As a professional software developer who has been writing programms 
since the days of Card Decks, George 3 , SOFOR and paper tape, I find 
this latest craze on desktops (Gnome 3, Unity & Windows 8) rather 
depressing.
(Ignoring the 'touchy feely' of touchscreens that everyone seems to rave 
ove these days)
If they had been around at the birth of GUI/Windowing systems I would 
have understood them.
Now IMHO, this searching and every icon on the desktop idea is frankly 
so silly, it beggars belief.
In 'no' work mode, I use (like most people ) a set of apps that number 
no more than say 10. Email, Web, Skype, Bittorrent etc
I could live with the methodology of the new interfaces if I could have 
the old menus for those times that I need something out of the ordinary 
and have ho idea of the executable or icon but I know it belongs in a 
group associated with a product. A hice hierarcihial tree structure. 
Very Logical.
In work mode the standard set of apps I use goes up considerably. Not 
all are 'installed via traditional installers in order to save time, I 
use (on windows Quick Launch (yes you can get it back even on Windows 
7/Server 2008) and the Gnome 2 launchpad.
One click of the mouse and The app starts. Now what could be more 
logical or simpler than that? Yet the GUI - Those who must be obeyed 
Overlords have deemed that I am no longer fit to have this nice easy to 
use facility. It is almost as if they are telling me that I'm about to 
be pensioned off so I am only fit to use a Fisher Price Interface.
Yes, many of you are thinking that I'm a grumpy old man. That is 
probably true but IMHO, these designers have taken something that wasn't 
totally broker and made it only fit for the great trashcan in the sky.
I know I'm fighting a losing battle and very soon you won't be able to 
buy a new computer without one or other of these 'Tellytubby' interfaces 
or even remove what the manufacturer has installed for you without fear 
of a knock at the door from the IP Police (my name is not winston smith) 
but I know one this:-
1) I will never buy a computer that forces me to use Windows 
8/Windows-RT Windows 7/Server 2008 will be the last offereings from 
Microsoft that I ever use.
2) I will never use a computer that has Unity or Gnome 3 configured as 
the primary Interface unless I can configure it to use something a bit 
saner and more logical.
A plague on all their houses.
Stephen D
--
Please post to: Hampshire@???
Web Interface: 
https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire
LUG URL: 
http://www.hantslug.org.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------