Start Menu
From 1-800-vista
The name "Start" has disappeared and is replaced by a Windows Vista logo. One of the most controversial aspect of the old "Start" naming was that you had to click "Start" to stop the computer. Now, Vista makes it very generic and obvious; you click on the Windows icon to access resources, launch applications and manage you system.
Menus don't expand anymore to the right and all the navigation is done within the menu frame.
This is a very significant change from an interaction point of view. Some users have already complained about the new navigation scheme, claiming the cascading menus made it easier to remember the current location in the tree. Here you'll have to remember the path that lead you to the current depth in the menu. There is no "breadcrumb" that would help you identify your current location, as in the Explorer. This menu has a fixed size and all your applications will have to fit in there.
Applications and Resources can be searched using the Search box just below the applications list (labeled "Start Seach")
This features somehow rebalances the previous change - the navigation is not that useful when you can quickly navigate to an application. To get to an application, you can type part of the application name in the Search Box. But what's very interesting is that your files are also indexed by Windows Vista and you can instantly go to a document or folder. This is an extremely convenient and efficient way to navigate to what you've stored in your computer.
Any application can quickly be added to the Start Menu with a right-mouse-click and select "Pin to Start Menu"
