The essence of window-based interfaces is about four decades old, and if it remains with us, it is for one reason: it works. Touchscreens and gestures have contributed a lot to the computing world, but working on the desktop imposes its own set of rules. Naturally, there are those who disagree with those rules, and from that "rebellion" concepts like Desktop Neo are born.
Many users reject any change to their computers. "What is coming" must be significantly better than "what exists", or it will face tough resistance. For example, Microsoft learned this the hard way, and the most common reason for creating a new Linux distro is using a different interface than the original project. Our desktops are stable, well-known, and even a bit boring, but perhaps that is the key to their success. In the last ten years we have seen the advancement of mobile devices, touchscreens, and gesture recognition. All these resources work wonders in their respective ecosystems, but every time they tried to make the leap to the desktop, they failed. Desktop Neo aspires to be the exception.
The Concept
Desktop Neo is a concept developed by Lennart Ziburski. To begin, its design proposes maximizing screen use to improve and simplify multitasking, turning windows into panels. The interface has a high dependency on touchpads and gestures, something that becomes evident almost immediately. The app menu is invoked with a three-finger click on the touchpad, and this is complemented by elements such as a finder, and the replacement of classic folders with hashtags to organize your information. The main gestures of Desktop Neo are also performed with three fingers, although that rule is different in the context menu, which is activated by holding the click on the touchpad. Finally, Desktop Neo complements all these functions with voice recognition.
Is It Necessary?
Interesting? Yes. Necessary? This is where my doubts arise. I decided to play the presentation video a couple of times, and the more I absorb about the concept, the more things I find I disagree with. Desktop Neo is supposed to be optimized for productive environments, but the first thing it proposes is splitting the screen in two and forcing the user to activate their multitasking functions with gestures, eliminating the mouse in the process. The creator of Desktop Neo declares traditional interfaces "inefficient" just because the original concept is forty years old. We also must not forget that Windows 8 tried to implement several of these ideas (with disastrous results), and that the Linux universe has accumulated decades of experience with alternative interfaces. At the end of the day, being productive means doing more in less time, and against that condition, keyboard shortcuts and direct pointer control are unbeatable.
