14 DAY TRIAL // After nearly two years of controversy, Microsoft has finally decided to bring back the Start menu in Windows 10, trying to address complaints received after the removal of this traditional feature from the Windows 8 modern operating system.
Surprisingly, however, after months of accusing Microsoft of ignoring users’ requests, some people don’t want the Start menu anymore and actually want the company to offer the Start screen as a default feature in Windows 10.
Obviously, each of these two features comes with its very own set of features, so it’s easy to see why some want the Start menu and others prefer the Start screen.
Windows 8.1 doesn’t have a Start menu and only offers users the Start screen, so assuming that everyone upgrades to Windows 10 when it becomes available, there’s going to be one big dilemma when trying to choose between the two.
The Windows 8.1 Start screen
First implemented in Windows 8, the Start screen was one of the most controversial features ever implemented in Microsoft’s desktop operating system, mostly because it replaced the Start menu and was more appropriate for touch devices.
Beginning with Windows 8.1, the Start screen actually brought more customization options, allowing users to change the background or even use the desktop wallpaper for a smoother transition. What’s more, users could name individual groups of live tiles for better organization, while the search option received new upgrades to help everyone find data both online and offline.
In Windows 10, the Start screen is very likely to get even more goodies, and sources close to the matter claim that interactive live tiles could also make their debut with this new OS. In just a few words, interactive live tiles would give us the possibility of performing simple tasks, such as pausing or stopping music straight from the Start screen, so we wouldn’t need to launch the app itself.
At the same time, live folders, very similar to those on Windows Phone, could also arrive in Windows 10, but more on this will actually be disclosed when the preview build for tablets becomes available.
The Windows 10 Start menu
In Windows 10 Technical Preview, Microsoft reintroduced the Start menu, thus addressing one of the biggest drawbacks of Windows 8. But instead of offering the traditional design previously available in Windows 7, Microsoft offered what could be described as a mix of a classic approach and modern elements, making the Start menu appeal to more user categories.
The Windows 10 Start menu thus comes with live tiles that can be easily added or removed from the main screen, but also with power controls and a search box to quickly search for files on the local drive.
The biggest difference is the possibility of resizing the Start menu, so you can now customize it to better fit your desktop. At the same time, the Start menu automatically takes the color of the Windows visual style, but you can’t manually change this setting right now.
Transparency and other visual effects can also be added in Windows 10 and Microsoft is already working on these two options, so they’re very likely to be included in the final version of the operating system.
The bottom line
In the end, it all comes down to what users want and need more, so it’s really hard to decide which one is better. Truth is, the Start screen appears to be a lot more appropriate for devices with a touch-screen, while the Start menu makes much more sense on a computer with a mouse in keyboard.
But it’s really hard to offer users the feature they need more and there have been rumors suggesting that, in Windows 10, Microsoft will tweak the OS to offer the Start menu when it’s installed on PCs and the Start screen when using a tablet.
The best choice, however, is to offer users both options and let them decide what they want. This is what it happening right now in the technical preview, but Microsoft must not neglect any of them, so both the Start menu and the Start screen should get equal chances to conquer a larger user base in the next operating system. As things seem to be right now, Microsoft is going in the right direction.
