Last week I described a new technology/application that allows you to update your Operating System installation media by adding new components and software updates to the installation. This wee I want to talk about a new, completely unified window interface for an operating system. Before people call me a ‘thief’ I do want to say that I got my inspiration for this from the latest Adobe CS4 applications to sport this somewhat similar UI.

Right now, on all three major platforms, there is no single, unified window. What I mean is this: Applications either sport a somewhat standard UI (Firefox on Windows), a custom UI (Word 2007), or a completely abstract UI that does not share any sort of unified interface or components. Let me explain, on two levels. First off, most Windows applications have an integrated toolbar (usually right below the title bar), and OS X applications have their respective toolbar in the system bar located at the top of the screen. You see, while both of these may seem efficient in some user’s minds, they truly aren’t. On Windows, we are wasting precious vertical space to display both the title bar and the toolbar (as well as any other additional toolbars that may be found within the window). On OS X, the use of vertical space is about the same as Windows, but the idiocy of the UI is the biggest deterrent for the OS as a whole. The idea that your windows are floating around and the toolbar for that window remains stationary at the top is one flaw. But the other is the fact that, at quick glance, you don’t know what application you currently have active, because the toolbar remains in the same spot, and not within the window you are currently working on! Outrageous!

So, my proposal is this: a single, unified window that contains ALL aspects of that current window: toolbars, window controls, help system, pallets, and pop up windows. Basically, the window is a container for every element within the application, and not just a way to launch the various components and place them around your display. Let me show you a render I came up with (though somewhat incomplete). You see, this is a little mock up I made of a full screen chat client (yes, I called it Pidgin, like the real chat client). The window contains a sidebar that holds all of your contacts and active conversations, and an area for keeping all of your chat windows. But the most noticeable feature is a unified title bar and toolbar. On the left side of the upper portion of the window you find the standard toolbar (File, Edit, etc.)m just like you would on any other operating system. The difference here is that it is integrated with the title bar of the window. On the right hand side you see the ‘Pidgin’ window title (with a dropdown arrow), and some space at the far right. The space is where the window controls would go (minimize, maximize, exit), I just never got around to designing them.

Yes, the window is unified, but even more so than you can tell by just looking at it. Underneath the Pidgin menu (the arrow) you will find a central and default location for various commands, such as window arrangement commands, help, and preferences. Why waste space in the toolbar with a ‘Window’ menu, when we all know that every window created by the application is part of that application, as such, it is all stored in the ‘Pidgin’ menu. Also, Preferences and Help all have a central location to be accessed from. No need to find out where the options are for a particular application, because they are all in the same spot for every application.
Finally, I want to discuss the toolbar. To be honest, I do not use 3/4 of the toolbar menus for most of my applications. Wouldn’t it be nice to get rid of them? Yes, you can not only ‘delete’ toolbar menus, but you can drag them around in any order you want. Any toolbar menus that you have removed can be found under a sub-menu in the application (Pidgin) menu, so if you do need to use it, it is there. Accidentally delete a toolbar menu? Just press ‘Restore Toolbar’ under the toolbar menu, and BAM, it’s all back to normal.

A unified window is needed in today’s operating systems. I left Mac OS X because its window system was flawed on so many levels. I hope you enjoyed this week’s article!

Welcome to my first article in the ‘Greatest OS’ series, to be published every Friday here on the blog. So, the first thing I want to talk about is Slipstream, which is a new way of working with an Operating System installation disk or other install medium (such as a flash drive).

Right now, companies release disks of OS’s for a somewhat current stable build of an OS (for the purpose of this post, let’s say an OS is at version 1.1.0). This includes OS’s such as Windows, OS X, and Ubuntu Linux. But, let’s say a few months down the line, the user wishes to reinstall the operating system. Well, there are a few problems:

1.    The user most likely does not have the most current version of the OS, which means they need to download an update, or a series of updates, to bring the newly installed system up to date.

2.    OEM’s do not often ship full OS installation disks. If they do ship a reinstall disk, then it most likely contains the associated bloatware of the default OS installation from the company.

3.    If an OEM does ship a regular installation disk, then the user who is going to be reinstalling the OS does not have the basic software and extra drivers required for the system (or included by the manufacturer), or if they did include it, it would be on separate disks.

While the system works in most cases, wouldn’t it be easier to just have the most current version of an operating system, as well as all associated software and drivers, to do a clean install if you decide to do so? That is where Slipstream comes in.

So, you load up the Slipstream application on your operating system (let’s call the OS Vector). Then, you insert your Vector install CD/DVD into the computer, and Slipstream gives you the option to create a new install disk that is stored on the hard drive (in a format such as .ISO). Once that is created, Slipstream gives you the option to add various packages, drivers, and software to the newly created OS install disk copy. Want to install Vector 1.2, but you only have a 1.1 disk? Simply download a Slipstream compatible file from the OS developer, and add it to the ‘OS Updates’ portion of the disk. Then, when you eventually create a new installation disk from this editable copy, you can select whether or not to install the 1.2 update during the OS install process!

But this is more than just an updated disk: OEM’s can create full installation disks that not only contain the OS, but all associated software and drivers that a new install may require. Then, if a user decides to do a clean install, they can select what packages (drivers, software) to install from the OEM supplied list. The OEM can make a list of recommended things to install, but the user who is installing the OS has complete control over what to include or not include.

But talking about a Slipstreamed disk isn’t anything unless the OS (and the OS installer) has a framework or API that updates and packages can use to truly support the idea of adding things to an installation medium. A simple XML-based library can be used to keep track of packages included on the disk. For example, if your physical install disk simply has 1.1 on it, when you make a copy to your hard disk and add the update package for 1.2, the hard drive copy of the XML library would be updated by the Slipstream application to say that the 1.2 update is in fact now located on the install disk. This provides an easy mechanism for selecting exactly what software and packages you want to install outside of the base OS system.

Granted, this system is very piracy prone, but hey, I have my own opinions on that. See you next week!