6 ms·

8.1 has the option to boot to desktop, they could enable that by default. Personally I don't see Metro as a UI failure, my productivity actually increased with

by bushido 13y ago

8.1 has the option to boot to desktop, they could enable that by default. Personally I don't see Metro as a UI failure, my productivity actually increased with metro. I rarely need to use the mouse, which is great. Also, hitting the windows key to switch screens is not a big deal, my grand parents complain about it a little, but the pains of having to explain finding stuff in the start menu to them and other older relatives has stopped happening. Additionally with the docking capability of the task bar aka "pin program to task bar" had made the start menu quite redundant since win 7.

iaskwhy 13y ago
With 8.1 Update 1 booting to desktop will be the default.
lugg 13y ago
My mother recently got a new laptop and wanted that new "windows 8.1 thingy and a touch screen" I dont think she even noticed that the start menu was gone.
daigoba66 13y ago
> my productivity actually increased with metro How so? What productivity enhancements exist in Win8 that do not in Win7? This is a genuine question. I upgraded to and use Win8 daily for about 14 months now because I like running the latest stable software (from any vendor). But, with the exception of no longer being able to search without going full screen, it's exactly the same. Edit There is one fairly big enhancement I completely forgot about: the "power users menu" accessible via right-click in the bottom left corner or by pressing Windows-X. Of course this has nothing to do with "metro".
- greyskull 13y ago
  > no longer being able to search without going full screen Press WindowsKey + S to slide in a sidebar on your current monitor. It took me a short while to adjust but I use it naturally now.
  - maccard 13y ago
    This is awesome, thanks
- denisw 13y ago
  Since 8.1, you can actually search without going fullscreen by pressing Win+S, which reveals a search sidebar on the right side without bringing up the start screen.
- keerthiko 13y ago
  For one, there's two efficient axes of navigation along the Metro start menu, you can go left-right or up-down with your keyboard, which is SO much more amazing than the "hold down down key for 6 seconds. Awp go back up five. Now hit right four times. Enter" to launch an app that is actually "pinned" to your start menu. I can orient my Metro tiles how I want, and I know I can get to it within 5-6 arrow-key presses max. This is very nice and for the first time in 6 years I've actually used the Windows key to open the start menu for something other than shutting down (have been for the last 18 months of using Windows 8.x). Going full screen really doesn't bother me one bit. I'm launching a new app, I'm losing context anyway. I find this similar to Apple's launchpad or whatever that OSX thing is that I never use because Spotlight and Terminal is all I need from that OS. Vaguely related to improving productivity, Win8 has significantly better multi-monitor support out of the box, with all the flexibility I'd want, and with it better window management, than either of OSX or Win7. Just my $.02
  - ghshephard 13y ago
    Don't people on windows launch apps by hitting the windows key and then typing the first few letters of the program they want to run? They changed this around windows 7 where you don't even need to hit "r" for run, It took me about two years to retrain myself on Windows 7 that when I wanted to start cmd, that I didn't have to type [WIN]+'r'+'cmd', and could just type [WIN]+'cmd'.
    - Ntrails 13y ago
      on Win7 I cannot remember the last time I actually navigated the start menu to launch a program. It's either on quicklaunch (pinned if you prefer) or win + search. Every time I create a VM with 8 to try and use it, I last about a week and give up.
  - username42 13y ago
    In short, Win8 is usable because the keyboard shortcuts are effective. That is the wonderful world of touch-screens.
- drblast 13y ago
  There are a large number of keyboard shortcuts that are extremely helpful for common tasks. Windows-X is my favorite. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/keyboard-shortcuts#keyboard-shortcuts=windows-8 http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/keyboard-shortcut...
- bushido 13y ago
  Shaving seconds really. But it adds up. 1. Dock/Pin primary apps to task bar (same as win 7) 2. Organized(Grouped)/stripped down metro for less-frequently used apps. Removed tiles for any apps that I do not use -> Reduces the number of apps I need to pin to the task bar -> Hit Win Key to quickly switch to Metro and select app 3. The first win 8.1 update (released 5-6 months ago) reduced the search to 25% of the screen. Hit "Win + S" for search under classic mode. Personally I just hit the Win Key and start typing, enters metro momentarily. 4. First win 8.1 release added a start button to the task bar. Hated it for 2 secs(for reducing my task-bar space). Right clicked start button and realized I could remove a couple of additional tiles/task bar pins. Keyboard shortcut is "Win + X". 4.1. Tip: Right clicking the start menu has a Quicker shutdown menu option. Tip 2: Additional shortcuts for the menu are only displayed if you use the keyboard shortcut to open the menu.
