Microsoft (MSFT) intended Windows 8 to be a revolutionary change in its operating system, but something went awry along the way. Rather than take a stand with a radically new "modern" interface, Microsoft compromised with a hybrid OS that combined the old desktop with a new modern start screen and app ecosystem. And then the company infuriated customers by arbitrarily stripping out core conventions of the desktop like the Start menu. According to Microsoft pundit Paul Thurrott, it might be coming back.
Last week, Paul Thurrott announced that the next version of Windows 8 -- sometimes referred to as "Threshold" or Windows 8.2 -- will have some important updates to appease traditional Windows users. In particular, it is expected to restore the Start menu and modern apps will run in windows on the desktop.
At this point, you might be confused -- Windows 8.1, already available, has restored the traditional Start menu on the desktop, hasn't it? Not exactly. In the wake of Windows 8's release in October 2012, users demanded that Microsoft restore the Start button. Microsoft did exactly that in Windows 8.1, but of course what users really wanted was the Start menu, not just a button to launch the new (and reviled) modern Start Screen.
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