Windows 8.1 Lastest Build Leak address many issues.

[obsidian1200]

Still dont think people should expect a brand new OD to support stuff that old. You be better off having a install of XP on another partition or drive for best compatibility. You could try playing in a VM too.

 

It's not that I'm expecting it at this point, but it is something that makes me not want to upgrade my OS. It'd be one thing if I were on XP or Vista and refusing to upgrade, but this is one iteration. As I mentioned before, I'll cross that bridge when I have to, but so far Windows 8 has nothing to offer me personally (before anyone feels a need to list the 'features' Windows 8 has over 7, let me save you the trouble and say I've seen it before and don't care).

[fracking4oil]

Isn't 8.1 final (or w/e) supposed to be coming out any day now?

[Drunk Muffin]

>Show content for: touch, mouse.

That small section on the last slide looks interesting...
 

[Giddyguy]

By "proper" he means a button that opens up the classic Start Menu. The "button" they added in 8.1 just takes you to the metro interface which pressing the Win key does the same thing.

actually i like the new start button, it is much easier to access key shortcuts with a right click. For everything else the start menu/screen works well. thats just my opinion though. To each his own.

[Drunk Muffin]

actually i like the new start button, it is much easier to access key shortcuts with a right click. For everything else the start menu/screen works well. thats just my opinion though. To each his own.

I find myself having important applications on specific parts of the start screen incredibly helpful, as I can easily position my mouse over that screen region, press the start button on my keyboard and left click to instantly start it up. It's amazingly efficient.

[MzCatieB]

id go linux if it wasnt the fact that some of the software i work with was windows dedicated -.- cant even go mac

[Lamb]

I think they should just add an option to choose what you want to use. If you like the metro interface, then pick that. If you like the classic start menu, pick that. All there by default. No programs necessary.

[Caito]

I think they should just add an option to choose what you want to use. If you like the metro interface, then pick that. If you like the classic start menu, pick that. All there by default. No programs necessary.

Exactly! You've always been able to choose what start menu you want to use so why stop now? Hopefully with that Balmer guy retiring they'll get somebody who listens to the people.

[TheProfosist]

I think they should just add an option to choose what you want to use. If you like the metro interface, then pick that. If you like the classic start menu, pick that. All there by default. No programs necessary.

 

Then they and any company that uses or provides windows would have to support both. Also what about when I person goes to a windows tablet or phone? or even one of those touch enabled laptops or all in ones?

[Caito]

Then they and any company that uses or provides windows would have to support both. Also what about when I person goes to a windows tablet or phone? or even one of those touch enabled laptops or all in ones?

What is there to support in the start menu? It's been around forever I think that if it ever had any bugs they are gone. So what if a person goes to a tablet? If they want to use modern ui they will use modern ui or maybe they will still want to use the "classic" ui. It should be up to the consumer to decide how he likes his ui not for Microsoft to force it on everyone.

[Ethnod]

Great thread GoodBytes, but I dont see how that is possible. Windows 8.1 Lastest Build Leak address many issues..... its still windows  <_<

[TheProfosist]

What is there to support in the start menu? It's been around forever I think that if it ever had any bugs they are gone. So what if a person goes to a tablet? If they want to use modern ui they will use modern ui or maybe they will still want to use the "classic" ui. It should be up to the consumer to decide how he likes his ui not for Microsoft to force it on everyone.

 

just because "It's been around forever" doesnt mean they dont have to support it also whenever someone calls in for help they would have 2 ways to go about fixing it and this does nor just go for microsoft, think about it.

 

Have you tried using touch in WinXP or Win7? You need something as small and pointy as your cursor to use it which unless unless its supported a proper pen you never had.

 

You should really try telling that to apple and all the other companies that do the same thing. Also go back to when they forced in the start menu initially I wonder what the response with that was? I wouldnt know wasnt around then and the user base was much much smaller.

 

 

 

If you look at what the majority of people use a computer for now days, that can easily be accomplished without leaving the start screen. Also for those people it might better actually if they gave it a chance since its closer to the smartphones and tablets that they are already accustomed to.

 

Now I do believe that completely wiping the start menu out of windows was not a good idea but bring the start menu back is not the answer. It would create even more confusion and would break the compatibility and uniformity they are trying to achieve over the different gorm factors and devices.

 

I have asked this before and will ask it again because I dont remember anyone really answering. What did you need the start menu so desperately for before that you cant do now?

[GoodBytes]

What is there to support in the start menu? It's been around forever I think that if it ever had any bugs they are gone. So what if a person goes to a tablet? If they want to use modern ui they will use modern ui or maybe they will still want to use the "classic" ui. It should be up to the consumer to decide how he likes his ui not for Microsoft to force it on everyone.

 

What happens when the user goes on a convertible system... like that this one?

 

How about:

or

 

Or how about:

(monitor can be put upright like a normal monitor, or put into a slate at an angle, over your keyboard like the above picture.

