Start button confirmed to make a comeback in Windows 8.1, sort of

[cliffordcooley]

We were talking about the button that vanished, right?

Yes, which will now serve as a starter for the Start Screen not the Start Menu.

In all actuality the button is irrelevant. What is relevant is the application that the button starts. So why would I be talking about the button itself? It is not the absences of the button that I care about. Its the absence of the start menu and what was used as a replacement. I can learn to ignore the Start Screen as I have so many other application MS has peddled, if only they give me a choice. A choice to keep what I'm familiar with or give me something I would be willing to migrate to before stripping the Start Menu from me.

 

[TS-56336]

I love it when a company removes a feature and tries to sell it back to you.

 

[Guest]

Too late
aero?

 

[Puiu]

"To be fair, you can already do everything the Start menu allowed with the redesigned Start screen -- searching, opening recent files, quickly launching apps, jumping to the control panel and so on. "

Am I the only one who doesn't know where "opening recent files" is? It was my most used feature in windows 7 and I miss it a lot.
Also "to be fair" fullscreen sucks. Apps take hours to open and they are only fullscreen. This is why I avoid going into the start screen like the plague.
But I have to admit that the desktop improvements were fairly good. I use windows 8 for the boot times and battery life.

 

[treetops]

My Dad is still mastering the start button and my gran pa.... Getting rid of the start button was the stupidest thing microsoft has ever done.

 

[TheBigFatClown]

"To be fair, you can already do everything the Start menu allowed with the redesigned Start screen -- searching, opening recent files, quickly launching apps, jumping to the control panel and so on. "

Am I the only one who doesn't know where "opening recent files" is? It was my most used feature in windows 7 and I miss it a lot.
Also "to be fair" fullscreen sucks. Apps take hours to open and they are only fullscreen. This is why I avoid going into the start screen like the plague.
But I have to admit that the desktop improvements were fairly good. I use windows 8 for the boot times and battery life.

Thanks for buying a (insert profane adjectives here) product that you appear to only half-heartedly embrace, if that. Why are so many people so hell bent on purchasing every piece of ****** update that is produced without weighing the pros and cons of it all? God, Microsoft truly has the masses brainwashed. They should do an experiment and produce the **********, *********, ******* operating system they can, release it as Windows 9, and see how many people still purchase it just because it's Microsoft's latest and proclaimed greatest OS.......oh wait.....that's what they just did.

People are so gullible.

 

[TheBigFatClown]

Moore's Law no longer applies to input devices such as the keyboard and mouse. There will never be a more powerful combination of input devices than these. Sitting around all day in a room with purple walls trying to invent something slicker and sharper is a waste of time.

Windows 8 has taken 6 steps backward with regard to the UI. Windows 8 operating system was like putting a lamborghini engine in a station wagon and expecting it to be a success. I don't care what the engine can do if the UI makes me gag. And that, unfortunately, is the state of the matter. Squares instead of rounded corners? Replace the keyboard and mouse with purple squares? Yikes. Who the hell is responsible for this catastrophe known infamously as Windows 8? Get'em up against the wall.

 

[VitalyT]

So MS is now using colors to refer to the next OS version - Window Blue, huh, let's wait for Windows Pink, so some day you can finally pick up a box with new Windows OS while shopping for lingerie. Let's just hope it doesn't lose all of its buttons by then, for it will be a very loose outfit on your PC.

 

[Vilandra]

Lol that would actually be really smart, to cobrand with Victoria Secret Pink lol

I'm actually the person that never upgrades their OS until they buy a new computer lol, but I actually gave W8 a try and I quite like it in general. But for the non-computer savvy people out there I don't know how they will find anything. Personally, I don't care about the start menu much, but I'd rather instead of having to search for everything they just put everything that used to be in the Start Menu on its own screen that you access from its own charm.

They could have updated it without making it confusing.

 

[VitalyT]

Lol that would actually be really smart, to co-brand with Victoria Secret Pink lol

I'm beginning to think it probably was designed to be a lingerie co-product after all:

 

[sapo joe]

SO, there's still the stupid Metro-like tablet-intended interface.

That means... I'll stick to Windows 7 x64 until I can.

 

[sapo joe]

" coppersloane said:

Pretty hilarious. And people who still can't get used to swipe down-swipe up are pretty hilarious too. If you're struggling with Windows 8, you've got more considerable problems than an unfamiliar operating system to figure out. You've got an undeveloped intelligence quotient."

