No Start Screen for desktop users in Windows 9, the Start Menu ‘is’ Start

Zac Bowden

Start Menu

Over the last few days, we’ve been reporting on a number of upcoming changes to Windows. Windows 9 (Threshold) is set to put the desktop in first place, replacing the Modern UI in favor of that classic windowed desktop. We’ve already talked about how the desktop and Start Menu will be default for desktops in Windows 9, but there was some confusion as to what would happen to the Modern UI. According to Paul Thurrott, it’s going away completely.

The Start Menu isn’t based off the old Windows 7 Start Menu, Microsoft has gone above and beyond and re-thought the Menu entirely. It will act as both a menu and a screen in Windows 9, with the ability to full-screen the menu to get a similar Start Screen experience. Thurrott then continues by reaffirming what we’ve already covered, claiming that it will obviously depend on your hardware, whether it be a tablet or not.

If it is a tablet, you’ll get the Start Screen. If it’s a desktop, you’ll get the desktop instead. It’s pretty simple.

So to clarifty. Desktop users won’t have a Start Screen. They’ll have a Start Menu which can be full screened to act like a Start Screen instead. Tablet users do not fear however, because a Start Screen will still be available for you. Hybrid devices like the Surface are expected to act accordingly, depending on whether or not you’ve got a keyboard connected. More on that in the future.

So, do you like what you’ve read here? Is this what you want in Windows 9? Let us know in the comments section below.