Windows 8.1 Update 2 Start Menu

[Underclocked]

As far as I'm concerned, there was absolutely nothing wrong with previous start buttons/menus (XP or Win7). The genius that decided to eliminate them was an idiot. So far as a "huge list", just organize it to suit your needs - that isn't too difficult.

Leaving it as a feature surely wouldn't have upset anyone since you don't even have to look at it. Microsoft lost their minds by doing away with it and caused a lot of unnecessary problems and sales loss. The popularity of third party add-ons to restore the start button and menu is proof enough that eliminating it was a serious mistake.

There are some things I like about Win 8 but none of them have anything to do with the start button/menu or Metro (which I would prefer not to exist).

 

[WelshBloke]

At least for touch screen devices, it is useful - it prevents stray touches.

Oh I can see the reason for it on a touch screen device, thing is I'm using it on a bloody big tower PC with 2 24" monitors. Theres a phrase that involves teats and boars that comes to mind.

If this irritates you, you must have irritable user syndrome, or be looking for things to be irritated about. If you have no password, hit space. If you have a password, hit space, type password, hit enter.

I'm pretty chilled out actually. As I said earlier its a little annoying thing. The fact that its there every time I log in is irritating, its like Microsoft did it to distract me from the other more annoying things.

I think what makes it irritating is theres no reason for it and it would take some guy about 5 minutes at Microsoft to fix it.

 

[RampantAndroid]

I think what makes it irritating is theres no reason for it and it would take some guy about 5 minutes at Microsoft to fix it.

You don't understand software development, I think. How do you determine when to turn it off? Touch screen device presence? So what happens when someone plugs in a new monitor with a touch screen while Windows is running? And then the test costs on that, to make sure it works? It's not 5 minutes...and it's something that is likely so low on the radar that it's not being considered.

 

[WelshBloke]

You don't understand software development, I think. How do you determine when to turn it off? Touch screen device presence? So what happens when someone plugs in a new monitor with a touch screen while Windows is running? And then the test costs on that, to make sure it works? It's not 5 minutes...and it's something that is likely so low on the radar that it's not being considered.

Ummmm... What about a check box saying "disable annoying pointless screen at startup yes/no"?

 

[RampantAndroid]

Ummmm... What about a check box saying "disable annoying pointless screen at startup yes/no"?

I've shown you that option already.

 

[Ketchup]

You don't understand software development, I think. How do you determine when to turn it off? Touch screen device presence? So what happens when someone plugs in a new monitor with a touch screen while Windows is running? And then the test costs on that, to make sure it works? It's not 5 minutes...and it's something that is likely so low on the radar that it's not being considered.

I have a feeling that added cost would be a drop in the bucket of other things that go into the development of an OS.

And Windows, going back quite a few versions, knows how to detect, and install drivers for, a new display that is installed.

 

[RampantAndroid]

I have a feeling that added cost would be a drop in the bucket of other things that go into the development of an OS.

And Windows, going back quite a few versions, knows how to detect, and install drivers for, a new display that is installed.

My point isn't that it's hard. My point is you need to sit down and spec out the behavior, implement it, test it, make sure you didn't break any other behavior and so forth. It's not 5 minutes of work - and when you're making a schedule for a software release, they make cuts. I cannot believe for a second that removing the lock screen when there is no touch hardware is high on their radar unless they're doing it for more than the lock screen. Also, it's not the display driver, it's a touch driver. They're two separate devices.

 

[HeXen]

You don't understand software development, I think. How do you determine when to turn it off? Touch screen device presence? So what happens when someone plugs in a new monitor with a touch screen while Windows is running? And then the test costs on that, to make sure it works? It's not 5 minutes...and it's something that is likely so low on the radar that it's not being considered.

I don't understand software development either nor care to but Stardock, quite quickly after W8's release created a start menu with several options, one that's even touch friendly and mouse friendly combining the metro into the start in a menu like fashion.

Face it, MS took their sweet time, seemingly grudgingly. 3rd parties put out well working solutions far faster than MS does.

 

[RampantAndroid]

I don't understand software development either nor care to but Stardock, quite quickly after W8's release created a start menu with several options, one that's even touch friendly and mouse friendly combining the metro into the start in a menu like fashion.

Face it, MS took their sweet time, seemingly grudgingly. 3rd parties put out well working solutions far faster than MS does.

I'm sure that there being a Beta and an RC (along with other developer builds) had nothing at all to do with how soon after RTM Stardock could release the software. :whiste:

 

[Ketchup]

...Also, it's not the display driver, it's a touch driver. They're two separate devices.

No kidding. And Windows going back to 7, if not Vista, already has an input service for that. Any 'driver' would detect it as such.

 

[StinkyPinky]

Ummmm... What about a check box saying "disable annoying pointless screen at startup yes/no"?

 

[bbhaag]

^^^
I think he's referring more to the lock screen. The first picture you see before the login screen.
It's really not as big a deal as he's making it out to be though. I set mine to be a pic of my wife and kids carving pumpkins. My wife has a silly look on her face in the picture. My kids giggle every time they see it.
One extra mouse click or space bar tap isn't enough to make or break my day.

 

[WelshBloke]

It's really not as big a deal as he's making it out to be though.

"It's a small thing but it's irritating" I don't think that that's making a big deal of it. I think that sums it up well.

 

[bbhaag]

Sorry I don't really see it as being irritating but each user interacts a little differently and has different expectations. I guess that's why MS keeps making little changes to help the user experience be a little better for everyone.:thumbsup:

 

[StinkyPinky]

"It's a small thing but it's irritating" I don't think that that's making a big deal of it. I think that sums it up well.

If it's a personal pc you can just set it to auto-login. I've done that on my wifes PC. Just turn it on, wait 15 seconds, and there's the desktop.

