I'm new to Nexus Ultimate and I'm finding it hard to understand what the program is going to be able to do for me.

I understand from the relatively brief initial description and the pleasant video that it's a dock. It's a Task Bar, of sorts, multiples, and it's also a menu system, or so it seems.

But I wonder about usage. I see from the video that it's a cute way of starting a program... and then what? My programs usually occupy the screen, and my Task Bar (in Win7) shows me what's running and where I can start frequently-used programs. And I have the start/menu button.

But if I'm to use Nexus and not the traditional Windows controls - how do I get to it for my second program startup? As far as I can tell, it's obscured by the first. I could minimise the open program and slide around on Nexus to start a second program; then I have to bring the first back up to full-screen. But why bother?

To start a third program - minimise the first two, and start the third. Huh?

I suspect there's a subtlety I'm not getting, as was mike the other day. The demo video shows Nexus in all its glory - but on a bare, open desktop.

To get to a dock you have to be able to access it - but Nexus is big (adjustable) and I can't see it ever being as compact as the Task Bar, but if it were, why bother?

There's a great program by Frank Mikalsen called DeskWipe with which you bang your mouse into a screen corner or edge and all windows minimise to give you your desktop. If you used that then Nexus would be usefully visible.. if it too weren't minimised by DeskWipe.
(Yes, I know the bottom corner \.)

And, into the bargain, Nexus breaks a lot of Windows conventions and usages: it doesn't seem to drag and drop according to common rules, and its popups don't pop back down when you off-click, it has no X closer. More..

Perhaps it's just one big, extra-click, Start button/orb. Is it a substitute for the Task Bar? For the desktop? (It sure maltreats my existing icons.) The Shelf muscles its way against Task Bar real estate a little heavily. What of the Notification Area (and my TClockEx DoW, date, time)?

Is there a broader description somewhere of what Nexus does, and how you would use it?

tags purpose usage use why desktop start launch taskbar improve better traditional access

One example of why I'd use Nexus/Winstep. FYI: My desktop has currently 0 shortcuts on it. A lot tidier and everything is categorized (applications/games and if I want I can create a folder called University and drop all files for uni in there and create a folder tab so I can easily access those files).

The particular tab you saw is normally one row but I expanded it (double-click the tab for that).

For frequently-accessed programs I use the quick-launch feature from the Win 7 taskbar (Win+number, so Win+1 launch the task manager, Win+2 launch firefox). It is easier for me.

I'd tell you to check out the settings window. There are a helluva lot of settings available. It's a steep learning curve, feel free to ask how things are done In the end it is up to you to choose what you want to do. If you prefer the default Windows environment, that's fine. If you are hungry for a clean desktop and want a place to store lots of shortcuts then we got Nexus for you

You can either set the dock to auto-hide, and then bump the edge it is attached to make it appear again, or you can make the dock reserve screen space so maximized windows cannot cover it (as it happens with the taskbar and the collapsed Shelf).



NextSTART, a component of Winstep Xtreme, actually allows you to do just that (and much more) via a unique system it has called 'hotspots'. A hotspot in NextSTART is an activation method (among many to choose, such as bumping screen edge and corners, clicking specific windows or spots on those windows, buttons on your Desktop, Taskbar, Shelf or Docks, etc...) which is assigned to an action (which, again, can be one of many possible actions, from running an internal command such as 'Minimize all Windows' or 'Close CD ROM Door' to running a program to popping up a menu you built yourself)

I see a few hints as to what I could do with Nexus - but one thing that worries me is that developers and proselytizes often err in the process because they are so very familiar with the product.

What I see as a flaw, in many IT projects (IBM's OS/2 is one that stands out), is that they lack empathy. They miss adopting the point of view of the startup adopter who approaches the new project with a fair degree of trepidation, of wondering what 'damage' it might do to their operations, or how far they can go before it's too late to turn back.

I can see what might be possible with Nexus but there's very little information on how I can return to my customary way of doing things if I decide against the product after exploring it. I have about 40 icons on my desktop, all in places that I'm familiar with, and I have my Task Bar set up the way I'm familiar with, with Dow date month year from TClockEx (that nothing else seems to do) - and I need to know what I have to junk to explore and maybe adopt Nexus. At least I have DesktopSave&Restore that 99 times out of 100 can put my desktop icons back the way I know them - but I'm a little fearful of what Nexus might do. And of what level of effort I might have to go to if I want to retreat. There may be many unexpected effects of trying Nexus.

