Windows 8 Start Menu Mock-up


Recommended Posts

I wanted to help overcome some limitations of mouse/keyboard interface while keeping everything touch friendly and new.

iREMA.jpg

HLI5N.jpg

In the normal mode, the Start Menu will default at 4 or even 5 tiles high with the ability to adjust to go from one corner to the other. It will never get wider unless a search is done or you tap All Programs. Tapping "Apps" will take you to the Start Screen. Power and Settings buttons should be pretty obvious.

Any tile will have the ability to be "Pinned to Start Menu", as shown here with the weather, Maps and Skydrive Apps. Any tile shown that are not pinned will be based on what is open or has been open. Mouse wheeling or finger sliding/flicking will spin thru this list of tiles (in this example it shows Desktop and Calendar) of all your currently running tiles. The new tiles will slide up or down according to the scroll or flick direction. If no more than one App is currently launched whatever is shown will be based on frequency of use. This will eliminate the task switcher from the top left hot corner as well. This also gives you a quick view of live tile data (such as temperature) without compromising or covering your current work flow.

Also shown on this screenshot is Gadgets. They are not like Windows 7 and older gadgets. They are simply live tiles that can be pinned to your desktop screen and are covered up by any windows just as in prior versions of Windows with gadgets.

Thoughts?

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1121026-windows-8-start-menu-mock-up/
Share on other sites

Someone code this sh*t!!! IMMEDIATELY!

Edit: Hmm... on second thought...

It looks immediately attractive and it gathers everything in a single place much unlike any start menu replacement i've seen, and it better integrates both worlds with a launcher for "Metro" too.

1) On a broader designer view, it doesn't fix the fact that you'd have 2 environments with 2 start menus.

I think the case that your design would suit best is if you're only interested in the desktop (which is also to worry because it's the "environment" MS seems to be relegating)

Why do i say this? Because yours is the only design that comes close to actually SOLVING the duality. If you could expand the size of the mockup a bit, it could REPLACE the start screen STRAIGHT from the desktop. THAT would be the ultimate solution.

If it's not asking much, go for it.

2) Your second paragraph is kinda hard to grasp. I guess you mean it's similar to current start menus, a pinned and recent tiles area which you can flick... makes the whole thing sound a little functionally cluttered, i have my doubts.

3) The Power and Settings buttons positions are kinda swapped? :)

Congratulations!

I'm one of those people that don't miss the Start Menu so take this as you will but:

Screenshot #1: Yay, it's different and keeps with the flow of Windows 8

Screenshot #2: Nay, it looks tacked on and doesn't flow with the first screenshot.

How about just being able to allow for smaller tiles, so we can add up to 40 tiles in that first "Windows 8" start menu. In other words; take the Windows 8 "Start Screen" and shrink it down to a fourth or fifth of it's current size.

  On 20/11/2012 at 19:19, thartist said:

Someone code this sh*t!!! IMMEDIATELY!

Edit: Hmm... on second thought...

It looks immediately attractive and it gathers everything in a single place much unlike any start menu replacement i've seen, and it better integrates both worlds with a launcher for "Metro" too.

1) On a broader designer view, it doesn't fix the fact that you'd have 2 environments with 2 start menus.

I think the case that your design would suit best is if you're only interested in the desktop (which is also to worry because it's the "environment" MS seems to be relegating)

Why do i say this? Because yours is the only design that comes close to actually SOLVING the duality. If you could expand the size of the mockup a bit, it could REPLACE the start screen STRAIGHT from the desktop. THAT would be the ultimate solution.

If it's not asking much, go for it.

2) Your second paragraph is kinda hard to grasp. I guess you mean it's similar to current start menus, a pinned and recent tiles area which you can flick... makes the whole thing sound a little functionally cluttered, i have my doubts.

3) The Power and Settings buttons positions are kinda swapped? :)

Congratulations!

I wholeheartedly agree with the issue of duality that the OS suffers from. Not saying one way is better than the other but the contrast between the two is far too jarring for most.

The scrolling tiles on the start menu in my mock up would be limited to non-pinned tiles. It's kind of hard to grasp my vision in a static image. I think I might try to make an animated mock up.

Looking at it now, I think you're right the Power and Settings buttons are backward.

first screenshot looks great. Integrate the start screen and desktop into one. Put the metro apps on the desktop screen. Pin any program to this new desktop, replace the old style icons with the new style box logos, give the option to change the size of the boxes to suit the size of the screen used.

Keep the start menu looking as it is, allow the ability to add more options such as control panel, or whatever. Allow the option to make the start menu bigger or wider if a person wants. Maybe move the quick launch icons to the right side of the screen, and make the taskbar bigger so the icons are easy to press.

I don't have a huge problem with the way things are now though. Push windows button, 'start menu' pops up. No biggie.

  On 20/11/2012 at 19:00, AmazingRando said:

I wanted to help overcome some limitations of mouse/keyboard interface while keeping everything touch friendly and new.

iREMA.jpg

HLI5N.jpg

In the normal mode, the Start Menu will default at 4 or even 5 tiles high with the ability to adjust to go from one corner to the other. It will never get wider unless a search is done or you tap All Programs. Tapping "Apps" will take you to the Start Screen. Power and Settings buttons should be pretty obvious.

