@MidnightDistort, while I understand what you're saying about a third party start button, I would like to bring up another point. Without a touchscreen monitor, and without a start menu replacement, it is still very much possible to use the Windows 8 Metro interface. I began using windows 8 in the "consumer preview" release before it officially came out. Even before the refinement, it only took me a day or so before the interface felt fine.
You also have some sort of misunderstanding about Windows 8. The start button was simply replaced with a Metro UI for finding things. It doesn't prevent running programs in the background while watching a video. The good old-fashioned Windows desktop is still there, and the OS itself with the exclusion of the Metro UI, is almost identical as Windows 7, with added improvements. Performance enhancement, various nifty features such as being able to mount ISOs just by double clicking, etc. There's a whole plethora of features, and most of them are very useful, especially to people such as ourselves.
While I don't condone anyone for staying on Windows 7, because everyone has preferences, I still feel that you should at least try Windows 8 for a few days before you decide against it. Openly disliking a program you've never fully tried is a disservice to those who read it, and to yourself for potentially missing out on wonderful new things.