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Why Microsoft Killed the Windows Start Button

Posted by Soulskill on from the just-to-watch-it-die dept.

Barence writes "Microsoft claims it took the controversial decision to remove the Start button from the traditional Windows desktop because people had stopped using it. The lack of a Start button on the Windows 8 desktop has been one of the most divisive elements of the new user interface, and was widely assumed to have made way for the Metro Start screen. However, Chaitanya Sareen, principal program manager at Microsoft, said the telemetry gathered from Windows 7 convinced Microsoft to radically overhaul the Start menu because people were using the taskbar instead. 'When we evolved the taskbar we saw awesome adoption of pinning [applications] on the taskbar,' said Sareen. 'We are seeing people pin like crazy. And so we saw the Start menu usage dramatically dropping, and that gave us an option. We're saying "look, Start menu usage is dropping, what can we do about it? What can we do with the Start menu to revive it, to give it some new identity, give it some new power?"'"

3 of 857 comments (clear)

  1. stopped using it? by X0563511 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Who the hell is their focus group? I've not met a single person who doesn't use the start button.

    --
    For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    1. Re:stopped using it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      I find myself using the Search function in the Start menu more. Just type the first few letters of the program I want to open and BAM motherfuckers! It starts.

    2. Re:stopped using it? by ryanmc1 · · Score: 5, Informative

      Actually you described using the quick launch feature. Pinning is a bit different. To pin something to the taskbar you right click it and choose "pin to taskbar" This is not the same as using quick launch because it does not create a new icon on the taskbar when the program starts. This reduces the number of icons using up space since you will only have one (with quick launch you have two or more, one for quick launch, and then another for each running instance of the program)