Is there a "start" button

Question

How do I browse installed software? Do Macs have a "start" button similar to Windows or do I just go to "applications" in my hard drive?

Answer 1

Yeah, but the start button brings up a menu that can keep expanding, and you can manuver through all the programs and subcategories easily by just moving the mouse around, no clicking needed until you get where you want to go (what program you want to run). Once you do that, then the Start menu goes back into hiding so you don't have to close or minimize the folder to get it to not be shown anymore. Also, shortcut icons on the desktop are much more used which act just like the dock does really, and there are also the options for the Quick Launch of programs, program icons in the system tray (where the clock is) where you can select which ones to "hide" all the time or just when inactive... etc.
There are also many programs that let you customize and configure the start menu, quick launch and system tray areas to the way you want them, as well as the right click button menu and so forth. There are also many different "dock" applications available.
And while you can say that Microsoft or the other 3rd Party companies stole those ideas from OSX (which may be true), it doesn't change the fact that Windows has tons of different options available, many with freeware even...
Personally, I really do like OSX alot, as the only thing I have always disliked and still do, is the fact that the top menu bar changes with each program and you have to go into the recent applications list to go back to another program window that is still open to access it (if you are using Full Screen sized program windows).
This above, compared to windows with the tabs for each open application (if not in the system tray as an icon), where you can easily just click on the tab you want and it takes over the current focus, or you can have all be "hidden" by being minimized and just shown by the tab in the bottom bar.
Windows also actually closes the program when you hit the "close window" button on it, instead of making it look gone but still having it's processes running (which is how the windows Mobile OS for PDAs is, and there are a million different freeware applications that have been created to use to help correct this problem by actually taking over the process and letting you always "close" with the x or letting it ask you etc. This shows that there are many others out there like me, that like to permanently close an application if we know we will not be using it again for quite a while, and do it easily.
There may be many that like OSX the way it is now, which is fine too, to each their own... But, I do like the option of being able to choose which style I would like to use (which windows does at least by having more 3rd party applications expand the OS experience) and I know I would just like to see more options available for OSX in the future.