dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
uniqs
27

signmeuptoo94
Bless you Howie
Premium Member
join:2001-11-22
NanoParticle

signmeuptoo94 to BillRoland

Premium Member

to BillRoland

Re: [WIN8] With Sinofsky Gone, Start Menu Could Return to Window

My BIL, and me, have one objection, be it percieved or real. The exploration/access/navigation every since Win98, has become more and more annoyingly laberinthine. We remember how it only took one or two clicks to do what it now takes more clicks to do. We don't want to have to go through more hoops just to accomodate people who refuse to overcome technical challenges.

Now, on the other hand, some changes to Linux's KDE are nice because less clicks are needed, or the same as before but are faster and obvious.

Windows OS could learn something from the various X Windows interfaces: There should be more choice of interfaces, interfaces should be more accomdating to a greater variety of skill levels. We should have multiple options just as Linux has various options such as KDE, GNOME, XFCE, and so on. There should be different desktop environments for different people. Pros should have something that suits them. Ma and Pa Kettle should have something for the helpless. The 12 year old wise ass kid should have something. The blind and disabled should have something. There should be several DEs and just as you purchase the OS, but at a lower price, the DE should be sold separately and at a low price.

But sadly, the "brains" at MS refuse to learn from the competition except in the worst ways...

darcilicious
Cyber Librarian
Premium Member
join:2001-01-02
Forest Grove, OR
·Ziply Fiber

darcilicious

Premium Member

said by signmeuptoo94:

The exploration/access/navigation every since Win98, has become more and more annoyingly laberinthine

What is so hard about WinKey, enter search term (e.g. start of program name), and enter return?

What is so hard about adding a shortcut to the desktop and/or the taskbar?

signmeuptoo94
Bless you Howie
Premium Member
join:2001-11-22
NanoParticle

signmeuptoo94

Premium Member

It's all just so simple, right? No.

darcilicious
Cyber Librarian
Premium Member
join:2001-01-02
Forest Grove, OR
·Ziply Fiber

darcilicious

Premium Member

said by signmeuptoo94:

It's all just so simple, right? No.

How does that answer the question? You fail to explain what is complicated about either...

urbanriot
Premium Member
join:2004-10-18
Canada

urbanriot to darcilicious

Premium Member

to darcilicious
said by darcilicious:

What is so hard about adding a shortcut to the desktop and/or the taskbar?

It's disturbing that you have 30+ icons on your desktop and taskbar. I'm guessing signmeuptoo's not as disorganized as you are which is probably why your way is hard for organized people.
SilentMan
join:2002-07-15
New York, NY

SilentMan to darcilicious

Member

to darcilicious
said by darcilicious:

said by signmeuptoo94:

The exploration/access/navigation every since Win98, has become more and more annoyingly laberinthine

:
:
What is so hard about adding a shortcut to the desktop and/or the taskbar?

That tells you right there that the Metro thing is useless and unnecessary when you have to add things to the task bar and to the desktop in order to avoid dealing with the Metro nonsense.

darcilicious
Cyber Librarian
Premium Member
join:2001-01-02
Forest Grove, OR
·Ziply Fiber

darcilicious to urbanriot

Premium Member

to urbanriot
said by urbanriot:

said by darcilicious:

What is so hard about adding a shortcut to the desktop and/or the taskbar?

It's disturbing that you have 30+ icons on your desktop and taskbar. I'm guessing signmeuptoo's not as disorganized as you are which is probably why your way is hard for organized people.

Say what? I think you must have me confused with someone else...
darcilicious

darcilicious to SilentMan

Premium Member

to SilentMan
said by SilentMan:

said by darcilicious:

said by signmeuptoo94:

The exploration/access/navigation every since Win98, has become more and more annoyingly laberinthine

:
:
What is so hard about adding a shortcut to the desktop and/or the taskbar?

That tells you right there that the Metro thing is useless and unnecessary when you have to add things to the task bar and to the desktop in order to avoid dealing with the Metro nonsense.

It's the same thing that I do in Windows 7, one of the post Win98 OS's that the OP is complaining about...

urbanriot
Premium Member
join:2004-10-18
Canada

urbanriot to darcilicious

Premium Member

to darcilicious
... which is odd, since you even quoted me quoting you!

darcilicious
Cyber Librarian
Premium Member
join:2001-01-02
Forest Grove, OR
·Ziply Fiber

darcilicious

Premium Member

said by urbanriot:

... which is odd, since you even quoted me quoting you!

