Rearrange taskbar buttons and/or rearrange order of notification area icons. Windows 8.1

Yes it is possible. It is the first choice you have. You have to program additional code to make OS behave like this. The point is to locate the code and disable it from gluing icons together.

You'd have to kill someone to get that. Probably some idiot in Microsoft.

Well, MSFT was a leader 25 yrs ago or so. When it stopped, google has appeared. And made a better mouse trap. MSFT lost many billions.

MSFT is doing it again with windows. Sometimes eliminating very popular apps, progs, options and features available before.

To me, some MSFT actions or improvements look like introducing viruses of some sort. Purposely making it harder and less convenient for users.

Certainly, I do not know the programming, MSFT tactics and challenges behind this but I know MSFT's strategy is wrong.

The moment google makes its PC OS and fixes irrational, illogical, unnecessary or artificial (in my view) faults of Windows OS, I will quit using MSFT products altogether. 

I hope one day google will take over the taskbar, make it part of Chrome so that it behaves similarly to how Chrome's top tab bar is working now.

I wish MSFT ppl were reading https://www.google.ca/search?q=How+do+I+ungroup+taskbar+icons+in+Windows+8  and similar. It's the best possible feedback clearly telling MSFT what the problems are and what improvements are needed.

Shawn, thank you very much

A lot of that comes down to cost and code base. They are trying their hardest to rip out every line of code they can and make everything the bare bones minimum. They don't want to write, or maintain, any more than they have to these days.  It's insane to look at Vista (bloated, throw everything you can in, it's features galore) and Windows 10 (bare bones minimums, if you want more, get an app or buy a program to do it).  I liked Windows 8.1 best in that regard, because at least it had everything from Windows 7, then some icing on the cake.

That's mine.  ---  Shawn, I know

Quoting you "IMAP email accounts provide two-way synchronization.  Similar to POP, email messages are copied from the email server and stored locally.  However, with IMAP email, the local copy is kept synchronized with the online copy." Unquote

Earlier I said the Windows Live Mail was an online app. I was wrong in the terminology, but what I really meant was that Windows Live Mail was much slower that Outlook Express because it was often or always synchronizing with the online copy using IMAP. 

That was why most things take a second or even less on the ancient OE and several or many seconds on Windows Live Mail. That was my only point!

Plus Windows Live Mail is not reliable (on my brand new PC), often giving me a message "connection problem" or "failed to connect" and messages/drafts often or randomly just disappear, all work lost. 

Windows Live Mail does not have a one-click HTML source edit option! Why NOT?    It was tremendously convenient, fast and easy on Outlook Express.

I realize huge advantages of Windows Live Mail synchronizing with the online copy using IMAP for various devices and for not loosing the info by always keeping its online copy. Yet, it should not eliminate OE and its huge advantages, speed and simplicity for other users.

As for W8.1, 

I am begging MSFT to introduce an option to make the last or the latest icon on the taskbar to always open on the right hand side. And that the first app or icon is on the left hand side. Second app or its icon always opens or goes on the right hand side (now second left). And the third app or its icon always opens or goes to the right hand side (now third left). etc.

Pls make any and all different apps or their icons to always get displayed in a chronological order on the taskbar. First on the left hand side of the notification area and last on the right hand side of the taskbar, no matter they are all icons of the same app or of different ones. 

I am begging MSFT to introduce an option to enable us to shuffle and rearrange icons, or apps, or open progs on the taskbar or in its notification area. I'd like to drag and drop any icon to any position on the taskbar.

Let us ungroup and shuffle the icons in the taskbar. Why NOT?

Let us close several icons on the taskbar with two clicks. Similar to google chrome's top tab bar, where one can right click and close opened tabs to the right or all other tabs. 

My fundamental point is this: give users more apps, progs, choices and options, not less. Even if some users like Shawn enjoy Windows 8 the way it is, it could be better. (No offence, I actually understand, agree, and support your point or preference.)

My problem is that my preferences differ from yours. AND 9999999999 other users' preferences differ from yours and mine. More options will make 9999999 of them happy. The rest will try to find something else.

Shawn, thank you very much for your help