I have to say I am very happy with what Stardock has done to make Windows 8 useable.

ObjectDesktop is well worth the price

I like the styling of the Win8 skin provided but it changes the style of many of the UI elements in Windows 8 to something like those found in Windows 7 (scroll & progress bars etc).

I'm not familiar with the skin-maker, can someone make a skin that changes nothing in Windows 8 ... except giving us transparent window borders? 

Looked interesting but it is subscription software?  Eeek, I pass on that model. I do not relish the idea of stopping the yearly toll and the software breaks.

I already have windows 8 and I have been using conputers since Comadore64 I really do not like the set up but I love my BRAND new computer could someone please send me information on what I can download just to change the start screen I am just not sure of myself with this My last computer had Windows 7 I am retired so I have the time what is compatable with windows 8? 

articulate1948 .... the two programs ideal for those disappointed with the new GUI of Windows 8 are:-

Start8

and

ModernMix

https://store.stardock.com/product/ESD-SDS-W1225

Hmmmmm

I did like the Windows 8 underneath but hated the GUI. Maybe I should reload it and use these.

Ain't no maybes about it dude. With the addition of WB 8, I'm still on 7, and it works on 7 which IMO is one really big plus and the new GUi is a real wowser moment. I recommend it to everybody and their moms. Kudos to the devs at SD. You guys rock! 

Please excuse me, I'm a bit under the weather. Uvah is right. WindowBlinds 8 works on 7 and it's cool. But more importantly, Start 8 and ModernMix make things work more like what we're used to.

YAY Stardock!!!

I am still gonna stick with windows 7 until i cant use it any more. Windows 8.1 doesn't seem to fix the main issue, and that is the UI. If i did switch to Win8 i probably would wind up using Start8, or something to bring the old school UI back.

Thanks to Stardock, the new OS is at least usable in a manner that I am accustomed to, and now  it even looks good. I just don't see any major improvements over Win 7 that would warrent a total changeover to 8. I'll dual boot into it when I need or want to, which isn't very often.

Windows 8 appears to have been a real boon to SD in that it seem to have actually increased the things that SD can customize and the need for customizing the OS in the first place.

The epic failure of MS to separate a mobile os from a desktop os made me purchase stardock products.

Any fool who thinks a home user will enjoy touch screen for a home pc has no clue about shoulder pain, that's why higher dpi mice are preferred because it requires less motion to perform a action.

p.s. - the new glide mice will mutate finger prints of avid gamers over time. or at the very least create a new symptom "finger burn". or create a new product lol " mouse glove ".

If you stop the subscription you get to keep what you downloaded- they don't brick it.  You can also purchase stand-alone.

I am concerned some about the future of Windows as an OS, I could see them potentially going the way of OS/2 if they have a disaster with Windows 9 (8 won't kill things)

"What we really want is to get the good stuff in Windows 8 (faster performance, new Modern app support, etc.) without the negatives.  "

faster performance is due to stripping out the gfx layer, adding another is going to reverse the (small) increase in redraw.

'Modern' apps aren't modern. They are just the same appplications looking different. Hardly an improvement

So what was 'the good stuff' in Windows 8 again?