If the only problem with the Windows 8 UI changes were that people had to learn a few new ways of doing things, it wouldn't be a big deal.
I think what really fuels a lot of the ongoing frustration over this stuff is that it's a new way of doing things that is much more awkward than the old way. So, not only are some of your old habits invalid, but the functionality has been replaced by something you would rather not use in the first place.
Adding insult to injury here is the fact that the main reason these changes were made in the first place was to get Windows users accustomed to the tablet interface, with the assumption that they would want to use the same OS on their tablet that they use on their desktop. It was to give Windows tablets a leg up in the market vs. iOS and Android devices; it doesn't appear to have been based on a desire to simply improve the desktop users' experience.
I'm sure they also wanted to create a market for touchscreen Windows PCs too. There were probably some marketing people that were convinced that a touchscreen would simply be a standard thing that every PC had in the future. Who knows, it could still happen I guess. If it goes that way they may look like geniuses in 10 years. I'm skeptical though.
Remember, Windows 8 was well underway by the RTM of 7 (July 2009). So, they made a guess that touch screens would be everywhere when they were done. Unlike Apple, until recently, never controlled the hardware they run on.
They spent a lot of the post-DOJ years trying to find a way to bully the hardware vendors without getting kicked in the teeth and never found a way. This is why "signature" failed, this is why touch screens failed, this you could even argue is why early tablets failed (way early, 6+ years ago).
MS seems to have learned this, and started building their own hardware. The Surface 2 Pro is a remarkably nice to use device (and I didn't even reinstall the OS, I am using stock... gasp), it is my primary mobile platform replacing a 2013 Macbook Air. Being able to swap it between a (very heavy, but usable) tablet, and a decent laptop is a nice combo for me... and I doodle and write notes on it in meeting, the pen is wonderful and pressure sensitive.
I would actually welcome a unifed interface across all devices I use. I'm not sure if Windows is the one I would use, but the idea itself sounds pretty good to me. I haven't used anything from Microsoft since Vista was released.
I think what really fuels a lot of the ongoing frustration over this stuff is that it's a new way of doing things that is much more awkward than the old way. So, not only are some of your old habits invalid, but the functionality has been replaced by something you would rather not use in the first place.
Adding insult to injury here is the fact that the main reason these changes were made in the first place was to get Windows users accustomed to the tablet interface, with the assumption that they would want to use the same OS on their tablet that they use on their desktop. It was to give Windows tablets a leg up in the market vs. iOS and Android devices; it doesn't appear to have been based on a desire to simply improve the desktop users' experience.
I'm sure they also wanted to create a market for touchscreen Windows PCs too. There were probably some marketing people that were convinced that a touchscreen would simply be a standard thing that every PC had in the future. Who knows, it could still happen I guess. If it goes that way they may look like geniuses in 10 years. I'm skeptical though.