And this attitude goes for the vast majority of the population, I suggest. Please note, Jorge; I believe this is very important for all developers.
"If you break it, can I put it back the way it was?"
We won't love you for quite a while yet, and life's full of disappointments. (Start Menu 7 comes to mind: he breaks so many menu things.. )
Steve Jobs hasn't had great success by dumbing down OS-X into banal simplicity for no reason.

More anon..

The Winstep Xtreme FAQ has a similar question: 'Is it easy to get back to normal Windows?'. And the answer, of course, is yes, in all that you have to do is exit Winstep Xtreme like you would any other application.

Winstep Xtreme per se will not change anything - only you can do that. Your desktop icons will still be in the desktop, but now you are able to hide them and use the Desktop tab in the Shelf instead. Exit Xtreme and they will still be where you left them.

Now, whether *you* can go back to normal Windows after experiencing the convenience of having Winstep Xtreme running on your computer for a while, that's a different story altogether...

In essence Winstep doesn't make permanent changes. You might notice that your wallpaper might change. Simply choose the option "Don't allow themes to change my wallpaper" and set your wallpaper back. Those desktop icons aren't affected at all (unless you choose to hide them).

This is also what I saw with Jorge: He tries (and often asks us as well) to make it user-friendly. That is also why my suggestions also incorporate a suggestion on how to implement it in an user-friendly method.

I also use TClockEx and had the same question. You have to deactivate the Winstep Toolbar as they cannot work together. See this thread. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3632&p=11840#p11840 It will explain everything along with a screenshot of my configuration with and without the Winstep taskbar.

Well, I suppose it's time I reported in on my Nexus Ultimate experience, although time does behave differently on internet forums..

I've been prompted by an upcoming offer in this post-PC pricing era, so I expect I'll be upgrading soon.

I did persist with NU106 and I've grow to like it a lot, even letting it autostart. I solved my earlier concern about actually getting to such a large dock/taskbar as Nexus's when I found that, pretty though it is, it can be hidden away until it's bumped into view, on top of everything else on the screen. Very easy access. And I like feedback sounds, too.

I found that the docks can be finely positioned along the screen edges, so my main dock slides into view beyond the Win7 taskbar; I use it, and it slides away.† I have to be careful to still allow task preview thumbnails. I also have a small dock high over on the left side, for utilities, placed below the orb, and where it won't be bumped into view without my wanting it.

And I've solved your concern, Windy, over using TClockEx*, by retaining the Win7 taskbar - I have all the traditional information there, including the orb, running programs, and DoW, dd/mm/yyyy nn:nn xm @beat. All on minimal real estate.
*In fact I now use Stoic Joker's T-Clock that seems to have been based on TClockEx. Thanks Dale Nurden; it was great.

Comments? NU106 does get killed fairly regularly, perhaps by Teamviewer RC; something else..? I have to restart it from the Task Manager - a once-a-day nuisance. With any luck the new version will be more robust/resistant. (Even the master hotkey won't wake it.)

And re behaviour: I'd like to see an Oops! setting wherein we're given a stuttered opening behaviour in the docks:- when we bump a screen edge we may well do it unintentionally, so with a stuttered start a small portion of the dock would appear for some milliseconds during which time we could snap out of our error and move our mouse back, or stay there and let the full dock emerge.
I say a few milliseconds because we humans are perfectly able to train ourselves to react within that time; sportsmen do it every day.

† I'll bet you a million that you started reading this post up in the \ top left corner. That's where we English language (and others) users start. So I've taken to placing the taskbar, and dock, at the top of my screen, where I naturally go to look for new information. It took a couple of weeks... I found that with careful settings choices Nexus could accommodate this unusual practice, though no good programming should baulk at this placement choice. Should, I say...
And BTW, use KatMouse. Just use it.

In conclusion: very nice; thanks Jorge. Getting hungry..

Thanks for your feedback and your suggestion.

There is indeed an issue with how fast the dock reacts to an edge bump: if I set it to be fast by default, I get users complaining about the dock getting in their way when they accidentally activate it, if I set it to be slower, I get users thinking that Nexus is a *slow* dock! Sigh.

