The beta version of Windows 8 does not have a Start button or menu of the same name. This is reported by blogger Paul Thurrott, citing a source inside Microsoft.

The very first public version of Windows 8, which was released in September 2011, had a Start button, although it performed slightly different tasks than in Windows 7. It served to switch between the “traditional” Windows interface and the new Metro interface.

In the new build of Windows 8, you can switch interfaces in several ways – using the Windows key on the keyboard, the Ctrl+Esc combination, or hovering the mouse cursor at the lower left corner of the screen. The Start button from the taskbar will disappear.

The absence of the Start button in the beta version of the OS is also confirmed by new screenshots of Windows 8, which hit the Internet in early February. Microsoft does not comment on rumors about changes to the Windows interface.

The Start button and Start https://primeslots-casino.co.uk/withdrawal/ menu first appeared in Windows 95, which was released in 1995. The Start menu typically contains a list of recently opened documents. From it you can also launch programs and go into system settings.

The button and menu have undergone a number of changes over time – for example, starting with Windows Vista, by default, instead of the “Start” inscription, the button displays the Windows logo against the background of a ball.

Microsoft announced the Windows 8 operating system in early June 2011. Three months later, a developer version of the OS was released. Beta version, also called Consumer Preview, will be available at the end of February 2012.

Windows 8 will be able to work on both tablets and computers. Two types of interface coexist in it – traditional, largely similar to the Windows 7 interface, and Metro. The latter was designed as a "universal" interface, suitable for both touch screens and mouse and keyboard.
Source

Best comments

Are you tired of STUPIDLY copy-pasting news without delving into the essence?!?
On the subject: the Start button has been moved to a new Charms bar, which is located on the right side of the screen. It also contains buttons for search, system settings, network settings and one button for an unknown purpose.
Sources:
1
2

Fuck it, I’m like a pig on the seven, I’ll sit for 5 – 7 years, if not more. I’m a conservative, and I don’t welcome such antics

Windows 8 will use less RAM, optimized processor power consumption, increased program performance. This is not optimization for you?

Is it worth boasting that I’m sitting on XP SP 3 and will sit on it until at least something useful runs with it??