Someone needs to educate you about Windows7, then. ;^)>
Well, the Windows Taskbar has been around since 1995, well before OSX. The Win7 functionality is what you had in WinXP, with the addition of the Aero Peek; all other functionality is essentially what existed for a decade or so (Windows XP).
I am well familiar with the Windows Taskbar and when it appeared... don't try to educate me on what I train people about daily. However Windows has tried to add the functionality of the OSX Dock to that task bar and done a poor job of it. Your understanding of the Mac dock is a poor understanding... you don't use it. Part of the failing of the Windows Taskbar is trying to be all things... including holding every open doc. We CAN put docs there if we so choose on the OSX Dock but I can think of no reason to do so. I find, and many previous WindowsXP users find, that it stacks too many processes.
Your understanding of Quicklook is apparently limited as well, Puget... which your claim that Quicklook doesn't allow looking at JPGs tells me. Quicklook allows you to not only look at files, but to display them full size as well... for example it will play any movie (in a window or full screen), play any music or sound file, open and allow you to scan through all pages of any document or PDF file, look at any graphic file, to easily find what you are looking for, all without opening the associated application that created that file, so long as there is a Quicklook plugin for that file format (and there are for most).
For seeking out a particular graphic, it allows me to flip through all the graphics in a folder to find the specific one for which I am looking even though I don't know it's name. I can page through a PDF to find a specific line, if necessary without opening it... all from the Finder, or from an open file requestor.
I agree about IE8; it's why I run Firefox. Of course, even Firefox and Safari start with the focus not on the URL field but the first field in your web page, so that you have to manually shift focus to the URL field. So errors with entering addresses in the page are more a result of the operation of browsers, I think, than strictly UI.
That is not my call. With Windows, when I can, I do recommend Firefox. But several of my clients tell me that they have to run IE... and I have tried to get them to use FireFox. However, they insist that they want Internet Explorer because their online suppliers tell them they must. So, who am I to argue. Even when the focus is on the URL address bar, it is STILL almost invisible. That is a UI design choice made by someone at Microsoft.
To make matters worse, the Dell computers they purchased came with FIVE pre-installed toolbars, all of which have input windows that make finding the almost invisible URL tool bar that much more difficult. The first thing I did was disable four of the five... I left the BING tool bar. (there wasn't too much window space left to actually VIEW the internet after Dell got through with adding things to Internet Explorer!)
Apple made the same stupid transparency decision back in Mac OSX.1... and changed away from it to everyone's relief in OSX.2. There are glaring problems with AERO's transparency that I think will be vastly toned down as people get bored with the "Gee, Whiz, that's neat!" look to their desk tops... just as the Mac users did very quickly with OSX.1. Functionaly changes appearance when appearance gets in the way of function... and it should.
Sorry, based upon your misconceptions of the differences I didn't know how familiar you are with Windows.
And likewise you can stop trying to teach me about OSX, as I run OSX 10.6 (Frozen Feline? :) on my Macbook.
However Windows has tried to add the functionality of the OSX Dock to that task bar and done a poor job of it.
Again, I ask what functionality? You make the assertion, but that's it. What functionality has been added to the Win7 taskbar (aside from Aero Peek) that hasn't existed in the Windows taskbar for the last 10-15 years?
Part of the failing of the Windows Taskbar is trying to be all things... including holding every open doc.
That's the job of the Taskbar, Swordmaker! It's called Taskbar for a reason - it's the bar that holds your open tasks! It was designed to do that first and foremost, not provide a shortcut for your applications (which was the quicklaunch bar; the two still exist, just graphically blend better).
And apparently it's a good idea, as Apple recently added minimize-to-dock functionality which duplicates the Windows Taskbar functionality.
We CAN put docs there if we so choose on the OSX Dock but I can think of no reason to do so.
Yes, because the OSX Dock originally only held static docs; the minimize to dock functionality (the whole point of the Taskbar) was added, what, about a year ago? The OSX Dock was like the Windows Quicklaunch bar: an assemblage of shortcuts and documents.
Fundamentally, I think you're missing the point of the Taskbar. It's not just a Quicklaunch bar (functionality it's had since W2K), it's predominantly for showing WHAT YOU'RE DOING. It's not a static presentation of options, it's a dynamic reflection of what's going on.
TOTALLY different purpose at the most fundamental level, and as a result the implementation is completely different. It's no wonder you don't think it's "well done", I think you misunderstand what it's for.
And you can turn on the W2K/WinXP Quicklaunch functionality of the Win7 taskbar; it's pretty simple to do, so you can have your Windows button, the shortcuts you choose (like in W2K/WinXP), THEN your open windows section. So you can get the best of both worlds.
It's what I do; I have shortcuts to the 12 most-used applications pinned, all on the left end of the taskbar. Then all my tasks are listed. Clean and organized - applications and shortcuts on the left, running applications in the middle, and status on the right. VERY easy, and very much how I used XP and W2K.
And if that's not good enough, then completely clone the OSX Dock with Rocket Dock. You can have a complete duplicate of the OSX Dock on Windows. And you can still keep the Taskbar (if you like; you can make it auto-hide) so you can see what tasks are currently running.
That should solve your problem. Free of charge answer for you! ;)
Your understanding of Quicklook is apparently limited as well, Puget... which your claim that Quicklook doesn't allow looking at JPGs tells me.
Sorry, it must have been a JNG, not a JPG. Or maybe an AI files (I get lots of those, so they can be scaled for application development). Or maybe SWF or FLV (doesn't show those either). Or IGES. There's quite a few formats it doesn't support that I need to work with, so it's hard to keep track. Additionally since it's not automatic I rarely use it anymore. Having to mouse-over, click to select, then press the spacebar to preview is too many operations; I prefer the auto-preview in Windows (no need to press the spacebar, it just select the file and it happens).
But my understanding is fine, thanks. And I've been using it in Windows for the last 7-8 years. Glad to see that Apple finally included this functionality 3 years ago!
Maybe you know of an add-on to Quicklook so that I can show IGES files (3D CAD format)? Nothing worse than trying to scan 300 files with a naming scheme your client understands (and makes no sense to anyone else) and find the right one - takes forever without a preview of the files!
Even when the focus is on the URL address bar, it is STILL almost invisible. That is a UI design choice made by someone at Microsoft.
That's the beauty of user-centric platforms - you can change things as you want, not as the platform vendor requires. Apparently your clients have requirements other than what you want, so then your job would be to make it easier, right? Try Quero Toolbar, you can change the domain highlighting, and even the background of the URL field.
I won't charge you for that one, either...;)
There are glaring problems with AERO's transparency that I think will be vastly toned down as people get bored with the "Gee, Whiz, that's neat!" look to their desk tops... just as the Mac users did very quickly with OSX.1.
Right-click on the desktop, select Personalize. Then scroll down to the non-Aero theme you like. That eliminates Aero.
But at least you can choose to customize the desktop as you desire. Like Aero? Keep it. Don't like it? Remove it. The power is in the user's - not the vendor's - hands.