I think you had "Startisback". In the early preview release of Windows 8, the start menu code was left in, but did not show the menu on the desktop. The programmers who came up with Startisback, uncovered it and made it operational again. It was, without doubt, the best solution at the time, as it used no resources.
In the RTM, the code had been removed by Microsoft. Startisback is still available but now uses more conventional methods.