Main Area and Open Discussion > General Software Discussion

Why Microsoft killed the Windows Start button

<< < (7/9) > >>

daddydave:
While the Windows H8 Metro vs. Ye old Start Button debacle has raged on I haven't really seen/heard much in the way of a why any of is was done/needed. Its really just been a lot of screw Vista Metro noise. But I ran across an article over at Neowin that actually made sense to me. Which was rather handy, as the only reason I'd gone to Neowin (which I generally never visit) was to try to make some semblance of sense out of all the waa waa waa I want my start button back screw Metro noise. So... What do you guys think of this article: Why the Start Menu needed to go

I rather liked it.
-Stoic Joker (July 18, 2012, 11:51 AM)
--- End quote ---

He seems to be a bit obsessed with using the All Programs menu instead of the Start menu search box. The whole point of the Vista/Windows 7 Start menu is that is fixes having to go through the All Programs menu and having to find your programs, a problem of previous versions of Windows. Clicking on All Programs in Windows 7 should be a rare occurrence.

Also, he doesn't disagree with the #1 complaint of Metro: it is optimized for tablets and kicks desktop computers to the curb. But to him, that's a good thing.

db90h:
Also, he doesn't disagree with the #1 complaint of Metro: it is optimized for tablets and kicks desktop computers to the curb. But to him, that's a good thing.
-daddydave (July 18, 2012, 01:11 PM)
--- End quote ---

Yes, this is the biggest problem. Fortunately, it is not all bad ...

ONE: Metro can be docked to its own isolated monitor (thank goodness).
TWO: At least the traditional UI is still there, and looks pretty good with the control changes.

For single-screen monitors the flip back and forth between Metro when you hit the Win key to search for whatever to start or open is going to be annoying, IMHO. That's why I think FARR and others are gaining a lot of attention right now. People just want to stay in the traditional UI, not flip to a while new screen.

daddydave:
This graphic says it all:

If Windows were a hammer

Stoic Joker:
I recall being resistive (like most) to the Start Panel in XP. But after resigning myself to spending a bit of time understanding how it was supposed to do what ... I quickly discovered that I couldn't function comfortably without it. And I think the Start Screen will be much the same. Metro Annoyed the crap out of me at first. However, I have a Windows Phone and have always liked it because it is incredibly easy and intuitive to use. So with that thought in mind - and armed with a list of hot keys I typically use to navigate the Windows UI I took a run at Windows H8. 98% of what I was used to using/doing still worked just fine. Hm...

Having the All Programs menu spread out over a larger area is really quite handy for those times where one needs to find/launch a program that they (don't use frequently, and...) can't remember the name of. What is the easiest/fastest/best visual cue, the icon or the text?? Well... At my age it depends. Having the entire menu spread out  over a large area makes it much easier to use all the above at once ... Especially if one finally doesn't have to contend with the target jumping around as the auto hide (/collaps) unused menu items isn't forcing one to remember where they're at in the search for an app of some kind, that does some sort of function, that hasn't been used in a year or so (ultra/hyper/zippy something...and wtf did the icon look like again?? Damn...). I've done this on my phone enough times - Damn there it is... - to quickly appreciate the functionality of the design.

So you can't see the desktop while searching with a single screen. Okay... Are you really looking at it while searching for program X when using the Start Panel now?? No. Either you know where you're going and what your after...and are hence back is seconds (hay if it's really that critical, then you wouldn't be getting side tracked looking for other stuff then would ya?)...or you having no clue what you're looking for and quickly end up with tunnel vision focus on the tiny area of the screen you're digging through. So if the search can be done faster, by using a better vantage point ... you will ultimately end up missing less, because you can be back at it quicker.

Hay, I actually considered getting out of IT completely, just so I didn't have to contend with the silly piece of shit. But before doing anything that rash ... I figured I'd have a go at trying to understand the enemy...and he's really not a bad guy now that we've properly met...

Tuxman:
This graphic says it all:

If Windows were a hammer
-daddydave (July 19, 2012, 05:48 AM)
--- End quote ---
That pretty much sums up the OS "wars" too. An OS is a tool to master the work, not the work itself. :)

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page