Windows 8 was definitely a polarizing operating system, which is why Microsoft is making some big changes for Windows 10 that are designed to appeal more to traditional desktop users. ZDNet’s Ed Bott has a terrific rundown of some of the major Windows 8 features that Microsoft decided to scrap for Windows 10 along with the company’s reasons for dumping each one.
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The biggest one on Bott’s list is one that many longtime Windows 8 haters will not miss: The Start screen. As anyone who’s used Windows 8 knows, the Start screen is fine if you have a touchscreen device but is utterly useless for people who are using a traditional desktop or non-touchscreen laptop. Therefore, the Start screen in Windows 10 will be relegated mostly to tablets while desktop users will get their full Start menu back, which is just what they’ve been asking for.
Another little-loved Windows 8 staple that will be unceremoniously swept under the rug in Windows 10 will be the Charms menu that users have found to be unresponsive and difficult to use. And while Microsoft is keeping at least a piece of the Start screen for tablet versions of Windows 10, Bott writes that the Charms menu has been completely nuked.
“There is literally no trace of the Charms menu in Windows 10,” Bott writes. “Instead, swiping from the right reveals the new Action Center, packed with notifications and small task-specific buttons at the bottom of the pane. It’s unlikely to be missed.”
If anything, many these changes reflect the fact that Microsoft has done a good job of listening to its user base about the concerns they raised after the release of Windows 8 back in 2012.
Be sure to check out Bott’s full list of deleted Windows 8 features by clicking here.
