How easy is it to get to and start a particular Programme (app), say Word for example, once you are at the Desktop?

One click... if you pin it to the taskbar. A double click, if you have an icon on the desktop. Two clicks from the start screen (one to click the start "button" and the other to launch word".

Largely the same as in all earlier versions of Windows. Icons on the Desktop and some pinned to the Task Bar. What hadn't occurred to me when starting to reply is that as there is no old-style "Start" button on the screen you can't get the All programs menu.

Also IE10 insists on opening to a standard height, which is a pain. Width is as last used.

Access to Control Panel is by hitting the new (to me) "Start" key on the keyboard where the Windows key used to be, or a screen swipe from the right to get the onscreen one, then type c. Lots of stuff then turns up. I'll go and see if I can get an "All programs" button.

For years I've always made opening things/icons a 1-click action not a double-click. Double-clicking has always seemed pointless to me.

Easier to start it from the Start Screen. (Easier than in any other version of Windows.)

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Largely the same as in all earlier versions of Windows. Icons on the Desktop and some pinned to the Task Bar. What hadn't occurred to me when starting to reply is that as there is no old-style "Start" button on the screen you can't get the All programs menu. ... I'll go and see if I can get an "All programs" button.

Looks like you are required to use the "Start screen" tile system, as on a smartphone. Apparently you can rearrange the tiles and alter sizes and so on, but I haven't looked into that yet.

Looks as though it could be quite good once you get used to it. I'll get back on the subject, in a while ....

Was playing around before posting, so hadn't read yours. Looks like I came to that conclusion as well, but yet to put it into practice.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

I'll go and see if I can get an "All programs" button.

http://blog.laptopmag.com/how-to-add-an-all-programs...

Thanks . That's interesting. I had failed to find a way.

However I might try not to use it, as I think there's a lot of scope for doing it quite acceptably via the Start screen, which would be cleaner in the long-term.

I have loads of programmes that I use once in a blue moon. I can't remember what they are called so can't type their name into the run cmd (or whatever it's called) and obviously can't pin them to the taskbar. Is there a way to see all the installed programmes in Win8?