I'm just surprised you know what I have on my desktop and that you got it so wrong

You quoted me and then attributed something to me that has no basis in reality So I find your post even odder...
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

Mele20 to urbanriot

Premium Member

to urbanriot
said by urbanriot:

said by darcilicious:

What is so hard about adding a shortcut to the desktop and/or the taskbar?

It's disturbing that you have 30+ icons on your desktop and taskbar. I'm guessing signmeuptoo's not as disorganized as you are which is probably why your way is hard for organized people.

I'll have 100 or more on the desktop and all are gigantic in size and that cannot be changed just like you cannot change the size of the systray icons which is gigantic. That is Caption button and Microsoft removed the ability to make Advanced Display/Items list changes except for a few items and Captions buttons is not one of them. You can't even choose how you want your icons spaced...insane of Microsoft!

All the desktop icons I'll have cannot be hidden as I have hidden/unhidden with Desk Sweeper (tiny free program that runs at Start in the systray) since Windows 95. It works on ALL versions of Windows except Win 8 (installs ok but won't hide the desktop icons).

As for typing the name of the program you want to find it...well, it is obvious that a 15 year old came up with that insane idea. As people age, even if they have no signs of dementia, they have so called "senior moments" when their mind goes blank and they can't recall the name of the program! What are they supposed to do? Not use computers anymore? Wait until they finally recall the name? Start/programs lists is a godsend for older folks...why torture older folks by taking this away? Make it OPTIONAL and young folks can avoid it because they are addicted to only shiny and new which is fine but why are only young people expected to use Windows 8? Microsoft needs to listen to its Windows Panelists and it doesn't.

(Excuse the typing...this keyboard has terrible lag...or maybe it is Win 8 with the lag...I'm going to hookup my far superior, but ancient keyboard and see if it is this crap new Multimedia low keys keyboard with the lag or Windows 8).

urbanriot
Premium Member
join:2004-10-18
Canada

urbanriot to darcilicious

Premium Member

to darcilicious
said by darcilicious:

I'm just surprised you know what I have on my desktop and that you got it so wrong

Excellent, we're on the same page now. Take your most recent response and apply it to your first post in the thread.
OZO
Premium Member
join:2003-01-17

1 recommendation

OZO to signmeuptoo94

Premium Member

to signmeuptoo94
said by signmeuptoo94:

Windows OS could learn something from the various X Windows interfaces: There should be more choice of interfaces, interfaces should be more accomdating to a greater variety of skill levels. We should have multiple options just as Linux has various options such as KDE, GNOME, XFCE, and so on. There should be different desktop environments for different people. Pros should have something that suits them. Ma and Pa Kettle should have something for the helpless. The 12 year old wise ass kid should have something. The blind and disabled should have something. There should be several DEs and just as you purchase the OS, but at a lower price, the DE should be sold separately and at a low price.

And that's exactly what I've been telling here on this forum for years. OS is not the Windows Explorer or how does it look. OS doesn't look at all, if you will... It's comprised of several basic components, which allow to run applications, that users need, on hardware known as PC. It's first of all hardware virtualization support layer, task schedulers, process and memory management, file system(s), interface components (network, USB, ...), etc.

OS should be separated from a program, representing desktop window (like Windows Explorer). This separation requirement is not revolutionary in any way. It's the way how it's done, in many other OS's, including e.g. Linux. Just buy Windows OS (let's call it kernel) with desktop package, that you need. Users should always have options of selecting desktop environment, that could better fit to their particular needs. Why it is so difficult to understand (completely rhetorical question here)...

If they offered OS, separated from desktop program, I could be in first lines of customers, who are willing to by it. I just don't like and/or need the bundle, forced on me in the latest Windows 8.
dave
Premium Member
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio

dave to signmeuptoo94

Premium Member

to signmeuptoo94
said by signmeuptoo94:

We should have multiple options just as Linux has various options such as KDE, GNOME, XFCE, and so on.

Then Windows could at last achieve the market penetration of Linux desktops!

Basically, decently-integrated GUI apps need to be written for a particular desktop. Multiple GUIs = market fragmentation. Apps is what sells the OS, so multiple desktops will be bad for app developers and thus bad for Microsoft. [Warning: I don't do GUIs, so this is a layman's observation only].

