News Windows 9 'Threshold' UI leaked

I rather like the look of the video demo, looks much better for mouse and keyboard users than 8. I missed out Vista and 8.x but, I think I will be installing 9 next year, especially if it is anywhere near as cheap as some commentators suggest it might be.

 

Same here.

Glad to see a start bar back.

I have win 8.1 installed on my daughters lan pc and I just find it clunky to use.

Probably not played with it enough though and stuck in my ways.

 

That plus Ultra Wide Monitor

 

I agree. Based on that footage it's looking much better for mouse and keyboard. Let's hope they get it right this time

 

Agreed - my greatest gripe about Modern/Metro is it's really only good for people who have terrible aim with the mouse or are using a touchscreen. It isn't ideal for keyboard + mouse and it wastes a ton of vertical space.

I think this new start menu will work nicely - a decent blend with old and new.

 

It may have the right combination of price, features and support for things like UHD to tempt hardened Windows 7 consumers and business users into buying.

 

What frankly amazes me is that Microsoft didn't take some time to code the start menu changes as an optional update for Windows 8.1.

If third parties can manage it then Microsoft certainly could have.

That said, on a touch-screen device Windows 8.1 feels very natural. I have found the transition between bluetooth mouse, pen, type cover and touch-screen on my Surface Pro very natural and intuitive, and it's quite nice to have multiple input options open to you for performing almost any task.

 

Not sure about the tiles in the start menu but the rest of it looks much better

 

You can unpin all the tiles in the Start Menu so you end up with just the left side of it.

 

I actually dont mind the tiles in the start menu. Seem to have done a better job already than 8 !

I would still prefer a retail edition.

 

Do you not use any desktop shortcuts? Regardless at least Microsoft have given people a choice this time around which is what they should have done in the first place.

Agreed!

 

Whoa who actually does use desktop shortcuts to programs? You can search in the Start menu, and for regularly used programs you can put them into quick launch.

 

Would they offer a cheap change-over program like with Win8?

In my company, people have their desktops full of shortcuts. To programms, to files, to internal reporting websites.

Search everytime? Why?
Quick launch? sure, for a few items, not for a window full.

It's like in cars, have everything menu based leaves a clean interiour.
Lots of dedicated buttons look messed up and "80's" style. They're faster though.

 

Or spend 5 minutes once sorting the shortcuts into categories and put them in a smallish number of folders, easy to find stuff and looks clean.

 

soooo
The big question is, are windows 8/8.1 owners going to get a free upgrade?
You would hope so.

 

best do. roll on steam OS...

 

There are plenty of tech illiterates in most companies, I'd expect people here to be fairly savvy (savez.)

Frequently visited websites can be in structured bookmarks, or, if you're like me and use Firefox and tab groups you just leave the tabs open all the time.
Frequently visited files can be shortcuts to those files in a folder on the desktop.

It sounds like the staff at your company could be working more efficiently (what happens when they run out of desktop space for example or they have to switch desks/pc dies or if you have roaming profiles and the profile becomes corrupted?)

Not search every time. Only search when it's a program that you don't use frequently. Frequently used programs and file locations go into the quick launch bar. You can also just have one explorer icon there and lots of favourite locations in Windows Explorer in the left hand bar.

It depends on what you mean by a few, e.g.:

If I come across something that I'm using a lot I just add it. Other stuff I just have on there to save me searching for it.

To be honest, at work mainly all that I need first thing in the morning is a browser and my email client, both of which I launch from my keyboard as I have fixed function keys; the same is the case with the calculator, which I use surprisingly a lot.

 

Me.

Plenty of room for shortcuts on a 27" screen and it makes use quick and easy. Searching in the start menu is for programs that I rarely use and I don't want an overcrowded quick launch bar.

 

Hehe if that's a 2560 monitor you'll have no issues with a crowded quick launch bar.

I'd think that loads of stuff on the desktop would just turn to noise except for the stuff that you use regularly. Also launch from quick launch is a single click.