Windows Finally Gets a Shutdown Button

in microsoft on 2014-03-09 10:53 (#3FA)

I admit it; amongst all my Linux computers, I still have one remaining Windows box. Until Blizzard takes a hint from Steam, I have to endure the horror of Windows in order to get my weekly raid fix.

Now, being a higher end gaming box and the graphic card being one of those 2 slot varieties, the fans can make a good bit of racket. No problem, I simply moved the system to another room (the cords go through the wall and are still plenty long enough) and viola! Quiet gaming room! All is good, until I finish and want to turn off the system. You see, Windows 7 had this convenient little "Shut Down" button that was easy to get to.

But, last year when I upgraded the system's hardware I (mistakenly) opted to try out the newer version 8 of Windows. Well, Microsoft did a fine job of hiding that shutdown option. It takes no less than 6 clicks and several full screen transitions to get to it using the default UI. When it takes less time to get out of your chair, open the door, walk down a small hallway, open another door, walk over to a humming tower, and depress its power button than it does to do the software equivalent, you know your interface is borked.

But no longer! Microsoft's new Windows 8.1 Update 1 will re-add that missing "Shut Down" option to its (still) metro-tiley start page. And that is progress!

29 comments

Least of the problems. (Score: 5, Funny)

by dgoodmaniii@pipedot.org on 2014-03-09 12:49 (#BE)

I must say that shutting down Windows has historically been the least of its problems. *Not* shutting it down is usually worse. But I suppose we must take what we can get.

Re: Least of the problems. (Score: 1)

by hex@pipedot.org on 2014-03-10 21:45 (#DS)

Windows usually has me bashing my head against the keyboard in anguished frustration. At least this way it might have a useful outcome and shut the machine down, thus ending my torment.

Usability (Score: 4, Funny)

by computermachine@pipedot.org on 2014-03-09 13:08 (#BF)

So MS does all usability testing after they release the OS?

Re: Usability (Score: 5, Informative)

by hyper@pipedot.org on 2014-03-09 14:16 (#BG)

The term is "Testing in Production"

Why hire testers when your users can do it for you

Re: Usability (Score: 4, Funny)

by hyperquantum@pipedot.org on 2014-03-10 16:30 (#CT)

And then fixing it with updates.

"bananaware": software delivered green, ripens at the customer

Re: Usability (Score: 5, Insightful)

by danieldvorkin@pipedot.org on 2014-03-09 16:41 (#BJ)

It's not just MS, I have to say. Making shutdown hard to get to may have been a particularly boneheaded move, but it honestly seems like desktop UI design has gone to hell across the board the last couple of years. OS X, Gnome, KDE ... I can't think of a single major environment that isn't substantially worse than it used to be.

Re: Usability (Score: 3, Interesting)

by skarjak@pipedot.org on 2014-03-10 18:24 (#D3)

XFCE is still fine. Cinnamon and MATE are also great. It's not THAT bad.

A lot of people are experimenting because of the rise of mobile devices. The situation will stabilize eventually when people are more experienced with making desktop interfaces that are adapted to the desktop, but familiar to mobile users.

Why pick on Win8? (Score: 1, Interesting)

by zafiro17@pipedot.org on 2014-03-09 20:29 (#BM)

It's like kicking a cripple. Sure, you can do it, but it's so easy. I usually have lots of unpleasant things to say about Windows, and I run OSX, Linux, and FreeBSD at home.

But I no longer have to badmouth Windows because Windows users are busy enough doing it themselves. Seriously, the amount of hate I'm hearing from people who'd otherwise never even think about installing another OS is incredible. A friend saved for a long time to buy his first laptop, and when he finally bought it and he realized he was forced to buy Win8, not Win7, he was seriously disappointed. To listen to him, you'd think he got sold defective goods.

In a way, he did. I use Win7 at work and it's surprisingly good, though it takes way too much space on a hard drive. But Win8 is awful, absolutely atrocious. Take that you f*cking cripple.

[hey, does this site have a profanity filter?]

Re: Why pick on Win8? (Score: 5, Funny)

by danieldvorkin@pipedot.org on 2014-03-09 23:44 (#BS)

[hey, does this site have a profanity filter?]

Fuck it, let's find out. If so, that shit's a bug, in my not so goddamn humble opinion.

Re: Why pick on Win8? (Score: 3, Informative)

by danieldvorkin@pipedot.org on 2014-03-09 23:44 (#BT)

Apparently not.

Re: Why pick on Win8? (Score: 4, Funny)

by zafiro17@pipedot.org on 2014-03-10 19:29 (#D8)

Dude - that is absolutely fucking Jesus TittyFucker Christ awesome!

Now that we know profanity works, we can have some meaningful discussion about Oracle's open source efforts! Hot damn.

Re: Why pick on Win8? (Score: 2, Informative)

by isostatic@pipedot.org on 2014-03-11 17:26 (#F9)

[hey, does this site have a profanity filter?]

