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[–] forthe48 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

I agree that the fullscreen start menu was a bad decision because it shocked a lot of people, and Windows 8.0 was a release with some really nagging issues that needed to be addressed, and that got it a lot of bad publicity very quickly. When Windows 8 was released, I was right there with everyone that didn't like it, refused the change, etc.

But after a month or two of use, I really got used to it. I don't use a start-button replacement, and I never did. My PC boots straight into the desktop, and the 'new' start menu works like an awesome quick-launch software. I keep shortcuts to some of my favorite/most used applications there so that they don't crowd my desktop, and if I want to launch something like the calculator quickly, all I have to do is hit the Windows key, type calc, and press enter.

I've tried the Windows 10 developer preview, and it seems like it's going to be pretty cool. I'm excited for it to come out, and I think the new-new hybrid between new and old start menus will strike a nice balance with everyone.

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[–] Icy-Defiance 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

Yeah I don't replace the start menu either. There's a setting to make it go straight to the program list instead of the pin board, and I enabled that along with booting to the desktop. It's a shame they're not enabled by default, though, because most people don't dig through the settings and look for that kind of thing.

Windows 10... They've tried a couple things in the dev preview that I didn't like, such as separating the search box from the start menu, but at least that one got reverted later. The hybrid start menu and windowed universal apps seem like the core new features, though, and both should be awesome.

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[–] forthe48 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

Yeah, I'm really excited for what Windows 10 has the potential to be if it's handled correctly, I think that as long as they don't push some sort of weird licensing/subscription fees on the OS, and they don't release a buggy OS (I'm not too worried about this part, the dev preview was pretty rock solid in my limited use of it), then it should take off given some time. I just got the "reserve your upgrade" prompt last night, and to wake up today to a confirmed release date is cool. Hopefully they handle everything well and Windows 10 ends up being a success, I don't want to have to search for an alternative.

[–] [deleted] 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

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[–] forthe48 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago  (edited ago)

You're absolutely correct. Though when using the WinKey + R "run menu" you generally need to know the path to and the name for most executables. But, while typing this out, I tried just typing "internet" into the start menu in 7 (just tap windows key, no winkey+r), and it brought me internet explorer, just like 8.1 would. So, I guess it's functionally the same, but I had never realized W7 would do that. TIL.

One thing that 8.1 will do that 7 won't afaik, is that cool WinKey + X context menu that shows up over the start menu, and the fact that you can right click the start button to get shut down options, which is how I shut down/reboot/etc 99% of the time.