[forbes]

I've been using Windows since 3.11 and when I first booted up Windows 8 I clicked the Windows Explorer button in 'Metro' and was taken to the 'Classic' desktop. No Start menu. It took me a good fifteen minutes of clicking around to discover how to get back to Metro so I could launch any program.

In short it made a programmer feel like an idiot. I can't imagine how many grandads are going to be furious with it if they upgrade. I have no idea why removing the Start menu is a good idea.

I use OS X, Ubuntu (headless servers) and Windows 7 daily and I will definitely wait until Windows 9 before I upgrade my Windows VM. They are definitely sticking to the 'every second release sucks' cycle, like Star Trek.

[cubicle67]

My experience with the Win8 preview

looks ok. click on something, which launches an app. cool, but now how do I get back.

spent probably 10 minuted getting increasingly frustrated at not being able to exit back to the home screen (or whatever it's called. it's obviously not the desktop, because there's a tile called "desktop" that should be called "normal windows"). In the end I gave up and gave it to my wife, who did manage to figure it out (hint: you have to move the mouse to the very bottom left hand pixel)

Also - it appears I'm unable to use the email client at all unless I sign up for a live account. What's up with this?

[inoop]

> It took me a good fifteen minutes of clicking around to discover how to get back to Metro so I could launch any program.

Have you tried pressing the windows key? :)

Seriously, this whole metro thing is just the new start menu.

[bztzt]

"I have no idea why removing the Start menu is a good idea."

Because it wasn't removed, it was changed and given a new presentation. The alternative would have been to have two redundant start menus.

[pbz]

Even keeping the icon where the old one was which when clicked would take you to the new "start menu" would have helped...

[bztzt]

That was the original design (seen in the first public preview).

[objclxt]

I think that's probably an indication that the whole "It's not a replacement for the Start Menu, it is the Start Menu" school of thought is a bit flawed.

[suby]

They've removed all visual cues that let you know what things do. You'd have no way of knowing that clicking the bottom left takes you to metro if someone or something doesn't tell you. If you click on the bottom right corner, you minimize all windows -- There's a visual cue for this in windows 7. The button still exists, but they've removed this visual cue in Windows 8, and I have no idea why. I'm really baffled by it.

[jakeonthemove]

Well, I always click the Win key for the win :-D, but it gets really annoying to have the whole screen change to a stupid looking menu in order to open another app. An alternative is to use the desktop, but I've given up on desktop icons a long time ago...