Windows Start Button Gone Forever, Replaced By Tutorial

[NewbieTechGodII]

[citation][nom]smelly_feet[/nom]I like Windows 8. I was about to buy win7 for my htpc, but decided to give win8 a try. I like it enough to wait for win8 to reach retail shelves and will use the preview version until then. I think Microsoft made a good choice. One OS for tablets, desktop, and HTPC all in one. This way they only need to support one OS instead of multiple OSes for the different platforms.Start button is still there, in a manner of speaking. Just move mouse to bottom corner. To me, the Metro UI is nothing more than a start menu filling the whole screen and much more functional at the same time.[/citation]

Finally a voice of reason. It took me a couple of days to figure things out, so in that regard, MS is going to need to launch a massive informational campaign to make sure people know how to complete the transition.

 

[weewoo87]

This is going to blow. "Honest."

 

[captainspock]

I have not read a logical argument to change my opinion, despite the passion expressed and heated banter.

 

[Guest]

Did somebody say Millenium? Or Vista? I'm happy with Windows 7, and plan on waiting for 9

 

[gabrielorie]

Personally i'll stick to windows 7 for my pc, this seems more suitable for a tablet...

 

[keyboardclicker]

This is a clever msft ploy to get us all to go out now and future-proof our next pc by buying an extra win 7 license now... generate some quick revenue

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

[citation][nom]mwallek[/nom]Did somebody say Millenium? Or Vista? I'm happy with Windows 7, and plan on waiting for 9[/citation]
Why? Do you think that MS is going to bring back the Start button in 9? Really? And, really, are you seriously comparing Win8 to ME/Vista?

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

[citation][nom]gabrielorie[/nom]Personally i'll stick to windows 7 for my pc, this seems more suitable for a tablet...[/citation]

How?

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

[citation][nom]captainspock[/nom]I have not read a logical argument to change my opinion, despite the passion expressed and heated banter.[/citation]

I would bet that you're still clinging onto XP. Are you even using the CP? If a person is running in desktop mode, you don't even see the Metro Start screen unless you go there deliberately!

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

[citation][nom]keyboardclicker[/nom]This is a clever msft ploy to get us all to go out now and future-proof our next pc by buying an extra win 7 license now... generate some quick revenue[/citation]

Dumb. Just dumb.

 

[captaincharisma]

It's just a button. I'm sure day to day use will be just as easy. I mean, most people i know, and myself, just stick all commonly used program and folder short cuts right on the desktop, so who cares.

In any case, win7 is going to be very viable for a few years to come, and win8 on a tablet will probably be awesome. So I think this is a win.

As for linux comments... Sure i'll switch to linux, as soon as it doesn't blow for pc gaming lol

yea sorry i don't feel like slowing my computer down by filling the desktop with icons like a clueless computer user

 

[captaincharisma]

How?

try it and you will see

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

try it and you will see

yeah...I don't seem to recall much demand for a Win7 tablet...pretty much failed with XP as well. Still didn't answer the question, either. Seems to me that people really like the Zune's and Win7 phone's interface (despite the lackluster sales of the devices), so a tablet running the same interface seems like a winner to me, especially considering that Win8 is supposed to run more efficiently.

 

[lunchbeast]

Used to be Windows fan, but losing confidence almost daily. WIN95 was decent, most everything between WIN95 and XP sucked big time, they got XP right, shot off a foot with Vista, recovered in pretty spectacular fashion with WIN7, and proved they can't put together back-to-back wins with 8. I hate the new versions of Office, I don't like what I'm seeing of 8 so far, and I'm just that much more committed to hanging on to my old stuff.

These days, MS software = $hitware.

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

[citation][nom]lunchbeast[/nom]Used to be Windows fan, but losing confidence almost daily. WIN95 was decent, most everything between WIN95 and XP sucked big time, they got XP right, shot off a foot with Vista, recovered in pretty spectacular fashion with WIN7, and proved they can't put together back-to-back wins with 8. I hate the new versions of Office, I don't like what I'm seeing of 8 so far, and I'm just that much more committed to hanging on to my old stuff.These days, MS software = $hitware.[/citation]

Win95/98 broke new ground in the industry and was very instrumental in getting more PC owners (the internet was the other).

XP needed two service packs to get right; I also seem to remember people bitching and whining about how SP2 was a total disaster because it broke all of their (poorly coded) applications.

Vista was another very big step from XP and, again, people howled and raged about it. It took one SP to get it right, though.

Win7 really is THE best OS MS has released, yet you still have morons clinging to XP for whatever stupid reasons they have.

Win8 is not really a new OS like Vista/7 are, but it does take a big step towards unifying a single OS across multiple platforms, which would greatly simplify coding applications for the desktop, phone, and mobile devices.

As far as the ribbon interface goes, I personally think it totally rocks and apparently so did the user groups that MS researched them on.