This despite the fact that users can set the edge bump delay to whatever suits their preferences better.

Good, Jorge. Glad to help.

With regard to your frustration to do with the dock response time, I believe that that's the beauty of my suggestion for a stuttered start - if I may say .

It's all to do with 'behaviour shaping'. With judicious design we can direct users' attention to matters that allay or even bypass those cues that can irritate.

An example of this is the 'piano staircase'. A design intended to get more people exerting themselves rather than using an escalator. The steps make musical note sounds.
http://www.thefuntheory.com/piano-staircase
From the page with others:
http://www.thefuntheory.com/

An early example I came across was the placement of mirrors in a lift ('elevator') foyer ('lobby') - so that people's attention would be directed to checking their appearance (or that of others..) away from the length of time it was taking for the lifts to arrive. Classic redirection.

A stuttered start would immediately indicate that the program was BOTH responding and that it was accommodating a mistake. Without allowing the aeons of hundreds of 'nothing' milliseconds in which users would perceive a delay, they would be cognitively occupied by an event - the initial part-start - and be led on to the consummation of their wish with the quickly following full dock emergence. IMHO.

And after a few oops events of accidentally bumping an edge, users would learn† to react by taking the mouse away from the scene of their crime within the period of grace.
(†Keep in mind that most of our motor skills are performed subconsciously.)
Indeed, perhaps you could make it so that a slide along the direction of the edge would reveal the dock with no more delay at all (a settable distance, perhaps).

While I kind of like the idea (would have to see how well it would work in real world usage) there is a major problem with the stuttered start: there are thousands of different dock skins out there, some with complex shapes, and others with variable height/width of fully transparent margins.

While it's easy for a human to see at a glance where the actual visible dock background starts, for a computer program this would mean having to scan the bitmap pixel by pixel to find out where the non-transparent bits start. Even then, it's not fool proof, given how irregularly shaped some dock backgrounds are.

Okay, Jorge, I have things to learn. I'm new to the scope of the Nexus dock and its themes. I'll explore.
I'm thinking that a dock can be made to appear with a screen-edge bump, after which a part-dock would appear, real or artificial (a thin strip, perhaps) - but a rectilinear screen edge from a manufacturer is still a screen edge..
If there's something in fandangleyed shaped themes, then I must research more.

PHRED, it sounds as if you would be better off purchasing Winstep Xtreme. I suggest you read the thread I started a little while back. It will lead you to a video of what Xtreme can do.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4530 The title of the thread is Winstep Xtreme-Planet Background.

I did leave out one of the features because of privacy reasons. It's a Hotspot feature that allows you to bump, or use the scroll button etc, to pull up a Context Menu that displays your folders. It can also preview pictures by simply moving the mouse over them while they are in the folder which is awesome!

There are just too many features for me to go over. As I said earlier, the video should help along with the info I provided in the thread.

As you've witnessed, people here are very helpful, and Jorge (Winstep) the developer, is extremely helpful.

Thanks Phred! I just now realized that you posted this. I somehow skimmed over it probably because I was focused on the latter part of the post after realizing this thread was generated a long time ago. I was really bummed-out that I couldn't use TClockEx when I changed from XP to Win7. The original version won't work with Win7.

I just installed Stoic Joker's T-Clock and so far it's working at least as well as the original! I'm really happy now. For now I'll leave the TimeLeft clock on my Desktop because I like the way it blends in with my Wallpaper and of course Stoic Joker's T-Clock will be on my System Tray where it fits perfectly.

Fortunately something told me to go and re-read this thread. Hmmmmmm, the force is strong with this one. I guess I am finally becoming a Jedi.

The Force is strong, Sir Wind.
Glad you found my reference to T-Clock. If you live anywhere near the meridian of longitude that passes through the Swatch factory you may find it hard to reconcile @beats and GMT/UTC. In their wisdom, Swatch set their @beats prime meridian on their factory's position, not Greenwich, England.
I've not been here in a while either, being persona non grata for answering back on the subject of Jorge's design choices, but I'll gird my loins and try again later.
I'm sure you'll enjoy T-Clock for a long time, at least until Windows 8...
Go with The Force, my son, and rock it.