By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
burninmylight on 30 June 2013
Edit Thread

The Windows 8.1 preview went live this past Wednesday. While MS previously said it wasn't bringing back the traditional Start menu on the desktop, it did make some concessions to try to please the vocal majority. Not totally ideal, but a step in the right direction.

From Tim Anderson of The Guardian:

Start Menu

  • Yes, there is a Start button on the desktop - but it takes you to the Start screen rather than restoring the menu in Windows 7.
    • The Start button will be a point of familiarity for new users, but its main benefit is the enhanced administrative menu (known as Win-X because of its keyboard shortcut) which pops up if you right-click, including an option to shut down.
  • If you right-click the taskbar and choose Properties, you will find "boot to desktop", the ability to list desktop apps first in the Start screen when sorted by category, and an option to default to the "All apps" view in Start.
    • Unlike the mainly cosmetic Start button, these are significant changes. Engage them all, and when you tap Start you get a list of desktop apps grouped almost like the old menu, though it is not hierarchical.
  • You can also show the desktop background in Start, making the transition to the Modern UI less jarring.

Snapped View

  • The snapped view has gone (a Microsoft engineer admitted to [Anderson] that few people used it). If two apps are on view, you can now size them as you like by dragging a vertical bar, and if you have a large screen you can have up to four apps on view!
    • Apps can also be written for two displays, with different data on each, so for example you could have a controller view and a presentation view. All good stuff.

New Search

  • The way Search works has changed. Previously, if you invoked search by pressing Win-S or selecting it from the right-hand Charms menu, you would be taken automatically to the Start screen. Now, search opens in a panel, and by default searches "Everywhere" rather than just Apps as before.
    • One effect is that you can now easily open a new desktop app without ever leaving the desktop environment, using search as an app launcher. On the other hand, if you are searching more generally, you get results in a new Bing app that combines local and web search in a rich view.

SkyDrive

  • SkyDrive, Microsoft's cloud storage, is deeply embedded in Windows 8.1. It has its own section in PC Settings, and you can opt to save all documents to SkyDrive by default. Another SkyDrive change is that the Modern SkyDrive app now works offline, sharing local storage with the Desktop version. This makes sense if you travel or regularly work on more than one machine.

PC Settings

  • Window 8.1 has more settings in the Modern settings app, reducing the need to run the old Control Panel.
    • PC Settings is also the place for new features like Workplace, which when combined with the forthcoming update to Windows Server will let users access a business network under the control of IT administrators, but without the full "domain join" that corporate machines normally require.

Internet Explorer

  • Windows 8.1 comes with version 11 of Internet Explorer (IE), which will also be available for Windows 7. The big new feature is WebGL (Web Graphics Library) support, a standard for showing 3D accelerated graphics in the browser without a plug-in, and ideal for browser-based games.
    • The presence of two versions of IE in Windows 8 - one on the Start screen, one on the desktop - remains confusing.

Apps

  • The Windows Store has been revamped. The home page is more appealing and magazine-like, categories are selected from the top menu rather than by endless scrolling, and apps now update automatically if you allow it.
  • The Mail app is slightly improved. When I tried to add my Exchange Server account, it actually told me why it was not working (a digital certificate issue), whereas the old Mail app used to fail with infuriating silence. You can also view web links with an automatic side-by-side view, making a better experience.