Will you miss the START button in Windows 8?

With every step forward there are usually one or two steps back. So it may go, with the soon to be released Windows 8 from Microsoft. 
Win8 makes it's debut on October 26, and there is a big surprise for unsuspecting upgraders and those waiting to buy a Windows 8 loaded new PC or Laptop. MS decided to do away with the Start button, that we all have been using since Mick Jagger started us up in Windows '95! 

The Modern START screen. No start button on the desktop. 

Apparently, it was time for a change (where have we heard that before?) The concept being, that since tablets are huge and touch screens will be everywhere, we will be tapping and touching instead of pointing and clicking. 
There is some logic there but there are a lot of folks who will be incapacitated by the new "Modern" Start Screen. I've been doing tech stuff for 20 years and I have to say this "improvement" stopped me dead in my tracks. I spent hours fumbling around for some basic Windows stuff. Like the START button and my programs. 
Imagine my excitement when I Googled my way to a helping hand, if you will, for those of us without Windows 8 or RT touch screens; it's called Start8. It let's you run a little program and bingo there is the start button. Created by a company called Stardock, the current product is in beta, FREE but I installed it on a few Windows 8 machines and it works fine. Get it here

Notice the start button at lower left. 

Let's all breath a heavy sigh of relief together. Now we can all get our START button back and figure out what else there is to like about Windows 8. 

In our next episode, will see how long it takes the average user to figure out where the settings, or the restart or power off or control panel buttons are at. Oh and how if you hold your cursor just right they will actually appear!

BTW, what a fabulous time to look at a MAC!!! Visit us at techsell.net