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My take on Windows 8 is simple, as a desktop OS - you can't take core features and remove them without a viable alternative. My biggest beef is the removal of

My take on Windows 8 is simple, as a desktop OS - you can't take core features and remove them without a viable alternative. My biggest beef is the removal of the start menu and the search bar on it - I could do/find anything from there. My other beef is that the Metro UI gives you all these "fullscreen" applications, but no way to window them. Windows provided me with a train of thought, but when you make everything fullscreen, it becomes distracting when using multiple applications routinely.

deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
k-mcgrady 14y ago
>> "My biggest beef is the removal of the start menu and the search bar on it - I could do/find anything from there" This is still there is a different form. WIN+F brings up the search interface in Metro (even from the desktop). Also, you can kind of window with the snap mode (grab a metro window at the top of the screen and drag it to the side. Not ideal obviously though.
- dpark 14y ago
  Just so you know, Win+F is file search. Win+Q is app search. Win+W is settings search. I don't really understand how these particular keys were chosen, but that's what they are.
  - k-mcgrady 14y ago
    Thanks, it was bugging me that I had to select the one I wanted after Win+F.
cabirum 14y ago
Metro is just a 2D representation of the old 1D list. All the items from the old menu are there. Search bar? Just start typing anywhere on the Start screen. Win+Q is all programs screen + apps search, Win+F - file search, Win+W - search settings in control panel. There are also a lot more search providers to choose from. Full screen apps? Isn't that cool you can run tablet apps on your desktop? They are not required in any sense, if you don't like them, delete them.
josteink 14y ago
Search is still there. Just press the windows key and start typing. It's all there, sans the textbox which tells you it's there. Probably not the pinnacle of intuitive design, but it is there ;)
- pragmatic 14y ago
  The search is broken, unless you remember to do Windows + W, the search by default won't search files or system settings, just apps. I don't get that, even though there is room on that full paged search screen, they only show a couple of apps. You have to click on options at the right to have it search settings or files. What a stupid, stupid oversight.
  - josteink 14y ago
    Agreed on this. And not having an "all" category in the UI and as the default choice, seems like a weird design decision to me.
  - Metrop0218 14y ago
    It really doesn't matter. The reason this was done is because it fits in better with each application being searchable (you see how this is more consistent?). Once the user realizes this once, the problem is gone. It's really not much harder to search 'settings' if you're looking for a setting than to search apps if you're looking for an app now is it? I don't understand how people make a big deal out of things like this.
    - josteink 14y ago
      When you dont have immense amounts of data to search, having to put in effort to pre-filter your search results feels like unnecessary work. Filtering should only be needed/useful when the result-set is bigger than the user can handle. There is a fine line here, but I feel Microsoft missed it and stepped on the wrong side.
    - pbz 14y ago
      Then I should be able to search the "Windows" app, and have a list of other apps underneath. Search in all three categories by default and let me filter later if I want - it would rarely happen.
pragmatic 14y ago
One million times yes. Do yourself a favor, download and install classic shell: http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/ http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/ With classic shell you get a Windows 7.1. You'll boot right to the desktop (with a quick flash of the Metro start menu).
bloaf 14y ago
I think the full screen start menu is fine, Windows isn't the only OS to use it, look at Gnome and Unity on Linux. My biggest complaints are that system settings are difficult to find and navigate. It took me quite some time to figure out how to even shut down the computer the first time. I do agree that the distinction between the Metro programs and the desktop programs feels arbitrary and frustrating. You can "Dock" the metro apps on one side or the other, but unless you have a widescreen display, that's not really an alternative to windowing.
- marshray 14y ago
  Ubuntu Unity has hardly been a huge hit with users either. I understand the abstract appeal of having a "unified experience" across multiple product lines. But people just don't want to use an interface designed for tablet interaction on their desktop PC. Why is this so hard for product designers to understand?
acdha 14y ago
I've found that I end up heavily reliant on the VMWare Fusion app menu for anything other than launching Internet Explorer - which, to be fair, is 99% of what I use Windows for.

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

k-mcgrady 14y ago

>> "My biggest beef is the removal of the start menu and the search bar on it - I could do/find anything from there" This is still there is a different form. WIN+F brings up the search interface in Metro (even from the desktop). Also, you can kind of window with the snap mode (grab a metro window at the top of the screen and drag it to the side. Not ideal obviously though.

dpark 14y ago
Just so you know, Win+F is file search. Win+Q is app search. Win+W is settings search. I don't really understand how these particular keys were chosen, but that's what they are.
- k-mcgrady 14y ago
  Thanks, it was bugging me that I had to select the one I wanted after Win+F.

cabirum 14y ago

Metro is just a 2D representation of the old 1D list. All the items from the old menu are there. Search bar? Just start typing anywhere on the Start screen. Win+Q is all programs screen + apps search, Win+F - file search, Win+W - search settings in control panel. There are also a lot more search providers to choose from. Full screen apps? Isn't that cool you can run tablet apps on your desktop? They are not required in any sense, if you don't like them, delete them.

josteink 14y ago

Search is still there. Just press the windows key and start typing. It's all there, sans the textbox which tells you it's there. Probably not the pinnacle of intuitive design, but it is there ;)

pragmatic 14y ago
The search is broken, unless you remember to do Windows + W, the search by default won't search files or system settings, just apps. I don't get that, even though there is room on that full paged search screen, they only show a couple of apps. You have to click on options at the right to have it search settings or files. What a stupid, stupid oversight.
- josteink 14y ago
  Agreed on this. And not having an "all" category in the UI and as the default choice, seems like a weird design decision to me.
- Metrop0218 14y ago
  It really doesn't matter. The reason this was done is because it fits in better with each application being searchable (you see how this is more consistent?). Once the user realizes this once, the problem is gone. It's really not much harder to search 'settings' if you're looking for a setting than to search apps if you're looking for an app now is it? I don't understand how people make a big deal out of things like this.
  - josteink 14y ago
    When you dont have immense amounts of data to search, having to put in effort to pre-filter your search results feels like unnecessary work. Filtering should only be needed/useful when the result-set is bigger than the user can handle. There is a fine line here, but I feel Microsoft missed it and stepped on the wrong side.
  - pbz 14y ago
    Then I should be able to search the "Windows" app, and have a list of other apps underneath. Search in all three categories by default and let me filter later if I want - it would rarely happen.

pragmatic 14y ago

One million times yes. Do yourself a favor, download and install classic shell: http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/ http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/ With classic shell you get a Windows 7.1. You'll boot right to the desktop (with a quick flash of the Metro start menu).

bloaf 14y ago

I think the full screen start menu is fine, Windows isn't the only OS to use it, look at Gnome and Unity on Linux. My biggest complaints are that system settings are difficult to find and navigate. It took me quite some time to figure out how to even shut down the computer the first time. I do agree that the distinction between the Metro programs and the desktop programs feels arbitrary and frustrating. You can "Dock" the metro apps on one side or the other, but unless you have a widescreen display, that's not really an alternative to windowing.

marshray 14y ago
Ubuntu Unity has hardly been a huge hit with users either. I understand the abstract appeal of having a "unified experience" across multiple product lines. But people just don't want to use an interface designed for tablet interaction on their desktop PC. Why is this so hard for product designers to understand?

acdha 14y ago

I've found that I end up heavily reliant on the VMWare Fusion app menu for anything other than launching Internet Explorer - which, to be fair, is 99% of what I use Windows for.