XP had the Quick Launch bar, which I find a lot handier than pinned applications (they take up less room). I guess it depends on the user, but I operate wearing

XP had the Quick Launch bar, which I find a lot handier than pinned applications (they take up less room). I guess it depends on the user, but I operate wearing a lot of different hats (and, unfortunately, a lot of similarly-named applications), and the XP start menu is a lot handier for me than either Win7's version or the Win8 preview I tried. I know: that's "anecdote", not "data", but if anybody had bothered to ask me, they'd have a firm data point telling them that the lowest common denominator (no need to be pedantic, the phrase has acquired a different meaning outside of mathematics) should never be the only way. I can barely tolerate Win7 on a day when I'm feeling of a particularly generous spirit; I'll be giving Win8 a pass.