Have Win8 on a laptop, thought it was worth getting on a new computer ... why not, I'll give it a try ... big mistake. Try to use 'Metro', I find it a complete waste of time. Installed start8 which allows me to bypass the 'Metro' UI, thank god  ... Won't be getting Win8 on another device unless it has a touch interface ... and I have other options if I go down that path.

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.

While it's great business for Stardock, and believe me - I wish SD and all who dwell within nothing but the best, but I find it completely ludicrous to buy an OS which needs another piece of software to make it usable .

The OS is supposed to make computing easier and more efficient. Computing isn't the center of most humans' lives, except at work and even then, the computer and its OS are meant to enable more service and profitability.

So now, the Surface's hdd is 50% OS. What idiocy.

It's high time for an OS which is tiny, efficient and intuitive.

starkers... we've been mates since the dinosaurs were eggs, and I know you're absolutely correct. I figure my days with Windows will end with Windows 7, and from then on it'll be Linux.

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'll have to disagree. If XP has been around for 12 years, I'm certain that 7 is here a while, with support.

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.

Glad to hear you like the Surface MadDeez.   One thing I found a bit lacking with the built-in mail app is the lack of POP mail support.  The only way (at this time) to interface with a pop account is to add your pop email to an outlook.com email account and then have your Surface 'mail app' connect with that.  Isn't that big of a deal to be honest (since I use mostly enterprise/imap solutions for email but it does add some hassle).

Other than that I'm in agreement.  I also have an iPad and a few droid tablets and have to say the Surface (RT) is my most used tablet......

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

Guess I coulda been more specific. 

Used it for a bit, didn't really think it seemed as bad as people say. Couple of my games don't support it though so no reason to upgrade.

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...

Here in Illinois, State Farm Corporate Headquarters approved dumping XP for Windows 7 not long ago. State Farm has 185,900 workstations, connected through 20,000 servers, Caterpillar, a global corporation, also headquartered in Il has many times that amount and also did a recent switchover. Most banks and state and local Governments have either just switched, or will be to Windows 7, not Windows 8 when XP support gets dropped. Vista may get chopped off at the knees, but Win7 will be here for a lot longer than you and your feathered friend think, Mark.

  The idea that MS can "force" a massive change to a new OS by crapping on corporate America and, indeed the entire global economy to the tune of many billions of dollars is just plain silly. I want what that little birdie has been smoking.

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! 

Yeah I noticed that after the fact.........everyone's been posting so fast I've been missing some replies.....hehe.........hot topic I guess!  

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.

Tried W8 and its sucked.  Got tired of bouncing between W8 metro  And just W8.  Used start8.  Might be good for a tablet or phone but not a puter.  Took the puter back and fixed my old one with W7 and will keep this one running till I'am forced to use a different OS.