If you’re the kind of user that isn’t sold on the new Modern UI then you may want to pay attention. RetroUI, aside from applying the classic Windows experience is old, locks out the new Windows experience completely if you hate change.
Nostalgia for the old Windows experience is high to the point where you can lock out the new, or you can switch with a mouse
If you’ve wondered whether the new Modern UI experience in Windows 8 isn’t for you, and therefore whether you should move to Windows 8, a new program may wipe away that concern. Called RetroUI the program removes the Modern UI start screen and locks you into the almost-like-Windows-7 experience.
Usually you log into Windows 8 and see Metr-I mean, Modern UI. You then move the mouse to the bottom left-hand corner and see a thumbnail of the desktop half, and click on it to switch. The same applies when switching back to Modern UI. Options are available to disable the charms and gestures
Adapting
It’ll be interesing to see if these kind of programs remain desktop-only considering it’s a program that needs to be download. I can use regular Windows Pro on a tablet that offers the desktop version of Windows 8, so it may suggest the barriers aren’t there. Considering Windows 8 is being built for touch-enabled devices as much as it is the desktop, it would seem like an akward stance for Microsoft. Then again, the jailbreaking community is willing hacking iOS-enabled devices and the Android community leans heavily into it.
It doesn’t bring back the start button/orb, but there will undoubtedly be workarounds soon after Windows 8 releases. Windows 8 is actually a better operating system than Windows 7 because of the increased speed and added security, so you’re basically getting a better version of Windows 7. That said, it’s not hard to switch to the desktop experience in a few seconds; however I do appreciate that it’s annoying to boot into the version of Windows you don’t like. We all know Microsoft is trying to push the ModernUI that is used across Windows Phone as the way to experience its platform.
RetroUI is available for $4.95 with a free trial version. Windows 8 launches October 26.