It really sounds to me that most of the complainers about Win8 also complained about the events I mentioned above...These babies sounds like they would only be happy with a Command Prompt or using Linux.

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

Additional commentary:

I can't say for sure how successful Win8 will be, since it's only in a CP right now. But even then, it's pretty damned stable and fast. I'm using it as my primary OS and have been since its release, and I have no complaints or issues (other than that a couple of minor apps won't install- probably from an out-of-date version check in the software).

Whether it's going to be worth going from win7 to Win8 is going to have to be based on the individual. If you're running on anything else, you'd be foolish not to update. But make no mistake, Metro is here to stay for a long time until it's replaced by its successor; might as well get on the train now.

 

[Guest]

For the individuals that think this is an April Fools prank I've got some bad news for you: It's not. The original article was posted before April.

 

[WTFsWrong]

Why can't people see Microsoft's real purpose for the Metro UI and the removal of the start button? It's been obvious to me that they want to brand, promote, and profit from their app store. Right now, it's weak compared to Android and IOS. They got into the search-engine business to save face with Google despite even Balmer saying Bing has been a lose-lose from the start. The same goes for AppStores. To be such a force and have a weak AppStore, what does that say about them? So they need it, not just as a means to make money, but to save face and project their dominance...

Forcing people to use the Metro mess will increase the likelihood that they will buy apps to dress up the Metro-mess. Every other major addition they've added to their OS since Win NT has kept the previous way of doing things, at least from a programmer's point of view. That's their strongest reason why they've kept so many people happy over the years. IF the start button does not return, some 3rd party will make one and parent that HWND window to the taskbar so it will look like Win7's... THAT WILL BE THE HOTTEST DOWNLOAD for the Windows 8 platform, beating their best metro apps by millions of downloads.

 

[captaincharisma]

Why can't people see Microsoft's real purpose for the Metro UI and the removal of the start button? It's been obvious to me that they want to brand, promote, and profit from their app store..

apple promotes its app store for OSX yet it did not change it into a smartphone/tablet like UI

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

apple promotes its app store for OSX yet it did not change it into a smartphone/tablet like UI

uhh...yeah, and what's apple's share in the pc market again?

 

[WTFsWrong]

apple promotes its app store for OSX yet it did not change it into a smartphone/tablet like UI

Apple's entire strategy is marketing. Their products are okay, but they've always branded themselves into convincing consumers they are the hip cool brand and that everyone can be hip and cool if they buy their overpriced products. Their are many HTC phones that rival iPhone, but how in the world did Apple run away with the iPod? My Sony was half the price, double the storage, and better all around, but Macheads show up in droves to buy iPods.

Regarding Microsoft's promoting its AppStore. Hardly anyone has heard of it, but considering how well they've done with XBox Live, I wonder why it's taken them so long. If they outright promote their AppStore and still keep the Metro UI without the start button, people will complain, but if they act like, "Oh this is a better, more productive way of doing stuff." People will give it a shot. The sheep will buy their Apps and simple games. This Metro mess is definitely going to be the next Microsoft Bob. Once corporations start bellowing, that Start button will reappear in a service pack or as one of their "Tweaks" they have people download.

 

[simplec1]

[citation][nom]zloginet[/nom]Vista 2.0 is Windows 7 (I want to call you a name)... also, vista wasn't all that bad if you actually stayed with it for awhile. It was the first time Microsoft released a OS on time... Vendors were in a made rush to get drivers out and people were trying to upgrade old ill working machines to Vista... I fuggen hate people that compare without knowledge but based off they say... Stupid...[/citation]

It was also one of the worst OS releases in history. Anyone who had an Nforce 2-3 mobo can tell you about the pain of trying to install raid drivers, painfully slow installs and limited or bad driver support for a lot of hardware (printers,scanners,) and lets not forget that that they got rid of audio hardware acceleration which made a lot of expensive sound cards useless over night (crippled performance) Do you remember the upgrade advisor that told a lot of people that their pc could run vista normally but in fact could only do with aero and a bunch of things disabled?
I've played with win 8 for a few days and I can honestly say that M$ is screwing over the majority of people; who like me, will have to fix these pc's one day because the average user will say that something is broken or missing (no start button or something was moved) My company just recently started upgrading over 6000 pc's to win 7. I'll be damned if someone wants to ask for an install of win 8 when it get released. I'll just give them the answer that anyone in IT has given users before IT'S NOT SUPPORTED

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

[citation][nom]simplec1[/nom]It was also one of the worst OS releases in history. Anyone who had an Nforce 2-3 mobo can tell you about the pain of trying to install raid drivers, painfully slow installs and limited or bad driver support for a lot of hardware (printers,scanners,) and lets not forget that that they got rid of audio hardware acceleration which made a lot of expensive sound cards useless over night (crippled performance) Do you remember the upgrade advisor that told a lot of people that their pc could run vista normally but in fact could only do with aero and a bunch of things disabled?I've played with win 8 for a few days and I can honestly say that M$ is screwing over the majority of people; who like me, will have to fix these pc's one day because the average user will say that something is broken or missing (no start button or something was moved) My company just recently started upgrading over 6000 pc's to win 7. I'll be damned if someone wants to ask for an install of win 8 when it get released. I'll just give them the answer that anyone in IT has given users before IT'S NOT SUPPORTED[/citation]


yeah, you're an idiot.

