[citation][nom]jerm1027[/nom]That start button was also a really helpful tool... WAS a helpful tool, until MS axed that. Whats more is that explorer's only real "upgrade" is the Ribbon interface, but aside from that, not much has improved, and without the start button, along with other missing features, is a step back. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see explorer gone in Win9, especially considering the cut MS is making off of every Metro App. MS isn't making money off of explorer.[/citation]
The reason they axed it is it became outdated. The task bar is much more efficient in a productivity environment, and if you have a gazillion pieces of software the search functionality works great. I will agree with you on Ribbon though. Its one of those things that should work in theory, but even after using it for a few years it still feels clunky and weird. I still can't see them axing the desktop entirely, since their staple is productivity in windows.