The part that has me 90% certain I'm junking Windows 8 in favor of something functional, though, is this: The system became unrecoverable while performing a routine, automated Windows Update and the only way I could recover it was to do a "Refresh Windows", which apparently reset the system back to near-factory condition. Deeply annoying. After several hours of recovery (largely automated) I finally have they system back up and have re-installed my anti-virus. The rest of my apps -- which were also blown away -- can wait until the morning. I think if I have to install Firefox or Chrome one more time this weekend I may scream. (I'd previously installed them on three other systems as part of being able to deal with the SDCC open reg with my primary computer kaput.)
So far it seems like Windows 8 is a true successor to Vista and ME, in the fine Microsoft tradition of every other OS release being crap.