My biggest annoyance with Windows 8 (perhaps a workaround?)

Jalida

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Hi,

I just wanted to say that my biggest annoyance with Windows 8 is that there is no X out button to close applications that I open, they continue to run in the background and appear in the left side of screen menu.

As a very long time PC user, I've always closed my applications when I'm done using them, and with Windows 8 they just continue to run, and I've no way to X out of them when I'm done with them. I'm sure if my Mother or Father were to install Win 8 it would be a nightmare as they only started using computers a couple years ago and can barely manage Windows Vista and 7, they would continue to open apps and never close them until their computers shut down in frustration, probably the same frustration that I feel from not being able to simply close an application from the application screen.

If Microsoft would simply put a X button in the upper right corner of every application again like has been in every previous version of Windows, I'd be a whole lot less annoyed with Windows 8. I really don't want to have to go over to the left side of my screen to switch to my desktop just so that I can go back to the left side of my screen again to right click on every app that I've opened in the past 3 hours to close them.

A simple "Close" or "X" button on every application would allow me to close them when I'm done with them.

I do of course realize that they use little memory and my Laptop does have 16GB of RAM installed so it's not like it's going to run out of RAM, but it just plain annoys me that there are things running that I am no longer using.

I don't suppose there is any 3rd party applications like the Classic Shell that would put a Close button or an X button someplace consistant on every app that I run, is there? Or maybe there is a button someplace on all the application screens that let me close them and I'm just not seeing it? (Again, I know I can go to the left side menu and right click each app to close them, but I'd like to close them from the app itself so that it actually closes when I'm done with it).

Thanks for your time.

I guess I should really be posting this on a Microsoft forum somewhere to make them aware of my concerns as I'm sure others must be doing at this point.
 
The new app management system allows you to click and drag from the top of the screen to the left or right of the screen to run multiple apps at once or to the bottom of the screen to close it.
 
Thanks for that info, it may be a little more comfortable for me to do that rather than have to go to desktop then get it to show up on the left then close them.

At the moment, just trying that out it feels like a mile that I've got to drag the window down to the very bottom of my screen to close it, but perhaps it will feel more natural with time.

Thanks very much for the info.
 
It annoyed me, also, at first knowing those apps were still "alive" in the background. But in addition to just dragging the app to the bottom to close it (as mentioned above), you can just hit ALT-F4 and it's done.

That's also a quick way to shut down Windows from the desktop--just ALT-F4 and hit ENTER.
 
It would be a whole lot less pain in the butt if I didn't have to go the upper left "corner" to bring up that menu but instead just go to the left side of my screen, rest my cursor right on the left edge, but with the way that it is, I've got to hit the corner and if I deviate just a little off the corner it disappears for me.

Anyway, I'm not a big fan of hotkeys but I guess I'll probably have to become one now if I want to stick with 8.
 
Ok, so there's a few things to keep in mind here. Unlike normal Win32 apps, Metro apps are suspended when they are in the background (with the exception of apps specifically written to do background tasks, like music players). Thus, having multiple Metro apps running does not unduly slow down your computer or use up a lot of resources.

I understand if you just want to keep things neat, but the vast majority of people really don't care. If you look at a typical persons iPhone/iPad usage, they don't bother managing the apps that are running. Windows will also automatically shut down apps if the system were to run low on resources.

So, even though Windows was built to automatically manage these apps, you can manually manage things. You can do the corner thing if you want. You can presss alt-F4 (which has always closed apps in Windows). You can open the task manager and shut them down. Or you can move your mouse to the top of the screen and "drag" the app down to the bottom, and it will be closed out. So Windows gives you a lot of options for app management.
 
So Windows gives you a lot of options for app management.

Everything with the exception of the most simple of them all... A simple Close or "X" button for a simple one click close or exit option. In my case this is not evolution in the O.S. it's a step back removing something as simple as a close button on the apps themselves.

Truly, I guess what everybody has been saying (of the documents I've read anyway), Windows 8 is fantastic for Tablets, but not really all that good for PC's.

Oh well, I'm sure I'll adapt eventually. I may be old, (not quite as old as dirt yet but still old) and set in my ways, but this old dog can be taught new tricks still.

Thanks for the reply.
 
I fail to understand how the lack of a close button on Metro apps makes Windows so unusable. It's as ridiculous as saying that cars with a "push to start" button are unusable.
 
If I came across as looking like I was saying that it makes Windows unusable that is not my intention. It's a frustration to me to not be able to simply press a button to close an app like I've been doing since Windows 3.1 And it's really an unnecessary frustration imposed upon me by Microsoft because they want to try to make this OS so different than previous versions, they've removed instead of adding.

There is a reason for the saying K.I.S.S. Microsoft ignored that with this OS (Win 8), atleast for PC's.
 
There are valid reasons for removing the X. In particular, it's way too easy to close an app when using a touch interface if that were the case. Remember, not just phones and tablets have touch. Many newer PC's now have touch on the monitors as well.

How frustrating would it be to make a touch gesture and accidentally close the app instead?
 
If for some reasons ( and I have quite few) I don't like to leave apps running or sleeping at the back, it's annoying to slide them down to close it. What you seem to not understand Mystere, is that a good product must me friendly to use, Windows 8 in many way is very annoying or even hostile to the user. And the too easy to close will not be a problem if you can disable the x in the preference.
 
So Windows gives you a lot of options for app management.

Everything with the exception of the most simple of them all... A simple Close or "X" button for a simple one click close or exit option. In my case this is not evolution in the O.S. it's a step back removing something as simple as a close button on the apps themselves.

Truly, I guess what everybody has been saying (of the documents I've read anyway), Windows 8 is fantastic for Tablets, but not really all that good for PC's.

Oh well, I'm sure I'll adapt eventually. I may be old, (not quite as old as dirt yet but still old) and set in my ways, but this old dog can be taught new tricks still.

Thanks for the reply.

Metro apps were designed to be touch-friendly, full screen, and one at a time. Yes, they stay open and suspend themselves when you switch around, and Windows eventually shuts them down as needed over time. You simply do not have to worry about it.

If you must, you can explicitly close them as described. But you really don't have to worry about it. If you're that much of a 'traditionalist', just stay in the Desktop! It's a great Windows, and with something like the free Classic Shell, you can have a start menu and all. That's pretty much what I do...
 
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