Belgium.

Guess not. At least it doesn't block Scunthorpe like some sites. Sussex is blocked occasionally too, which is hilarious.

What about (Score: 1, Funny)

by spacebar@pipedot.org on 2014-03-09 23:16 (#BR)

shutdown -s -t 100 -c All your base are belong to us?

Re: What about (Score: 4, Informative)

by carguy@pipedot.org on 2014-03-10 00:21 (#BW)

Win 8.1 -->Windows_key+x brings up much of the old start menu, including shutdown options.

Re: What about (Score: 5, Insightful)

by mysidia@pipedot.org on 2014-03-10 04:14 (#BY)

Yes, but it's rather non-obvious to users who have not found the manual where Window+X is discussed.
It certainly breaks the workflow of Windows 7 and XP users who are familiar with Start >Start Menu >arrow beside Shutdown/Log Off button

Re: What about (Score: 2, Informative)

by gumpish@pipedot.org on 2014-03-10 15:07 (#CH)

Or you can just right-click the start button (from the "Desktop" interface).

Re: What about (Score: 2, Interesting)

by dotdotdot@pipedot.org on 2014-03-10 15:44 (#CP)

"It takes no less than 6 clicks and several full screen transitions to get to it using the default UI."

Swipe in from right or point mouse in right hot corners, (click 1) settings, (click 2) power, (click 3) shutdown.

Re: What about (Score: 3, Insightful)

by billshooterofbul@pipedot.org on 2014-03-10 16:42 (#CX)

The problems with it are

1)The discoverability of the interface using the mouse
2)The leap of faith to think that shutdown might be under settings and then under power.

Its too magical for people to figure out on their own.

Re: What about (Score: 2, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward on 2014-03-11 02:58 (#E8)

At long last Windows is the same as Linux used to be.

"Once you learn these key combinations and these other things you be fine"

Perhaps it is the Year of Linux, if only because Microsoft have screwed up so badly

You right click the windows button - mouse over shut down windows - click (Score: 2)

by eviljim@pipedot.org on 2014-03-10 04:23 (#BZ)

not exactly intuitive, I forced a server off with the power button because it took too long to locate shutdown in win server 2012

Re: You right click the windows button - mouse over shut down windows - click (Score: 2, Insightful)

by alioth@pipedot.org on 2014-03-10 16:17 (#CS)

Ah, Server 2012, in other words Windows Server Tablet Edition.

What possessed them to use Metro for any part of a server OS GUI?

Re: You right click the windows button - mouse over shut down windows - click (Score: 1)

by eviljim@pipedot.org on 2014-03-10 20:45 (#DA)

yeah, no idea, I use linux solely myself, a gamer friend of mine gave me the above instructions. :)

Whatever (Score: 1)

by murdoc@pipedot.org on 2014-03-10 16:07 (#CQ)

Heh, I couldn't put up with Win8 a week before I went looking for and installed a third-party desktop program. And every day that I load it up so I can play a game I struggle with whether or not to go to the trouble of wiping it out and putting win7 back on.

Violins? (Score: 1)

by alioth@pipedot.org on 2014-03-10 16:12 (#CR)

>viola! Quiet gaming room!

On a point of pedantry, what does a stringed instrument a little bigger than a violin have to do with it?

Re: Violins? (Score: 1)

by skarjak@pipedot.org on 2014-03-10 18:26 (#D5)

I think it's fair to say that 90% of the time people inject a french word in an english sentence, it's horribly mangled. It used to tick me off but now I'm used to it. It certainly detracts from the person's intentions of sounding fancy, however...

Re: Violins? (Score: 2, Funny)

by hex@pipedot.org on 2014-03-10 21:40 (#DM)

I enjoy scattering misplaced or incorrect Latin phrases throughout text. And using 'irregardless'; a perfectly cromulent word meaning 'without lack of regard'.

Is Ars Going downhill? (Score: 2, Interesting)

by billshooterofbul@pipedot.org on 2014-03-10 16:39 (#CW)

They seem to think that adding back a shutdown button, makes windows worse, because you should be shutting down by pressing the power button.

No one I know does that. Probably because of windows 95 that trained everyone to not do it, but still that is the number 1 complaint I get from people who use it.

Re: Is Ars Going downhill? (Score: 2, Insightful)

by hyper@pipedot.org on 2014-03-11 02:44 (#E6)

Wait... hold it... you are supposed to shut windows 8 down using the power button? I thought that was a joke

Re: Is Ars Going downhill? (Score: 1, Insightful)

by Anonymous Coward on 2014-03-11 10:46 (#ED)

Some Windows Server 2012 users might find it a bit hard to press the power button when it's 1000km away. They could probably use the server's "iLO" stuff but that's klunkier - and often the group doing the shutting down (after software is made ready for shutdown) are different from the group starting it up (after hardware is replaced).