Andre Yoskowitz
5 Feb 2012 12:23
Paul Thurrott has posted this week that Microsoft is removing the Start button from Windows 8.
There have been reports during the week that the button, which has been a standard on every Windows edition since at least 95, will be gone, and Thurrott says his "internal sources" within Microsoft have confirmed the move.
You will still be able to access the Start orb from the Windows button on keyboards or by hitting ctrl+esc on the keyboard. Additionally, if you "hover the mouse over the bottom left corner of the taskbar to bring up the Charms," you can mimic the Start orb function.
The Windows 8 Consumer Preview, aka beta, will be released soon, with a final version expected in the late summer of early fall.
Here is how the Windows 8 screen looks like without the Start Orb: