This is nice and all, but did they finally fix the problem where running into a file that's in use causes a cancel and we have to start over? Better yet, if a file is in use, it skips the file and copies the rest while waiting for a response to the dialog box?
Hasn't that been fixed since Vista? It doesn't automatically skip and keep going in the background but it definitely doesn't cancel the entire process.
I read that too. Windows 7 kinda does that, but it seemed to have a mixed track record.
These are some nice little improvements. Heavily considering a move back to Windows from OS X. Lion and Mountain Lion have shifted away from a getting-things-done OS and are catering to a different customer. I've always like Windows 7 and am glad I have it on my desktop at home.
”Lion and Mountain Lion have shifted away from a getting-things-done OS”
Just curios – what makes you think that? I don't think the later versions of Mac OS X has lost anything, rather things have been added.
Windows 8 seems nice and all (this copy feature seems like a good improvement) but I still find OS X to be a good OS with overall fewer steps to perform most tasks.
Why did this take Microsoft seventeen years to implement? This should have been in Windows 95. The worldwide collective quantity of hair pulling infuriation at Windows' terrible handling of basic copy, move and delete operations is.... significant.
It does seem like an obvious thing... although I can't think of another major operating system's file manager that has a better implementation than what already exists in windows 7. I'd hope there's a good reason no-one has implemented this to-date.
It might be because when doing file operations over a network the stats about the file operation just aren't available due to limitations of the network api. This is pure speculation though.
Not to be elitist, but KDE on Linux had the ability to not crap on one file not being able to be copied since like 2003 or earlier, plus reported the speed. KDE4 introduced some years ago start/stop file xfers. With DBUS on Gnome if you started other file xfers it would qeune them instead of trying to do all of them at once very slow due to how most traditional HDDs work.
Thank you; I was about to point this out... well, all except for the "KDE is an abomination" part. :-) If you're a Windows user and hate Metro UI, take a look at OpenSUSE Linux and the KDE desktop... everything being added to Win8 0 this copy functionality, ability to "refresh" install, mount ISOs and virtual drives, flash drive booting, etc. - is already there, plus there's a touch interface that can be toggled on and off but not forced on you. The regular desktop is just that... a nice, normal desktop with a regular launcher, but the best I've used on any OS (like WIn7 but slightly better). Every object on the desktop is a widget (even the task launcher, panel, system tray, etc) so you can completely swap around and customize the desktop. You also won't get the Metro-apps-can't-multitask and all-Metro-apps-have-to-come-from-our-app-store lock-in.
I took a look at it and Win7 when an XP install got messed up and I knew I was going to have to install an OS no matter what about 1.5 years ago, and after one year I realized I was still "testing" it :-) and made the switch official. Seeing what MS is sadly doing to Windows (I suspect forcing the Metro UI on people so they'll be accustomed to it and want to buy a WP7 phone the same way Apple is slowly turning OS X into iOS to lure iPhone users to Macs) I'm glad I left when I did.
Perhaps MS can bring file copy performance to XP levels atleast.
Win 7 is horribly slow compared to XP for simple (and large) file copies. Maybe Windows 8 can fix the speed issue first, before bloating up another simple thing.
I like how much information it looks like the new dialog gives you. It's a bit hard to tell from the picture. Sure, I don't really need all of that info, but I'm a sucker for graphs.
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16 Comments
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dgingeri - Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - link
This is nice and all, but did they finally fix the problem where running into a file that's in use causes a cancel and we have to start over? Better yet, if a file is in use, it skips the file and copies the rest while waiting for a response to the dialog box?gdinero79 - Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - link
Hasn't that been fixed since Vista? It doesn't automatically skip and keep going in the background but it definitely doesn't cancel the entire process.hackztor - Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - link
Last time I read that it would skip those files and put them last with the dialog box.ksherman - Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - link
I read that too. Windows 7 kinda does that, but it seemed to have a mixed track record.These are some nice little improvements. Heavily considering a move back to Windows from OS X. Lion and Mountain Lion have shifted away from a getting-things-done OS and are catering to a different customer. I've always like Windows 7 and am glad I have it on my desktop at home.
star-affinity - Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - link
”Lion and Mountain Lion have shifted away from a getting-things-done OS”Just curios – what makes you think that? I don't think the later versions of Mac OS X has lost anything, rather things have been added.
Windows 8 seems nice and all (this copy feature seems like a good improvement) but I still find OS X to be a good OS with overall fewer steps to perform most tasks.
ericloewe - Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - link
It's fixed in Windows 7 as far as I can tell: The operation *does* go on, but the prompt appears as soon as the error appears.piroroadkill - Friday, March 2, 2012 - link
Yes, it carries on the in the background in 8.But the problem you're talking about was fixed since Vista.
Pessimism - Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - link
Why did this take Microsoft seventeen years to implement? This should have been in Windows 95. The worldwide collective quantity of hair pulling infuriation at Windows' terrible handling of basic copy, move and delete operations is.... significant.apinkel - Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - link
It does seem like an obvious thing... although I can't think of another major operating system's file manager that has a better implementation than what already exists in windows 7. I'd hope there's a good reason no-one has implemented this to-date.It might be because when doing file operations over a network the stats about the file operation just aren't available due to limitations of the network api. This is pure speculation though.
sprockkets - Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - link
Not to be elitist, but KDE on Linux had the ability to not crap on one file not being able to be copied since like 2003 or earlier, plus reported the speed. KDE4 introduced some years ago start/stop file xfers. With DBUS on Gnome if you started other file xfers it would qeune them instead of trying to do all of them at once very slow due to how most traditional HDDs work.Of course KDE4 is an abomination.
alcalde - Friday, March 2, 2012 - link
Thank you; I was about to point this out... well, all except for the "KDE is an abomination" part. :-) If you're a Windows user and hate Metro UI, take a look at OpenSUSE Linux and the KDE desktop... everything being added to Win8 0 this copy functionality, ability to "refresh" install, mount ISOs and virtual drives, flash drive booting, etc. - is already there, plus there's a touch interface that can be toggled on and off but not forced on you. The regular desktop is just that... a nice, normal desktop with a regular launcher, but the best I've used on any OS (like WIn7 but slightly better). Every object on the desktop is a widget (even the task launcher, panel, system tray, etc) so you can completely swap around and customize the desktop. You also won't get the Metro-apps-can't-multitask and all-Metro-apps-have-to-come-from-our-app-store lock-in.I took a look at it and Win7 when an XP install got messed up and I knew I was going to have to install an OS no matter what about 1.5 years ago, and after one year I realized I was still "testing" it :-) and made the switch official. Seeing what MS is sadly doing to Windows (I suspect forcing the Metro UI on people so they'll be accustomed to it and want to buy a WP7 phone the same way Apple is slowly turning OS X into iOS to lure iPhone users to Macs) I'm glad I left when I did.
DukeN - Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - link
Perhaps MS can bring file copy performance to XP levels atleast.Win 7 is horribly slow compared to XP for simple (and large) file copies. Maybe Windows 8 can fix the speed issue first, before bloating up another simple thing.
Dug - Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - link
Very true, but at least 7 improved on Vista. In Vista you would have to wait 30 seconds before it even started copying a 1MB file.alyarb - Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - link
this is the best image you could get?bigboxes - Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - link
Sigh, it's a photo of a Microsoft presentation @ MWC 2012. You did know that, right?mike55 - Friday, March 2, 2012 - link
Comic relating to this feature: http://xkcd.com/612/I like how much information it looks like the new dialog gives you. It's a bit hard to tell from the picture. Sure, I don't really need all of that info, but I'm a sucker for graphs.