14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is expected to bring back the Start menu in Windows 9, and while that’s pretty good news for everyone planning to switch to this new operating system, there are some options that might not please all users.
First of all, the Start menu will mix elements from Windows 7 and Windows 8, thus creating a design that incorporates both traditional and modern features such as live tiles. As we saw in the mockup presented by Microsoft at the BUILD developer conference in April this year, Microsoft’s new Start menu really looks appealing, but nobody can tell for sure that it also excels in terms of usability.
One feature that could also be part of the Start menu is a possible full screen option which would basically make it eat up the whole screen space.
This does sound awful for many, but everything is actually based on a pretty good idea. Microsoft will replace the Start screen with the Start menu and wants the latter to act just like the touch-optimized feature, so making it run in full screen is the best way to do it.
Since live tiles will also be offered, the Start menu will basically convert into a full-featured Start screen, all by pressing a single button.
Obviously, it’s hard to tell how many users would actually run the Start menu in full screen mode, but we’re pretty sure that those sticking to the desktop will prefer it in the traditional layout, just like we’ve seen it in Windows 7.
The Start menu was previously rumored to return in modern Windows in a second Windows 8.1 update, but Microsoft has reportedly delayed plans to release it and is now using Windows 9 as the platform witness to its comeback.
The feature was presented for the first time at the BUILD 2014 developer conference in April, when Microsoft revealed that it planned to bring back the Start menu together with options to run Metro apps on the desktop in their very own Windows.
The Start menu is expected to be one of the key features of the upcoming Windows 9 Preview coming out in late September or early October, while other new options will be added at a later time, thanks to a new update mechanism.
At the same time, people close to the matter say that this new menu will only be available on devices with a mouse and keyboard, such as a PC, while tablets where the Modern UI makes a lot more sense won’t get it at all, coming instead with an updated Start screen.