With Sinofsky Gone, Start Menu Could Return to Windows 8

[dimar]

Microsoft should license Classic Shell. Whatever replacement they try to design will be useless by default anyway 🙂

 

[mesab66]

Was there not enough intelligence and projection in MS to realize the well publicised risks with W8 direction before this guy left?

The respect I have with those left in charge of MS will take some time to recover. I hope it does for the MS name - the name wasn't exactly a thorn in the PC's cause!....get more realistic visionaries!

 

[bystander]

[citation][nom]p05esto[/nom]Did you just ask how many times business people need more thn 2 apps? WTF, unless you're a little drone most business users probably use close to a dozen apps each day (web, email, word, excel, and then a handful of specialzed apps, could be Photoshop, visual studio, etc etc etc).[/citation]
And you cannot setup a shortcut to those apps for them, or a folder with shortcuts to those apps, or even pin them to the taskbar?

Because employees have a set list of apps that don't change unless the IT department adds an app for them, they don't have much reason to look in the start menu. I also said "a few" not 2.

 

[universal remonster]

I find it amusing the few people that come on here and keep trying to convince people how nice and easy the new Windows 8 is, while millions are telling you they don't like it. Do these few people work for Microsoft?

Millions??? Are you seriously asking us to believe that you have read millions of testimonials from Windows 8 users? Or are you just exagerating the extremes of both sides in order to try and somehow give your argument more credibility? In my personal view, from what I have read of people that have used Win 8 for a reasonable amount of time seem to like it more than those who don't. And I'm not counting the people that only used beta for an hour and then started flooding message boards with how Microsoft just

Really, you want me to go to some other screen just to open what used to take 1-click and from anywhere without leaving the app I was in? You are a tool, there's a reason Win8 is being hammered on by the vast majority of people. Stick to your own opinions, don't bash mine, you look like the idiot here getting all worked up and name calling. Grow up.

HAHAH this guy...

Really, you want me to go to some other screen just to open what used to take 1-click and from anywhere without leaving the app I was in?

So is it the size of the start screen that bothers you? The start menu is essentially just another screen but smaller. How is opening the start menu and start screen any different? Same steps involved.

Did you just ask how many times business people need more thn 2 apps? WTF, unless you're a little drone most business users probably use close to a dozen apps each day (web, email, word, excel, and then a handful of specialzed apps, could be Photoshop, visual studio, etc etc etc).

Ok, so can you please explain how Start Menu --> All Programs --> Adobe --> Photoshop is faster than Start Screen --> Photoshop Tile. Or, are you referring to the few programs you have pinned to Start menu, in which case is exactly the same thing as pinned to start screen? Web and email are usually pinned on your task bar in Win XP, Win 7, right? Sooo... Pin them to your Win 8 taskbar? Word and Excel? Start Screen --> Word. Start Screen --> Excel. That's pretty easy. No different than Start Menu --> Word. Start Menu --> Excel.

Though I own Windows 8 because it was available for $14.99 for buying a Win 7 laptop, I still haven't installed it. Because of a compatibility issue with some AutoDesk programs I need for school, I haven't made the switch. What I don't understand is the rage and hostility from people over Windows 8. People act as though they do not have free will... As if you, as a consumer, do not have a choice in the matter of using Win 8... like their children are going to be taken if they don't make the jump. Seriously. If Win 8 doesn't fit your use model, don't use it. If you don't like the new interface, don't use it. Not I nor anyone else is going to come to your home and violate you because you didn't upgrade, or even care in the first place. And besides, if Windows 7 is the greatest thing Microsoft has made and it's so perfect, why are trying to upgrade from it?

 

[nebun]

i for one, really like the start button....it keeps thing organized a lot better

 

[f-14]

tried using windows 8 for a couple hours on a laptop with out a touch screen, complete rubbish, this is THE MOST USELESS software on the face of the planet for trying to do anything. you would need as many monitors as it takes to house every icon for EVERYTHING on the screen in order to do anything quickly and god forbid you know what you are trying to do such as adjust the screen resolution or look at the control panel.

win 8 makes OS X look FABULOUS.
win 8 Makes win 7 look like a GODSEND.

win 8 is even WORSE then win ME

 

[dimar]

Win8 start menu is distracting because of all the switching between different screens..

 

[alextheblue]

[citation][nom]p05esto[/nom]The OS is useless without one-click access to all of your apps. Sure some dipsticks only use desktop shortcuts and I pin some most used apps to the taskmenu, but you still need ALL of your apps at times and switching screens just to open an app is so freaking stupid. Don't even get me started on the START page that is forced. There could EASILY be an option to choose your preference with that, MS screwed that up badly. Lot's of stupid problems that didn't have to be.[/citation]It's faster to search with a keyboard than it is to drill down with a mouse. Win7 and Win8 both have this. Keyboard > Mouse - and KB works fine in Win8. Shortcuts have that name for a reason too, BTW.