Nice to see how much prejudice can a fanboy output on a single post. Measuring intelligence by how much someone likes a new M$ OS? NICE TRY, BILL GATES B*TCH!

The Metro interface is almost useless for non-touchscreen based computers, and that is a FACT.

Also, Windows 7 uses a well proven user friendly interface, that's been perfected since Windows 95. Then, all of the sudden, they change things to a tablet interface, and hope people will like it all the same? NO WAY.

 

[Puiu]

Thanks for buying a (insert profane adjectives here) product that you appear to only half-heartedly embrace, if that. Why are so many people so hell bent on purchasing every piece of ****** update that is produced without weighing the pros and cons of it all? God, Microsoft truly has the masses brainwashed. They should do an experiment and produce the **********, *********, ******* operating system they can, release it as Windows 9, and see how many people still purchase it just because it's Microsoft's latest and proclaimed greatest OS.......oh wait.....that's what they just did.

People are so gullible.

I got it free from my college so it's not problem for me. and as I pointed out I avoid metro but I do like the other improvements, but certainly I would NOT pay the full price for it.

 

[VitalyT]

Without a doubt, price was a factor for many who bought it. I bought Windows 8 for $15, that's $30 deal price, minus $15 of their special discount. Right away I bought Start8 for $5 and installed it all together on my Macbook Air as a second OS, and it works quite well. After all $20 for the latest OS isn't that much to consider. I paid way more than that for Windows 7 back in earlier days. And now the rumor has that Windows Blue will most likely be free for anyone who purchased Windows 8, makes it even better deal.

Edited: Just out of curiosity I visited this web page: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/upgrade-to-windows-8 and clicked Download Upgrade Assistant, to see what it says about a possible upgrade path and the cost of the upgrade...

Well, I liked the upgrade path, and that no serious compatibility was found, but when it came to the page with the upgrade price.... - are you ready?

295 euro!!! That's $383 for an upgrade from my Windows 7 Ultimate x64 to Windows 8 Pro. Now how do you like that? So I was looking and thinking - ok, $15 .... $383, $15....$383, man, I need a discount... and a big one...

There is no way I'm gonna touch it for this kind of money, I never paid that much for Windows 7 Ultimate, or for any Windows version for that matter.

Microsoft - some bolts are evidently loose...

 

[cliffordcooley]

Microsoft - some bolts are evidently loose...

Some bolts? I'd say every single one of them.

 

[Tomkatpc]

Microsoft is just trying to get people used to the interface so they can get some of that sweet, sweet tablet market. People are using smartphones and tablets more than their PCs, so Microsoft just wants to make sure they won't be phased out in 3 to 4 years or so.

You really can't blame them for wanting to remain profitable. It took me a little bit of time to get used to Windows * but I am getting used to it. It is easy to tap the windows key to get back to the start screen and then right click on the bottom of the screen and select all apps for a list of your installed programs. I personally had a harder time adjusting to Apples format the 1st time I used one of their products than transitioning from Win 7 to Win 8.

 

[gingerbill]

Come on people! Do you really think this is anything more than a marketing tactic. Microsoft has perfected this strategy. They know people don't upgrade their Microsoft OS that often so they release an experimental/market test OS every other release or so. Do you really think Windows Me,Vista,and now 8 is a coincidence? They overstep what people are comfortable with on years when they know business/consumer equipment refresh is low.

I bet your thinking right now, "Hmm this windows 8 is too different, but ill surely get Windows 9 if they dial it back a little bit". Meanwhile you have now been exposed to MetroUI, so when they do tone it down in 9, it wont seem so new and "scary" to people. Windows 7 will start being outdated and/or no longer supported so you will almost have to upgrade. Windows 9 will be touted as a great success, and sales will skyrocket. They do this so that on the years businesses and consumers need new computers/OSs you don't start looking elsewhere. But you are still exposed to the future direction of the company.

Now keep in mind I'm not saying Microsoft is evil/bad. I personally like them. Its just smart business. No different from car companies releasing new models every 3-5 years. If they released new models every year they would be bankrupt in no time. Most people don't buy a new car every year or so.

Im still amazed that people are mad at Microsoft for Metro. Remember Vista? Windows 8 was not the OS designed for you. Get over it. Windows 9 will be out before you know it.

I hope your right , I been assumning the same thing , it has been a long running tradition now of a crap OS followed by a decent one. I can't believe they would be stupid enought to try and force this crap metro onto desktops , no matter what people say there are still a lot of desktop users and will be for the forseable future. Unless of course microsoft scares them all away .