[SpywareDr]

Paul Thurrott is reporting that Microsoft will finally be bringing back the full Start menu to the Windows 8.2 desktop mode. Unlike the current Start button that Microsoft added to Windows 8.1, the new Start menu will be much more like the one Windows users have known and loved since Windows 95. Thurrott also says that the new version of Windows will allow for Metro apps to run as floating windows on the desktop screen, something that users can only do right now if they’ve installed third-party applications such as ModernMix.

Thurrott says that while these changes alone may not be enough to make hardcore desktop fans happy, it’s still "a good sign" that Microsoft is "continuing to do the right thing and responding to complaints."

More: PCWorld.com > Report: Windows Start menu to return in Windows 8.2

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Why bother now? There are good add-ons available that do a good job of adding a start button.

Bring it back in Windows 9 perhaps.

[Ztruker]

Why bother now? There are good add-ons available that do a good job of adding a start button.

Bring it back in Windows 9 perhaps.

[SpywareDr]

... to boost Windows 8 out of the sub-10 percent cellar [in which] it currently resides, ...

If Myerson can get the equivalent of Start8 and ModernMix built right into Windows, Windows might actually become relevant again.

Edited by SpywareDr, 11 December 2013 - 07:13 AM.

[ex_agent]

I may not enjoy the start menu that came with Windows 8, however, I feel that going back to the the old start menu is not the right way to go. Innovation isn't achieved by sticking with what worked before, if it did we'd all still have Blackberry phones.

[SpywareDr]

The Jekyll-and-Hyde monstrosity that is Windows 8 appear not to be the way forward. With over a years worth of stats now, it still doesn't look like Windows is going anywhere. In fact for the most recent month, Windows 7’s growth outpaced that of Windows 8.x by four fold.

Microsoft wants Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 users to upgrade, not hold back or switch to a totally different platform because they are worried about Windows 8's learning curves and/or retraining costs. A number of third-party tools, including Stardock's Start8, Classic Shell and Pokki, have found success with Start Menu add-ons designed for Windows 8.x.

Edited by SpywareDr, 11 December 2013 - 04:45 PM.

[ex_agent]

I wasn't trying to suggest that windows 8 was the way forward, just that going backwards isn't always the right choice.

[SpywareDr]

"Right" or not, it's obviously not working.