  - emn13 13y ago
    In practice, none of this comes close to compensating for the slower usage of the start screen vs. start menu, if only for the visually jarring effect it has. Additionally, normal document-oriented usage is considerably less practical since they removed the Recent files and the (implicit) recent/most used applications list from the start interface. Then there's the time lost due to unintended edge-pulls and hotcorners. Interop between modern and classic is still terrible - no windowed modern apps (nor for that matter modern-docked classic apps), and start search is split by app type (as is so much of the UI). The modern UI also suffers from not allowing renaming of apps, especially since so many apps+settings come in modern and classic flavors. Is that blaryscroo app in the search results the modern or classic variant? The icon looks plain, maybe that means it's modern? This is basically app-starting by trial-and error. If you try to rename the less-useful blaryscroo modern version to something like "blaryscroo (modern)"... well, you can't. Want to right-click the app for traditional options such as recently-opened files by that app - you can't do that either in the start screen. All in all, for practical plain, boring, actually getting-things-done windows 8.1 simply hasn't made much of difference vs. windows 8, and it's made a rather negative difference vs. windows 7. Don't get me wrong - I'm happier with boot-to-desktop than without it, but frankly, booting isn't where I spend most of my time, and then you're left with the fact that the start screen is really just a slightly larger, slower start menu - and the rest of the OS is a usability disaster for desktop usage. Despite the hype, windows 8.1 was virtually irrelevant for desktop usage.
- aswanson 13y ago
  Mine has significantly decreased. They made it near impossible to simply open a command prompt.
  - rcraft 13y ago
    WIN + X, C
  - sjwright 13y ago
    I have barely touched W8, but have they removed the Win+R run command? My go-to-prompt tends to be "Win+R c m d Enter" on XP and 7 (and "Cmd+Space t e r Enter" on Mac OS X).
    - zackboe 13y ago
      It still exists, unchanged.
    - voltagex_ 13y ago
      On 8, I can do Win+R powershell or Win->type powershell, hit enter and be going even faster.
  - tedsanders 13y ago
    There's an even faster way than sjwright's answer. Type the windows key, then 'cmd', then press enter. I really wish Windows 8 did a better job of teaching users, especially the quick ways to launch programs from the keyboard.
    - ygra 13y ago
      Win+X, C (or A if you need one as admin).
  - shitlord 13y ago
    Right click the start menu in Windows 8.1. There is a command prompt (and admin command prompt) option.
  - ditoax 13y ago
- LinXitoW 13y ago
  I find the new task manager much more informative and it often saves me from starting the resource monitor. The new file transfer log is also very fancy and useful, although that doesn't really count as a productivity enhancement.
  - epsylon 13y ago
    As I said yesterday, any serious Windows user should be using Process Explorer as a replacement for the default Task Manager: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.asp.. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.asp.... (Some of the other sysinternal tools are worth their weight in gold as well)
luka-birsa 13y ago
I sledom access windows based computers, but when I do, I'm always suprised how my perception of windows is skewed by media and internet trolls. I find the choices they made quite acceptable and the windows 8(.1) as a very good OS for end user.
er35826 13y ago
I don't understand the utility of this boot to desktop feature. The moment you want to do anything, you're back in the start menu launching programs. What problem does it solve, besides moving the first thing you use to the second thing you use?
- ygra 13y ago
  Many people also have pinned applications to the task bar. For 95 % of programs I launch I don't need the start menu or start screen at all.
  - fournm 13y ago
    Then why not pin those to the start screen, as well, and have an even larger mouse target for getting started that isn't at the bottom of your screen? (Unless you're using Win+1-9, in which case, ignore me)

by bushido 13y ago

iaskwhy 13y ago

With 8.1 Update 1 booting to desktop will be the default.

