On the Windows 8 blog, Microsoft has added an article about Windows 8's improvement in seach. Here's what part of the blog said:
"Searching via the Start menu has continued to evolve with each release. The
Windows 8 Start search experience builds on top of search features available in
Windows 7 and provides a unique view for each of the three system groups - Apps,
Settings and Files. These search result views are a natural progression from the
Windows 7 groups and are easily accessible from anywhere in the operating system
via the Search charm or keyboard shortcuts. Separating the search results into
views means we can tailor the experience for each data type. For example, the
File search view provides you with filters and search suggestions while typing
to quickly complete your query.
In Windows 8, we expect people will be acquiring and installing more apps
than ever before. Had we continued using the Windows 7 Start menu search
interface to search for a Control Panel item, you would always see app or
program results before Control Panel results, displacing many Control Panel
items from being the first match. This and other constraints on the existing
design required us to develop a new approach—this is especially true as we
consider the increasing use of larger monitors or higher DPI screens where
longer menus become even more difficult to use and navigate. In Windows 7, the
total number of results that could be shown in the Start menu was limited.
Depending on the number of groups with matching results, an average of 3-4
results were shown per group. Very rarely did all results for a group show up,
and the organization of the results was pretty unpredictable.
With Windows 8, on the other hand, we’re following an app-first model, where
each app developer understands their data and users best, and knows the best way
to present the information to them. Using the same model for search, we believe
that always having a quick and consistent way to get directly to settings or
file search results gives you precision and control over the type of results
you’re looking for. In Windows 8, each view is tailored for the type of content
you’re searching for, and shows all the results, instead of limiting them due to
screen real-estate.
One change a few of you will notice is that file search results no longer
include email messages and contacts. The inclusion of email search never got the
generalized support from mail clients that we had hoped for, though at least one
mail client did support it (one reason why email searches are rare in the Start
menu <0.05% of total searches). With the app-first approach in Windows 8,
Metro style email apps will use the search contract to provide a rich set of
filtered search results in a view customized for email. In comparison, email
clients and other apps in Windows 7 have no control over how their search
results are presented.
We paid special attention to ensuring the number of keystrokes required to
find and launch apps, settings, or files is at parity with or better than in
Windows 7. We’ve introduce a set of keyboard shortcuts to help users
quickly and efficiently get to settings search results (WIN key + W) or
file search results (WIN key + F), thus reducing the total number of
keystrokes needed to find and launch settings or files. We’ll cover how we
maintained and increased keyboard efficiency across these views in more detail
later in the post."
You can read more at http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/10/18/designing-search-for-the-start-screen.aspx
"Searching via the Start menu has continued to evolve with each release. The
Windows 8 Start search experience builds on top of search features available in
Windows 7 and provides a unique view for each of the three system groups - Apps,
Settings and Files. These search result views are a natural progression from the
Windows 7 groups and are easily accessible from anywhere in the operating system
via the Search charm or keyboard shortcuts. Separating the search results into
views means we can tailor the experience for each data type. For example, the
File search view provides you with filters and search suggestions while typing
to quickly complete your query.
In Windows 8, we expect people will be acquiring and installing more apps
than ever before. Had we continued using the Windows 7 Start menu search
interface to search for a Control Panel item, you would always see app or
program results before Control Panel results, displacing many Control Panel
items from being the first match. This and other constraints on the existing
design required us to develop a new approach—this is especially true as we
consider the increasing use of larger monitors or higher DPI screens where
longer menus become even more difficult to use and navigate. In Windows 7, the
total number of results that could be shown in the Start menu was limited.
Depending on the number of groups with matching results, an average of 3-4
results were shown per group. Very rarely did all results for a group show up,
and the organization of the results was pretty unpredictable.
With Windows 8, on the other hand, we’re following an app-first model, where
each app developer understands their data and users best, and knows the best way
to present the information to them. Using the same model for search, we believe
that always having a quick and consistent way to get directly to settings or
file search results gives you precision and control over the type of results
you’re looking for. In Windows 8, each view is tailored for the type of content
you’re searching for, and shows all the results, instead of limiting them due to
screen real-estate.
One change a few of you will notice is that file search results no longer
include email messages and contacts. The inclusion of email search never got the
generalized support from mail clients that we had hoped for, though at least one
mail client did support it (one reason why email searches are rare in the Start
menu <0.05% of total searches). With the app-first approach in Windows 8,
Metro style email apps will use the search contract to provide a rich set of
filtered search results in a view customized for email. In comparison, email
clients and other apps in Windows 7 have no control over how their search
results are presented.
We paid special attention to ensuring the number of keystrokes required to
find and launch apps, settings, or files is at parity with or better than in
Windows 7. We’ve introduce a set of keyboard shortcuts to help users
quickly and efficiently get to settings search results (WIN key + W) or
file search results (WIN key + F), thus reducing the total number of
keystrokes needed to find and launch settings or files. We’ll cover how we
maintained and increased keyboard efficiency across these views in more detail
later in the post."
You can read more at http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/10/18/designing-search-for-the-start-screen.aspx
