News Windows 8.1 Update 1 to introduce shutdown button

New update will bring dedicated shutdown and search buttons to Start Screen.
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/bits/2014/01/25/windows-8-1-update-1-to-introduce-shutdown/1

 

Yeah, because simply punching the power button or closing the laptop lid is way too complicated. But choices are always good.

Still, I will never know why they didn't just add Shut Down to the context menu of the user tile on the Start Screen. Seems like an obvious place to me.

 

A lot of design choices in Windows 8 I can understand, or at least tolerate, but not hiding the shutdown button in some hidden "settings" menu. Can't believe it's taking them this long to fix such a simple (and obvious) mistake.
For my grandmother I had to make a small bat script on the desktop to shut down the computer, all the fiddly stuff with the mouse to get that charms thing pop up was too frustrating for her.

 

Right click bottom left corner -> shutdown or signout -> shutdown.

 

It's not like anyone said do this when we were all testing the Windows 8 beta.
I suppose I can get my wallet out and spend the £100~ to upgrade from 7 now.
On second thoughts.

 

Left click start button > shutdown. why change button and add an extra step/click?

 

Yes. You and I might remember that, but my grandmother - and I bet a lot of other older people too - won't. She wants a big, recognisable button she can click, and done. Her hands are not very steady with a mouse so any precision movements are out of the question. Also I don't think she's ever right-clicked anything before.

To people who know and understand computers, these design decisions don't matter that much, we'll get used to them anyway. But to people who are not familiar with computers things like right-clicking in corners or hovering at certain locations are not evident, and are a great source of frustration. Win8 is, judging from my (admittedly limited) experience, filled with stuff like that.
I kind of regret not just installing Linux Mint on her new computer. That would have been closer to the WinXP user experience she was used to, and is very user-friendly in its own right.

 

Because W8 doesn't currently have a shutdown option after you left click the start button. And it's not an extra click.

Previous windows you had to left click the start menu, and left click the shutdown menu/button, is switching out a left click for a right click really that different? If they want a big button, you could use Oblytile to create a tile on the start menu.

 

How about the power button on the computer case? The same one she pokes to turn it on?

 

Yes, it's completely different. Some people never use right click for anything, and they will not remember. They'll click left just as usual and think "why doesn't the computer respond?".
The absence of an actual button is also a big deal (which you seem to forget in your comparison). I can guarantee you that computer illiterate people will never click anywhere on the screen where there is no button or any other direct indication that an action will happen when clicked.

I could (and maybe I will), but I really shouldn't have to. Stuff like this should be in "vanilla" Win8. Basic accessibility should be standard, extra functionality can be added later.

I guess that's a good option. I wasn't sure whether the shutdown procedure is exactly the same when pressing the power button as using the "software" shutdown, but if it is, then yes it's a good alternative. I'll tell her that.

 

It is an amazing basic omission. I had to look it up when I first used win 8 and felt like a butter doing it.

 

The hover in the corner thing is a real pain in the tail with multiple monitors. I seem to recall I couldn't use alt-F4 to shut down too. I hope to God they put hot key function back in. I'm still smacking Xtree Gold hot keys and lamenting the loss of Powerdesk post-XP.

 

I disagree, if they left click the bottom left corner they'll get the start screen. The start button has about the same level indication as a desktop shortcut - highlights when you hover over it. Personally I think you're not giving computer illiterate people enough credit. I know a few people that would prove you can teach an old dog new tricks - though patience required.

I really dislike the self entitled attitude a lot of people seem to have with W8. You really don't have to use it, in fact I actively encourage you to install Linux on her PC. You as a consumer are unhappy with the product, MS won't change their mind if people continue to use it.

 

Closing lid usually defaults to sleep, what if I want to hibernate/shutdown/reboot or keep laptop running? Same thing with power button.

And how do you switch off W8 using only a keyboard (without resorting to CLI)?

 

What? Overreaction much?
Making your software accessible is not a matter of pandering to "self entitled" users, it's basic software design. When you're making something for a wide audience, like Windows, accessibility has to be your number 1 target.
I say they've failed in this at some points, like the absence if a clear shutdown button, and you call me "self entitled"?

 

You can re-assign what closing the lid does in Power Management. Usually closing the lid sends it to sleep; punching the power button (which the laptop of course also has) turns it off.

Personally I think the most elegant solution would have been for the power button to summon a little menu with options: (Sleep, Hibernate, Shut Down, Cancel) from which you select your choice with a mouse click/screen poke.

 

I wonder if it's possible to create something for windows that actually makes this possible. It's really a great idea. No confusion, and the option to change your mind.

The XFCE window manager has something similar, if I'm not mistaken.

 

You mean as did alt+f4 in previous windows versions?

 

Whadayaknow? I didn't know that one. Yes, like that, but I would use a row of icons instead of a pull-down menu.

It also works on Windows 8. Really that window should be invoked by the power button. I wonder if there's a way to hack that...

 

Bah, maybe it's just me, bad day. I do know people who are terrible with PCs and yet managed to navigate to the shutdown charm on my PC though.

Not quite sure why we're suddenly on keyboard only, but if you must know i use the power button on my keyboard.

Failing that Win+ I then navigate.

Edit as nexxo said, alt-f4 works