Unless you've been in a cave without Internet access (or if you couldn't care less about the topic), there will no longer be a Start button in Windows 8, Microsoft's newest operating system.
A Microsoft executive has now told us why:
People don't use it.
Hu?
Yes, that's right. According to "trends" that Microsoft has "seen," Windows users, specifically Windows 7 users, pin things to the taskbar and use keyboard shortcuts in place of the old style Start button clicking and program-finding. At least most of the time.
This, they say, gave them some opportunity to do something different: remove it, I'm assuming, and replace it with the metro interface.
The executive, Chaitanya Sareen, a program manager at Microsoft, also says that the new interface isn't necessarily better for tablets and worse for desktops and other non-touch interfaces.
You can see the whole conversation in PC Pro's piece here:
Why Microsoft killed the Windows Start button
Thoughts anyone? Do you still use your Start button?
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Why back in my day, we’d use the start button for all sorts of things! You whippersnappers are losing touch with the real world, what with your newfangled “task-bars” and “i-Phones”
@Jack Nitro: Thanks Jack!
M$ continues to move away from the business user and focus on what they think the home user wants. I am convinced that Steve S. is a closet MAC user. The start button and the menu are necessary parts of a business desktop OS, even the MAC has it. You will not convince me that business users will use a tablet and dock it to do their work. That works fine with laptops but even the projected M$ Intel tablet will not have the horse power to work in a business environment. It’s time for Bill Gates to take over again and fire the idiots who are running the show now.
Ted, in my company all the necessary apps are shortcuts in the desktop.
Where’s your point now? hahaha
I really think that it was an unnecessary move to eliminate this. Some people, like me, want the desktop uncluttered others like the jumble of shortcuts. Still others like both for the frequently used programs.
Why not keep everyone happy?
I have a desktop PC, for home use. I always use the start button to do many things. Including shutting the computer down when I leave the house, and when I am done with the computer at night. I will really miss the start button, if the Microsoft idiots do away with it. If it ain’t broke, don’t FIX it!
I like the start button.
Everytime I click on it, gold glitter sprays out of my laptop hot air vent. It’s just like I won a super great prize!
I vote to keep it.
Hi Steve,
Actually some of us are yet in the STONE age and are yet living in caves as even if some of us have all the required facilities like a cpu or laptop we do not understand how to get the maximum benefit from it, as such we fall into all types of problems like hacking and phishing as such one must first learn the complete in and out of a computer before buying one so as not to fall into problems.
We are all learning as new and modern inventions are developed, I give my thanks to you Mr.Fisher for teaching the world about computing.
I rarely us the start button…. but, but I’m sure there are many people out there who still use it. Unless the alternative is better why would someone step in and try to fix??? If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.
I very rarely use the star button, as you’ve mentioned I pin everything I need to the task bar, which is quicker and much easier. The start button I feel is a hassle, and now not needed.
I still use the taskbar. I have only two programs pinned to the taskbar.
I use it for certain actions on my PC.
Why get rid if it? Why not just leave it there?
M$ imbeciles!
The button is not dead! A form of it still exists just without the program list (which according the MS, we don’t use). But it is there! Just in a different place.