I like Windows 7.
In my opinion, Windows 7 is the best version of Windows that Microsoft has ever produced. From day one it was the most usable, most approachable, most get-out-of-your-way-so-you-can-get-things-done version they'd made to date.
Then they made Windows 8.
Windows 8 is largely a reaction to the iPad. Microsoft seemed so scared of the iOS ecosystem that they decided all of their own products should have a consistent user experience, from their phones to their tablets to their laptops and desktops. But that's extremely difficult to do, and doesn't always make sense for the user.
As a result, Windows 8 has been a bit of a mess from the beginning. Things that used to be simple (even shutting down the computer) are now buried and take several clicks to accomplish. The interface was simplified so much that it became more difficult to use because Microsoft hid commonly-used elements in unintuitive locations. For example, it's almost impossible to use WIndows 8 without using the "charms bar," which is a hidden menu on the right side of the screen. To get this menu you either have to swipe your finger in from the right side of the screen, or put your mouse cursor at the far top-right corner. Both of these methods require that you know they're available to you, because there's nothing to indicate them. In contrast, Windows 7 allows you to perform anything the charms bar can do, but it's all in the start button at the bottom left of the screen. It's a button that's almost always visible.
The Windows 8 tile interface.
The biggest change in Windows 8 is clearly the "tile interface" (formerly called "Metro" - pictured here). The tile interface is what Microsoft would like Windows to be going forward, but they kept the desktop because they knew they couldn't make such a drastic change all at once. Businesses in particular would have a nightmare of a time training employees on the new interface. While the tile interface is attractive and has some interesting ideas, there are a lot of problems with it. My biggest issue is that quite often you don't know whether you're going to end up in the tile interface or the desktop interface. If you launch an application in one, you may end up in the other. Or not. Then, if you use Internet Explorer in the tile interface, not only is it a terrible user experience, but when you go to Internet Explorer in the desktop interface, you won't have the same bookmarks. They're two completely separate programs, which makes no sense. Even when you're in the tile interface, the experience isn't great. Most applications that have been written for the tile UI are extremely simplistic, with options buried in the charms bar where you forget about them. If you have a very large monitor, the tile UI is often far less efficient because you can only have two things open on the screen at a time.
I could go on, but those are my biggest pet peeves about Windows 8. Recently, the operating system has improved. Microsoft has slowly addressed some of the concerns people like me have had about the OS, but the operating system is still quite confused about what it wants to be.
With all that said, at the end of the day if you want to be a Windows user, eventually Windows 7 isn't going to be a viable option anymore. The question then becomes whether you give Windows 8 a chance, or if you wait for the next version (possibly released in 2015). There's a common joke among the tech people that every other version of Windows is terrible. Windows 8, Vista, ME, and 95 were all seen as the lesser operating systems compared to 7, XP, and 98. Recent history, in the form of Windows Vista, has shown that even the bad versions can get pretty good by the end of their life cycle. In fact, Most of Windows 7 was built on work started in Vista.
So in the end, Windows 8 might get good enough just in time for Windows 9 to be released.
(ps- if you're looking for a desktop running Windows 7, 3TG offers some really great refurbished computers here, but if you want Windows 8 we can still recommend some fantastic new computers)