I hate, hate hate! Windows 8, but I’ll wait a while longer. I’ve been burned by Windows in the past by jumping on too soon.
Windows 8.1 is so much faster than Windows 7 it's scary.
Windows 10, while much faster than Windows 7 and uses less resources (CPU, Memory) than Windows 7 is already receiving it's second set of security updates and bug fixes. So you're smart to wait.
In the meantime, Install Classic Shell on your Windows 8 machine and make it look like Windows 7, with all the benefits of the increased speed.
Everything will look familiar again and you'll be much happier.