After months of working with Windows 8, now a month working with 8.1 I have found it to be OK. The only tiles I have on the start screen are the programs (apps to the younger folk)are the ones I use a lot. I have set the backgrounds for both the desktop and the Windows 8.1 start screen as the same and simply toggle between the two using either the Windows button on the keyboard or the Windows icon at the lower left corner. The tiles for my most commonly use apps (programs) seem to explode from the desktop. If you right click the windows icon you have a lot of options including shutting down the computer.
I *****ed about the new interface when I first installed Windows 8. After using it for a while, learning out to "tweak" it, I have learned to like it. Like my IPhone and IPad better but when I need Excel, crank up the laptop and Windows 8.1.