Windows 9: Start Menu To Return, Rumored To Be Free

[allheart55 Cindy E]

Microsoft's reboot of its operating system is expected to be released at some point next year.

The Microsoft Windows operating system is possibly the most successful piece of software in the history of computing. It is certainly the iconic package on which Microsoft Corporation has built its reputation and status as the worlds biggest producer of computer software.

 

 

Windows 8 Slated

That Microsoft has taken a bit of a battering recently, not least because its most recent iteration of the Windows operating system, Windows 8, could be reasonably described as one of the most disastrous software releases of all time. Battered critically and unsuccessful commercially, Windows 8 has proved to be something of a disaster for Microsoft, given that the controversial alterations that Microsoft to the Windows set-up were extremely poorly received.

 

Additionally, Microsoft’s entire business model is being challenged by the evolution in computing which is currently unfolding. The rise of the cloud promises future in which hardware is considerably less important. And Microsoft’s attempts to become successful within mobile operating systems has been considerably less successful than their attempts to dominate the desktop market. Windows 8 was clearly an attempt to create a unified platform which served all modern competing systems, but ended up being jack of all trades and master of none.

 

Windows 9 To Be Massive Overhaul

Thus, at this point in time Microsoft is seeking a panacea for Windows. Although public-relations dictates that the company has not officially ditched Windows 8, Microsoft has recognized that this software is irretrievable. Their solution to the problem would seem to be Windows 9, which is expected to be released at sometime during 2015.

 

The intention of Microsoft to overhaul its flagship operating system is indicated by the recent decision to cease mainstream software support for Windows 7. Given that this predecessor to Windows 8 is considerably more popular than the reviled update, it is clear that Microsoft needs to deliver something that its consumers actually want as a replacement.

 

Start Menu To Return

Naturally, Microsoft is keeping pretty quiet about the development of Windows 9. But a few things are known already, and there have been a few features leaks also coming out into the public domain. The first and most notable of these is that Windows 9 will feature a return of the Start menu. This was a frankly staggering omission from Windows 8, which caused Microsoft no end of opprobrium. It really is a no-brainer for them to reinstall this feature within the new Windows operating system. Microsoft has already showed off an early version of this hybrid Start menu at its Build developer conference in April.

[AWS]

I kind of like the screenshot of the new start menu in the linked article.

[allheart55 Cindy E]

It's not bad.....

 

[AWS]

I don't have a problem with Metro. In fact I was one of the few that actually liked it even on my main box. I love it on my Surface 2 and I am seriously thinking about a Windows phone.

 

The new start menu takes the old and adds new too it and MS did it well. It will improve and once it does I bet it brings all the people that hate Metro and stayed with Windows 7 to Windows 9.

[allheart55 Cindy E]

You could be right. My husband rarely used to use the Thinkpad (Windows 8) with touch screen that I got for him until his company purchased Windows phones recently for upper management. He (after a bit) began to love his new phone and started to use the thinkpad almost exclusively. Last week he bought himself a Windows RT surface tablet. (Windows 8.1) He normally doesn't do that well with drastic changes. :D

 

The Metro desktop was his biggest issue with Win 8.

[Rich-M]

I actually finally got used to Windows 8 but I still prefer a Start Menu for less used things it is quicker to find things and I agree this new menu is a mixture of Metro and traditional and I like it alot.

[allheart55 Cindy E]

 

Microsoft provided an early look at its new Start Menu for a future version of Windows earlier this year, but freshly leaked screenshots are offering an even closer look at the company’s progress towards its major desktop revamp. Two screenshots have emerged on myce that show the new Start Menu in a recent build of codename "Threshold." Microsoft is currently working on a number of products as part of its Threshold efforts, including a version of Windows that will likely be named Windows 9 when it ships next year. Microsoft is currently labelling this development version of Windows as "Windows 8.1 Pro," but this is placeholder branding until the latter stages of testing and the final name is ready and confirmed.

 

The new Start Menu hasn’t changed much since Microsoft demonstrated it at Build in April, but the screenshots show a variety of "Metro-style" apps that are pinned to the menu, alongside traditional applications. The Verge understands the screenshots are genuine, and that in some current development versions of "Windows 9" the Start Menu expands to maximize the screen and act like the Start Screen found in Windows 8. The second screenshot also shows how Microsoft is planning to make "Metro-style" apps run in the desktop as windowed or fullscreen. This is an essential part of Microsoft’s plans for the next version of Windows, to make it a lot more mouse and keyboard friendly with a significant focus on the desktop.

 

Microsoft is expected to ship Windows "Threshold" in early 2015, alongside improvements to the Xbox One operating system and a combined version of Windows Phone and Windows RT. The combination of Windows RT and Windows Phone will finally drop the desktop mode, and focus on "Metro-style" apps over traditional x86 desktop applications.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AWS]

I do like the new design of the start menu. They take the tiles and use them in a compact way.

[Rich-M]

The more I look at it, this start menu is really the Metro desktop in a menu form.

[allheart55 Cindy E]

Both sides can be customized.