Notice how many 3rd-party desktop environments exist for Windows? And yet it seems like it's just one line in the Windows registry to bring up an entirely different shell, should someone care to sell one.

digitalfutur
Sees More Than Shown
Premium Member
join:2000-07-15
GTA

1 edit

digitalfutur to urbanriot

Premium Member

to urbanriot
If you add the desktop toolbar to the taskbar, all your desktop icons and folders are listed in a vertical menu, with flyouts for sub-menus along with:

*Libraries
*My Docs (under %Username% Files)
*Computer
*Network
*Control Panel
*Homegroup

Right-clicking/tapping on the mini start-menu in the bottom left of the desktop adds:

*Programs and Features
*Power Options
*Event Viewer
*System
*Device Manager
*Disk Management
*Computer Management
*Command Prompt
*Command Prompt (Admin)
*Task Manager
*File Explorer
*Search

This is far more functionality that the pre Win8 Start Menu.

Most users use the Start Menu only to shutdown. Every other function is done either by desktop shortcuts, browser links or responding to system prompts.

Sinofsky is right about removing the Start Menu in that Windows 8 is a necessary interim step to eliminating the desktop altogether in favor of the modern UI. A task master like Sinofsky often doesn't fit in after the job (Windows 7/8 rollout) is done - managing a steady-state operation requires a different skillset that taskmasters usually can't adapt to. That's why he was let go...his time was up.

Convergence between mobile and fixed devices, an irreversible trend, means that a UI has to be a consistent experience cross-platform. It isn't now, by market share the vast majority of users have different UI and experience on their mobile device than they do on their fixed device; and they certainly have not had a problem adapting to it. They'll get used to the Windows 8 interface as well.

Microsoft is the only company that can leverage its installed Windows base, XBox console, WindowsPhone and Surface tablets with a common user experience. No other company has that breadth of consumer penetration. That's why Windows 8 and the modern UI is the right way to go.
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

2 edits

Mele20

Premium Member

What then about those of us who have NO mobile devices and plan to never have any? I have no need of Windows on a mobile device. I have a desktop computer that I use at home. That is the only place I wish to use the internet or anything else like Office or other applications. So, you feel I should not be able to do that? That's crazy. Some people work from their home (a blessed thing if you are that lucky), some people are elderly and choose to not run around town constantly, and others cannot do that because of physical limitations as they age...should they not be able to use a computer because desktops disappear and only what works on a tiny cell phone that they have zero use for is forced on the desktop user? That's simply crazy.

Trying your tricks, adding Desktop toolbar gives me, IN THE WRONG LOCATION, a NON bolded popup menu. I can't read it except with difficulty...faint text and I haven't gone in the registry yet to force Windows to use readable Verdana font instead of the very difficult to read MS Segue font. All my other menus are bolded ...why doesn't the Desktop toolbar one bold?

Your other trick is almost impossible to do because it is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to get that bunch of tight little tiles that you can barely see to appear in the bottom left corner and if you can FINALLY get them to appear they disappear almost INSTANTLY and then they will not appear again for many minutes or hours. So, you do not have time to right click there before the tiny tiles disappear. That is of no use unless you can tell me how to have that group of tiny tiles appear permanently in the lower left corner. Why do they disappear anyway? I hate stuff that comes and goes. It should be there permanently or not there at all.

As for using the Start menu to shut down...who shuts down a computer? I never shut down a computer unless going on vacation (where I take no computer because the point of a vacation is to get away from the house and from computers). So, I don't use the Start menu to shut down on any version of Windows. The start menu is for all navigation not for shutting down! Any other navigation of Windows should be done in Explorer tree as that is what Explorer is for (after unhiding all hidden files of course). I have no idea how to shut this new computer down as I have no need to learn where to do that as I am not planning a vacation anytime soon.

sivran
Vive Vivaldi
Premium Member
join:2003-09-15
Irving, TX

sivran

Premium Member

Making the start flag appear is not hard.

urbanriot
Premium Member
join:2004-10-18
Canada

1 recommendation

urbanriot to digitalfutur

Premium Member

to digitalfutur
said by digitalfutur:

Convergence between mobile and fixed devices, an irreversible trend, means that a UI has to be a consistent experience cross-platform.

That's a good point but I feel it's an irrelevant point as it presumes that every single person that uses a Windows PC will also be using a Windows Phone and a Windows Tablet when that's not at all the case now and quite frankly, people function just fine with an Android Phone, Apple iPad and Windows PC.

What we're experiencing here is a disruption to majority user satisfaction in an attempt to homogenize an experience that doesn't need it, to force people to use the environment they feel is best on all devices at the expense of what's better on each device.

I want to run the most usable PC operating system... on my PC. I don't want to run the 'jack of all trades' operating system on my PC.

