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.

You can download the free preview here

lol good way to bump your thread

I still don't care about it. This should of been done from the start (pun intended). But instead, Microsoft assumed everyone had touch screens, or didn't use their PC's for work.

I feel like you should add something of substance if you're going to bump a thread. Subtlety is key. Speaking of adding something of substance, have you nothing to say regarding the topic?

Agreed, and I hope the consumer and retailer reception is still critical enough for MS to eat a plate of humble pie and just make the option for a real Classic Start button. But I'm excited to be able to shutdown and restart in a more convential way, and to set up my Start screen to show desktop apps first. Most Windows apps are either useless or don't pack enough features or allow enough customization on PCs, where everything in the Windows store is coverd by better versions of desktop/browser apps. The ability to have two programs side by side at any scale you want will be a huge deal for me as well.

ALL of this list is available on Windows 7 right now. Every item except the "Store".

Start Button - check
Boot To Desktop - check
Start Menu Functionality - check
Window Resizing - check
Global Search - check
Skydrive - check
IE11 - check
Mail not sucking - check

The snap feature is one of my favorite features on win 7... The rest of the article seemed a bit confusing, perhaps b/c i don't use win 8. Overall the os seems like a neat idea, but it just seems like they dont reall know what they are doing

I like that they had to add a visual cue for the start button that was already there in the first place. What was the point of even adding the icon if they weren't going to take it back to the original usage?

I have Windows 8, and I find that really funny. OoH I can boot straight to desktop...I can do that NOW.

I'm gonna give it a try. I'm recently updated with Windows 8 and I'm a little annoyed with the Start Menu and Store. This seems to address both.