No, users look for documents and text labels in the taskbar, not icons. At least most of the users I've been familiar with. Stacking loses n00bs altogether and slows down "power switchers" (I won't call them "power users"; they aren't interested in the machine/OS itself, but they have more than one doc open and for reference/cut-n-paste, etc.). XP needed a preference setting to get back to something useful; 7 won't allow it at all. And don't try to tell anybody that thumbnails of sustantially-similar looking text documents are a substitute for taskbar labels.
> No, users look for documents and text labels in the taskbar, not icons
I think you're wrong. Before the grouping was added, I watched people click through half a dozen different windows trying to find their document. The labels were never useful once you had multiple documents, because they got truncated so short.
Moreover, I don't believe that the entire UI world just randomly decided to add icons to everything. It seems more likely that all indications are that people use the icons.
> 7 won't allow it at all.
I don't know what you're talking about. The "never combine" setting is still there.
> And don't try to tell anybody that thumbnails of sustantially-similar looking text documents are a substitute for taskbar labels.
Actually, they're much more useful, because the thumbnail often reveals a lot about the document, and also because the title is right above the thumbnail.