lugg 13y ago

My mother recently got a new laptop and wanted that new "windows 8.1 thingy and a touch screen" I dont think she even noticed that the start menu was gone.

daigoba66 13y ago

> my productivity actually increased with metro How so? What productivity enhancements exist in Win8 that do not in Win7? This is a genuine question. I upgraded to and use Win8 daily for about 14 months now because I like running the latest stable software (from any vendor). But, with the exception of no longer being able to search without going full screen, it's exactly the same. Edit There is one fairly big enhancement I completely forgot about: the "power users menu" accessible via right-click in the bottom left corner or by pressing Windows-X. Of course this has nothing to do with "metro".

greyskull 13y ago
> no longer being able to search without going full screen Press WindowsKey + S to slide in a sidebar on your current monitor. It took me a short while to adjust but I use it naturally now.
- maccard 13y ago
  This is awesome, thanks
denisw 13y ago
Since 8.1, you can actually search without going fullscreen by pressing Win+S, which reveals a search sidebar on the right side without bringing up the start screen.
keerthiko 13y ago
For one, there's two efficient axes of navigation along the Metro start menu, you can go left-right or up-down with your keyboard, which is SO much more amazing than the "hold down down key for 6 seconds. Awp go back up five. Now hit right four times. Enter" to launch an app that is actually "pinned" to your start menu. I can orient my Metro tiles how I want, and I know I can get to it within 5-6 arrow-key presses max. This is very nice and for the first time in 6 years I've actually used the Windows key to open the start menu for something other than shutting down (have been for the last 18 months of using Windows 8.x). Going full screen really doesn't bother me one bit. I'm launching a new app, I'm losing context anyway. I find this similar to Apple's launchpad or whatever that OSX thing is that I never use because Spotlight and Terminal is all I need from that OS. Vaguely related to improving productivity, Win8 has significantly better multi-monitor support out of the box, with all the flexibility I'd want, and with it better window management, than either of OSX or Win7. Just my $.02
- ghshephard 13y ago
  Don't people on windows launch apps by hitting the windows key and then typing the first few letters of the program they want to run? They changed this around windows 7 where you don't even need to hit "r" for run, It took me about two years to retrain myself on Windows 7 that when I wanted to start cmd, that I didn't have to type [WIN]+'r'+'cmd', and could just type [WIN]+'cmd'.
  - Ntrails 13y ago
    on Win7 I cannot remember the last time I actually navigated the start menu to launch a program. It's either on quicklaunch (pinned if you prefer) or win + search. Every time I create a VM with 8 to try and use it, I last about a week and give up.
- username42 13y ago
  In short, Win8 is usable because the keyboard shortcuts are effective. That is the wonderful world of touch-screens.
drblast 13y ago
There are a large number of keyboard shortcuts that are extremely helpful for common tasks. Windows-X is my favorite. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/keyboard-shortcuts#keyboard-shortcuts=windows-8 http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/keyboard-shortcut...
bushido 13y ago
Shaving seconds really. But it adds up. 1. Dock/Pin primary apps to task bar (same as win 7) 2. Organized(Grouped)/stripped down metro for less-frequently used apps. Removed tiles for any apps that I do not use -> Reduces the number of apps I need to pin to the task bar -> Hit Win Key to quickly switch to Metro and select app 3. The first win 8.1 update (released 5-6 months ago) reduced the search to 25% of the screen. Hit "Win + S" for search under classic mode. Personally I just hit the Win Key and start typing, enters metro momentarily. 4. First win 8.1 release added a start button to the task bar. Hated it for 2 secs(for reducing my task-bar space). Right clicked start button and realized I could remove a couple of additional tiles/task bar pins. Keyboard shortcut is "Win + X". 4.1. Tip: Right clicking the start menu has a Quicker shutdown menu option. Tip 2: Additional shortcuts for the menu are only displayed if you use the keyboard shortcut to open the menu.
