Interesting news from Paul Thurrott.
It seems that the Start Button will be back in Windows 8.1 and it will look a whole lot like the button Start8 use in their widget.
From his blog:
And here’s a new detail that was hinted at in Mary Jo’s post: When you hover over Start button, the button changes color, with a black background and the accent color used on the flag logo. Yes, it looks exactly like the Start Charm, with similar animations.
And when you activate the Switcher app switching utility, the Start button will appear at the bottom as the Start tip does today, and has Start text in the box, as it does now.
It will be interesting to see a picture with the button actually clicked on to see it in action.
Windows 8.1 is coming soon.
Wow cant help but say that good to have u nark mr start..
Looks like the hack I have on my existing Windows 8 maching.
“The customer is always right…” How hard was that?
Which customer… it isn’t that simple. I, and clearly many other commenters here seem to be on team no start button. Why waste my screen real-estate on another icon when there is still a hot corner for that in the same place. Adding a hot corner was a step forward in advancing the OS for desktop/laptop users. Adding back the button is a step back. I do hope they make it’s presence optional. There are some users that may miss the button, never really hear any good reasons for bringing it back though, other than “I want it.” Hopefully we won’t all suffer because of the inability of some to adapt to changing technology.
Am I the only one who didn’t care that they got rid of it, given that there are FOUR other ways of getting to the start screen? (1. Lower-left corner, 2. Start button on keyboard, 3. Ctrl-Esc, 4. Charm on right.)
Nope, I didn’t care either, I completely agree with you!
I am with you on this. It is not needed but if it makes some people to believe they won then it is fine.
Well, I don’t care about the start button (maybe I just start again with startkiller if it’s not toogleable), but I think they make the button back the same way the got the file button back in Office 2010.
Start Screen is more desirable than the Start Button
My issues with not having the start button is having to go back and forth from metro to desktop to lauch an application. It just does not make sense to me. Also the apps I like to use are no longer have shortcuts on my desktop. I have to hunt for the *.exe to make a shortcut on the desktop. It was a whole lot easier getting it from the start button.
Well, the part with the shortcut is true (I need to go to all apps in the start screen, select the app and click open file location), but I don’t think showing the start button makes difference, imo, the button on taskbar is out of place now that you can snap the desktop, the hotcorner is always in the place the start was in W7, (except you changed the tasbar place).
I’ve been struggling with Windows 8 since December. Purchasing Start8 helped eliminate some of the goofyness.
However, the most painful stupidity is that Microsoft tried to make mouse movements get interpretted as finger gestures. Moving the mouse pointer from one place to another on the desktop causes stupid touch-screen behavior, like trying to throw a file or folder. I’m seriously considering upgrading to Windows 7, in spite of the extra bucks and the great big hassle of reinstalling all my apps.
I hope Windows 8.1 will provide an option to have a mouse behave as a mouse. If it doesn’t, then those persons who want to edit documents or images, or all the hundreds of other things that desktop or laptop PC’s are used for, will be looking elsewhere for an OS.
My mouse still works like a normal mouse. My mouse pointer doesn’t jump around and open things. Maybe it is your mouse not Windows 8 that is your issue.
I agree. My mouse here works normally as a mouse. The only thing that I complain is the pointer precision enhancement but, as it was the same thing in W7, whatever.
Some of the new mice have gesture settings for Windows 8 so I wonder if this could be the issues described.
Well, I can’t say exactly about the gestures because the transition to the new interface was smooth, so I had assimilated them without noticing…
I stopped using the Start button with Windows 7. Very clunky. Never missed it in Windows 8. Seems like a step backwards to put it back. Probably the same people complaining about it not being there are the ones that used to set XP back to Classic mode.
That’s typical of microsoft, never able to sustain an innovation. They always get it wrong. Balmer has a lot to learn from Jobs. What I expected from microsoft is to hold forth what they believe is an innovation. I didn’t care about a start button anyway because without it we see new ways of doing the old lousy things. Am disappointed.
It seems that the ones that complained about the lack of a start button are truthfully the ones that don’t like change. If that’s the case, go back to Windows 3.1, where you can be happy with just the basics. It’s called PROGRESS. I for one do not have any issues with Windows 8, and am unlikely going to install 8.1. I have managed to get around without the start button. In fact, I find it better, and I DON’T have touch screen capabilities either.