Personal verdict: Windows 8 start screen still irrelevant outside of touchscreen devices

I gave it a chance, I really did. But a month of using Windows 8 on my laptop only confirmed my initial hypothesis: if your primary input consists of the mouse-keyboard combo, the new start screen won’t do much for you. A keystroke launcher that builds on your own summoning patterns — such as Launchy — still trumps any painstakingly zoned city of tiles, whatever the eye candy.

See, when I open my laptop, it’s not like I pause to survey my available applications, looking for something to do. Often, I already know what I’m going to do, and the fastest way to go about it is to 1) hit ALT + Spacebar, 2) let Launchy autocomplete my request based on what I’ve pulled up in the past, and 3) launch the program. It takes seconds. Launchy is amazing like that: it integrates itself to whatever you’re already doing, performs that one essential thing really well, and doesn’t get in the way. The Windows 8 start screen? Not so much.

“When was the last time someone told you they were proud of you?”

I read today’s Daily Prompt in my imaginary therapist voice, to which my imaginary patient huffed and said, “Well, that’s a bit personal, isn’t it?” Rather touchy, that one. They haven’t made a lot of progress, perhaps because I made them up in my head just now. The therapist’s name is Violet, her patient’s is Mina, and later on they will form an unlikely bond —

(And thus, without entirely meaning to, I’ve managed to derail an opportunity for introspection. I should repent, but really, this — and reading other people’s responses — is much more fun.)