Living With The Windows 8 Desktop
So hang on a minute, if the Modern UI is a very good touchscreen interface and the desktop is more powerful than ever, what's the problem?
Well, the two don't mingle particularly well, and try as you might, it's difficult to use one without the other. Attach a USB drive to your tablet with the aim of copying across some content, and you'll most likely want to drop out of the Modern UI to use the File Explorer, which isn't ideal for prodding with your finger. Similarly, if you're on the desktop and you want to find a specific program, you'll need to let the Modern UI takeover your screen while you do it.
Microsoft's no-looking-back approach comes as a surprise, a shock, even; using Windows without a Start menu is like learning to ride a bike all over again. You sort of know what you're doing, and the framework's still there, but you have to adapt.
"We believe in people and their ability to adapt and move forward," says Jensen Harris, Director of Program Management for the Microsoft User Experience team.
"Throughout the history of computing, people have again and again adapted to new paradigms and interaction methods - even just when switching between different websites and apps and phones. We will help people get off on the right foot, and we have confidence that people will quickly find the new paradigms to be second-nature."
Microsoft's confidence in each individual's willingness to adapt may be misplaced, and the software giant may have failed to realise how steep the learning curve really is.
Sure, millions of users the world over will eventually get used to Windows 8 - that much is inevitable - but Microsoft could have and should have done more to help people along the way. Providing an option to restore the Start Menu might have been asking too much, particularly when the Redmond outfit is attempting to push a new user interface, but tutorials, demonstrations and a greater number of tool tips should have been included from the get-go.
As it stands, we've found two ways to make the most of the Windows 8 experience. On a touchscreen device (preferably a tablet) spend most of your time in the Modern UI and you'll feel right at home. On a PC with a keyboard and mouse, don't worry about having to prod your display; that's simply not the way you'll use it. The desktop is more powerful than ever, it still works perfectly well with your existing input devices, but there's one caveat; the Modern UI must be largely ignored.
Both have their merits, it's just a shame the two don't live together in perfect harmony, but they never could, could they?
