[Goober5000]

Let's have a techie thread like Gen. Disc. used to have all the time.

Does anyone else despise the new Google search results layout, with the sidebar on the left?  One of the things I've always liked about Google is their minimalist philosophy; you can "get in, do your job, and get out" without wading through bells and whistles.  The new sidebar is a giant step away from that.  It looks almost identical to Bing, and it splats a whole bunch of unnecessary configuration right where your eyes expect your search results to be.

Judging from the extensive complaint threads I've found, I'm far from the only user to be pissed off at this move.  But it remains to be seen whether they'll add an option to switch it back.

[Fury]

The sidebar seems to add useful options in a way that is quickly accessible. I don't mind, it doesn't bother me.

[Goober5000]

See, but the toolbar across the top of the page is a much more natural, and much less intrusive, way to do the same thing.

Or they could add a plus/minus toggle button to the page.  But so far there is no such button.

[el_magnifico]

Does anyone else despise the new Google search results layout, with the sidebar on the left?

I do.

I also hate the way youtube is changing the UI of its player every two minutes.

[Fury]

Those two bars serve two different purposes. As far as search options and filtering go, the sidebar is more intuitive and natural to access than the top bar where you can store links that are rarely needed. The sidebar really doesn't bother me at all.

Edit: Oh, now we're getting to complaints about youtube UI? I didn't even really notice any of those recent UI changes until people were crying wolf over them all over.

I don't really understand all this crying when something changes. Ironically it is often for the better, but people just don't even give it a chance because it's not what they're used to. Bah, at least I try to keep an open mind and evaluate things rationally for what they are. Though in youtube's case, I just don't care much. I don't have much use for ratings or comments so they could just as well not exist.

[Klaustrophobia]

Does anyone else despise the new Google search results layout, with the sidebar on the left?

I do.

I also hate the way youtube is changing the UI of its player every two minutes.

yeah youtube royally ****ed up its design.  that "like dislike" crap is useless.  can't see the rating of videos anymore, so i won't know i'm about to waste my time.  comments have become an unreadable mess too.  who the hell makes these kind of decisions?  do they even LOOK at their crap before they roll it out?

[FUBAR-BDHR]

Never even notice until something was said.  I always ignore those bars on the left and right as 90% of the time that is where pages place adds.

[newman]

Does anyone else despise the new Google search results layout, with the sidebar on the left?  One of the things I've always liked about Google is their minimalist philosophy; you can "get in, do your job, and get out" without wading through bells and whistles.  The new sidebar is a giant step away from that.  It looks almost identical to Bing, and it splats a whole bunch of unnecessary configuration right where your eyes expect your search results to be.

Abso-friggin'-lutely. I completely and utterly hate that. Hope they switch it back, if anyone wants the cumbersome bells and whistles version they can always hit "igoogle".

[Dilmah G]

Agreed.

When I want to google something, all I want to ****ing do is type something in and see a list of results. I don't need a set of windows on the side telling me it's Aunty Tracey's birthday or some crap. People who sit at the larger desks these days seem to think that turning what is, and should be, simple "I click x and it does y." crap into "I click x and get the option to y, z, a, b and c, whilst trying to get my head around a reconfigured layout."

[karajorma]

1) What sidebar?

2) I use Firefox. I hadn't seen the Google homepage in over a year.

[The E]

They mean this. This is awesome, by the way.

[Dilmah G]

Mm, I guess it's alright. The news feed was made redundant by 'The Australian' being one of my homepages, however.

[Klaustrophobia]

i didn't even notice it, to be honest. 

[iamzack]

I HAETS IT

[BloodEagle]

Edit: Oh, now we're getting to complaints about youtube UI? I didn't even really notice any of those recent UI changes until people were crying wolf over them all over.

Every time they change their website/player, they end up breaking the damned site for twenty million people (seriously, check the forums). I got lucky, this time, and it semi-works half of the time on non-featured videos. 

I don't really understand all this crying when something changes.

Way to open an argument with a derogatory statement. I'll bite, though. 

Ironically it is often for the better, but people just don't even give it a chance because it's not what they're used to. Bah, at least I try to keep an open mind and evaluate things rationally for what they are. Though in youtube's case, I just don't care much. I don't have much use for ratings or comments so they could just as well not exist.

Define "better."  I find needless changes to a user-interface to be hideous at best, and detrimental to the purpose of the program at worst.

Case-in-point: Micro$oft Office's UI change.  If you've ever used the previous version, the "new one" makes you want to gouge out your eyes with a makeshift shank. 

I've heard that it's more efficient, but failed to see any hard evidence.

Personally, I fail to see how removing words (e.g., 'edit', 'file', 'format') that describe the action you want to occur is more efficient, under normal circumstances. [/inane rabbling]

-----------------------------------------------------

@topic: Meh. I don't like it, but it isn't a hindrance.

[Fury]

As far as Office 2007 goes, you've got a bloody point. I totally hate that so-called ribbon. Even after using it a year, it still makes me want to slam LCD with a hammer.

[jr2]

It would be fine if I didn't have to hit the "More" button on the left all the time.  If there was a way to make that default to the "More" position, I'd like it.  Google can't always guess that I want images or videos of a search result, and having to click more than once for something that used to be right there is a bit annoying.

[Ransom]

It doesn't really bother me, but I agree. I'm unlikely to use anything in it and it makes the results page feel cluttered. I wish there was a way to hide it.

[Solatar]

Seems like they're trying to emulate Bing a bit; which I don't think they need to do.

As others have said, I pretty much have tunnel vision on websites since that's normally where ads are placed.

[Angelus]

I wouldn't say, that i hate the new UI, it's just different.
A bit of a pointless addition imo, but since i ignore pretty much everything except what i'm looking for, i don't care that much.
At least they didn't get their inspiration from M$...


Would be annoyingly cool to see a searchengine with the UI of TS. All functions hidden behind buttons. With no tooltips.