MS warned manufactures about Vista's requirements, but they didn't heed the warning. Is it MS's fault because device makers can't properly code for their OWN PRODUCTS? It was well known that Vista was going to need better-than-average hardware to run properly. Why do people demand that a machine built in '98, running on an OS built in '98, run an OS built around '07?

You can HONESTLY say that MS is screwing over the majority of people? Really? How? Because your beloved Start button is gone? Are you that lame? Certainly sounds like it. I bet car manufacturers were screwing over their customers when they were forced to buy cars with seat belts, ABS, airbags, etc.

I've said it before and will say it again- having a unified OS that runs across multiple platforms will only benefit consumers and app writers.

Get with the times people. You don't like it? Fine. Go over to apple or Linux and have fun.

 

[WTFsWrong]

I've said it before and will say it again- having a unified OS that runs across multiple platforms will only benefit consumers and app writers.

Ummm. Lets play with that idea. If the automobile industry did that to cover commercial buses and dump trucks as well as hybrid electrics and family sedans, how will consumers of this catastrophe benefit? Each nietch market needs to be tailored specifically. The wealthy pigs that buy luxury cars don't want or need 10 cub holders in their Tesla or 911 Porsche, but the family sedan might.

I can see you point... People are complaining too much about change. I love change. Hell I hate the start button and the task-bar... There hasn't been a breakthrough in system shells since like OS2/Warp or Win95... Everything since then has been bells and whistles including shell compositors like Mac Quartz and MS Desktop Windows Manger. But the bells and whistles are all they have to market so that's what they sell. Consumers are slave to fashion... PARTICULARLY Mac people.

Get with the times people. You don't like it? Fine. Go over to apple or Linux and have fun.

The whole point of the Metro-mess is to promote MS's appstore. AppStores are definitely in the times and the sheep flock there for every little thing. If you like there apps, then good for you. But for the mainstream PC user and IT professional that have continued to support MS over the years, the Metro-mess is like forcing people to use Microsoft BOB to launch their Visual Studio or Adobe Photoshop CS. It's stupid and simple minded... for the PC... It's hard to use with a mouse and keyboard... on the PC... It takes away from the user's experience... On the PC (especially no Start button)... BUT it's awesome for tablets and Phones. AWESOME.

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

[citation][nom]WTFsWrong[/nom]Ummm. Lets play with that idea. If the automobile industry did that to cover commercial buses and dump trucks as well as hybrid electrics and family sedans, how will consumers of this catastrophe benefit? Each nietch market needs to be tailored specifically. The wealthy pigs that buy luxury cars don't want or need 10 cub holders in their Tesla or 911 Porsche, but the family sedan might.I can see you point... People are complaining too much about change. I love change. Hell I hate the start button and the task-bar... There hasn't been a breakthrough in system shells since like OS2/Warp or Win95... Everything since then has been bells and whistles including shell compositors like Mac Quartz and MS Desktop Windows Manger. But the bells and whistles are all they have to market so that's what they sell. Consumers are slave to fashion... PARTICULARLY Mac people.The whole point of the Metro-mess is to promote MS's appstore. AppStores are definitely in the times and the sheep flock there for every little thing. If you like there apps, then good for you. But for the mainstream PC user and IT professional that have continued to support MS over the years, the Metro-mess is like forcing people to use Microsoft BOB to launch their Visual Studio or Adobe Photoshop CS. It's stupid and simple minded... for the PC... It's hard to use with a mouse and keyboard... on the PC... It takes away from the user's experience... On the PC (especially no Start button)... BUT it's awesome for tablets and Phones. AWESOME.[/citation]

Well of course MS is going to go to apps because it's another revenue stream for them- how many times have we heard about the 'death of the pc'? Unifying the desktop/tablet/phone/game console, will make life easier for all.

I don't understand the level of agony of the loss of 'Start'...my machine boots up and I click the metro tile to go to my desktop and I hardly ever use the metro side of things (mostly because it's very incomplete). to be sure- if it wasn't for the new lock screen, I'd swear I was still using Win7. I barely used the start button anyhow and had icons on my desktop for the apps I ran. MS needs to allow users to customize the Metro All Apps screen in order to keep things tidy.

BTW, it's 'Niche'.

I'm one of those wealthy pigs you talked about, but a Porsche and a telsa are not luxury cars. But if I'm forking out $75,000+ for a car, it better have wall-to-wall cup holders. And plenty of soft animal skin and rare, endangered wood.