- emn13 13y ago
  In practice, none of this comes close to compensating for the slower usage of the start screen vs. start menu, if only for the visually jarring effect it has. Additionally, normal document-oriented usage is considerably less practical since they removed the Recent files and the (implicit) recent/most used applications list from the start interface. Then there's the time lost due to unintended edge-pulls and hotcorners. Interop between modern and classic is still terrible - no windowed modern apps (nor for that matter modern-docked classic apps), and start search is split by app type (as is so much of the UI). The modern UI also suffers from not allowing renaming of apps, especially since so many apps+settings come in modern and classic flavors. Is that blaryscroo app in the search results the modern or classic variant? The icon looks plain, maybe that means it's modern? This is basically app-starting by trial-and error. If you try to rename the less-useful blaryscroo modern version to something like "blaryscroo (modern)"... well, you can't. Want to right-click the app for traditional options such as recently-opened files by that app - you can't do that either in the start screen. All in all, for practical plain, boring, actually getting-things-done windows 8.1 simply hasn't made much of difference vs. windows 8, and it's made a rather negative difference vs. windows 7. Don't get me wrong - I'm happier with boot-to-desktop than without it, but frankly, booting isn't where I spend most of my time, and then you're left with the fact that the start screen is really just a slightly larger, slower start menu - and the rest of the OS is a usability disaster for desktop usage. Despite the hype, windows 8.1 was virtually irrelevant for desktop usage.
aswanson 13y ago
Mine has significantly decreased. They made it near impossible to simply open a command prompt.
- rcraft 13y ago
  WIN + X, C
- sjwright 13y ago
  I have barely touched W8, but have they removed the Win+R run command? My go-to-prompt tends to be "Win+R c m d Enter" on XP and 7 (and "Cmd+Space t e r Enter" on Mac OS X).
  - zackboe 13y ago
    It still exists, unchanged.
  - voltagex_ 13y ago
    On 8, I can do Win+R powershell or Win->type powershell, hit enter and be going even faster.
- tedsanders 13y ago
  There's an even faster way than sjwright's answer. Type the windows key, then 'cmd', then press enter. I really wish Windows 8 did a better job of teaching users, especially the quick ways to launch programs from the keyboard.
  - ygra 13y ago
    Win+X, C (or A if you need one as admin).
- shitlord 13y ago
  Right click the start menu in Windows 8.1. There is a command prompt (and admin command prompt) option.
- ditoax 13y ago
LinXitoW 13y ago
I find the new task manager much more informative and it often saves me from starting the resource monitor. The new file transfer log is also very fancy and useful, although that doesn't really count as a productivity enhancement.
- epsylon 13y ago
  As I said yesterday, any serious Windows user should be using Process Explorer as a replacement for the default Task Manager: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.asp.. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.asp.... (Some of the other sysinternal tools are worth their weight in gold as well)

luka-birsa 13y ago

I sledom access windows based computers, but when I do, I'm always suprised how my perception of windows is skewed by media and internet trolls. I find the choices they made quite acceptable and the windows 8(.1) as a very good OS for end user.

er35826 13y ago

I don't understand the utility of this boot to desktop feature. The moment you want to do anything, you're back in the start menu launching programs. What problem does it solve, besides moving the first thing you use to the second thing you use?

ygra 13y ago
Many people also have pinned applications to the task bar. For 95 % of programs I launch I don't need the start menu or start screen at all.
- fournm 13y ago
  Then why not pin those to the start screen, as well, and have an even larger mouse target for getting started that isn't at the bottom of your screen? (Unless you're using Win+1-9, in which case, ignore me)