Thread: Why do people hate the new start screen?

You can use "ModernMix" which will give you the option to open all the Apps on the desktop, in partial or full screen, but "And please don't tell me to install something so I can view app windows on my dt, I shouldn't have to.".Can't help with that. Since Windows 95, I have been installing third party apps, as , in certain cases, I did not feel the basic ones offered as part of the OS, were adequate. Such thing as Wordpad or Paint, for example. It did not trouble me to install the one mentioned, which requires a ridiculously low payment, or to install one of numerous start menu programs, of my choice.
I also hate that when I'm in FileMaker and I save a file to PDF, I'm kidnapped and taken to an app". You can install a PDF reader of your choice, (Adobe?), and point to it as the default. This, also, would be something most have practised for some years. The only change in Windows 8 is that they have offered a choice of another free Pdf reader.

"And I'm completely dumbfounded by the fact that there is no search function in the app store"

There is in fact. Just type what your seek (Chess, for example) the search function will then pop up, with all the possible results for your search.

I have not read each piece of this thread fully but, I will, still, add my thoughts/comments, anyway. I marked "Neutral" and I will explain why...

1st my thoughts on why other people hate it or think they should:
1. Because (some) people can't/don't cope w/ change very well.
2. Because (some) people don't really 'understand' the Windows 8 new approach to a start menu.
3. Because (some) people think it is the 'hip' thing to do to jump on an "I hate what Microsoft has done" bandwagon whether there is actually a good, valid, legitimate reason for this attitude or not.

Now from my own point of view:
Using the Windows 8 Start screen is 100% optional. What Tiles are there or not is 100% optional. The same as using the All Apps screen (WinQ) is 100% optional. It is quite cool having 'live', Active Tiles and how the Tiles can be sized and organized. The graphical display is kind of ecstatically pleasing and can be felt to be more 'exciting' than a mere list of things.

Yes, the new Start screen/menu can be and is very appealing to many people. As we can see from the voting, actually that is the case for more people than the negative hype has suggested.


For myself, I really like the search ability on the Start screen. W/out choosing to search Settings, Applications or Files, one can just begin typing what one seeks anywhere on Start & voila.

Other than that although, I do have some Tiles (there) I really do not use Start nor WinQ. I do use a couple of APPs, mostly Weather, Calendar and a few others if & when I want them. Sometimes full screen whilst I'm using whatever but, also, Snap & I do use the Switched Bar a lot. The main thing (for me) is I spend 100% of my time on Desktop and in the name of efficiency, I don't care to need to change screens for things. Ergo, I use a window on my Taskbar w/ an alphabetical list of all applications, the equivalent of WinQ. From this, when opened from the Taskbar I can access anything & everything w/out worrying about changing screens (to Start or All APPs) nor what Tiles Start has or how they are arranged. BUT, this in no way & to no extent reflects any 'hatred'. What is offered in Windows 8 is just fine, IMO (& what is coming in 8.1 may be even finer). The way I operate is just a reflection of the fact that Windows can be customised & personalised easily & extensively and in Windows there are often more than one approach possible to how one functions or chooses to accomplish things. And this concept is especially & wonderfully true w/ Windows 8.


So there is no reason to "hate" Start. It is certainly somewhat different from what we knew in past Windows Operating systems but, can be very cool to use... just a matter of 'learning' it, what it offers, what its capabilities are and becoming familiar w/ its potential.


As I said, it can be use, in whole or in part or not at all. And it can be liked but, does not deserve to be 'hated'.


Cheers,
Drew

Hi

Well the new start screen, in Windows Blue or 8.1 will be a little different than the one in the present one.

While I may not use it for every program I run, it looks like something that I can use more easily.

It appears in the video below that you will have the option to have several screens, most importantly, one named "Most Used" that will let you do pretty much what I do with Rocketdock.

In effect to have my commonly used programs games and utilities arranged in groups all in one place without all the other drivel that goes along with them.

I'm not clear from the video, as to whether, you can decide what the icons on the "Most Used" screen are, but I'm hoping that I can decide for myself what goes here, and it doesn't just decide based on how many times you click on them, or something like that.

What I need is a display of the icons I use, arranged by category in columns alphabetically much the way I use Rocket Dock.

If I could have a screen that had My Adobe software, Windows Utilities, Games and my video editing and creation software on it then I would be all set.

I'd also like the abillity to have it load to the most used page when I click the button to go to the Start Menu, and not have to tell it every time that, that's where I want to go.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

It may be that everything I want to access from the desktop will fit on the taskbar, (my browser, my mail app, Word, a link to File Manager, Snipping Tool, Skype, Agent Ransack, and Winamp) and I won't need additional space to keep my desktop neat and clean at all.

This Windows 8.1 Demo Actually Uses Mouse, Start Button

It's funny how just having the background stay consistent from the desktop to the start screen makes it look more like one OS and not so much like you are switching from one operating system to another.

Mike

Originally Posted by MikeHawthorne

It's funny how just having the background stay consistent from the desktop to the start screen makes it look more like one OS and not so much like you are switching from one operation system to another.

Unfortunately I've been hearing some interesting news about just that.
It seems that unless the images are formatted properly (which may be more in your wheelhouse Mike than in mine) the look is not exactly what you would expect especially if you have a full start screen which might necessitate scrolling right and left.
Something to keep an eye on I guess.

Why did someone repost my message with some links in Vietnamese (Porn?) inserted in it?

I've sorted it out, posts deleted and the user banned. Mike if this happens to you again. Could you please use the report post button.

Because it is not and not like the older versions. It's not about looking good or bad. People, a study says, will feel easy to use the routine things in a same way. There are infact people who afraid of the new things in their daily life. So it's not that they don't like it or hate it yet, they maybe think as such. But only after some more time would we know if they really hate it or start liking it.

Hi

I still think it's because it doesn't make things easier to do, in many cases it adds steps or works less well, like not supporting POP3 email with the mail app, or showing multiple application windows at the same time.

The Start Screen could use improvement, it's going to get some with 8.1 but they should have talked to someone who actually uses a computer.

I don't know how anyone who actually works on a computer could have come up with the way it works now.

I need a start screen that shows the applications that I need to run every day, organised in a easy to access format.

I need to have a taskbar so I can open Skype, or Word, or my browser while I'm working in another program.

I need to have windows side by side and work back and forth.

I need to be able to drag things from window to window.

All of these things are either harder, or impossible to do from the Metro screen, so why have it?

I don't have a touch screen, I have a mouse and a keyboard and so do hundreds of millions of other people.

To ignore everyone working on a PC today for the handheld market doesn't make sense.

The handheld market is growing but they are very limited in what they can do, I have an iPad, it's fun for what it does, it shoots video, takes pictures, connects to the web, etc.

But you can't do anything serious with it, you can't even play real games.
Much less edit video or create 3D graphics, even if it had the power to do stuff like that, it would still be really hard to do on a touch screen.

So we still need a version of Windows that works on a big, powerful, bulky desktop with a big screen, that lets you do real stuff.

At least there are people out there who make it usable, even if Microsoft doesn't.

Thanks for Classic Shell and Modern Mix and their equivalents.

Mike