If one is to believe Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows the Windows 8.1 (aka "Blue") update features a change set to please at least some Windows diehards-- the Start button makes a return in the bottom left corner of the desktop.

Reportedly this take on the Start button does not work as well as the one from Windows 7. As seen in leaked 8.1 update screenshots, it looks identical to the Start Charm, has similar animations and users can customise it to their preferences.

The website reports a further change to Window 8.1-- the update allows users to boot directly to desktop, skipping the Windows 8 Start Screen. One can also set a desktop wallpaper as the Start background, even if one needs to first enable such a feature.

Microsoft provides further details on "Blue," the Windows 8 (or 8.1, if one wants to be specific) update promising a number of changes to the tablet-centric OS-- including, perhaps, a return of the Start button.

Such hints come from the Wired Business Conference, where Windows chief Julie Larson-Green admits Microsoft is "thinking about" replacing the tiny Start-style UI element lurking in the lower left of the Windows 8 desktop with a traditional button.

"There has been meaningful discussion," Larson-Green says. "The button might be helpful to have on the screen for some people... We're principled in the direction we're heading, but we're not going to be stubborn."

At least some people have been clamoring for a Windows 8 Start button-- by January 2013 1.5 million customers downloaded Pokki, a free Windows 8 start menu replacement app, while Windows Classic Shell downloads spiked following the Windows 8 launch.

PriceWaterhouseCooper (PwC) US reports the combination of cloud, social media, mobile and big data has "fundamentally altered the enterprise software sales process," meaning vendors and partners must shift their value propositions and consumer experiences. 

The conclusion comes from "Experience Radar 2013: Lessons from the US Software Industry," a survey of 6000 US-based consumers across multiple industries.

“Responses to our survey suggest that the days of large-scale sales and implementations are behind us and as a result, software vendors in this demand-driven environment are no longer able to mandate terms,” PwC says. “Today’s software customers have options and expect next-generation sales to be uniquely tailored to their needs and able to move at the pace with which they do business. To stay in the game, leading software vendors need to deepen relationships with customers and offer what they value most.”

The survey looks at 5 core enterprise software customer experience attributes-- quality, support, convenience, presentation and community-- and defines the 5 behaviors software vendors should adopt to enhance consumer experience and value: Read more...

Next year comes the end of the longest-lived Microsoft OS yet, Windows XP-- Microsoft will only support Windows XP users until 8 April 2014.

Customers and partners will no longer receive XP and Office 2003 security updates or be able to leverage on Microsoft tech support after the date.

In other words, Microsoft wants everyone to migrate to Windows 7 (if not 8) sooner rather than later.

However Windows XP remains popular-- according to Net Applications XP is the 2nd biggest desktop OS around with 38.73% market share, even 10 years after initial release.