Hear, hear.

First you have to FIX "the native UI' ...

My points are getting muddied.

Start8/10 are UTILITIES, and as such they provide a nice function. The necessity of this function is only in the eyes of the end user.

For ME, I don't use it. It's nice, but if I had relied on this then I would not be as familiar as I am with the natural state of the OS. I get paid to know how to support the native OS. I'm a firm believer that one should be well versed in the natural functions before they make such a drastic change. 

I'm not interested in another whine ass debate about how borked the metro start MENU is. The lazy reviewers damned it early based on a 2 minute look and spread their drivel like wild fire. So much pre-conceived hate was mainstream before it even hit the shelf, and I'm not at all shocked that Start8 was a cash cow.
It's much too late in the game now to change this nonsensical opinion, so I'm sure Start10 will be just as big.

Brad has some valid points concerning the missing functions of Win10 menu. I'm that putting us back to what is essentially a Win7 menu is the absolute best solution to those problems. 

Now, that part out of the way, I'll go on.

CUSTOMIZATION is what brought me to WC/Stardock some 14+ years ago.

I didn't have to bastardize the basic OS to customize it. If I wanted to change it ( DesktopX, LiteStep, etc.. ) I had that choice. I often did.
Now... not so much.
Windowblinds is pretty much useless unless you first put on Start8/10.

I want to see my customization apps, customize my interface without resorting to something that changes the shell to a point that keeps me in the stone ages.

Why is WindowBlinds pretty much useless without Start8?

On Windows 8 the only OS start menu is the fullscreen one and the colours and background of that are catered for by Decor8.

WindowBlinds skins the taskbar, the frames, the app controls etc.  The only thing Start8 brings is a Windows 7 style menu which of course then gets skinned by WindowBlinds.

And yet you mentioned 'Litestep' as customization.  There's nothing that changes the shell more than actually replacing it entirely.  Avid LS Users also made a point of not using Explore.exe as a file manager just to be certain it did not try to re-establish itself as the shell too.  We had Powerdesk et al loaded instead [and many still do even though not still using LS].

By anyone's definition, Start8/10 is a GUI customizer just as any other...only more focussed in its target, Whereas Windowblinds is more generalized even enhancing alternate Shells if/when they were used.

If, for example, Win 10 was 'burple' and plug ugly the FIRST urge for customizing would be changing graphics [like WB] but instead it is interface functionality that is the first-need for custom solution...ie Start10 and similar apps.  Once they're applied secondary concerns like appearance can be added.

Microsoft's recent forays into GUI graphics have been [to put it politely] bland.  Killing much of the 'bling' associated with 7 has rekindled the need amongst he-who-customizes to find solutions to the mediocrity that is flavour of the month.

I guess what I need to do is load up a VM of XP with one of my old Litestep shells on it and reminisce about 'the good old days'...

Why is it that with every iteration of Windows, MS tries to hide/obscure more and more of the OS functionality from the end user?

Neil, Decor8 has been FAR less useful since 8.1 came out. You can natively use your desktop background as your start menu background. Decor8 does NOT do a thing for the tile colors with 8.1 either.

The tile colours is a Microsoft thing, you would need to complain to them about that.

As for the background, yes they do let you use your wallpaper, but that is very limiting and it does not automatically create a suitable colour scheme.

Indeed. I knew about the tile color part and understand fully.

As for the background, well, I like my start menu background to match my desktop. It makes for a very smooth and seamless transition.
I had always used Decor8 to do just exactly that. So to me, MS just added what I was already doing 100% of the time. 

Pre Win8.1 I absolutely LOVED Decor8. Sliced bread had nothing on it at all!!!

Unless you're hungry.

I know what you're saying about the "smooth transition", though.... with the start menu and desktop all having the same background.  If only MS had made more features skinnable... like the lockscreen, tile colours, etc.  Making the tiles resizable with 8.1 didn't go far enough for me.  Thankfully there is Oblytiles, but it should be available natively IMHO.

THAT is something that SD could have jumped on for those that actually use the native start menu. 

I was really hoping Stardock would come up with an equivelant, but alas no... so I keep using Oblytiles for the lack of something better.

A Stardock version of Sysmetrix or Rainmeter would be a much welcomed addition to the Stardock stable of apps as well... cos I don't mind getting all my eggs from one basket if they come from a trustworthy and reliable hen.