I agree the metro is horrible but with that I never see it except for the occasional search. And I can put up with that because it offers some additional perks Win 7 does not (quicker access to admin tools, better task manager to name a couple)

 

[jds1991]

Windows 8 made me realize that I don't need a start menu. Bringing it back will just get in my way.

This

 

[BoberFett]

Dirty little b......

http://www.zdnet.com/no-microsoft-start-menu-for-windows-8-until-2015-sources-7000030100/

 

[Mem]

Dirty little b......

http://www.zdnet.com/no-microsoft-start-menu-for-windows-8-until-2015-sources-7000030100/

Hehe you want a Start menu there is always Linux,oh wait what about all those third party ones for Win8,its not a big deal to be honest.

 

[blankslate]

Dirty little b......

http://www.zdnet.com/no-microsoft-st...es-7000030100/

Hehe you want a Start menu there is always Linux,oh wait what about all those third party ones for Win8,its not a big deal to be honest.

Mary Jo Foley one of the co-hosts of Windows Weekly a show on Leo LaPorte's streamcast channel twit.tv and a journalist who has been covering MS for quite a while has a hypothesis about it.

Her reasoning is as follows:

Basically Windows 8 is (rightly or wrongly. mostly wrongly in my opinion) is a tarnished brand in the eyes of the average consumer. Although they probably can have the new hybrid start menu ready for 8.2 MS just isn't willing to invest anymore in 8.x except for fixes and minor improvements.

MS knows that most businesses will not invest in Windows... probably because most of the enterprise customers are just just moving to Wndows 7 which will get all the necessary updates until well after Windows 9 is out in 2015. Most of them will not be using Windows 8 at all.
They may use Windows 9

Why put the new Start menu in Windows 8 (which is tarnished) instead of making is a "new and improved" feature in the newer OS?

http://twit.cachefly.net/video/ww/ww0365/ww0365_h264m_864x480_500.mp4
the segment referred to above starts at 9 minutes & 20 seconds.


Blame Steven Sinofsky for taking out the option of even going back to a previous OS style when many of 8's predecessors had that option.


....

 

[Mem]

Mary Jo Foley one of the co-hosts of Windows Weekly a show on Leo LaPorte's streamcast channel twit.tv and a journalist who has been covering MS for quite a while has a hypothesis about it.

Her reasoning is as follows:

Basically Windows 8 is (rightly or wrongly. mostly wrongly in my opinion) is a tarnished brand in the eyes of the average consumer. Although they probably can have the new hybrid start menu ready for 8.2 MS just isn't willing to invest anymore in 8.x except for fixes and minor improvements.

MS knows that most businesses will not invest in Windows... probably because most of the enterprise customers are just just moving to Wndows 7 which will get all the necessary updates until well after Windows 9 is out in 2015. Most of them will not be using Windows 8 at all.
They may use Windows 9

Why put the new Start menu in Windows 8 (which is tarnished) instead of making is a "new and improved" feature in the newer OS?

http://twit.cachefly.net/video/ww/ww0365/ww0365_h264m_864x480_500.mp4
the segment referred to above starts at 9 minutes & 20 seconds.


Blame Steven Sinofsky for taking out the option of even going back to a previous OS style when many of 8's predecessors had that option.


....

I don't care to be honest,I'll move to Win9 then 10 etc as soon as they become available in whatever form they appear,also upgrade my Linux distros when new versions come out,only gaming keeps me on Windows.

Quite a few not bothered about it here http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18603368


Personally Microsoft should leave Win8.1 as it stands(fine as it is) and just concentrate on Win9,10 etc...

 

[tommo123]

all they had to do was give users a choice of how they wanted the start menu to show.

 

[Matt1970]

Vista is a good example of HATE FUD,Win7 is so much like Vista ie layout etc yet Vista got a lot of unwarranted hate due to poor drivers support in early days by lazy companies and OEMs shipping PCs below minimum recommended Vista specs,basically all Win7 is a slightly faster version of Vista,again my point is they have to find something to moan about,if it's not Start menu its something else.

Win7 advantage over Vista was good driver support on release plus could use Vista drivers in general, two years refinement over Vista and OEMs learning from their mistakes by not shipping below minimum recommended specs,obviously by then we also had faster hardware ie PCs in general when Win7 was released.

I agree, but to be fair 2GB of ram was over $100 during the early days of Vista.

 

[Mem]

all they had to do was give users a choice of how they wanted the start menu to show.

To be fair Microsoft always take away some choices now and then,remember when DOS was phased out for Windows,did DOS users have a choice to stay on DOS?...We all know they phased DOS out for Windows.

Aero fans could argue where is my aero?...Again Microsoft like to change and remove things now and then,end of the day only real choice you have is what OS to use,however in general things removed are not deal breakers or a major issue IMHO.

You can bet it will continue in Win9,10,11 etc...

I could also argue things get removed in some Linux distros now and then as well,Linux is a very good example of Start menu changes over the years.

 

[Mem]

I agree, but to be fair 2GB of ram was over $100 during the early days of Vista.

I paid £100 (over $150)for 4MB of ram back in DOS days,amazing how cheap ram is nowadays.

 

[tommo123]

To be fair Microsoft always take away some choices now and then,remember when DOS was phased out for Windows,did DOS users have a choice to stay on DOS?...We all know they phased DOS out for Windows.

Aero fans could argue where is my aero?...Again Microsoft like to change and remove things now and then,end of the day only real choice you have is what OS to use,however in general things removed are not deal breakers or a major issue IMHO.

You can bet it will continue in Win9,10,11 etc...

I could also argue things get removed in some Linux distros now and then as well,Linux is a very good example of Start menu changes over the years.

i think that we should have an aero option still btw. looks better than the stupid flat look in win8