I don't like tiles either. I hate how they made Windows 8 look like a smart phone/tablet. It's like they dumb downed the OS, oversimplifying it to accommodate morons who don't know how to work a computer. I dread having to get Win 8.1, but I feel like I have no other choice because I don't want to get an older version/technology, Win 7, even though I like Win 7.
Does Microsoft plan on sticking with the tile look of Win 8 when they release the next version of windows, Win 9 or whatever it will be called? Idk why there hasn't been such an outcry, more than there already is, that basically forces Microsoft to go back to the Win 7/XP style.
You guys mentioned about having to use virtual machines. Idk why Microsoft couldn't have all that built into the OS where the user can use any XP and up program. Well, that feature rarely worked in XP either, the "Run this program in compatibility mode = Windows 95". Anytime I ever tried using that it never worked.