can also revert the good ol' classic menu structure....I've never cared for the new Start Menu, but maybe Windows 7 will force me into accepting it and, with time, maybe I'll find it actually is an improvement. But, missing toolbars? Not an improvement at all in my opinion. Previously, I had my most frequently accessed applications in the Quick Launch toolbar and then, along the top - with plenty of real estate on a 24-inch monitor - I had multiple folders of icons all docked as one long, autohiding, always-on-top toolbar. One folder gave me one-click access to any of my many drive partitions or removable drives, another had all my Adobe and image management apps, another had various utilities, another was various audio apps, etc. Yes, quite a wealth of applications and yet all were a simple bump and click away...bump the top edge to reveal the toolbar, then click whichever application I desired. This freed me to a large extent from ever needing my Start Menu and also allowed me to totally ignore my desktop which perhaps I'd have multiple applications windows open upon. Why toggle to the desktop view and back to application view, when I can simply grab something from a top-docked toolbar that autohides and thus is very non-obtrusive?

So yes, I loathe this change in Windows 7. Unless something comes up that truly encourages me to upgrade, I may well stick to Vista 64 for the near future. I'll probably explore alternative 3rd-party options as long as I'm evaluating the Windows 7 release candidate, and then decide later whether or not to upgrade.

I'm with ya' on this one, Scott.

Daryl
 
I use desktop icons. I unpinned all the programs from my taskbar. I like for the only things in my taskbar to be what I am currently running. I added a "Computer" toolbar to my taskbar. That way I can get into the file system if I have a window open. I have CSMenu. It's almost as good as the Classic Start menu. I sometimes use the Windows Start menu too. I like everything about it except the "All Programs Menu".

About toolbars, I've never used any except the computer toolbar in my taskbar. I really don't know much about them but it looks to me like I can do just about anything with my desktop icons that they will do. I wonder if they use memory or processor power. My processor is a crummy old single core and I can't multitask very well with it. That's why I like to keep my system simple.

Maybe there is a better way but I'm happy with my setup.

Also I do plan on buying W7. I really like it a lot.
 
This is an old thread. I hope by now you have found that Quick Launch is still in Win 7.
If you haven't, just Google "Windows 7 Quick Launch"
I use a 2 high taskbar, the bottom left being Quick Launch.
Yes, I am going to move to Win 7. I have 4 copies on order.
 
To add to this thread. One of the best Sidebar Gadgets is App Launcher.
Get rid of all the tool bars and use App Launcher. It's a bazillion times better than stacks of toolbars.

So yes, I will buy Win7 without all the Toolbars.
 
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