Windows 8 introduced a basic fundamental shift in the way users interact with theoperating system, presenting users with the biggest change to the Windowsoperating system since the release of Windows 95. In an effort (possibly) to be allthings to all people, Microsoft has developed Windows 8 to be very touch-screenoriented so it could be used not only on PCs but on devices such as tablets that haveno keyboard or mouse input. The merge has not been well received.

Millions of PC users have no touch-screen capability at all, and those that do foundthings like swiping from left to right, easily achieved on a tablet or small hand helddevice, to be less convenient. While PC users could still use their mouse andkeyboard, doing so was not as efficient as it was in the older Windows systems.Some things required more clicking than previously, or were unintuitive. Many PCusers felt they were being left out in the cold in preference of users with the more"modern" technology.

To make matters worse, the touch-screen technology wasn't carried through to allparts of the system, causing surprising and irritating "jumps" as users foundthemselves going back and forth from the new system to the old one with no smoothtransition. Another major complaint was the removal of the traditional Windowsstart button and menu. Users now boot right up into a start screen, instead of thedesktop.

Even before the release of Windows 8 to the public, the internet buzzed withnegative reviews and blog entries from people who evaluated pre-release copies ofthe system, some wondering if it was doomed to be the next "Vista." After release,sales of Windows 8 PCs were disappointing, described by Microsoft as being "wellbelow their internal projections." Less than a year later, Microsoft's longtime CEOSteve Belmer announced his resignation.

Windows 8.1 is about to be released in October, and is hoping to reverse theperception of the system held by PC users in particular by specifically addressingmany of their specific concerns.

What is Windows 8.1?

Microsoft is soon to release a crucial and substantial rework of windows 8.Pre-release copies are already in the hands of reviewers, and available for downloadto existing Windows 8 users as a "Preview." While they are calling it "final code,"Microsoft does reserve the right to make further changes, and most likely will evenbore the worldwide release date.

Windows 8.1 could be considered less than a whole new operating system but morethan a service pack. Microsoft does seem to have taken the criticisms of Windows 8seriously, and Windows 8.1 has been given some major changes and additions.

Whether these will be sufficient to appease the critics remains to be seen. Most ofthem appear to be compromises between what was probably Microsoft's initial idealfor Windows 8 and what the critics were hoping would happen, but they may beenough to change the tide of opinion.

Win 8 vs Win 8.1, why windows 8.1 and is it good?

The Start Button

One of the most criticized aspects of Windows 8 was the removal of the startbutton and the start menu that has been a standard feature of Windowsoperating systems for over a decade. Instead of the familiar desktop and startbutton for getting to programs, Windows 8 users are booted straight into thelock screen, the same screen that is displayed to users on a Windows 8 tablet.Users can swipe upwards or click or press a keyboard key to remove the lockscreen and be presented with the user accounts as usual.

Once the password is entered, users are then taken to the new Start Screen,which Microsoft is calling the "Modern UI." There is no longer a start button.Instead the whole screen can be thought of as the start menu, only in imageform, called tiles. This has been the most loudly protested changes to theWindows interface.

In Windows 8.1 there is now a new boot-to-desktop option, making Windows 8a bit easier to use on non-touch devices, and allowing those users who wish todispense with most of the tablet-oriented features. The start button hasreturned, but the start menu has not. Clicking on the start button now takes youto the Modern UI and the tiles. However, this does make some sense if you justthink of the tiles as a visual start menu.

There has also been a bit more integration added between the desktop and theModern UI to help reduce the jarring effect when moving between the two.

In addition, the new start button can be customized to open the Start screen's"All Apps" list, which presents a suitable menu like experience, while still stayingin the Modern UI. All in all, this seems to be a reasonable compromise.

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