I still don't have Win8 on my primary machine, nor do I see a reason to. But I've used it and I don't get all the pants soiling. If you really want the start menu, get Start8 or stick with Win7. Enough with the "MS is forcing me" nonsense. I hope MS does add it back as an option, and adds default desktop (although I rarely do a cold boot on the Win8 box anyway!) as an option too - just to stop all the crying. Not because I need either. Aero can stay dead as far as I'm concerned. They still have Snap, so I don't need the rest of Aero. Especially on mobiles, all it does is consume extra power.

 

[alextheblue]

[citation][nom]ravewulf[/nom]This assumes Sinofsky was the sole major advocate behind removing the Start Menu. I wouldn't be surprised if those around him were "Yes" men/women and that some genuinely believe it was a good move (like his replacement who was in charge of the Win8 UI design). That said, money (or lack there of) talks, so who knows.[/citation]
It doesn't matter if he was the "sole major advocate". He was in charge of Windows, so he's the only advocate that counts. Regardless, I don't have a problem with the disappearance of the start menu. But just add it back as an option to please the diehards. Although making it a free download would really piss off Stardock. 😛

 

[nitrium]

You can get the Start Menu back for FREE using classic shell: http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/ . Then add the Win7 skin to that: http://www.deviantart.com/download/297783610/windows_7_skin_for_classic_shell_start_menu_by_vishal_gupta-d4xajay.zip . Done and dusted, and you haven't wasted $5 on something MS shouldn't have removed in the first place (made optional, sure, but outright remove, no).

 

[Guest]

@enewmen - yeah, because remember that phone OS that could run desktop-style apps? Called "Windows Mobile 6.5"? Everybody TOTALLY bought that, right?

 

[alextheblue]

[citation][nom]Soda-88[/nom]How about making apps work with UAC turned off completely too then?[/citation]Why not just install vanilla XP with no patches, no additional firewalls, antivirus, or security of any kind? You know, because screw security! This isn't Vista. UAC isn't that bad, and turning it off completely is as stupid as having zero program control.

 

[yeesh]

[citation][nom]alextheblue[/nom]If you really want the start menu, get Start8 or stick with Win7. Enough with the "MS is forcing me" nonsense. [/citation]
People do indeed want to stick with Win7. But the DirectX 11.1 announcement and the new iron-handed Windows Store make it pretty clear how accommodating Microsoft intends to be with people who don't get on board with the new O/S. You're calling people out for complaining about MS's behavior when even at this very early date MS is showing what tactics they'll be using going forward.

 

[alextheblue]

[citation][nom]keephumpingthatchicken[/nom]@enewmen - yeah, because remember that phone OS that could run desktop-style apps? Called "Windows Mobile 6.5"? Everybody TOTALLY bought that, right?[/citation]Windows Mobile 6.5 was hardly like full Windows in terms of UI. You clearly never used it. In fact it worked a lot like any other phone OS, except you could install software via .cabs out of the box, could access the filesystem, and tweak/change almost anything. Lot of farking good that did it, when people really wanted their smartphone to be as bang-simple as possible.

Anyway I think he was talking about not only the interface, but the underlying code. WP8 shares a lot with Win8, not just the UI. Same kernel, and a lot of the same libraries and software. You can target WP8, WinRT, and Win8 all with the same codebase. It is nothing like WM 6.5, either way. There are things I don't like about it, but WP8 is very slick and most users will like it if they give it a fair chance. The lack of apps will hopefully be a shrinking issue, I hate that people cling to app numbers, since it doesn't say much about the rest of the device. I also can't wait to see what BB10 brings to the table.

 

[yeesh]

[citation][nom]JohnUSA[/nom]I want to bring up a very critical and important warning regarding usage of desktop touch screen monitors with the irritable and very user unfriendly Windows 8. Touch screen desktop monitors are a horrible and painful gadgets.[/citation]
Not to mention that as monitors have gotten bigger, I thought it's been best practice for us to sit further away from them. If you have a 28", you shouldn't even be sitting close enough to touch it comfortably. The whole concept of desktop touchscreen is an ergonomics nightmare, so it's not surprising that an O/S designed around that has limited appeal to desktop users.

