I liked the Windows 8 reference at the end of this Cracked article:
http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-common-misconceptions-that-destroy-computers/IMO: Windows XP was the last Microsoft OS that could be remotely trusted to do what YOU want, and nothing else. And then only after extensive slash and burn of MS default bullshit.
There's a cool tool called nlite.
http://www.nliteos.com/nlite.htmlThe cut-down WinXP I install on 'new' machines here (ie newly acquired old machines) was produced by nlite.
I'm simply not interested in tagging along on Microsoft's Great Adventure in seeing how far they can screw people around before the majority revolt.
One reason MS constantly changes stuff at every level in Windows, is to maintain their huge cash inflow stream from all the Microsoft Certified Professionals that have to refresh their certification every year or two.
Another reason, is to obfuscate all the DRM crap that MS more and more deeply infests into Windows.
But lastly, and most importantly in Microsoft's business plan, is to morph the dominant computing platform into a totally closed architecture, in which MS (and government) can enforce pay-per-view media rentals (for the vast profits they think they can achieve), and also totally monitor everything everyone does with their computer. Which implies btw, that in their future vision you won't have ANY choice of which operating system to run on the hardware available for purchase.
It's laughable reading people complaining about UEFI 'secure boot', but then settling down and forgetting about it because "oh, I found it's still possible to get around this, so no problem."
Ha ha ha... so naive!
My advice: don't throw out your old computers. Upgrade if you want, but keep the old machines in a cupboard or whatever. Or you might feel pretty dumb one day, when Adobe gets the order to broadcast a command to Acrobat to reflash HD firmware with junk, then 'upgrade' CPU microcode and BIOS flash with more junk. And then also reflashes the net backbone routers with garbage. A few hours to achieve no more net and most PCs permanently bricked. (Just one feasible scenario for achieving the same end result.)
You know that 'Internet Off switch' joke? It's not a joke.