loving windows 7 and hating windows 8(.1) is a strange phenomenon, and the chief reason for this can be extreme conservatism, dear conservatives be reminded that your lovely windows 7 desktop is also available in windows 8 and its only a click away from the new windows 8's start screen, also If the start screen is the problem then there are alot of simple workarounds to perform the old start menu tasks, and dont forget that there are even third party alternatives.
Dear conservatives just get used to these MINOR alterations, and enjoy the overall user experience.