Does anyone like the new "All apps" pane on the Start Menu? What would you prefer?

Right click the desktop. Properties. The heading will be BACKGROUND. There is a setting "Background" it has a drop-down, select Picture. Below that is "Choose your picture". Select the image you wish to use! Exit.

BUT!

On win7, slideshow, I could choose a folder on another machine/drive without it being in the 'pictures library'.

That is not an option for slideshow anymore.  It just don't work.

So that's one more thing that does not work the way it does today - One MORE change to my workflows that I have to deal with thanks to the morons in charge of OS development at microsmall.

"Windows 10's All apps pane is reminiscent of the one Windows 7 has, which I don't like either. "

yeah, I prefer XP's menu also, but I can work WITH the 7 'all applications' menu.  After all, if you TURN OFF THE ALPHABETIZATION (which you CAN do in 7!) then you can 'drag things around' and "sort it YOUR way" and put important things at the top, etc. and of course get rid of all of the CRUFT.

But can you do this in 10?  NOOOoooo.  You're stuck with whatever "lowest common denominator" that Microsoft dredged out from the BOWELS OF HECK to stink up the "Start Thing" with.

And these are some of the reasons that Windows 10 _WILL_ _FAIL_.

Yes, I know All programs changed it's name to All Apps - they are one and the same thing, so I will call them both by the current name to save confusion.

You say you can order them anyway you like but you cannot. To prove you can do what you cannot, you show the all apps list in the enforced default of sort alphabetically by folder then program. This is the problem with Windows 7 and 10 - the All App list has only one sort option. Sure, in Win7 you turn this off and drag to your own order, but this quick devolves into a mess and most people do what you are doings and leave the sort the one way Microsoft likes on instead. The Win8 solution is superior in two ways: you can use the jump keys that Win7 does not have and you can pin many more apps to the pinned area than even you can with your abnormally high XP style pinned tiles. You get 23, ungroupable stacked pinned apps and I have 63 apps grouped horizontally and vertically. This means I am less likely to need to go to all apps. The Win7 solution is superior in that you have more flexibility in naming and the folder then app sort allows you to move folders up towards the top.

You are wrong with your pictures - the top picture does not show fly outs - they died when the single column style in Win7 replaced the fly out style from Win95. The bottom picture is no different from Win8:

Note: in Win 10 the folder has the added cue of the chevron to show it can be expanded. It expands the folder in the same way that Win7 does.

Yes. allow ALL of what you suggest should be real easy.  The code is already there.   There is no reason they cannot make these options available.  They can pick the default making it look like it does now, but make it Smart Start Menu.  They don't have to make customizing it like some registry hack or like trying to change a policy.  It should learn how you're using it and recommend and save changes.  Earlier builds had a full screen and minimize button now I have to do a personalize setting?

Gee it wouldn't be that hard to make the Smart Start Menu have options like full screen that remembers, hey this person probably wants full screen.  Oh, they clicked and expand All Apps gee let me do that the next time too.  Also, I see they dragged the folder icon onto the Smart Menu Sort therefore I'm thinking they want folders and not an alphabetical list.  Ooops, the user just selected a non Metro Interface Style; good-bye Metro apps and Smart Menu uses the menu space to show other programs and items available to the user.   GroonTona (or what ever it is called) says, I see you're only looking for content on your PC would you like me to stop sending keystrokes out to Bing giving you internet searches?

Classic Shell 4.2.2 gives me the start menu control I need, but I would prefer ZERO apps, no settings panel and all adjustments and settings facilitated in the conventional control panel.   I see nothing in this OS that makes it an "upgrade" at all.

A folder tile/icon/button to hold a group of apps/program in the Start page pinned app area is a good idea. This option is available in Windows 10 Mobile.

It would add a click and it just makes for a less cluttered start page / start menu, but used judiciously would be an improvement.

As these items are already off the desktop (by being on the Start Page) there is no clutter on the desktop with the above.

One if the worst things about Windows 10. Probably even worse than the total ugliness and confusion of the UI.

XP had it close to right. I would be satisfied if I could just click on it and get a popup that extends beyond the start menu that includes all programs or apps using multiple columns if necessary. It should be easy to add/remove things to/from the menu by simply right clicking on an executable or folder. Likewise I should be able to right click on an item and move it to/from a folder on the list. As others have said I should be able to move things around or group them in whatever order I please.