11 replies to this topic

[Frylock86]

Yesterday, I posted a piece on another board that delved into the current Windows 7 Start Menu to see what's there, and what exactly makes it something that users are fighting to save, versus the new Windows 8 Dashboard seen in the Release Preview.

Since it's picture heavy, I won't have enough space to post it here to WinMatrix, but I'll try and give some bullet points on some issues I found, and why I think Microsoft is right to take the old Menu, and evolve it to the new Dashboard.



Windows 7 Start Menu:

Pros:

• App pinning.
  
  
• Easy to find power options.

Cons:

• "All Programs" menu is excess baggage left over for the old 9x days, that hasn't really been updated. Some apps don’t have folders, while some do. Some are hidden away in sub-folders of sub-folders, made worse by names that can be intimidating or scary sounding for ordinary users - “Accessories”, “System Tools”, etc. Also, since Windows Vista, sub folders no longer fly out over the desktop; users are now literally confined to the tiny space in the corner of their screen for search through the menu, which can lead to problems of its own.
  
• Limited Space. Since Vista, the Start Menu and all related functions have been forced to exist only in the corner of your monitor. No more awkward flyouts from the 9x days, however, this quickly leads to problems where you can run out of space while browsing the Menu.
  
• 
  
• The default icons are too small to be touch friendly. You can either have 32x32 or 16x16 icons in the Start Menu. While 32x32 may be big enough for touch, they are too small to hold any sort of live tile information, and 16x16 icons are too small to be of anymore use today. Even on no touch, large resolution screens 16x16 icons, don't work. They're a leftover from the old, clunky CRTs than never made it past 1024x768.

These problems have been left untouched for years, and now with the advent of touch, and motion based computing, along with a few other factors such as these issues have forced a redesign of the Menu which we see now in Windows 8.


Windows 8 Start Screen:

Pros:

• Fixes many of the problems with the current Windows Start Menu. The "All Apps" menu has been cleaned up and simplified for end users.
  
• Greatly customizable.
  
• Utilizes the whole screen.

Cons:

• Limited personalization. Colors are great, but why can't I use pictures?
  
• Utilizes the whole screen.
  
• Power options are bit weird.

Give it a read: http://www.neowin.ne...enu-discussion/

[theapu]

Brrr, here he starts again

[maac]

Windows 7 never had "apps".

O__o

[Munkypoo7]

Agreed on multiple fronts, and really I've "slowed" using the start menu, it's more of a: "Press the Windows Key > type in what I need opened > press enter" scenario.

I for one will get getting Windows 8, especially since that $40 upgrade thing makes it almost a no brainer.. plus I may activate my TechNet account again considering Office 2013 is also around the corner.

Right now, I just think it's the "cool" thing to hate on Windows 8 because we've grown so attached to Windows 7. Humans are creatures of habit, and in a community of such rapid progress it seems somewhat ironic

[Tataarujin]

I think this particle Start Menu is perfect and not breaking already established paradigm of how users use Windows:

But after you hover your mouse over "All Programs", how it should act? In-context list, like Vista, or flyout menus, like XP?

And remember, Longhorn was mouse-oriented OS. In 2003 nobody knew we will use touch-friendly UI in tablets.

[FalseAgent]

Brrr, here he starts again

is he not allowed to talk about his opinion?

there's only one thing that I miss in the start menu that isn't the start screen. The start menu intelligently places your most used programs automatically in the MRU list, something which the start screen doesn't do.

[Preath]

Uuuhhh.. The only problem i see that you Windows 8 lovers have is primarily "lack of touch space" so then i wonder WHY Microsoft just didnt a tablet OS Or optimized a Windows version JUST for tablets an keeped their PC versions instead of transitioning to the tablet side completely and dumping the PC users.

[Frylock86]

Uuuhhh.. The only problem i see that you Windows 8 lovers have is primarily "lack of touch space" so then i wonder WHY Microsoft just didnt a tablet OS Or optimized a Windows version JUST for tablets an keeped their PC versions instead of transitioning to the tablet side completely and dumping the PC users.

I addressed this in the full article. It is too keep options as simple as possible and present a consistent UX across all products. What Microsoft is doing here is presenting us with Windows, an OS that will work across multiple devices. The market has shown with Vista and 7 that too many SKUs are too confusing. The same principal is at work here. Windows 8 Touch, Windows 8 Touch Pro, Windows 8 Non-Touch, etc... Here, Windows is simply, Windows. Two (Windows + WindowsRT) to rule them all.

[theapu]

Uuuhhh.. The only problem i see that you Windows 8 lovers have is primarily "lack of touch space" so then i wonder WHY Microsoft just didnt a tablet OS Or optimized a Windows version JUST for tablets an keeped their PC versions instead of transitioning to the tablet side completely and dumping the PC users.

I addressed this in the full article. It is too keep options as simple as possible and present a consistent UX across all products. What Microsoft is doing here is presenting us with Windows, an OS that will work across multiple devices. The market has shown with Vista and 7 that too many SKUs are too confusing. The same principal is at work here. Windows 8 Touch, Windows 8 Touch Pro, Windows 8 Non-Touch, etc... Here, Windows is simply, Windows. Two (Windows + WindowsRT) to rule them all.

'You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those aren't going to be pleasing to the user.'
-- Tim Cook about Windows 8

[FalseAgent]

Uuuhhh.. The only problem i see that you Windows 8 lovers have is primarily "lack of touch space" so then i wonder WHY Microsoft just didnt a tablet OS Or optimized a Windows version JUST for tablets an keeped their PC versions instead of transitioning to the tablet side completely and dumping the PC users.

but that would mean developers would have to write different versions of apps targeting different inputs methods on different devices on different OSes...it isn't a good idea at all.

'You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those aren't going to be pleasing to the user.'
-- Tim Cook about Windows 8

Edited by FalseAgent, 14 July 2012 - 04:27 PM.

[Frylock86]

'You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those aren't going to be pleasing to the user.'
-- Tim Cook about Windows 8

With Windows 8, I have the whole kitchen.

[FalseAgent]

'You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those aren't going to be pleasing to the user.'
-- Tim Cook about Windows 8

With Windows 8, I have the whole kitchen.

Actually, to think of it, Apple has been doing the same thing as Microsoft, they're converging their toaster and refrigerator too. Mountain Lion OSX is full of it.