I started off really hating windows 8, but it turns out you are supposed to use the 'start screen' like gnome 3.

I.e. you hit meta-key, then start typing - 'fir'. At this point, Firefox is the only thing on the screen. Hit enter.

You do the same to get up settings, e.g. meta-w -> 'net' selects network settings.

You can use the win 7 start menu like this, but the win 8 search is much smarter and faster.

The tiles thing is horrible, but personally, I think the start-search screen makes me slightly more productive. Less grubbing around for settings.