Oh, Samsung. Instead of letting what is be, the company has now decided that they have to put their specific set of… “charm” into the Windows 8 installs that will come default on their PCs, including a new application they’re calling the “S Launcher”.

As most users are probably aware by now, Windows 8 has killed the iconic Start Menu that’s been included in Windows for nearly 15 years, starting with Windows 95. Basically what S Launcher is, as you can see in the picture above, is a little strip that sits at the bottom of the screen right above the taskbar with a “Start menu” icon that, when pressed, brings up something that is startlingly similar to the old Windows 7 Start Menu. And by “startlingly similar”, I mean of course “exactly the same”.

This sort of fragmentation and crapware is exactly what Microsoft should strongly be encouraging OEMs to avoid. Microsoft desperately needs a home run on their hands with all the competition arising as of late, and OEMs running a-mock, ruining or completely changing the basic Windows experience is exactly what they should be seeking to avoid.

Source: Mashable