Windows 9 leak shows return of start menu. But is it enough?
Windows 8 has been called the single biggest failure of a Windows release ever, and it's no secret that Redmond is scrambling to come up with something that will stem the flood of negative press and coax people off of Windows 7. A leaked screenshot of the Windows 9 start menu shows a conglomerate of the Windows 7 start menu and the Windows 8 Start Screen. Other improvements include a more cohesive approach to the "Modern interface" to allow users to ignore it. But is this enough to woo people off of Windows 7 and get them to move to Windows 9?
That Microsoft has sought to sweep these under the rug rather than nurture the further development of alternative WM's however has a lot to do with all the grumbling. When Unity came out as the default wm for Ubuntu, the move wasn't to another OS, as it was for many dealing with Windows 8, but rather simply to one of the many wm alternatives available. Modularity is absolutely a strength that Microsoft would do best to recognize before it's too late.