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Main - msg db 'Computer Address',0xa - MS Office and the Pixar Effect
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Kawa
Posted on 02-05-12 07:47 PM Link | ID: 5386
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Many if not most Pixar movies contain elements of those that will follow. Take a close look at the background elements of a random Pixar movie -- you'll find, for example, a child reading a Mr. Incredible comic book.

In a similar vein, Microsoft Office has this tendency to introduce things that'll be in the next Windows. The Ribbon is the most obvious example, being a common control in Win7. But the Ribbon was not the first preview by a long shot.

Going back a bit, Windows 95 had a single solid color for its title bars. For the longest time, even back in 3.x, applications could overrule how to draw their title bars, and Office 95 was happy to demonstrate, having a Win98-style gradient (albeit in the wrong colors), and even a little bitmapped Microsoft logo in place of the plaintext "Microsoft". The only other app I can think of to do that is SAI.

But wait, there's more! I got my mitts on a copy of one of the first Words for Windows, and ran it on an emulated 3.11. The first thing that I noticed was that it had MDI window controls, but in black and white -- Win3.11's MDI controls were distinctly gray and button-like, so these were obviously fake. Then it hit me. This Word was from a time when Windows had no MDI support, so they simulated what would later be a standard feature. Just like the gradient title bar.

The killer would be the toolbar on that same Word. Toolbars in that style were a first for the system, and lo and behold, it was called a ribbon.


Any other examples I missed?


Kiyoshi
Posted on 02-05-12 08:00 PM Link | ID: 5401
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Office 2007 had a ribbon. The next OS, Windows 7, had a ribbon for WordPad and Paint.

Office 2012 is in the works and will probably release somewhere around the same time as Windows 8.
Office with a Metro-style interface? *shivers*
Actually quite possible, Windows 8 jumping on the tablet bandwagon and such...

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Kawa
Posted on 02-05-12 08:12 PM Link | ID: 5403
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Posted by Kiyoshi
Office 2007 had a ribbon. The next OS, Windows 7, had a ribbon for WordPad and Paint.
Yes, I already said it did.

As for Metro-style Office, I'm afraid that combo's been broken. We've seen the Metro UI in Win8 Developer Preview, as far as I know, before Office 15 (not 2012). Which is Metro-based, according to Wikipedia, but Google Images shows mostly Fluent-style designs... hmm.


Lili~ ♥
Posted on 02-05-12 10:20 PM Link | ID: 5450
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Can't believe nobody mentioned the Office Assistant.

It was introduced in '97, and later found its way into Windows XP as the Search Assistant and during the post-install/Windows Activation steps.

...okay, actually the concept originated in Microsoft Bob, but nobody cares about that. :P


Kiyoshi
Posted on 02-05-12 10:59 PM Link | ID: 5464
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Posted by Liliana
Can't believe nobody mentioned the Office Assistant.

It was introduced in '97, and later found its way into Windows XP as the Search Assistant and during the post-install/Windows Activation steps.
The Office assistant was removed in Office 2007.
And nothing of value was lost.
Though I must say I did like the Dot; but not when working on a serious document.

I kinda liked the music in OOBE (Out Of Box Experience, the post-install wizard).
It is hidden here: C:\WINDOWS\system32\oobe\images\title.wma
Most people did not hear it though, because their sound card drivers where not installed in that stage yet.

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Kawa
Posted on 02-06-12 04:26 PM Link | ID: 5556
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The search assistant in Windows XP is the same character as in MS Bob, which was not based on the Agent control.


Ailure
Posted on 02-07-12 01:02 PM Link | ID: 5826
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The whole assistants thing started in Microsoft Bob. It seems like there was people at Microsoft who stubbornly believed it would make the computer more friendly, but more users got frustrated, and some thought it turned the computer into a toy. Makes you wonder about the internal politics of Microsoft when they hold onto something not working for so long (Allegedly the husband of Bill Gates was involved in Microsoft Bob after all).

Metro and Ribbon, two technologies that seems to annoy me more than impress.

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Kawa
Posted on 02-07-12 04:10 PM Link | ID: 5841
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Assistants started in Bob, which did indeed have Melinda Gates as the project lead, but they weren't Agents, which is the control that lets you have them unbounded by a window, with built-in speech balloons and even speech synthesis. The first Office Assistants weren't agents either. And then Bob's Rover became an agent for XP's search function.

Full fucking circle.


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