Any tile will have the ability to be "Pinned to Start Menu", as shown here with the weather, Maps and Skydrive Apps. Any tile shown that are not pinned will be based on what is open or has been open. Mouse wheeling or finger sliding/flicking will spin thru this list of tiles (in this example it shows Desktop and Calendar) of all your currently running tiles. The new tiles will slide up or down according to the scroll or flick direction. If no more than one App is currently launched whatever is shown will be based on frequency of use. This will eliminate the task switcher from the top left hot corner as well. This also gives you a quick view of live tile data (such as temperature) without compromising or covering your current work flow.

Also shown on this screenshot is Gadgets. They are not like Windows 7 and older gadgets. They are simply live tiles that can be pinned to your desktop screen and are covered up by any windows just as in prior versions of Windows with gadgets.

Thoughts?

The second screenshot doesn't work. You can't touch 16x16px lists of icons. You just can't.

EDIT: Also, on second thought, this just doesn't work at all. On tablets, other portable devices, and my HTPC, the last thing I want to see is the desktop. Trying to save a desktop-only design isn't going to work.

  On 26/11/2012 at 02:25, Dot Matrix said:

The second screenshot doesn't work. You can't touch 16x16px lists of icons. You just can't.

Why do you keep wanting to touch things all the time? This is for the DESKTOP. So we don't get a castrated DESKTOP UI we have now in W8. So we don't get epilepsy from switching from DESKTOP to Start Scree. Capito?

Stop fighting the Desktop UI. We have it for a reason.

  • Like 2
  On 26/11/2012 at 02:31, HoochieMamma said:

Why do you keep wanting to touch things all the time? This is for the DESKTOP. So we don't get a castrated DESKTOP UI we have now in W8. So we don't get epilepsy from switching from DESKTOP to Start Scree. Capito?

Stop fighting the Desktop UI. We have it for a reason.

Hmm. Strange, I still have the desktop in Windows 8. Hell, I'm using it right now.

All of these designs are not device neutral. That's where the problem lies.

  On 26/11/2012 at 02:34, Dot Matrix said:

All of these designs are not device neutral. That's where the problem lies.

NO, YOU'RE making it a problem. A UI that's device neutral doesn't work for everything. A phone is not a tablet and a tablet isn't a desktop. Stop acting like they need to have the same UI. They don't, try and understand this.

  • Like 3
  On 26/11/2012 at 02:39, HoochieMamma said:

NO, YOU'RE making it a problem. A UI that's device neutral doesn't work for everything. A phone is not a tablet and a tablet isn't a desktop. Stop acting like they need to have the same UI. They don't, try and understand this.

It's working here. Start works with touch, motion, mouse and keyboard. If you were a system developer, this is gold. It makes your job easier by not having to support excess crap. Start is everything the old menu used to be and more. Your desktop is still there. Start isn't taking that away, but in due time, it too will evolve to meet the needs of the hardware of the time.

  On 26/11/2012 at 02:42, Dot Matrix said:

It's working here. Start works with touch, motion, mouse and keyboard. If you were a system developer, this is gold. It makes your job easier by not having to support excess crap. Start is everything the old menu used to be and more.

If the Start screen is so perfect why do you have multiple posts stating that you use the Desktop still? I mean if its the holy grail you speak of shouldn't you be spending 100% of your time in Metro? Hmm?

  • Like 1
  On 26/11/2012 at 02:45, HoochieMamma said:

If the Start screen is so perfect why do you have multiple posts stating that you use the Desktop still? I mean if its the holy grail you speak of shouldn't you be spending 100% of your time in Metro? Hmm?

Start is just a launcher. It's not an operating environment. However, Start adds more dynamic functionality that I absolutely love, and the biggest part is none of my icons are crammed in a hard to see, tiny ass menu. Start lays them all out in a pattern I specify.

Also, if you really do want to know, I do use nothing but Metro apps on my laptop. They fill my needs perfectly. Having a small 1366x768 screen, my desktop is run full screen only, so the switcher to Metro was non problematic.

  On 26/11/2012 at 02:49, Dot Matrix said:

Start is just a launcher. It's not an operating environment. However, Start adds more dynamic functionality that I absolutely love, and the biggest part is none of my icons are crammed in a hard to see, tiny ass menu. Start lays them all out in a pattern I specify.

Also, if you really do want to know, I do use nothing but Metro apps on my laptop. They fill my needs perfectly. Having a small 1366x768 screen, my desktop is run full screen only, so the switcher to Metro was non problematic.

So it's just a launcher now? Ahh I see now :rolleyes:

Sounds like a setup like this is more suited for you buddy.

logitech-ultrathin-keyboard.jpg

How about you leave the Desktops for the big boys and their businesses.

  • Like 1
  On 26/11/2012 at 03:06, Dot Matrix said:

Start has always been a launcher. Metro apps don't run in Start. They are not dependent on the screen to run.

