I don't really get most of the hate for Winodws 8. Aside from the stupid Metro interface replacing the Start menu, it's really just Windows 7 with some minor improvements. The new task manager is much nicer. You can finally set seperate backgrounds for multi-monitor setups without the need for third party software. Faster boot times. Nice little things like that.
Just get the 8.1 update that lets you boot straight to the desktop. Then, pin all your common software on the task bar, which is what most people have already been doing in 7. Need control panel? Command prompt? It's two clicks away from the start button in 8.1. Very functional. You can easily avoid the metro interface 99% of the time. Still going to complain about that 1% you end up using it? It's functionally the same as the Start menu in 7 (with 8.1) but stretched across your screen.
In my experience, 8.1 has zero downsides once you used to the new indexed search.
Just get the 8.1 update that lets you boot straight to the desktop. Then, pin all your common software on the task bar, which is what most people have already been doing in 7. Need control panel? Command prompt? It's two clicks away from the start button in 8.1. Very functional. You can easily avoid the metro interface 99% of the time. Still going to complain about that 1% you end up using it? It's functionally the same as the Start menu in 7 (with 8.1) but stretched across your screen.
In my experience, 8.1 has zero downsides once you used to the new indexed search.