Looks like I'll stick with Windows 7 as long as I did with XP.

8.1 has only recently been released. I dont see how that has any bearing on the time someone has spent on 8.

i believe they said the same thing to windows 8.....

im happy with 8.1 to be honest.. i hope if ever they do win 9.... they would be able to have better interface with apps, programs, phone, etc....

I held out with XP as long as I could and now am perfectly content with 7, guess inevitably be forced into 9 or 10 someday.

A lot of PC manufacturers still offer their desktops (and laptops) with Windows 7 due to low sales of Windows 8 computers.  You should be able to still find desktops and laptops that are loaded with Windows 7 on all major PC selling sites.

I'm thinking it will be 10 by the time I move on from 7.  At least they realized that a decent amount of people still want the start menu instead of damn tiles (8.1).

Ever since the first time I tried Windows 8, I have really liked MS´s vision of unifying devices. Having a Surface, you really get why the whole Metro UI is so good, using the Surface both a desktop computer and a tablet. Introduce the start menu and the traditionalists will be happy :).

Who cares whether they were first or last or anything like that.

What matters is is that Word 2013 is the definetive best Document Processor on the Planet, Even Mac OSX is using it. Office 2013 is basically the best productivity suite next to Adobe's

WMP is only contested by Itunes and VLC cause of its streaming problems, but I do wonder why WMC is still a thing.

Windows 7 is orders of magnitude better than Vista however, as Vista was buggy, slowly, easily hacked, Clunky, whereas 7 is arguably more stable then XP., and much faster.

8 is a level above 7 in terms of speed and security, but the appcentric design and context switching really killed the OS for me, sure its good if your a media consumer but it is anti-productive for sure, i mean the apps going full screen by default alone calls into question how what their priorities where, unifying the interfaces, rather than playing to the strengths of each device. Somethings where nice like its handling of processes and file handling but things like quick boot are pointless to me, as I rarely ever shutdown my PC.

I'd rather W9 make an OS that works for everything, not to simple that it becomes unusable for anyone trying to do actual work, but not to complex that you end up SUDO everything anyway (like Linux >_>) instead of what W8 was an OS trying to cater to everything, jack of trades master of non sort of deal.

To be fair W8 Excelled on touch devices such as tablets, but using it on a Laptop without touch was actually painful sometimes

See when I first heard about tiles I was very excited, but what we got was basically a phone tiles on a laptop screen which is a terrible idea. They where intended to become the new shortcuts, not simply cover them up.

My problem with Win 8 can be boiled down to this. WIndows 8 was just tablet shit getting in the way of a marginally improved Windows 7 that I actually wanted to use.

If Windows 9 can combine, ACTUALLY PUT TOGETHER, the benefits of W7 and W8, we would be looking at a revolutionary OS easy.

Apps don't work on Laptops, MS needs to deal with this, they work on smaller devices that need that screen estate, why not an OS that is all the same code but visually adjust to the kind of environment its working on? I don't want/need a start menu on my phone, I don't need/want a start page on my PC. Make Tiles the new shortcuts but keep them on the Desktop, we don't need the Desktop on the Phone just the bigger screen devices, its not rocket science.

What exactly is he supposed to do?

Here is what I do on my laptop:
1. Browse using Firefox (~50% of my time)
2. Game, mostly through Steam (~25%)
3. Office Word/Excel work (~5%)
4. Photo editing with Photoshop (~5%)
5. Other Graphical work with Illustrator/Indesign (~5%)
6. Stream music, normally Spotify (~15%... but 2/3rds of that overlaps with above tasks)

7. The remaining 5% is using a few other programs (Dreamweaver, Google Earth, FileZilla) as well as maintenance such as tranferring files to my older laptop & keeping windows & other stuff up to date.

Here is how I do that:
1. Windows Key + 2 (Firefox is pinned on the taskbar) or sometimes: Windows key > Down > Return (also pinned to the top of the start menu)
2. Windows Key > Down > Down > Right > Up/Down to select from list of recently played games. Occasionally I will launch Steam directly from the Start menu, or by double clicking on the desktop.
3. Windows Key + 3/4 to open Word/Excel.... I used to hold the alt key at the same time to get a list of pinned/recent files but when I downgraded from Office 2010 free to Office 2007 it seems to have messed that function up (It only lists Works files... and researching for a fix seemed to indicate I had to go into the registry which I would rather not do in case I screw something up) On occasion I have needed Powerpoint, which I find in the Start menu.
4. Normally opened after browsing through files in Explorer
5. Adobe PS, Illustrator and InDesign are pinned in the 4/5/6 spots of the Start Menu
6. Spotify is pinned at 3 in the menu (Windows Key > Down * 3 > Return)

7. Other programs I prefer to stay out of sight in the start menu if I need them (Windows Key > type to search will find any program or file just like the W8 search) except for Windows Explorer which is pinned to the taskbar: Windows Key + Alt + 1 > up/down through various pinned or recent folders.

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So my Start screen would be:
 - Firefox (does FF even have a Metro version?)
 - Chrome which I sometimes use (Presumably the other way around from Kitler)
 - Word & Excel (might put Powerpoint on there just to help fill some squares)
 - Adobe Creative Suite (PS, Ai, ID... again for filler maybe Dreamweaver)
 - Spotify
 - Steam

I am not particularly interested in having my photos displayed all the time on the desktop but I presume you can change it to an icon based tile lke the camera one... Unless the games tile can integrate with Steam it is mostly useless, I don't use my webcam, I use google maps, the store is presumably for more Metro apps... this could be useful except I think you need a Live ID, which I would most likely opt-out of when it asks you on first boot (especially if it requires card details)
I guess I could also have a couple of my most used folders on there too. And assuming the live weather tile doesn't require Live ID that would be useful.

What other way is he (or I) "supposed" to be using the start screen?