A video showing the start menu for Microsoft's upcoming Windows 9 operating system has been leaked by German website WinFuture.
The two-minute video demonstrates the Start menu for Windows 9, operating very similar to previous demonstrations made by Microsoft on the re-introduced feature.
The new Start menu combines the traditional apps of the older Windows and the modern apps and Live Tiles of Windows 8 in its interface. The traditional apps can be found on the left side of the Start menu, which looks like the Start menus of older Windows operating systems. The modern apps and Live Tiles are found immediately to the right of the traditional apps.
The video expands on a leaked screenshot posted by Brad Sims of Neowin last July that showed the Start Menu being brought back to the Windows operating system.
Users can choose to collapse the right part of the Start menu to access the File Explorer. Users can lock or sign out of the computer by accessing the account options found at the top part of the Start menu, with restart and shutdown options found alongside the account options.
Users may also pin apps to the right side of the Start menu, and as more apps are pinned, the section automatically expands.
Floating versions of the modern apps are repeatedly demonstrated in the leaked video, with the apps working as expected from previous versions of Windows. However, modern apps are no longer required to be snapped into a specific position or to be launched in fullscreen, as they will operate like the traditional Windows programs that can be resized.
While the two-minute videos shows a glimpse of Windows 9 and its Start menu, it is a very early preview of the operating system. Many aspects of Microsoft's upcoming Windows may be changed significantly once the operating system is released next year.
A Windows Technical Preview is expected to be distributed by Microsoft at the end of September or at the beginning of October, which will allow enterprises and developers to study the changes for Windows 9.
Microsoft received a significant amount of complaints on Windows 8, with one of the major problems of users being the removal of the iconic Start menu.
In addition, Microsoft tried to use a single version of the operating system to work across several devices and platforms. The strategy did not allow Microsoft to customize the operating system to capitalize on the strengths of the different devices, similar to what Apple does with the OS X for desktop computers and the iOS for mobile devices.
