Microsoft May Bring Full Start Menu Back in Windows 8.2

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oczdude8

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I don't see why everyone loves the start menu so much. Sure it was good, but why trample all over innovation. Instead of asking for a outdated start menu, we should be asking for an improvement to the metro UI. In 10 years we could very well have holographic displays for the home user that work with eye gestures. menus are becoming obsolete.
 

Stimpack

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I use windows 8/8.1 just fine, but it disgusts me how Microsoft lies about having "the old familiar start menu" back. Hopefully this won't be more BS.
 

jn77

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Metro looks like X Windows did back in the early 90's, talk about a step backwards, why don't they make it look like Solaris, or OS/2....lol Windows 7 aero was pretty slick.
 

Vishnu Po

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Metro UI is not an innovation.. even a preschool kid designs better UI, Microsoft must start recruiting some real talented guys than kids with fancy degrees..
I think if this continues.. this will be the downfall of windows... if Apple decides to come into PC market with their OS able to install on any PC, days are over for microsoft and apparently apple is not doing so..
 

vpoko

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I know there's a desire to keep evolving, but sometimes things evolve to where they need to be, become mature, and remain the best ways of doing something. For example, the ballpoint pen has largely replaced the fountain pen for everyday use. That doesn't mean that we now need some kind of crazy ink squiring pen just to change for the sake of changing, the ballpoint pen is still the best way to write for most people.

I'm not against something replacing the start menu if it's a true improvement, but this feels like change for its own sake.
 

bmwman91

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I don't really get all the hoopla about the Metro UI. When it first appeared, I thought that it was going to be a dumb POS that would never work for a desktop or laptop machine. But I was curious and wanted to take advantage of Win8's other performance improvements, so I gave it a shot.

Well, I happen to like it. It is as fast as the old Start menu...one click to open it, and then one more click on the tile (shortcut), same as before, but with bigger icons and what I think is a cleaner layout. So personally I think that the Metro UI makes perfect sense and I use it on my personal PC and my work machines. It has not hindered anything, and it feels nice and fluid.

Is it "innovation"? Hard to say. Considering the other nonsense that counts as "innovation" these days, like apps that let you find hook-ups nearby and tweet your dog's dog food preferences, I'd say that this counts if that's the bar something has to meet.
 
they should just leave the Start Menu as a Windows option of the task-bar that you can turn on and off...

we all know (but may not admit) that the old desktop experience is utterly unusable in the tablet form factor, must like how Metro UI just makes desktop users more frustrated (and lost). just make the UI elements options and let the end user choose.
 


it just feels intrusive when your entire screen changes when you try to access the 'start menu'. honestly, that's it. all the elements of the old start menu are still there, just in a different form. some of us have learned short-cut keys such as window+x, windows+s, etc etc, which reduces the need to open MetroUI dramatically.
 

Neog2

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It's really simple. Just make a damn Toggle. Give people the choice to use the old version or the new version period.

When Vista came out and had the newer style interface. If you went into Desktop Properties/Personalize you could revert back to a regular Classic windows desktop if you chose to do so. SIMPLE I don't understand how or why they think a lack of choice is such a bad thing. Stop trying to force people to change and allow them to change at their own pace jeez.

And I will go on record saying coding this to do this is literally a few lines away. The regular desktop is still there they just disabled features to make it problematic to use so it would seem work worse than metro so people would just use metro. its bull.
 

sadsteve

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Ok, give me a hierarchy like I had on the Start Menu. Instead of flipping through multiple pages let me just click on a tile that opens another screen of tiles to select from. This would work better for mouse users. I always had my start menu categorized to make it efficient to finding that program that I haven't used for the last 6 months.
 

Durandul

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It's less about being accustomed to the new way, and more of the fact that the old way is just more efficient. End of story. But apology accepted Microsoft, looks like you haven't completely ignored us.
 

oxiide

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I agree conditionally. There is absolutely nothing about Windows 7 and earlier that should be considered sacred in my opinion; its never been a well-designed interface or one that made much sense. The Start menu tends to be a mess on most machines, and I have to believe there's some smarter alternative. I've always avoided using it.

I disagree on much of the rest. If the Metro interface is an innovation at all, its an artificial innovation—innovation purely for the sake of it, or to further Microsoft's agenda. It probably creates more UI design problems than it solves, and its clear that at best, users merely tolerate it. I've never met anyone, tech-savvy or not, that particularly wants to use Windows 8.

But then, that basically sums up Microsoft's business model for much of the Windows/Office/DirectX projects: if you have enough market ubiquity, users don't actually have to like your product. They need it.
 

cryptz

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i thought the change to 8.1 was decent (as far as putting the icon at the lower left). Using remote desktop into a system was a nightmare because you had to "fish" for the menu at the lower left. I didnt really like the new metro screen at first, other then not being able to change the tile color in 8.1 without oblytile i think its fine (but they need to change this so you can modify the color). i find myself hitting the start button and just starting to type what i am looking for which works pretty well/fast.
 

husker

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Microsoft spent a fortune over 20 years convincing us that the ability to customize our desktop experience was important, functional, and even fun (desktop wallpaper, icons, and such). Now, suddenly, it is no longer true?
 
You guys complaining about the start menu being more efficient than a start screen just kill me. It's a few seconds more to move the mouse... if you're moving the mouse at all.

To launch any program on my computer, I press the windows button, type 2-4 letters, press enter, and I'm done. I find that more than efficient enough.
 

johnnyevil

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For all the people saying that the start button is a thing of the past....simply because Microsoft said it was: Give your head a shake. Let's also remember that the DOS prompt is still available! Would anyone care to claim that it's a thing of the past and serves no function?
 

Morbus

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Windows 8.2 is sound like a nice little OS and I'm considering the upgrade... But only if they allow the user to completely disable the stupid waste of space everywhere, and that thing in the right edge of the screen. Otherwise I'll stick with Windows 7.
 

Bdad

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I bought Start8 to get some Win7 appearance and function back. It's the only way to make a non-touch system functional. In MS's attempt to force their agenda on people they lose business and allow others to solve the problem they created. MS is simply arrogant and stupid.
 

rakenan

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I wish I believed that Microsoft learned the lesson that change is only for the good when the change is good, but I doubt it. They just learned that they can freely screw up and people will scream and shout at them until they change it back.

That said, it works. If Windows 8.2 allows me to boot into desktop (I know 8.1 has it already, but I don't trust MS not to yank it out), and use a small Start menu instead of a honking big Start screen, I'll buy it. If it actually allows me to control Metro apps from the desktop interface, I'll be thrilled.
 

koga73

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Windows 8.1 is fine. I use it at home on my HTPC and at work. The start menu doesn't even matter because 99/100 times I hit the windows key and type what I want to run. What I'm excited about is metro apps in floating windows. Multitasking in the metro ui is horrible.
 
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