Uhh the Start Screen is more than just a launcher. Metro apps do depend on it. Think of the start screen as the "Metro Shell". It is the very essence of TwinUI, without it, metro apps would simply not work. They chose to made a dual function shell in a way so that if you never hit the desktop tile, the explorer code for desktop never actually loads. The start screen, and thus WinRT is quite literally an OS within an OS.

Jesus Christ will someone ban Derp Matrix already. Such idiocy it raising my blood pressure. I mean seriously, he's done nothing to advance the OT and is just distractionary flamebait, fueled by his inexperienced and unfactual declarations.

  • Like 2
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • Well, it seems version 4.9 doesn't work well at least when trying to make a WinToGo USB. It ends very fast with an error. Had to use 4.8 instead.
    • Hundreds of printer models with weak password algorithms exposed, no firmware patch possible by Usama Jawad Many people don't think or care about it, but printer security is a pretty important avenue when it comes to evaluating your cybersecurity posture. Last month, it was found that the companion software for Procolored printers was distributing malware. Now, it has been revealed that hundreds of printer models all over the globe are susceptible to attacks targeting their admin credentials. Bleeping Computer has reported that CVE-2024-51978 is a one of the eight printer vulnerabilities recently discovered by security researchers. Combined, these allow authenticated and unauthenticated attackers to discover the default admin password, perform remote code execution (RCE), crash the printer, and leak other sensitive information. Severity ratings go from a score of 5.3 (medium) to 9.8 (critical), indicating that these are pretty severe vulnerabilities. The most dangerous vulnerability in there exposes the default admin password, and primarily affects Brother printers. This is because Brother utilizes a rather weak password generation algorithm that is highly dependent upon the device's serial number and a static salt table. Analysis of the code revealed that the first 16 characters of the serial number are appended with eight bytes from a static salt table, with the results being hashed with SHA256 and Base64-encoded. Finally, the first eight characters are then taken and some of them are replaced with special characters to form the password. The static nature of the password generation algorithm means that an attacker can chain various existing vulnerabilities to get access to your serial number and eventually your default admin password. It is important to note that not all printer models are affected by all of these flaws, but the default admin password exposure does affect 695 models. The breakdown for the number of printer model affected by the eight vulnerabilities is as follows: Brother: 689 Fujifilm: 46 Konica Minolta: 6 Ricoh: 5 Toshiba: 2 Brother has informed the security researchers that it cannot fully remediate the password generation vulnerability through a firmware patch. It can only fix the issue in its next printer models by patching the problem during the manufacturing process. This makes it crucial for customers of affected models to change their default admin password as soon as possible, which is good practice anyway.
    • Win11 being 2.3x faster than Win10, so that means without changing any hardware, Doom Eternal will run at over 2x the framerate? Or that any computational stuff will be done 2x faster just because of OS? Press X for doubt. I wonder where they pulled these metrics out of coz they make no sense. Not to mention my laptop with Ryzen 2500U that used to run Windows 11 simply CAN'T anymore because of BS arbitrary requirements Microsoft has imposed in Win11 that weren't there intiially. So, that laptop is now running Ubuntu or Fedora and runs at 1000000000000000000000x faster speeds because Windows 11 just doesn't work at all so it gets DNF.
    • “Ask Photos” is coming to more Google Photos users in the US by Paul Hill Google has announced several improvements to a Gemini-powered Google Photos feature called Ask Photos. The feature launched last year in early access and it was great for longer search requests, however, when users typed “Dog” or “Beach” looking for those types of pictures, Ask Photos underperformed. Now, Google has addressed this and is bringing the feature to more eligible users in the United States. The search giant said that users enjoyed asking queries such as “suggest photos that’d make great phone backgrounds” or “what did I eat on my trip to Barcelona?” and getting Gemini-powered responses to these complex questions. Unfortunately, simple searches like “beach” or “dogs” were generating less than optimal results and people complained. To remedy the situation, Google has brought the best of Google Photos’ classic search feature to Ask Photos to improve latency. Easy, short requests will be dealt with by the old search mechanism and when you ask complex queries, it will switch over to the Gemini-powered search results. Now that Google has addressed this main issue of simple searches by integrated functionality from the previous search model, the company feels more confident to open up beyond early access and deliver it to more users in the United States. To be eligible, you must be 18+, be in the US, have your Google Account language set to English (United States), and have Face Groups turned on. This feature is only available on Android and iOS. To start using it, open Google Photos and tap on Ask at the bottom, then press Try now and agree to the terms. If you do not see the Ask button, it means you’re not yet eligible. The feature also can’t be used on computers yet. Hopefully, Google will quickly expand this feature outside the US so that international users can try it out too.
    • When are MS going to learn. Traditional home users who email, watch cat videos and perform basic tasks don't care if W11 is slightly faster...assuming it's true. Few home users care about faster speed and more secure claims. In any event, it's irrelevant. MS stopped caring about home users years ago as evident by their hostile, anti choice home user policies.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      suprememobiles earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      Marites earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Year In
      runge100 earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Month Later
      runge100 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      jfam earned a badge
      One Month Later
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      567
    2. 2
      +FloatingFatMan
      177
    3. 3
      ATLien_0
      169
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      127
    5. 5
      Xenon
      119
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!