Does the Microsoft Mouse Foretell the 8.1 Start Button Appearence

[Atomic Wanderer Chicken]

Current Windows keyboards have current Windows logos, like a keyboard from 2007 would have a Vista windows logo key and a 2010 keyboard would have a Win 7 logo key and so on. So does the new Microsoft Comfort and Sculpture mouse reflect what the upcoming WIndows 8.1 start button will look like? I predict the 8.1 start button might even change colors to reflect the start screen color.

[Growled Member]

You may be right too.

[nyolc8]

I think this mouse just tells you that if you want a start button then buy this mouse. Then you'll have a start button.

[George P Global Moderator]

I'm going to make a guess and say the new button could change color depending on whatever color you have picked for the rest of the UI, like the one in the charms bar does.

[bandit_liberty_rumble]

I don't know, but it seems to be a bit backwards that we're now putting additional hardware buttons on our devices. Seems like, if anything, we should be going in the opposite direction.

[fusi0n]

I don't want just a start button, I want a start menu.. That is just me and what I prefer.. Call me names, I don't care :D They should have just had both and ease people into Metro.. Let's hope this mouse is good things to come!

[MikeChipshop Member]

You know what, you might actually be right.

If it does come back, so long as it's optional, then that's no problem.

[patseguin Global Moderator]

I don't think so. I think the device just makes it easier for the user to access the start screen. Even though I love 8, I think an actual button will be a welcome addition in Blue. Not a whole lot of people realize that the lower left is a hot spot for the start screen.

[chrisj1968]

I don't want just a start button, I want a start menu.. That is just me and what I prefer.. Call me names, I don't care :D They should have just had both and ease people into Metro.. Let's hope this mouse is good things to come!

there was a video on neowin recently whereby the woman rep from microsoft said Windows 8 was to be the OS for everyone, tablet, laptop and desktop. Problem is, their short sighted-ness has us talking about this issue in the first place. what about wacom tablet users? what about computer manufacturers and CAD-CAM developers? they use mice still

to be the Os for everyone, you HAVE TO BE the OS for everyone.. not got back to add what should have been there, either by option or by default.

as forrest Gump would say, "that's all there is to say about that..."

[fusi0n]

there was a video on neowin recently whereby the woman rep from microsoft said Windows 8 was to be the OS for everyone, tablet, laptop and desktop. Problem is, their short sighted-ness has us talking about this issue in the first place. what about wacom tablet users? what about computer manufacturers and CAD-CAM developers? they use mice still

to be the Os for everyone, you HAVE TO BE the OS for everyone.. not got back to add what should have been there, either by option or by default.

as forrest Gump would say, "that's all there is to say about that..."

Oh, I 100% agree with you. It isn't the OS for everyone.. If you put this OS in 99% of businesses, their end users would FLIP their ****. I'm just talking about simple office and internet stuff..

People that to CAD and use a lot tools\programs.. NIGHTMARE.. Yes, you can install Start8, but you shouldn't have too.. IF we had the CHOICE to have a start menu OR a start screen.. Windows 8 would have been a huge success.. I like their overhaul of most of everything.. with the HUGE exception of that Start Screen.

[chrisj1968]

too many here on neowin have even said "tough.. get used to it." with that thinking is why windows 8 has so many problems.

an example given is the European installation of the browser.. there's a selection screen whereby they can choose what browser to use. This could be done for the start menu people by the installation when it determines your PC.. tablet? then the Modern UI. Laptop with touchscreen? Modern UI. Laptop without touchscreen? Start button with start menu... and so on. not that difficult.

the price you have to pay to be everyone's friend

[fusi0n]

too many here on neowin have even said "tough.. get used to it." with that thinking is why windows 8 has so many problems.

an example given is the European installation of the browser.. there's a selection screen whereby they can choose what browser to use. This could be done for the start menu people by the installation when it determines your PC.. tablet? then the Modern UI. Laptop with touchscreen? Modern UI. Laptop without touchscreen? Start button with start menu... and so on. not that difficult.

the price you have to pay to be everyone's friend

Yep.. The "tough, get use to it" attitude won't get you far.. People can say what they want.. but the fact it .. the majority of the people would pick Windows 7 over Windows 8 any day. Hopefully Microsoft heard us screaming and will fix their mistake...

