Tie a yellow ribbon...

Ok, so aside from a few issues with a lacklustre internet connection within its medieval walls, the Lucca Test passed with flying colours. Windows 7, despite its Release Candidate status, remains stable and *whispers* reliable, and didn’t crash or freeze during the entire time in Italy. It sounds like a small thing, but as my regular Vista-powered desktop at Sift Towers freezes at least once a day with no warning (and reason), Win7 was a veritable tour de force.

Anyway, back to the task in hand.

During the past week, Windows 7 has proved to be an intuitive OS to use, even without the extra swanky Aero effects on show. The Jump List, which allows quick access to frequent files and websites, is a neat touch that Microsoft hopes will create a smooth workflow for Win7 users. However, Windows 7 includes one interface change that could bamboozle those unfamiliar with Microsoft’s Office 2007 suite, namely, the use of the Ribbon interface in some standard Windows applications like WordPad and Paint.

Both applications are relatively minor compared to heavyweight products like Office and Adobe’s PhotoShop, but they’re evidence of Microsoft’s intent to proliferate the use of the Ribbon as much as possible in the next few years. In fact, it is likely that business applications, such as the Dynamics products range, will adopt the interface in their next updated releases.

Following a tabbed structure, thus doing away with the traditional concept of toolbars, the Ribbon interface has been adopted as a means of de-cluttering an application’s interface. Its usage is understandable in the likes of Office Excel or Word, where numerous buttons and toolbars can seem rather overwhelming. However, in both WordPad and Paint, the Ribbon’s use makes their interfaces seem sparse. Of course, neither program form staple parts of business use, but the implementation of Ribbon for such rudimentary apps shouldn’t be ignored.