Journal #8513

I always thought the Start menu was a nice feature and feared for its absence when I switched to Windows 8.

Get this: there is life after start menu. It is not essential :P. But it mostly depends on your preferences. I tend to organize software in folders in my desktop, and leave the ones I catalog as "general" as icons on the desktop. The search function is the same... maybe better.
I'm excited about its comeback in Windows 10 though.

I don't get why the colors are eye-popping and "none of them work for you". Are you not satisfied with a palette of 16 million colors? :))
Unfortunately I don't know of any tweak in this sense, must be some additional plugin to revert back.

Pro-tip: Shift+RightClick in any folder to open a command prompt with the path already set there. This only works in Windows 8 and will save you lots of typing time when you need to work with command line stuff.

I do get why. It's like they tried to pull off a Windows XP except the colours they chose this time around are way uglier.

Is it called "This PC" in Win8? They went from "My Computer" to "Computer" to "This PC"? Sounds like a step backwards.

The thing with the colors is the way you choose them.
I want a simple RGBA slider not some hue, saturation thing.
I only liked dark colors in 7, but they look terrible here, you cant even see the window title if you go black.

Start menu is essential for me, its 1 Click, Type, Enter access to everything i need, classicshell is good for that, just the default W8 search that is bound to that field will take some getting used to.

I have doubts about W10, they are changing a lot of things which will probably make it a flop. I know you have to improve in some way or the other, but 7/10 people just want the same thing just newer (W7 interface on W8 kernel)

I hope one day i will be able to make the step to Linux and be done with M$.

The thing I'm most curios about in Windows 10 is the secondary approach at installing software, namely a package manager. This is obviously Linux inspired and should remove a lot of hassle.

Also I've heard that with the new DirectX12 which will be shipped with Win10, you will be able to do the equivalent of SLI/Crossfire, but with different generations(possibly different vendors?) GPUs. That is... awesome.

Package manager ?! 0_o NONONONONO GOD NO
Windows does not need a package manager NO

Windows 8.1 does not need any changes, its perfectly usable the way it is.
If you want nostalgia get a retro box and install xp and derp in it as much you like.

Than again, ever since I downgraded to a laptop computer I have been using Linux Mint. So far so good.

I admire your courage Ruf, what prompted the upgrayedd?

Had my good old SSD laying around with 7 on it, since it was from an old machine it didn't work on this one and i thought its time to see if 8 is usable. My laptop still needs a SSD treatment so that will get 8 too someday.

@Stojke: Linux Mint is in my sights too, ive been playing around with Elementary OS Luna for some time and also found it nice to use.

Why not wait for 10? It'll be free, too.

Win10 will be free? Not even Microsoft is that pessimistic. Or they wouldn't have released Win8 at all.

I'll be jumping up to 10 from 7: it's bringing all the advantages that 8 had, without the mess that is the Start screen. Win-win.