With all the different devices out there.. the OS should be tailored to your hardware.. not the other way around.

[Dot Matrix]

Yep.. The "tough, get use to it" attitude won't get you far.. People can say what they want.. but the fact it .. the majority of the people would pick Windows 7 over Windows 8 any day. Hopefully Microsoft heard us screaming and will fix their mistake...

With all the different devices out there.. the OS should be tailored to your hardware.. not the other way around.

This isn't a "tough, get used to it" attitude. Truth is, it's *their* OS. They have a defined UX they are building. If you don't want to buy into it, there are other options available. They have no obligation to include each and every little "option" people want.

The Start Menu was obsolete, including it would have required more work, and would have degraded the overall UX.

[chrisj1968]

This isn't a "tough, get used to it" attitude. Truth is, it's *their* OS. They have a defined UX they are building. If you don't want to buy into it, there are other options available. They have no obligation to include each and every little "option" people want.

The Start Menu was obsolete, including it would have required more work, and would have degraded the overall UX.

As a business, your customers are your bread and butter.so to say that, means you don't care about who buys into your product. the start menu is ONLY obsolete to those who are into touchscreens.

as for the required more work for making a start menu, that's non sense. 3rd party vendors have been doing it for.. oh.. since Windows 8 came out.

remember; the Female MS rep said on video they want to be the OS for all.. tablets, laptops and desktops.I think it is great MS is getting it together for those of us who don't have touchscreen systems.

[Dot Matrix]

As a business, your customers are your bread and butter.so to say that, means you don't care about who buys into your product. the start menu is ONLY obsolete to those who are into touchscreens.

as for the required more work for making a start menu, that's non sense. 3rd party vendors have been doing it for.. oh.. since Windows 8 came out.

remember; the Female MS rep said on video they want to be the OS for all.. tablets, laptops and desktops.I think it is great MS is getting it together for those of us who don't have touchscreen systems.

The Start Menu is obsolete in the fact that tiny, static icons, browsing through dozens of featureless folders, combined with the generally cramped feeling the menu gives, and you'll see why it died. There was no way to advance it without changing things no matter what. Then to include the modern apps, and fit into the modern UX, and you just have resources going out the door with little return for it.

The Modern UX isn't going to mature overnight, by the time Windows 9 comes around, hardware should catch up, and we'll forget all about the crappy menu.

[Athernar]

...browsing through dozens of featureless folders...

Didn't it ever occur to you that there was a search box added to the start menu for a reason?

Then to include the modern apps, and fit into the modern UX, and you just have resources going out the door with little return for it.

The Modern UX isn't going to mature overnight, by the time Windows 9 comes around, hardware should catch up, and we'll forget all about the crappy menu.

You don't need any of that bland, excessively wasteful cruft in the forefront of a desktop operating system, maybe it works on a portable device - but it's place on the desktop should be relegated to an optional extra like MCE was in 7.

[fusi0n]

This isn't a "tough, get used to it" attitude. Truth is, it's *their* OS. They have a defined UX they are building. If you don't want to buy into it, there are other options available. They have no obligation to include each and every little "option" people want.

The Start Menu was obsolete, including it would have required more work, and would have degraded the overall UX.

This start menu was not obsolete..far from it.. for DESKTOPS

For tablets.. Yeah.. The start screen would be a good CHOICE...

The Start Menu is obsolete in the fact that tiny, static icons, browsing through dozens of featureless folders, combined with the generally cramped feeling the menu gives, and you'll see why it died. There was no way to advance it without changing things no matter what. Then to include the modern apps, and fit into the modern UX, and you just have resources going out the door with little return for it.

The Modern UX isn't going to mature overnight, by the time Windows 9 comes around, hardware should catch up, and we'll forget all about the crappy menu.

I understand that the Modern UX is not going to mature overnight, but until they should have INCLUDED the start menu.. Simple.As.That

Yes, Windows could have used a UX overhaul, but it is my option that they went with the wrong direction.

[libertas83]

People that to CAD and use a lot tools\programs.. NIGHTMARE.. Yes, you can install Start8, but you shouldn't have too..

