CHAPTER 1 ■ THE WINDOWS 10 ETHOS AND ENVIRONMENT
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Many found that although it offered great innovations, the lack of consistency between the two
operating environments running within the overarching OS made using it quite confusing at times. Users
would open files that would launch them into a full screen experience in one situation, while other file
types would jarringly bring them out of the full screen immersive experience into the desktop! The touch-
first nature of Windows 8 was another common complaint, as it appeared that Microsoft had foregone any
consideration for users working with a mouse and keyboard. Indeed, what seemed easy to do with the finger
proved laborious when working with a Windows 8 device that had no touch interface included. Finally, and
probably most importantly, the choice to do away from the Start menu proved to be too much of a deviation
from what users were comfortable with.
■ Note There are some third-party applications that can be purchased to enhance the Windows 8 experience
with a Start menu, such as Start8 from Stardock.
The arguments from all sides were the same. Customers wanted input into the decision-making process
for features of the Microsoft operating system; they had largely been shunned by Microsoft all through the
Windows 8 development cycle despite months of clamoring for the inclusion of a Start menu feature and
windowed Modern apps running on the desktop (after all, the OS *was* called “Windows”). Despite all the
metrics Microsoft consistently threw at Windows 7 users who wanted to see a Start menu, customers still felt
quite strongly that a Start menu was needed–or they at least wanted the freedom to pick one option (having
a Start menu) versus the other (using the Start screen).
Windowed applications were also a critical ask from customers and a reason behind Windows 8 not
being fully embraced. The shift to full screen applications that Windows 8 introduced seemed to most
like a gigantic step backwards from all the innovations of the Windows-of-old genre. Microsoft, it seemed,
had ventured too far towards the tablet world for really no reason at all. Tablet operating systems had that
limitation because the hardware they ran on (screen, chip, memory) had that limitation, not because it was
an innovation on user experience. It worked for phones because the screens were too small for multitasking.
It worked for tablets because there was hardly enough stored energy, memory, and processing power to keep
things running the way windowed applications required them to be kept running. Full-fledged workstations
and laptops had no such constraints: they had large enough screens to do multiple things at one time, they
had plenty of processing power, and they were not intended to be used in full fidelity mobility scenarios like
tablets and phones are.
What Microsoft needed with its next operating system endeavor was an OS that continued with the
powerful new innovations they had introduced with Windows 8 while dialing down the tablet-focused
mindset. They needed an operating system that was able to smoothly merge both operating environments:
the modern, touch-friendly, secure operating environment with the legacy tools and features of the
Windows 7 paradigm. Windows 10 unites these two worlds seamlessly into one while continuing on the path
of innovation that Windows 8 began.
■ Note Microsoft published a comprehensive blog outlining the details or the rationale behind many of the
Windows 8 features. One blog post highlights the complex research that led Microsoft to using the Start screen
in Windows 8 in favor of the old Start menu. If you would like to find out more about this, head to the Building
Windows 8 blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/. The specific blog post that walks through the evolution of
the Windows Start screen can be found at http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/10/03/
evolving-the-start-menu.aspx
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