Microsoft to tweak Windows 8 Start screen

Question

According to general manager of platform strategy, Tim O'Brien, "Some of the changes you'll see on the Start screen are based on feedback from developers on the Building Windows 8 blog".

Unfortunately, no specifics are given.

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/372319/microsoft-to-tweak-windows-8-start-screen

Answer 1

Maybe I'll be shocked, but after reading the article and seeing the below comments, I don't hold out any hope at all that Microsoft took the feedback serious or that the Desktop Interface will get a "real" Start Menu or that users will get any option at all to boot directly into the Desktop interface.  (The frustrating thing is who does it hurt to give us the "option" of what interface to use and make both functional?)

 

"We've seen some small amount of visceral feedback focused on 'choice' or 'disable' — a natural reaction to change, but perhaps not the best way to have a dialog leading to a new product," Sinofsky wrote.

Microsoft then spent the rest of the lengthy post justifying the decision to apply Metro by default,....

 

Answer 2

I saw the blog post on that topic a long time ago, and my opinion of Metro has not changed.

Answer 3

I am at a loss to see what Microsoft's intention has been with its UI changes ever since windows vista was launched. To my mind, most of the changes since XP have made it look tackier and less neat, and less usable.

The search function did NOT render the start menu obsolete - useful to have, but not the universal solution.

I have lots of software on my machine whose name I can't remember immediately if I haven't used it for a bit. How am I going to search for that? If I wish to lean back in my seat, and browse with the mouse, what then?

Getting rid of the file menu on applications and expecting us to always use toolbars is a similar great step downwards in usability. Microsoft - get this into your head: Hierarchical menus are more versatile than flat ones

If I find a new machine and want to browse the software, nothing worked better than the old XP start menu. The vista one was a deliberate stunting to sour the menu in people's eyes and soften us up for the new flashy UI.And what new menu did we get in return. A flat Links apple mac style menu which is no better than desktop shortcuts. Again-  Hierarchical menus are more versatile than flat ones!!

I am a developer who is utterly fed up with what Microsoft is doing to its UI, calling it "progress" when it's really all image and no content. The internet used to look like Windows 7 (all flashy graphics), now it looks more like xp - i.e. calmer, less fussy, efficient. Microsoft went backwards, not forwards.

A lot of people I know would like to get hold of the UI decision makers in Microsoft and give them a severe talking to, tell them what a miserable environment they've turned windows into.

However, in order to be prodcutive, I suggest Microsoft introduce a new option: Developer Mode startup

If the standard mode is like the iPhone or apple Mac, then developer mode should be like Ubuntu - i.e. fully customisable. Hierarchical start menus or flat ones at the developer's discrection, add on the search facilty. Control menus should resemble those in XP, with subtly enhanced features - e.g. bring back the simple "display properties" box with its options ready and easy to use.

It's 12 years after XP, and I still know people who have it at home and don't want to upgrade to 7, 8, or any other abomination produced by Microsoft. This should tell you something - i.e. that the grown up thing to do is admit you migth have made a mistake in removing old options, even if you want to add new ones.