Start8 Now Cost $5

By zeroomegazx
in Microsoft (Windows)

 Share

Recommended Posts

Enthusiast

zeroomegazx

Posted
Posted

Recieved an email today about Start8 version 0.95 with a link to download. Followed the link and they want 5 bones for the new BETA version, with final version free if you pay now. This is kind of an outrage but I guess I should have seen it coming. Can anyone recommend a good alternative?

http://stardock.com/...ck+in+Windows+8

EDIT:

Upon checking Neowin's old interviews I ran across this. I thought I had remembered the CEO stating this:

Will anyone still be able to download and/or purchase the final version of Start8 when it is officially launched?

Oh yea. Start8 is going to be freeware still for non-commercial use.

http://www.neowin.ne...pdate-on-start8

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1108597-start8-now-cost-5/
Share on other sites
Enthusiast

zeroomegazx

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Why not just try it out first? Maybe you'll find it's actually worth the $5.

I've actually been using start8 since day 1 of release. Its a decent program but I am not going to pay $5 for every machine I put windows on for such a simple program. I know there are free alternatives out there. If it maybe did something unique I would consider it. I'd rather deal with Metro start than blow $5 on it.

Grand Master

xendrome

Posted
Posted

My suggestion would be, try doing without and you will like the new method better once you get used to it.

It's just as quick to press the Windows Key on your keyboard, type half of what you want to load and press enter.

I dunno, I was the same way at first, but once I got down the concept, I realized it works much better.. plus you can still pin apps to the taskbar if you want.

  • Panda X, oliver182 and mrp04
  • Like 3
Veteran

Darrian

Posted
Posted

Recorded TV shows up regardless of whether I have it checked in the settings, and I still don't have the option to expand the control panel into a menu instead of a link, and my custom start menu image no longer displays correctly, so I'm using the Win8 flag instead, but other than that it works fabulously. It's still in beta, and I expect that in time any gripes I have will be fixed. I probably would have paid the $5 for it, but it's part of Object Desktop now, so I just downloaded and installed it asap when I got the email.

Also, I really like how now I can click on the start button to bring up the menu, and press the windows key to bring up the start screen.

Enthusiast

zeroomegazx

Posted
  • Author
Posted

How is it an outrage that they're charging for software?

Well to me, after hearing the owner of stardock bash windows 8 so much for not having the start menu, then offering start8 as a free alternative for such a simple little program I kind of feel a like they are trying bait and switch. I was actually considering purchasing software from them to say thank you for offering such a neat little tool for free, something that the CEO felt we deserved. After being fed the free beta for months and now asked to cough up $5 I'm quite upset about it. It's made me wary to buy or try any of their products, free or otherwise.

Enthusiast

zeroomegazx

Posted
  • Author
Posted

My suggestion would be, try doing without and you will like the new method better once you get used to it.

It's just as quick to press the Windows Key on your keyboard, type half of what you want to load and press enter.

I dunno, I was the same way at first, but once I got down the concept, I realized it works much better.. plus you can still pin apps to the taskbar if you want.

I have tried, and with a desktop metro is actually quite fine. However I use laptops throughout the day mostly at work on the go and metro is not touchpad friendly from what I have experienced.

How did people not see this coming? This is a perfect opportunity to cash in with the release of Windows 8 in less than 30 days.

I did not see this coming because of this:

Will anyone still be able to download and/or purchase the final version of Start8 when it is officially launched?

Oh yea. Start8 is going to be freeware still for non-commercial use.

https://www.neowin.net/news/interview-stardocks-ceo-gives-an-update-on-start8

  • bandit_liberty_rumble
  • Like 1
Grand Master

xendrome

Posted
Posted

I have tried, and with a desktop metro is actually quite fine. However I use laptops throughout the day mostly at work on the go and metro is not touchpad friendly from what I have experienced.

Well there is no "Metro" but laptops work just fine, you don't have to have a touchscreen if you have a mouse/touchpad/keyboard.

The touchscreen's to me, only benefit a tablet type system with no mouse/touchpad/keyboard.

Also update your touchpad drivers as they may have released Windows 8 compatible touch gesture enabled updates for it.

Grand Master

Fraud OS 11

Posted
Posted

Classic Shell. Only complain is the Most Frequently used list of programs is a little messed up.

