Microsoft products are known to defy user interface standards of comfort and friendliness, so there isn't any novelty in complaining about its products, but here is an annoying feature that I use every day when switching from Windows to Ubuntu in my dual boot netbook that makes me question the sanity of the person in charge of defining the user interface for this feature.

On Ubuntu, when you want to go to the Hibernate state, you click on the "Shut down the computer" button, and this is what you see:



Pretty easy to choose "Hibernate", right?

On Windows XP, when you select "Turn Off Computer", you see 3 buttons: Stand By, Turn Off and Restart. To see the option "Hibernate", you need to press the Shift Key so the Stand By button changes into Hibernate.


You need to press Shift Key to see the Hibernate button

Will someone from Microsoft please explain why would you make something as basic as choosing to "hibernate" more complicated than necessary?

I am sure no UX designer was involved in the creation of this "Turn Off Computer" feature. Requiring the user to press Shift Key to have access to a fourth option that could very easily fit within the options menu only makes sense if The Inmates Are Running the Asylum.


Related article:
In the age of rapid cycles and connected data, how long are we going to have to settle for dumb software?