Windows 9/8.2 (Codename: Threshold) To See Return of Iconic Start Menu

Windows 9/8.2 (Codename: Threshold) To See Return of Iconic Start Menu

by Pete Daniel on 21 July 2014 · 3227 views

1 medium Windows 982 Codename Threshold To See Return of Iconic Start MenuDepending on whom you believe, Microsoft is thought to be prepping either Windows version 9 or a Windows 8.2 release which will see the return of the iconic Start menu. The lack of an easy to access and familiar Start menu has often been thought as the reason why Microsoft has failed to gain significant traction with their most recent Windows release.

Whilst a Metro UI tile-based approach may look good on a laptop, not that many users have a touch screen on their laptop yet, fewer still on the monitor they have at home for a tower PC.

While flipping through screens on a tablet or smartphone has become second nature to most, this does tend to leave fingerprints and grease stains on a screen that need to be cleaned off periodically. It remains to be seen whether users really want to do that same to a desktop or laptop screen when adopting a touch screen UI.

No Start Menu, A Misstep By Microsoft

The lack of traditional Start menu in Windows 8 and 8.1 meant users often felt left out and decided to wait for when they purchase a replacement laptop and see what version of Windows is available at that time.

The idea of removing the Start menu came about from the Microsoft Customer Experience Improvement Program by surveying Windows 7 users and coming to the conclusion that the Start menu was no longer needed with future versions of Windows.

New Screen Capture of Windows 9/8.2

The latest screen capture purporting to be either a Windows 9 or 8.2 desktop shot showing a revised Start menu that looks somewhat similar to old versions in Windows 7 and earlier. The new Start menu has Metro UI tile aspects similar to the full screen version in Windows 8 to the right of the traditional looking Start menu, so it appears to be a merging of design elements both old and new together.

Theshold API

The big push behind Theshold as a release is to unify code with a single API that will help developers produce apps that will run just as well on the latest desktop Windows version, Windows tablets or Windows Phone.

This unification will help with design consistency between platforms, portability and ease of use.

Comments (3)
kshu's profile
kshu on 22 Jul 2014
I wouldn't mind having the option to choose between a "glass" UI and a more resource friendly one.
warriorworking's profile
warriorworking on 22 Jul 2014
Yes, true. Unfortunately the flat design became popular to replace a graded look needed for low-resolution displays. Sort of the opposite extreme. I doubt "glass" will ever come back.
pronerd53's profile
pronerd53 on 21 Jul 2014
I would like to see the color of "glass" come back. Metro is kind of lame. yes it's nice on system resources, however it leaves the "home screen" very flat
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