 

There is simply NO WAY, you can say that the Start Menu works on a touch screen device. It didn't work in XP, it didn't work on Windows Phone 6 and earlier, and it didn't work on Vista, and it didn't work in Windows 7. Microsoft tried tried tried tried..... all failed miserably. Unusable. That this why these devices with Windows never worked well. You had to fight with it. Even if you try: high DPI settings and large icons... it just doesn't work well. That is why the iPad worked. It was a new interface specially designed for touched, And it's applications are adapted for it too. Windows 8 works on that regard. People needs to pass through the learning curve, much like using an Andoird device for the first time, or the a Mac for the first time., but not that extent, as you have a lot of familiarities.

 

Sure you can say, Well tablets -> Modern UI, and desktop/laptop ->Start Menu.

But what if you have those convertible systems? Are you going to go through Control Panel and the task bar settings to switch between modes all the time? No!

Already, studies have showed that switchable graphics laptops, where you have a button or switch to turn on and off the dedicated graphic card, people forget it. That is why it didn't work. And you can't say "The average user doesn't know", because these systems are targeted at computer enthusiasts. That why it didn't pick up, and Nvidia made Optimus.

 

People don't like switching between things. It's annoying.

 

A unified layout the way to go. Windows 8.1 balances things out for laptops and desktops. I am sure that Windows 8.2 will have even more improvements. Much like the Start Menu from Windows 95, on how it got improved in every version of Windows since... the only difference, is that we wont' have to wait 3 years for each one.

 

But I think here are the big mistakes from Microsoft in Windows 8:

 -> In Windows XP, you had a pop-up saying "Here is the Start Menu, click me to start!", or something along those line, pointing at the Start button. Microsoft should have put this in, to help users get started.

 -> Windows 8.1 has added help documentation /video tour of the new UI, as we saw.  This should have been there in Windows 8.

 -> The default layout of the Start Screen should have at least a folder tile, to show that you can pin folders on the Start Screen.

 

I think the above would have helped a lot.

[TheProfosist]

What happens when the user goes on a convertible system... like that this one?

 

How about:

or

 

Or how about:

(monitor can be put upright like a normal monitor, or put into a slate at an angle, over your keyboard like the above picture.

 

There is simply NO WAY, you can say that the Start Menu works on a touch screen device. It didn't work in XP, it didn't work on Windows Phone 6 and earlier, and it didn't work on Vista, and it didn't work in Windows 7. Microsoft tried tried tried tried..... all failed miserably. Unusable. That this why these devices with Windows never worked well. You had to fight with it. Even if you try: high DPI settings and large icons... it just doesn't work well. That is why the iPad worked. It was a new interface specially designed for touched, And it's applications are adapted for it too. Windows 8 works on that regard. People needs to pass through the learning curve, much like using an Andoird device for the first time, or the a Mac for the first time., but not that extent, as you have a lot of familiarities.

 

Sure you can say, Well tablets -> Modern UI, and desktop/laptop ->Start Menu.

But what if you have those convertible systems? Are you going to go through Control Panel and the task bar settings to switch between modes all the time? No!

Already, studies have showed that switchable graphics laptops, where you have a button or switch to turn on and off the dedicated graphic card, people forget it. That is why it didn't work. And you can't say "The average user doesn't know", because these systems are targeted at computer enthusiasts. That why it didn't pick up, and Nvidia made Optimus.

 

People don't like switching between things. It's annoying.

 

A unified layout the way to go. Windows 8.1 balances things out for laptops and desktops. I am sure that Windows 8.2 will have even more improvements. Much like the Start Menu from Windows 95, on how it got improved in every version of Windows since... the only difference, is that we wont' have to wait 3 years for each one.

 

But I think here are the big mistakes from Microsoft in Windows 8:

 -> In Windows XP, you had a pop-up saying "Here is the Start Menu, click me to start!", or something along those line, pointing at the Start button. Microsoft should have put this in, to help users get started.

 -> Windows 8.1 has added help documentation /video tour of the new UI, as we saw.  This should have been there in Windows 8.

 -> The default layout of the Start Screen should have at least a folder tile, to show that you can pin folders on the Start Screen.

 

I think the above would have helped a lot.

 

Agreed

 

I also think the Windows 8 for Dummies Dell made should have been included or something like it. I also think a huge failure was marketing as they marked win 8 as the Start Screen.

[Caito]

It's not that I can't do the same things now, it's just that if you use a keyboard and mouse it's much faster to have all the things in the corner rather than having them all over the place covering the entire screen.

ModernUI is great for touch I'm not saying that it isn't, I am sure that nobody who has a windows touch device would use the "classical" UI (if brought back), but the windows userbase also consists of desktop users and some if not most of those users do t want to use the ModernUI.

I think that the start screen should be the default, and if you know that you don't like it you can switch. And if you are new to windows then you won't even know the start menu exists so you won't change to it.

Now for convertible devices I don't know what people want more, start menu or start screen but if people really wanted both I'm sure the manufacturers can figure out something that when you switch from one mode to the other it automatically switches the UI.