It only has a Most Recently Used program list and it can only track programs launched from its own menu. Not from other places because that list (Frequently Used) is encoded by Windows, and although the encoding has been figured out by various people, it needs to be decoded using undocumented tools which is what I suspect Start8 does.

Enthusiast

zeroomegazx

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Because everything should be free, FREE :woot: FREEEEEEEEE :woot:

Will anyone still be able to download and/or purchase the final version of Start8 when it is officially launched?

Oh yea. Start8 is going to be freeware still for non-commercial use.

http://www.neowin.ne...pdate-on-start8

  • dead.cell, blank and Glassed Silver
  • Like 3
Veteran

CentralDogma

Posted
Posted

It only has a Most Recently Used program list and it can only track programs launched from its own menu. Not from other places because that list (Frequently Used) is encoded by Windows, and although the encoding has been figured out by various people, it needs to be decoded using undocumented tools which is what I suspect Start8 does.

That's what I was referring to.

Personally, I prefer Start8's method. Not $5 of preference, but still...

Rising Star

@Leo

Posted
Posted

There is a "Try it free" button, with the following notice: "The trial version is for personal, consumer use only and may not be used in commercial or educational settings. For commercial and educational licensing, please contact [email protected]."

Enthusiast

zeroomegazx

Posted
  • Author
Posted

There is a "Try it free" button, with the following notice: "The trial version is for personal, consumer use only and may not be used in commercial or educational settings. For commercial and educational licensing, please contact [email protected]."

I am more than willing to give that a try, however it says *trial* which leads me to believe its a limited software. If I am wrong I'll gladly eat some humble pie.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Posts

    • Epic Games says Unreal Engine 6 will help developers "build content faster" using AI models

      By Konstantine · Posted

      Lego Batman 2026 hahahaha. You thought I couldn't reply back???
    • Epic Games says Unreal Engine 6 will help developers "build content faster" using AI models

      By +pmrd · Posted

      Which game runs at 20fps with framegen?
    • Epic Games says Unreal Engine 6 will help developers "build content faster" using AI models

      By +pmrd · Posted

      The problem isn't with Epic, it's with the platform holders like Steam and Nintendo, they should be a lot more strict in their review process.
    • Nvidia 610.62 driver lands with big bug fixes and Empulse support

      By goretsky · Posted

      Hello, Installed here without issue. Regards, Aryeh Goretsky
    • Microsoft updates Visual Studio Code with easier language model discovery and in-app search

      By zikalify · Posted

      Microsoft updates Visual Studio Code with easier language model discovery and in-app search by Paul Hill Microsoft has released Visual Studio Code 1.125, its latest weekly release. This week, the company has focused on discovering and installing extra language models via the Marketplace; searching the web and securely browsing over remote connections without leaving VS Code; choosing how long VS Code waits before installing extension updates; and delivering managed Copilot settings through existing device management tooling. In older versions of VS Code, extensions could contribute their own model providers, but to find these extensions, you needed the right tags to search for in the Extension view. Now, the Language Models editor gives you an Install Model Providers button that opens the Extensions view, which is filtered to extensions that contribute model providers, making it easier to find and install them. Once you install a provider, its model will appear in the model picker. If you use the integrated browser much, you can now look up information without leaving VS Code by typing a query into the integrated browser’s address bar. It will use your configured search engine, the same way a standalone browser does. You can use workbench.browser.searchEngine to pick a search engine. When the browser is opened in a remote workspace, it's now possible to proxy HTTP(S) traffic via the remote connection. This allows you to connect to any ports or services that can only be accessed from the remote machine. If you read our coverage from two weeks ago about VS Code 1.123, you might have seen that extension updates have a two-hour delay as a safety measure. In this update, Microsoft is giving you the ability to configure the time of the delay. You can find it under extensions.autoUpdateDelay. Finally, with this update, admins can deliver managed GitHub Copilot settings through native device management (MDM) channels on Windows and macOS, in addition to account-based enterprise settings files. Settings delivered via MDM appear as policy-enforced in VS Code and can’t be overridden locally. Future updates will extend the supported policy keys across Copilot surfaces. You can download the update from the Visual Studio Code website now.

  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      Classifyskilleducation earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      eurospharma62 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      With What earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      Harris Gilbert earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Vincian earned a badge
      One Month Later

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      543
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      171
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      82
    4. 4
      ATLien_0
      64
    5. 5
      neufuse
      64
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!