Well, if I were the programmer at Parallels, that is! To the Parallels programmers who have been trying to come to grips with the Macintosh community and what an interface should look like... I went into XCODE 2.2 this morning... and... understand I am a Realtor, and don't write software for a living... but I put together a pretty cool looking interface... This is just a suggestion... but something along these lines is what your Mac community is clamoring for. And for all the other folks yelling about how they don't want to take the time away from development... I started this at 10:15 this morning, and stopped about 45 minutes later because I got bored So, I hardly think there would be a huge amount of time invested to polish the interface... Anyway, take it for what it is... it's just a suggestion about a direction you might want to go... at least on the Mac side. The Windows users don't deserve such a pretty interface... hehe Ok... that said... a CAVEAT! I did not have the patience to go and draw the STOP, PAUSE, GO, and RESTART buttons. I just drew a GO button, and duplicated it 3X where the STOP, PAUSE, and GO would be. Also, in the configuration pane, I just threw in a couple of icons for ideas... I didn't bother putting icons for each category... I do have to work for a living... and those icons are just ideas... we really like our photo-realistic icons over here. So... Feel free to comment, etc! http://www.texasupgrade.com/new.jpg And keep up the great work, Parallels TEAM!
Well, that interface has issues in terms of violating the Aqua interface guidelines to some extent, but only in minor ways. However, I don't think that metal windows are appropriate -- a metal window should generally be mostly filled with non-metal areas (look at iTunes, where really all you see is the frame of the window in the metal texture).
I'm sorry but that interface, IMHO, looks worse. It's very cluttered and hard to follow. Why are there four arrows at the top-right? What does teh search do? Is the virtual machines box selectable (it doesn't look like it is)? There are numerous parts which completely go against Apple's UI interface guidelines (you can view them in the xcode documnetation if you want). The Parallels UI could use work but not along these lines. In any event, I'd much prefer the Parallels team to work on stability and USB support and get them completely robust long before they waste time on the UI. Sure it's not a pretty interface but I'm only going to look at it for 10 seconds. Anyway, if you are booting Windows you are probably going to be spending some serious time looking at ugly UIs... maybe the Parallels team are just trying to prepare you for what's ahead after you click to start up Windows.
Simple to implement seems to be the key issue with a GUI re-write, so let's examine the 'presentation only' interface you have created: 1. Which of the now exposed controls would be enabled when? When the VM is paused, some changes can be made and some cannot. First this now has to be individually addressed, instead of simply by the menu as is currently done. Then there is the issue of support when someone of little experience fails to notice the small difference between and enabled control and a disabled control among that large array of controls. Could remove them from the display - just more programming. 2. I'm guessing the the stop-light array in the upper left corner means something in mac world, but anyone else always thinks twice about ever clicking on something red. Red is normally associated with error messages that are of a very critical nature. I can't think of anything that the green could stand for. Is it just a reminder that the window that is open in front of you is running? 3. One of the benefits of not having rigid standards is the freedom to configure one's interface to one's own pleasing. If I were using that, I'ld sure get rid of the monotonic, sheet metal look in an instant. I find it to be boring and uncreative - like staring at the wall of a warehouse. 4. The Choose New button conflicts with the left panel concept. Which one chooses a VM? If at a minimum the left panel chooses a VM, what happens? Does the right portion of the display simply get overlayed with the new choice? Hmm, more programming.... When/where does the user choose to open a new window, and how is that differentiated in your GUI? Where is the configuation panel for that list when there are VMs located in different partitions/folders? a bit more programming?? You have omitted huge amounts of functionality that are in the current product. 5. Icons - the trivial pursuit of personal computers. Enlarging the text of the items will be more recognizable to most users than a non-standard icon. Reading is a common skill among computer users of all brands, and it is the fall back when presented with a lot of icons in an order that cannot possibly represent a sequence of functional operations. Oh yes, there are no icon standards - we choose those for dramatic effect. After all, OSs leave that insignificant choice to the consumer so that they feel they have some control over their computer. 6. The ubiquitous Search button, where I can find help, maybe lost disorganized VM files, maybe a common task list and description, maybe a second and third level of screens to sort out all of that, maybe it will search all of my VMs for a file. Certainly is a good safe generic button to add. All it takes is programming to implement the possible uses.
