I don't know about what others think, but this may potentially solve 75% of my problem with Windows 8, if I understood these changes correctly. Why? Because:
1. I can boot to the desktop.
2. If I understood correctly, pressing the Windows button in 8.1 will toggle between Start Screen (where I can search for stuff) and the desktop. Right now, pressing the button toggles between start screen and whichever app I had opened last.
The issue for isn't so much with the lack of a menu, but for the fact that the desktop was turned into "just another app". I want the traditional desktop to go back to being the focal point of the operating system, which is what I think these changes will enable. I was really just using the start menu to search for software and files, which I can still do easily in the start screen, just by typing.