The user experience with Windows 8.1 is really more of a configuration issue. I removed a lot of the useless tiles and setup new ones to the programs and websites I use most. It is very easy to use the tiles to navigate to whatever I want just like the shortcuts on a desktop and I find I very seldom return to the desktop. I find Win8.1 to be much faster than Win7 and if setup properly much easier to navigate. I have helped several people in a transition from WinXP to Win8.1, setup their tiles properly and find they seldom use the desktop even though there is a predominate tile there that they can click to access it. If someone MUST have the start button I load ClassicShell and they are happy. I have used Microsoft from the early versions of DOS and find Win8.1 to be the most flexible OS yet both from the touch screen to mouse and keyboard. From what I have seen on the pre release version, Win10 does bring back some of the familiarity of Win7 while keeping the flexibility of Win8.1. I am running on a Microsoft Surface Pro that does function as a touch screen tablet but I use it mostly with the keyboard and mouse with an additional external monitor.
