When Windows 8 launched, the cries of anguish were almost palatable. And, of course, the biggest complaint was the lack of Windows' recognizable Start button, the menu tool we all know and love because we’ve all been using it since 1995. Fortunately Windows promises to bring back the Start button in Windows 8.1.
Well sort of. The button doesn’t access the traditional start menu. It only accesses the Start screen. Again, most users could already do this and did not want a button per se, but a button that connected to the Start menu.
We are ultimately surprised that the Start button was eliminated, and that no Start menu will be reinstated. Windows often releases older themes/user interfaces to make their programs more accessible to those who prefer an older interface. OPUSfidelis has done this with websites, Salesforce does it with its platforms (including an old UI is standard practice in the industry), so why didn’t Microsoft follow suit? Did they really think there was no market for their classic User Interface? Have they seen the internet’s distress at the new Timeline, and failed to realize that a huge share of their market actively opposes change?