Really?  You've given it all of... how much time, and already you've decided it sux?  True, Win 7 is a good OS, but once you get accustomed, Win 8 is actually better.  It is faster in every respect and ultra-reliable, not to mention seamless and easy to use.  In fact, it that good I haven't been in Win7 for months now... and yeah, I have a pretty decent machine with Win 7 on it upstairs, I just never have a reason to log on to it, such is the superiority of Win 8.

Oh, and Win 9 is sure to contain even more changes to be in line with MS' new direction, so don't ever expect to see another 7ish OS from them as those days are gone.... and a little bird told me support for Win 7 could start winding down as early as November 2014 to make way for Win 10 mid-year 2015.

I am in agreement with starkers........

Anyone claiming Windows 8 to suck either hasn't given it a fair shake (if at all) or hasn't experienced the newer, and yes faster/more efficient ways of navigating the OS yet.

Everything anyone can do in Windows 7 (or any older windows OS) can be done faster with the modern UI/Windows 8.  I challenged many of my clients to 'prove' they needed the start menu over the start screen.  ALL of them have since agreed the start SCREEN (with live tiles) is advancement over the static and so often disorganized start MENU.

At the end of the day it comes down to user preference and I'm betting that not only will Windows 8/Windows Phone 8 etc. be a huge success for MS, but they will become the new standards by which all other/newer OSes will be judged.

MS has a 'winner' here with Windows8/RT/WP8 and they will only build on that.  Windows 7?  Is a good solid END to an era.........that is all.

i agree with starkers, win 8 is a damn good os if you actually try to use it for any length of time. i swore i'd never use it when i installed the preview build months ago. i gave it all of 10 minutes before deciding it was trash. now that i've installed the pro version and have used it for weeks, i'd recommend it to anyone. i have start8 installed but i have to say since i've purchased a logitech T650 touchpad, i've rarely used the start menu or my $100 logitech mouse. i have to admit it win8 has a bit of a learning curve to it but so did win95. i remember quite a few people bitching about xp back 2001, too. has win8 sold as much as microsoft would've like? probably not but to compare it to winme or vista (i liked vista but then again, i had the hardware to use it) is ridiculous. granted, win8 isn't for everyone but neither is OSX.

about the Surface, i bought one today and i'm completely happy with it. i have an ipad mini and i prefer the surface over it.

I was disagreeing with starkers, not you...lol

Guess I coulda been more specific. 

You could blame Apple for that, devices and apps are now fashionable.

I still use my computers as tools, why be forced to have 'features' I'll never use...

I don't want to take anything away from SD or anyone who runs their 'start8' etc. but I find Windows 8 a huge leap forward as it is.......in vanilla Win8 mode.

Computing is very much (if not already) becoming the absolute center of people's lives and the ability to 'be connected' and consume pertinent info quickly is of the utmost importance.  Windows 8 centers around that principle.  Hide away some of the extraneous OS crap and have the important (connectivity related stuff) occupy a more prominent and instantly updatable place.......the start SCREEN. 

You have it......it's called iOS......which is so stale it's like eating month-old bread.  Out with the old......in with new, which is more intuitive, innovative and generally more useful....Windows 8! 

The thing is, Win 8 is usable without Start 8 if one wants to take the time to relearn old tricks.  However, I see no real reason why Start8 can't be installed for those who want to use the OS like Win 7.  I mean, we use Windowblinds and other customisation software because MS failed bigtime to make any iteration of Windows aesthetically pleasing.  In fact, we use 3rd party security software and a variety of other applications to make Windows better, so there's no foul here, not as far as I'm concerned.

I really cannot understand the sentiment.  Honestly, Windows 8 is a superior OS and leaves Win 7 wanting in several ways.  Not only is it faster and more fluent/fluid, it presents greater opportunities, such as complete syncing with other Windows platforms [phones, tablets] without having to jump through hoops to establish a network, etc.  And Linux????   Combined with them stale old IOS devices, yer iPhone an' iPad, ye'll truly be in tha dinosaur age, won'y ye?  Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Linux... I tried Ubuntu and liked it... and unlike another company we all love to hate, they're not putting out employee suicide nets, rather than improve working conditions.

You can disagree all you like, XP and Vista will be forced into retirement before the year's end, and support for Win 7 will begin to wind down in late 2014.  Now that is not to say support for Win 7 will be entirely axed, security patches would still be issued for a time, but MS intends to pour its resources into new and emerging technologies. 

Like I just said, support will start winding down by late 2014, and that's almost 2 years away.  Unlike XP, which got 3 Service Packs, and Vista which got 2, Win 7 will remain pretty much as is, except for security patches, but if I were you I wouldn't expect it to be given the same kind of lifespan that XP got.  Win 7 mightn't exactly be dead by mid to late 2015, but users wanting to keep pace with the changing times will need to move to the newer OSes.

My Old man got windows8 he reacted the same since he was sooo used to have that start button and that little menu that poped up if you press that STARTBUTTON... he cursed a lot at windows 8 until i made him a simple list with keyboard shortcuts and explained him how the new UI works and how he can navigate quickly through it.He is happy with it now it took a little but he speaks differently about it now.
I think its all about adjusting yourself and realy trying to understand the OS some people simply cant do it on their own without someone that knows and is able to explain it step by step, the explaination from MS is horrible and has been from the DP.. till RTM true! Others dont want to learn about it.( they reject it and repeat what all the other guys said ...its shit it sux or things like its missing super needed features most of these claims come from folks that also never tested it or tested for 30 minutes or just repeat what some guys said about the CP in the end this is all BS and simply not true.
I like windows7 i still do but i simply prefer windows8 now over it because it gives ME more options for my PC at Home it comes with a lot of additional stuff that is usable for me like weather email notification news feeds all has been already there without to install any third party app.Where is that in plate7 ?
sorry i had to   No lets stay serious here you either like it or hate it it is up to you -windows7 is great and so is windows8 i just cant hear it no more that many still hit on windows8 and talk nonsense about a good OS that is very close to equal.
Some devs might see that different but im talking about the perspective of a home user right now.
Stick with 7 say windows8 is not your type of OS. But stop saying it SUX or its shit, since ( this is not about you Anthony im talking general here )you making a fool out of yourself. Try to be fair both Win7 and Win8 are good just one fits your needs better point.

Windows 8 sucks. I even have a Surface RT to give Microsoft's vision a fair chance in an ideal setting and have given metro plenty of tries On a PC. It's inferior. Vastly inferior.

Vista was badly broken until SP1 and by then, 3rd party support had caught up with it, SP2 took care of what few issues it had that needed fixing prior to Windows 7 release. Even so, there was no big push to drop XP support in favor of the "new technology". Windows 7 may never need a service pack because for the first time, MS got it right, right out of the box. Many of the security breaches now involve 3rd party software, such as Adobe or Java, not Windows itself.

Touch screen workstations in the workplace? Right, forget about carpal tunnel, neck, shoulder and back injuries would rule the day, again costing man hours and money. Portable hand-held devices may benefit from the technology but mainstream computing will not be going that way any time soon, imho.

I can respect those who hate windows 8 because they don't like any windows operating system or because it is a terrible tablet interface....but to say that windows 7 is better is a clear sign of ignorance....

For desktop and laptop users, windows 8 is basically windows 7 with a larger start menu that holds more shortcuts and allows those shortcuts to be "live"...so, if you didn't like windows 7 then yeah you probably wouldn't like windows 8 either because they are basically the same....but if love windows 7, then I think someone is simply playing the "I hate change" card....