Programs
Use them the way you always have. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other programs you count on work the way you’re used to. Use a mouse and keyboard and organize your stuff in folders on the desktop.
Security
Windows Defender and Windows SmartScreen can help guard your PC against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software in real time. Family Safety gives your kids some independence while still keeping tabs on them.
Mouse and keyboard
You can use a mouse and keyboard to work on your Windows desktop the way you always have. And things you do with touch, like using apps from the Windows Store and getting around on your Start screen, can also be done with a mouse and keyboard.
One view of everything
When you’re working on the familiar desktop, all apps you’ve opened will appear in your taskbar at the bottom of the screen. This includes both apps you opened from the desktop and apps from the Windows Store you opened from your Start screen.
See the Wikipedia entry on Windows 8 (usually stays up-to-date)
Experience
My personal experience with the new operating system has been somewhat frustrating. This interface has definitely been designed with touch-screens in mind. It’s a little easier to navigate with a touch-screen, but still confusing to the average user. So you can pretty much forget everything you know as you’ll be starting over on this one.
I’d stick with Windows 7 for as long as possible. It may end up beating Windows XP’x as the long standing OS.
Explore the full list of Windows 7 features here
