Restore Start menu but limit it to Pro edition


Recommended Posts

By a room full of an infinite number of monkeys, perhaps.

LOL that's funny. Why not allow the user to select during the installation process or have the installation make the determination if a PC through an internal search is a touchscreen. then split the installation at that point and install a Windows 7 style with a start menu.

I think if MS would have done that, It would probably wipe out any and all bad views of MS.

LOL that's funny. Why not allow the user to select during the installation process or have the installation make the determination if a PC through an internal search is a touchscreen. then split the installation at that point and install a Windows 7 style with a start menu.

I think if MS would have done that, It would probably wipe out any and all bad views of MS.

Not my point though. My point is about limiting this Win7 start menu option to Pro edition.

Nobody HAS to get used to the user-hostile ui of windows 8, just stick with windows 7 like most people are doing, obviously.

Are you secretly the alter ego of Chris Pirillo (that annoying little guy making videos about Win8) on Neowin.

He likes to refer to the Win 8 UI as user hostile.

  • Like 3

I like the humor in here. But those who want Start Menu are free to use hundreds of alternatives which bring it back.

Or get used to any sh** Microsoft pushes down our throats by buying their software.

Or buy a Mac and strictly use OSX.

Kind of indicative when we who like the start menu are told to "deal with it."

what a damn hostile approach to innovation if that is what it is.

they did ti with win 3.11 to 95, u didnt have a start menu back then and then wulla u have it, people were furious about it and didnt like it

But those who want Start Menu are free to...

...buy a Mac and strictly use OSX.

Please explain to me how you get the Start Menu on a Mac, where this feature is in OSX. And no add-ons, as you say "strictly" use OSX.

Or are you just trolling?

I wonder if restoring Start menu as an option but limit it to Pro edition has been considered.

It wouldn't work. First and foremost because there are free start menu replacements out there that work on all versions of Windows 8, so Microsoft including a start menu only in the Pro version wouldn't be an incentive for people to pay.

Kind of indicative when we who like the start menu are told to "deal with it."

what a damn hostile approach to innovation if that is what it is.

So how would you approach it? To me, innovation means change so keeping the start menu because people aren't ready to part with it goes against the whole idea of innovation.

FFS... The amount of crying over the Start Menu is rather hilarious. You guys act like you're 2 years old after mommy says no to getting a toy...

Why must developers undermine their mission just to make a few luddites happy? Microsoft isn't going to bring that back. There is no reason to bring back old, deprecated features. The Start Menu reached it's max potential, and now it's time to move on or die out. Simple as that.

  • Like 4
Why must developers undermine their mission just to make a few luddites happy? Microsoft isn't going to bring that back.

I agree with this. Microsoft have their plans and it doesn't look like they're going to change, leave them to it. It can be the mission of other developers to offer a start menu for those that want it.

?Please explain to me how you get the Start Menu on a Mac, where this feature is in OSX. ?

I can only speak for myself but, honestly, I couldn't care less about the Start Menu. I'm not resistant to change especially when it comes in the form of progress. What I care about, and the reason I chose to install Start8 on my Windows 8 installation is the functionality that the Start Menu provides. What functionality specifically? Well:

1 a clearly visible UI element for accessing:

2 an unobtrusive popup menu that doesn't take over the whole screen for:

2a a unified desktop search (ideally with drag and drop support)

2b a complete listing of your apps

2c a link to the control panel

2d power options

2e recent items

Clearly Windows 7 delivers all of that (and more) in the form of the Start button/menu.

post-5569-0-57034300-1364228886.png

Well, Windows 8 completely fails in the first respect. There's no visible UI element at all to access any of the mentioned items. So what about the second item?There's no popup menu anymore. Windows 8 forces you to go fullscreen for 2a and 2b. A fullscreen Desktop search option exists, but without providing drag and drop support or being unified - it forces you to select whether you're specifically interested in looking for apps, settings or files. Both a link to the control panel as well as power options still exist as part of the Settings Charm which is slightly more cumbersome to get to than before and is far less discoverable. Recent items are gone.