The Start Screen is much better if you actually use more than 20 programs. I have Windows 8 at home and 7 at work and I found that I have run out of space at work with pinning to taskbar and start menu, where as in Windows 8, I could much better organize it and find all those programs without pinning everything.

Try organizing your Start Screen, like have a CAD Tools menu and put all of the major shortcuts there. You have much more real estate to use it.

This start menu was not obsolete..far from it.. for DESKTOPS

For tablets.. Yeah.. The start screen would be a good CHOICE...

Really, why? This whole notion of Windows 8 Start Screen (not discussing Metro Apps) is only for tablets is the biggest pile of rubbish I have ever heard. People are repeating the same thing but no one actually states empirical fact as to why it is better on Touch or how a Mouse is so impossible to use on it.

Windows 9x - XP menus suck and guess what, often were full screen for average people because of how big it would get. It was impossible to find stuff on it, it was small and hard to read. Using a mouse often caused you to screw up and lose your place, and start all over again. It was even worse on a touchpad. WIndows Vista+ attempted to fix it by making you click on the items like a folder structure (tree) instead of flying out menus. That made the surface area for organizing and finding a lot of programs much smaller than before because it was confined within the Start Menu. So what about those menus are inherently superior to the Start Screen?

Start Screen gives you color coding, bigger icons, and on larger monitors you get even more space to see all of your apps, organized how you want them all one screen. I count 52 apps on mine without having to scroll and that is with it organized into groups so it's not using all the potential real estate just yet. I am able to very quickly, scroll using scroll wheel to the 100+ apps I have installed and pinned to it. If I can't find it or it is not pinned, I can search for it just as fast as before. Nothing is slower or less productive because of it, in fact more productive.

Now on Tablet, I don't get that much real estate at all, so I have to rethink how I want them organized and I find it is not enough for the major things I want at the front. I have a superior experience on the Desktop using Start Screen compared to Tablet and previous Windows. If it weren't for the fact that I am too lazy, I would create a video to prove it but alas I don't feel like setting up a VM with Windows 95 and install a bunch of apps just to prove a point.

I don't have a problem complaining that you don't like it, that is your opinion, but to say it is not useful on a desktop or cannot be productive is false. It works perfectly fine and I wish I could have it installed for work so that I can 50 apps all organized much better than I do now.

[Dot Matrix]

People that to CAD and use a lot tools\programs.. NIGHTMARE.. Yes, you can install Start8, but you shouldn't have too.. IF we had the CHOICE to have a start menu OR a start screen.. Windows 8 would have been a huge success.. I like their overhaul of most of everything.. with the HUGE exception of that Start Screen.

This is a nightmare? What does CAD have to do with anything?

[cooky560 Veteran]

Gentleman this topic is starting to get a little off topic, many people have different opinions about the modern UI which have been discussed a thousand times over in countless other threads, can we get back on to the original topic of the new start button please. For the record i think the button is quite a cool idea that fits neatly with the rest of the OS design.

[zhangm Supervisor]

I guess it's nice to have a physical button there, for people who really do need four different ways of activating the Start screen.

[zeke009]

Didn't it ever occur to you that there was a search box added to the start menu for a reason?

That search function is vastly improved in 8 and will get better in 8.1, with that there should not be a need for the Start Menu. With at least 3 ways to access search, it should be easy to pick it up.

One area MS could have improved on was promoting the search functionality of Win7 when they released it. Work it in to television and print ads, work with EA customers to promote it through training materials and get retail channels to promote it when selling devices. If more people used it, the transition to Win8 would be much easier.

[BajiRav]

The Start Screen is much better if you actually use more than 20 programs. I have Windows 8 at home and 7 at work and I found that I have run out of space at work with pinning to taskbar and start menu, where as in Windows 8, I could much better organize it and find all those programs without pinning everything.

I like start screen but what you said is not really true.

[Atomic Wanderer Chicken]

Please try to stay on topic, this is about the upcoming 8.1 start button! Microsoft maybe improving charms and start screen functionality for desktop users!

http://www.winbeta.org/news/windows-blue-feature-tweaked-start-screen-and-charms-bar-desktop-users

[_neutrino Veteran]

wouldn't the addition of the button make it pointless for the digital button. Also i still do not see much of a reason for a start button / menu in windows 8, ignoring the start screen they have still implemented faster ways of access information than with the old menu style.