Threads like this can be frustrating to read as so many tend to confuse opinion with fact, and suppose that what is true for them, ought to be true for everyone else. I see myself as a Power user, and I have used 8 since it was in Beta. I ran it in Vanilla (no classic shell) for well over a year really wanting the new interface to grow on me so that I could eventually come to like it more than the old. There were plenty of things I liked about 8, but even well over a year later, I really felt like the new start screen was clumsy for many things, and it was not until I installed classic shell earlier this year shortly after 8.1 came out, that I really started truly enjoying the OS. I hang out with plenty of geeks. I manage 50 other engineers scattered across the US and interact with them on a daily basis. I still have yet to speak with anyone, power user or helpless cur, who actually likes Windows 8. No one, outside of these forums has ever had a positive word to say to me about the OS.
I believe quite strongly, as others have mentioned, that this scenario could have been completely avoided. That had Microsoft given folks the novelty of choice with this new OS, rather than electing to try to herd them in the direction that they feel is best for them like mindless cattle, this entire release could have been heralded as a bold, brave step in a new direction, but one that could be digested gradually over time. What they were aiming to accomplish makes sense. The way they went about it was tragic in the extreme. You can talk all day long about how much you love it, or how much others would love it if they just had the patience to learn it, but in the end, no one here can deny that this release has not gone down well for Microsoft. So rather than continuing to argue about how this should not be the case, or how it is the public's fault for not being smart enough to get to know it, maybe just maybe, it is time to admit that there were some serious flaws in Microsoft's approach with Windows 8. Maybe it is time to learn from it.
There is a reason the company is back pedaling now with each release, and why it looks like they are back pedaling further with Windows 9. Most people don't like Windows 8, and yeah, many stubbornly refuse to learn it. Then there are folks like me who diligently tried to like it for over a year, but really only found the entire experience to be enjoyable after finally giving in and installing Classic Shell. So you can stick to your guns and keep asserting that just because you love it, everyone else should too, or you can come down off your high horse and admit that it was a mistake to throw all the eggs into one basket. That denying your user base the element of choice, is a bad move, and before you retort that people have choice, it's called Windows 7, please go back and read the article that started this thread. Cuz that is the choice that most people seem to be making. I am talking about choice within the new. Why is that such a crazy idea?