 

[alextheblue]

[citation][nom]yeesh[/nom]People do indeed want to stick with Win7. But the DirectX 11.1 announcement and the new iron-handed Windows Store make it pretty clear how accommodating Microsoft intends to be with people who don't get on board with the new O/S. You're calling people out for complaining about MS's behavior when even at this very early date MS is showing what tactics they'll be using going forward.[/citation]DirectX 11.1 will be on Win7, minus the newer WDDM (which doesn't affect anything for gamers or devs). Iron-handed Windows Store? You can install anything that you can install on Win7 outside of the store, like Steam. Also what apps have they denied, and why? What about Android's "iron-handed" store? I can't get it on my Kindle Fire, I should write a letter to my Congressman! Not. It's their OS, not Amazon's.

 

[xendrome]

[citation][nom]wemakeourfuture[/nom]For Shutdown:1. You can always do ALT+F4 in the desktop mode, if you're in the Metro, Windows Button (or switch to desktop) -> ALT+F42. Move mouse cursor to Top or Bottom right (no mouse click) -> Settings -> Power -> Shutdown(Note: Windows 7 has the ALT+F4 or Start -> hover over power options -> Shutdown)Windows 8 has 1 extra step if you go the long way.For finding Apps: I really like the Search -> Apps, lists everything in alphabetical order, will files grouped by program.Easily can scroll with the mouse across letters, and its always sorted unlike my Start Menu.I find pinning my main apps to the Start (Metro UI), and having them there as opposed to the bottom taskbar or icons in my desktop like the old windows style a lot nicer. Clicking Windows Button, then seeing the program icons I have setup in a nice clean way always in the order I leave them in is really nice. 98% of the programs I open are "Pin to Start"[/citation]


Or just press the power button on your computer :/

 

[alextheblue]

[citation][nom]yeesh[/nom]Not to mention that as monitors have gotten bigger, I thought it's been best practice for us to sit further away from them. If you have a 28", you shouldn't even be sitting close enough to touch it comfortably. The whole concept of desktop touchscreen is an ergonomics nightmare, so it's not surprising that an O/S designed around that has limited appeal to desktop users.[/citation]Now THIS I have to agree on. I won't be using a touchscreen with Win8 on my desktop any time soon. But I'm hoping they'll integrate next-gen Kinect technology into future monitors (with the seperate "Kinect 2.0" unit being available as an add-on as well).

 

[Supertrek32]

The problem with metro (or whatever you wanna call it) is that it takes the windows out of Windows. I can't be the only who sees the problem with that...

 

[bystander]

[citation][nom]yeesh[/nom]Not to mention that as monitors have gotten bigger, I thought it's been best practice for us to sit further away from them. If you have a 28", you shouldn't even be sitting close enough to touch it comfortably. The whole concept of desktop touchscreen is an ergonomics nightmare, so it's not surprising that an O/S designed around that has limited appeal to desktop users.[/citation]
If you do get a touch screen, you can simply buy a smaller one knowing you'll have it as close to you as possible, or at least, where it is comfortable to use. If you are pushing your monitors further away, that is likely because you went too big, or maybe because of 3D, which does need a little distance to prevent images from bleeding through the glasses.

The size should be a non-issue. Just buy the touch screen at the size that lets you comfortably use it from a few inches away.

 

[Guest]

I've been using it a few weeks now and I do not mind the new start screen. However, I do find the Charms bar unnecessary. It would of been better to integrate the charm options into the Start Screen so everything is accessible from one hub. Or at the very least, integrate the Shutdown options into the context menu when right-clicking on the Start Screen tile in the lower left corner. I also wouldn't mind an option provided to boot directly into desktop while still maintaining the Metro UI.

 

[Guest]

It is more than just a crappy UI, It is a big landgrab by the Robberbarrons at M$, from a free and open land to a costly and closed land! The open desktop with a closed Metro/Modern Runtime, is just the first step to turing third party OEM hardware and software into the M$ closed ecosystem cash cow! Microsoft what you do on Your own branded hardware is you own business, but your OWN business stops at the third part OEM hardware and software property line!

 

[deftonian]

I'd be happy if they'd add the start button back just so I dont have to hear about it anymore from the anti windows 8 activists

 

[brandonvi]

[citation][nom]Supertrek32[/nom]The problem with metro (or whatever you wanna call it) is that it takes the windows out of Windows. I can't be the only who sees the problem with that...[/citation]
trust me your not the only one that sees it... people have been saying that for months to MS

 

[MaXimus421]

I don't care for the Win8 UI either, but it's not the end of the world. There is no law stating that I have to use Windows 8.

I'll continue using Win7 until something better comes along. Windows 8, simply is not it and adding a start menu to it just isn't enough for me to become an adopter of this particular OS.

The entire idea of having to re-learn how I use a computer to get things done efficiently clearly should have been given some more thought. Because that's what I felt like I had to do 5 mins into testing Windows 8.

More power to you if you like/enjoy using Windows 8. I simply don't see a need for it on a desktop.