I honestly don't understand much of the fuss regarding the removal of the start menu (replaced by the start screen). For one, I spend 99% of my time on the desktop (which is an app in the metro interface). This comes as no surprise, considering that people didn't spend much time on the start menu. Second, the start screen / metro is easier to use than the start menu. If an app isn't pinned to the dock, I press the windows key and start typing the name of the application. Then I press enter. The application starts.

The Start screen / metro stays out of the way. There are improvements that can be made, sure, but it's not horrible. As a whole, Windows 8 provides better performance. Plus the upgrade was cheap ($15 for me).