Brad Wardell's site for talking about the customization of Windows.

Here’s what we’ve put together in 24 hours:

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So if Microsoft doesn’t restore the Windows 8 desktop to being able to work without jumping back and forth between it and Metro, we’ll do it.

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Obviously we can improve on this but we’ll see how much Microsoft fixes things up before we invest too much time on this. Comment here if you think you’d be interested in something like this.  As the Windows 8 beta evolves, we can start to look at what sorts of usability things need to be addressed and put together something more comprehensive.

Update: GO HERE to get it: https://www.stardock.com/products/start8/


Comments (Page 3)
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on Mar 02, 2012

So where do I download this?

on Mar 02, 2012

Bedub1
So where do I download this?
It just for internal use right now.  We'll see what happens with MS and go from there

on Mar 02, 2012

Frogboy
(incidentally, I don't have a problem with Metro as a tablet OS, but as a desktop OS? insane).
Agreed. I'd love to have it on my Toshiba Thrive or my HP Touchpad.

on Mar 02, 2012

Erlend
Definitely interested in this if MS don't fix this themselves!

on Mar 02, 2012

When I saw a preview of Windows 8 and read some of the reviews about 2 months ago, I went out and bought a computer with Windows 7 as the operating system.  I put it away, for when this computer breaks. Windows 8 is the ugliest thing I have ever seen.  Please keep making the Windows 7 WB available for those of us that don't want Windows 8.  I can not see how you could make blinds for it that were not a step backwards.  I have been using WB since version 3 and it is one of the best applications and I love it.  I would have to completely relearn how to use a computer with Windows 8 and I am at the stage of my life that learning from scratch is not a pleasure.

Darco

on Mar 05, 2012

This is great news.  While I don't expect to grab Windows 8 (unless it's for a touchscreen device), knowing that somebody is making Windows right for a desktop configuration is a breath of awesome.

on Mar 05, 2012

The Windows 7 taskbar is the first one I've used since Windows 95....why abandon a good thing?

on May 30, 2012

Excellent. Frankly I can't thank you enough, I have to work on win8 to test office 15 and frankly it's a nightmare for me. I guess I just don't get it or something, because I have this crazy notion that I'm a happy desktop user that has absolutely no interest in touch platforms, like to build my own computer systems that are X10 powerfull in every wayt hat matters to me and while I love some of the under the hood stuff about windows 8, am totally discusted with the decisions and direction they have chosen to go, with respect to desktop users. I'm sure the phone and iPad like touch device type people that don't actually have to spend 12+ hours or more a day doing productivity type work (say developement and testing, for instance) will be reasonably happy, if not thrilled that the UI for Windows 8. I doubt the desktop users will be quite so thrilled.

However, I am happy to say I've been using windows blinds for quite a few years now and a couple years ago was really enjoying playing arround with and using desktopX. I gave up on desktop X as my work hours increased and I found myself needing wipe machines and reisntall the OS/etc for work reasons (not because of desktopX, it had it's issues but worked reasonably well I thought. It was just a bit too much distraction, I think). With this win 8 nightmare UI though, I hopped onto wincustomise hoping to find just such an out for myself so that I could get the goodness that is there for win8 without having some win phone a phobe program managers dream of dreams inflicted upon me, ya know?

I really hope that the dismal Desktop UI that comes with Win8 provides a really awesome opportunity for total shell replacement, heavy augmentation, like DesktopX, plus beautification that really works like Windows blinds, etc to make an absolute killing with windows 8. I think that would reall be a win/win for everyone to be honest. I've never really liked that with very few exceptions, like Desktop X and windows blinds, there was next to zero choice in the shell, ya know?

 

Sorry to babble so long and loud, but it feels nice to vent and I'm extremely excited to try out Start8 on the latest build of windows 8 I can get my hands on and create a VM for so I can work, develop, and test in it without struggling with the darn UI so much that I end up wanting to hobble from my office (I'm disabled so running wildly isn't gunna happen:)) screaming madly. Frankly I think alot of folks in my team/group, and mmm area here are of that same mind, ya know?

 

Take care, John.

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