Blogger
Jedi Poster
Premium Member
join:2012-10-18

Blogger to Mele20

Premium Member

to Mele20
said by Mele20:

I'll have 100 or more on the desktop and all are gigantic in size and that cannot be changed just like you cannot change the size of the systray icons which is gigantic.

Wow, 100 or icons on your desktop. It's funny how people can be so different in some areas.

I keep my Win 7 PC desktop clear of all icons. All I have is the wallpaper and the task bar of course that have some icons on it.

I'm a big believer that people should have the options to have the preferences they want. If they want or like 100 icons and can do it I say more power to them.

On the other hand if I was faced with 100 icons I think I would just freeze, at least initially. Even after an acclimation to them I would still fine them very annoying.

urbanriot
Premium Member
join:2004-10-18
Canada

urbanriot

Premium Member

Stardock has an application like Fences which does a pretty good job of corralling your icons. You can create groups of them and label the groups accordingly.

Blogger
Jedi Poster
Premium Member
join:2012-10-18

Blogger

Premium Member

said by urbanriot:

Stardock has an application like Fences which does a pretty good job of corralling your icons. You can create groups of them and label the groups accordingly.

Thanks for that tip! If for some reason I need or want icons on the desktop I'll be sure to check it out.

For now I don't like the icons on the desktop and secondarily never felt a need for them either.

trparky
Premium Member
join:2000-05-24
Cleveland, OH
·AT&T U-Verse

trparky

Premium Member

There are definitely features in Windows 8 that I indeed like, just as there are things that I don't like; namely the Start Screen. But as many of the others in this thread have stated, I got the Start Menu back with Stardock's Start8.

Honestly, I walked into Windows 8 really wanting to hate it but with my usage of it I can't say that I hate it anymore.

Subaru
1-3-2-4
Premium Member
join:2001-05-31
Greenwich, CT

Subaru

Premium Member

said by trparky:

There are definitely features in Windows 8 that I indeed like, just as there are things that I don't like; namely the Start Screen. But as many of the others in this thread have stated, I got the Start Menu back with Stardock's Start8.

Honestly, I walked into Windows 8 really wanting to hate it but with my usage of it I can't say that I hate it anymore.

You hated it less after you got the start menu back right?

trparky
Premium Member
join:2000-05-24
Cleveland, OH
·AT&T U-Verse

trparky

Premium Member

said by Subaru:

said by trparky:

There are definitely features in Windows 8 that I indeed like, just as there are things that I don't like; namely the Start Screen. But as many of the others in this thread have stated, I got the Start Menu back with Stardock's Start8.

Honestly, I walked into Windows 8 really wanting to hate it but with my usage of it I can't say that I hate it anymore.

You hated it less after you got the start menu back right?

Yes.

Subaru
1-3-2-4
Premium Member
join:2001-05-31
Greenwich, CT

Subaru

Premium Member

ok just making sure, I was playing with some win8 laptops in staple last week I have the same feeling, it's fine but clicking where the start button would be just brings up metro again.

RazzyW8
@rr.com

RazzyW8 to Subaru

Anon

to Subaru
I love the Windows 8's Start screen a lot more than the start menu, even after using Windows since 3.1 days. I got Windows 95 since the day it was out.

Lack of start menu does not affect me because I know where to go in a single clicks. Right click the start corner (in lower left corner of either Desktop or Metro apps) and you have access to Control Panel, CMD (with admin), Disk Management, Uninstall Programs etc etc. If you right click the start button in Windows 7, all you get is, well, basically nothing.

I do more productive work with Windows 8 than previous Windows - that is an undeniable fact.

I just wish people would stop being like this and learn why MS did this. Then you will eventually "get it" like I did. I didn't like the start screen at first. You really think MS really want to lose this? You're kidding.
Expand your moderator at work

sholling
Premium Member
join:2002-02-13
Hemet, CA

sholling to urbanriot

Premium Member

to urbanriot

Re: [WIN8] With Sinofsky Gone, Start Menu Could Return to Window

said by urbanriot:

Stardock has an application like Fences which does a pretty good job of corralling your icons. You can create groups of them and label the groups accordingly.

Fences rocks. I have it on all of my PCs.
sholling

2 recommendations

sholling to RazzyW8

Premium Member

to RazzyW8
Most people will never learn the little tricks that you use to make Win 8 usable for you and they shouldn't have to. They really screwed the pooch on this one.

RazzyW8
@rr.com

RazzyW8

Anon

....they are no tricks....