Microsoft: Windows 8 users can’t employ their own images as Start Screen’s background

According to TechRadar, Windows 8 is not going to be as customizable as we might have thought.

In an entry of various Windows 8 news, it paraphrased Microsoft’s Chris Flores as indicating that users will not be able to use their own images as the background of the Start Screen. The reason? It might not lead to a high-quality experience. Instead, users will be allowed to pick from packaged options.

Despite the fact that we find this to be comically backwards on its face, it is also a bit insulting. Here’s why, again according to TechRadar paraphrasing Microsoft, users won’t be able to use images from their archives: “[Y]ou wouldn’t want a photograph as the background of the Metro-style Start screen. Not only would a photo not stretch and scale as you add more tiles and groups and zoom in and out of the Start screen, it would also be covered up so much by the tiles that you’d never see it.” That can be condensed down to something shorter: “End users are stupid, so to protect them from ugly, we won’t let them make their own choices.”

Perhaps, and only just maybe, if hundreds of potential backgrounds were included in Windows 8 this might be somewhat acceptable. Instead, there are but 8 included options, one being that ludicrous green that you are no doubt  familiar with by now.

Whenever says that I need to be saved from myself, I prickle. Let’s hope that Microsoft reverses this decision and instead allows its users to do whatever the hell they want with the machines that they bought.