Oh my gosh...every time some one tells me about this, I always think about this image and how subjective it is.
Windows 3.1 was good, but nowhere near Windows 95 in terms of capability. Almost everyone that lived though that transition will tell you that 95 was a HUGE improvement over 3.11. Windows 95's new UI was the model for about 15 years in Windows and is the UI model people want back. Windows 98 was an improvement over 95, to an extent. They released a Second Edition I think like a year after to fix some flaws with it, much like a service pack. The reason why this is considered good is because if you're fluent with the Windows registry, you can basically a lightweight Windows version on a custom built gaming rig and can get the latest hardware to work with software that doesn't even understand what it is. Windows ME and 2000 were again ok. The reason why they're considered shite is because Microsoft ripped out the ancient remains of DOS, which broke lots of compatibility with 9X devices. They were good because of NT 5 and it's security enhancements, which leads to xp, which also introduced a new UI design after three releases of grey and light blue UIs. This is considered good, primarily because it was used for almost a good decade in several incidences. BUT, until vista came along, it was a security whore. Seriously, if xp had a password, it would be password. That's how poor the security of xp was in a newer internet age of computing, of which it was partly designed for. vista was genuine shite. The only silver lining to it was better security whereas xp could had allowed user account hacking until SP3 rolled out. But again, it broke compatibility with existing software and hardware, and continued the 32 bit processor architecture even though many vista PCs were 64 bit capable, whereas xp didn't have 64 bit support until later in its release cycle. Now, some say that vista SP2 is decent enough to use, but Windows 7 came along and is literally the climax of the Windows 95 UI model. It's a solid workhorse that can be used for better and more efficient Desktop computing.
Windows 8 on the other hand is a new beast. It can be a supercharged Windows 7 for Desktop computing, or it can be used to take better advantage of the age of always-on always-connected internet computing. Or, it can be a mix of both. It's the Windows 95 of this generation. It's something new and something untested and something that will most likely be improved upon for probably another 15 years.
Simply put, people who say what this image says really are just repeaters of information of sweeping generalizations and don't actually take the time to understand it all.
trolololololololololol!!!