So what about OS X? It actually separates out the functionality into 3 UI items: The Applications Stack, the Spotlight menu and the Apple menu:

post-5569-0-46053100-1364228995.pngpost-5569-0-57701100-1364228980.pngpost-5569-0-19013800-1364229014.png

All three accessible by clicking on clearly visible UI elements. All three providing an unobtrusive popup menu. 2a is provided by the Spotlight menu, 2b by the applications stack, 2c/d/e by the Apple menu. In fact, if Windows 8 instead of the Start Menu would provide nothing more than the Spotlight icon and menu, I would already be ecstatic. Let it show all apps when no text is entered. Put a button for the Settings Charm on the task bar (as I suggested before) and you're golden.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Microsoft adds reusable skills and finance data connectors to Copilot in Excel by Karthik Mudaliar Microsoft is giving Copilot in Excel a collection of new features aimed squarely at finance teams. The update introduces reusable instructions for common tasks, connections to services such as FactSet and Morningstar, and a better way to review what Copilot intends to do before it starts changing a workbook. The most interesting addition is 'Skills' finally coming to Copilot in Excel. Skills let companies teach Copilot how to handle a recurring process, so employees do not need to write the same detailed prompt every month. Users can create skills that can specify the steps Copilot should follow, along with the required layout, formulas, and formatting. Microsoft says users can create their own skills by saving a SKILL.md file in OneDrive. The file is written using Markdown and tells Copilot when and how to perform the task. Once it is available, a user can select the skill in the Copilot pane or mention it in a prompt using the @ symbol. There is also a library of prebuilt finance skills for customers who do not want to create their own. Microsoft plans to let developers distribute additional skills through the Microsoft Marketplace and the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, with LSEG, Ramp, Rogo, samaya.ai, Velixo, and Vena among the first partners involved. The company says that it is also expanding the external data that Copilot can access from inside Excel. New connectors are being added for CB Insights, Daloopa, FactSet, Morningstar, PitchBook, and S&P Global data through technology developed by Kensho. There is a catch, however. Accessing these services may require a separate subscription from the relevant data provider, so a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence will not necessarily unlock all of them. FactSet is also only available in preview for now, with general availability planned for July. Microsoft is also trying to make Copilot’s workbook edits easier to inspect. Users can switch to a planning mode that shows which sheets, cell ranges, formulas, and assumptions Copilot intends to work with before it begins making changes. Once the work is complete, the Show Changes pane can distinguish edits made by Copilot from those made by human collaborators. The update continues Microsoft’s push to turn Excel Copilot from a chatbot into an agent that can carry out longer tasks. The company previously added an Agent Mode capable of planning and completing multi-step Excel work. Microsoft also recently acquired financial AI startup Fintool, another indication that finance is becoming a key target for its Excel AI strategy. Prebuilt skills, personalization, workbook rules, external connectors, planning mode, and Copilot attribution in Show Changes are generally available to Microsoft 365 Copilot customers using Excel on the web, Windows, and macOS. Custom skills are initially available to Microsoft 365 Insiders on Windows and Mac starting today. Microsoft plans to make them generally available across Windows, Mac, and the web over the next month. Partner-built skills are expected during the third quarter of the year. Availability may still differ depending on region and licensing.
    • Exactly. They serve different (although related) purposes.
    • Do not enter the code under any circumstances, or you will be sorry. It's definitely and most likely a hacking attempt.  That happened to me a couple of years ago, and I kept receiving those prompts for months. It's simply the attacker trying to get you tired of the constant requests, so you just give up and enter the code, so they can log in to your account. 
  • Recent Achievements

    • First Post
      kinowa earned a badge
      First Post
    • Rookie
      krychek57 went up a rank
      Rookie
    • Grand Master
      Jaybonaut went up a rank
      Grand Master
    • One Year In
      Philsl earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Dedicated
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Dedicated
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      438
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      169
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      134
    4. 4
      Xenon
      77
    5. 5
      Michael Scrip
      75
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!