I don't know why people hate on Win8 so much. It's a conceptual change, yes, going from the start button to the blocks. But if you think about it, it's not that different from launching programs from the icons on your desktop. Only now the icons can pass status info to you before they get run. So it's like a return to the Active Desktop of Win95 days (only safer)
The Windows 8 UI feels much more snappy (possibly due to less animation for windows etc) and the new start menu is more comprehensive than the old one.
The metro apps, however, feel contrived and out of place, so I don't use those. Still wouldn't go back to Win7.
Stop using flat design if you have no sense of which colors compliment each other. The dark saturated colors in the top image made me puke in my mouth.
