I hate most of the ways Windows 8 is different from 7, but my non-touchscreen laptop runs 8 and it's totally manageable as a computer -- Windows Explorer is still a thing, there are start menus you can install, and while Chrome defaulted for me to opening outside all bounds of tab and window, I got it to act as a normal window on my desktop again after googling how. (I forget what I did though.) I basically just avoid the start screen and keep to my <8-y desktop (which does have a taskbar).

The really annoying thing for me has been a multitouch touchpad, because I haven't used a touchpad at all in years and years, and I keep accidentally doing things and then screaming, and it's making my roommates jumpy.