Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Where is my start button?

Everyone is looking for a start button these days.  Some people want to get their day started, some people want to start their life afresh, and a few million people are just wondering how, in the freaking world, are they supposed to access the erstwhile "Start Menu" on their Windows.

Out of all the experimental things Microsoft has done with Windows 8, removing the Start button seems to be getting most passionate negative reviews.  People can put up with the fact that this new UI which is better tailored for touch-enabled slates and tablets, doesn't quite thrill them on their desktops and laptops.  They can get to terms with the fact that Microsoft has decided to put all their eggs in the Metro basket, despite no credible proof of it's success (Windows Phone 7 with Metro interface continues to be just a "good potential" product and nothing more).  However, the thing they are not able to accept is the removal of Start Menu.  See this for example:


Saying "just use the Windows key on your keyboard" just seems to annoy people even more.  I sincerely hope that Microsoft, for it's own good does think of this blunder as a Beta-only experiment meant to garner feedback (which is the purpose of Beta btw).  Guys, listen to the feedback.  Even if this sounds like stubborn and admittedly somewhat sentimental attachment of users to something which was not a great design to begin with, the message is loud and clear.  People want a start button.

More on Windows 8 soon.

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