14 DAY TRIAL // The Start menu has been going through a major transformation lately. After giving up on the simplified design that was available in Windows 7, Microsoft somehow decided that removing the Start menu altogether would be the right way to go.
This is how Windows 8 and then Windows 8.1 ended up with a highly controversial Start screen that was more appropriate for tablets rather than for computers where the main input method continues to be the classic mouse.
Windows 10 brought things back to normal with the debut of a traditional Start menu, only Microsoft also introduced a modern touch with the addition of live tiles. Borrowed from Windows 10 Mobile, the live tiles were originally a feature that everybody loved, but the poor implementation and the lack of support from developers eventually turned them into a rather useless idea on the desktop.
Windows 11 changed the Start menu approach once again. Not only it was moved to the center of the screen but also gave up on live tiles. The Windows 11 Start menu is based on the design that was used in Windows 10X, an operating system that Microsoft has already abandoned, and employs a more static approach that makes more sense on the desktop.
But it’s not a secret that users would rather go for a simplified Start menu similar to the one that was available in the good old Windows. Ideas like recommended apps and suggested sites haven’t been received very well, and this is just living proof that the Start menu needs to be as simple as possible and only play the role of a… Start menu.
This is the idea that the concept created by reddit user hairybolox was based on. Inspired by the Windows 98 Start menu, this proposed design for Windows 11 is nothing but, well, a Start menu, bringing all the apps and locations on the PC at a one-click distance.
It also uses the modern icons bundled with the OS, and overall, it seems to perfectly fit the modern desktop available in Windows 11.
Of course, just don’t hold your breath for anything like this to happen in Windows 11, as Microsoft seems very committed to keeping its current design around for as long as possible.