That's the point. Put everything on one page. Obviously, it isn't a working program... so... while the VM was running, only the appropriate options would be selectable. Why do things in 3 different places when you can do them in one? Please, please, please don't say something if you have no clue what you are talking about. The Red Yellow and Green are mouse-over controls that are on EVERY SINGLE MAC OS X PROGRAM EVER MADE. It is part of the Operating System. I'm glad you are showing just how limited your knowledge is... and yet you blast us Mac users all the time without even enough basic knowledge of the OS to be able to MAKE a valid point! What was that country and western song... "Here's Your Sign!"???? Fair enough. Personal Opinion being what it is... many Mac users love the Sheet Metal look... and many Program (ONYX, etc.) are made completely in the Sheet Metal look. However, as one of the other folks commented above... perhaps just the frame should be Sheet Metal, and the rest "normal" i.e., iPhoto, iTunes, Safari, etc. etc. etc. This is why Windows users have it bad... something is soooo simple they have to make it more complicated than it is. How easy is this... if you look at the jpeg... a *choose new* button is always immediately to the right of a file. The OBVIOUS conclusion One should probably make is that you want to choose a new HDD Image, or FDD Image, etc. etc. Just common sense, really. But I don't blame you... you think the frustrating world of Registry Editing is normal Um... what is your argument here, exactly? That icons, when used, should NOT be photographic, but arcane, mundane, and confusing? A Photographic Icon is only served to COMPLIMENT the text, so that an even quicker understanding of what you are searching for is used. Even WINDOWS uses this... been to the CONTROL PANEL in Windows, Mac, or Linux? Nice Big Icons with clear labels next to or beneath them. Same concept here... My though on this one was just exactly as you pegged it. I am not sure if it is needed, most likely overkill... however... my thought was that you could search for files WITHIN EACH HOST OS without them being actually started up! MAC OS X has the ability to do this natively... through an OS feature called Spotlight (coming to a ripped-off version in a Windows Vista near You)... would be useful for folks running multiple instances doing coding or other work. You really should spend some time on the Mac before you start talking about it... that's akin to professing how other countries should run their government... when you don't have a basic enough understanding about any govornment but your own. I was a Network Engineer for 10 years for 2 Telecom companies... so I am VERY familiar with Windows. If you can UNLEARN what you are force-fed by MicroCrap... things work so much better in OS X. If you mouse over the Red, Yellow and Green Icons, btw... they change to an X (for close window), Yellow for Minimize (shrink into the dock), and Green (NOT Maximize... rather fit the window correctly onto the screen... although this last button IS a source of consternation as it doesn't work very well... see... Apple isn't perfect ... lol) Anyway... I'm glad you took some time to look at it. I am by NO means a programmer... just thought I'd see how long it would take to come up with an idea... Lastly... my thought process on Virtual Machine selections was that the left hand pane act like a Playlist in iTunes... You click the + or - to add or delete a VM... and then when you click on the Playlist Number, the configuration for THAT VM shows up on the right. Should be quick, painless, and give you access to everything you'd ever need right in front of you! But then again, I'm not programming it...
That's like an OS X or linux user looking at a window in a screenshot of XP and saying "I'm sure the little dash, the square, and the red X at the top right of the window mean something in the windows world, but anyone else would never click on something red. Red is normally associated with error messages that are of a very critical nature." Ever even LOOK at a window in XP?
1) You have left no room for addition devices (ie, a second hard drive) 2) Which drive letter is a cd is mapped to is a Windows thing, not a Parallels thing. 3) What is the purpose of the 4 right arrows? 4) WHat is the purpose of the "Edit button"? 5) How do I put in which network or sound device I am using? 6) What is the purpose of the Search box? 7) Why is there a line for "VM State Modified:"? What does the ":" signify? 8) Why do You have a new button and a "+" button? Don't those do the same thing? 9) WHat do you suppose will go into the Sun (gear?) drop down on the left side? I thought the purpose of your interface was to have everything on the same page? 10) In what way is this interface easier to use then the one that is already built in? It's very shiny, but the real one was immediately obvious. Yours is cluttered and some of the buttons duplicate functionality or make no sense. If I promise not to try to assume that any computer programmer can sell real estate with no training, how about you try to understand that UI design is a bit more complicated then just dropping controls on a screen. Michael
Hey... thats all good... like I said... I wasn't trying to make a REAL interface... just an example at how a new interface wouldn't be all that hard to make It's not like I was expecting Parallels to call me and ask for the program... lol... It was just an EXAMPLE of what I'd like to see... something along the lines of that...
