That interface is incredibly ugly ... there’s absolutely no excuse for each to take up that huge amount of screen space, and completely obscure the background.
Any guess as to how fast the Linux drones arrive and say how much MS sucks?
If history is any indication, Windows 8 will be a failure. Why do I say this? Sandwiched between Windows 98 and Windows XP was the horrendous Windows Me. Likewise, sandwiched between Windows XP and Windows 7 was Windows Vista. I believe Windows 8 will follow suit. I think I’ll wait for Windows 9 to upgrade.
The excuse would be that it is helpful on a small cellphone screen, but on a full PC or tablet screen, you’re right it is very unnecessarily jarring and untranquil.