I like it, but you forgot (or ommitted) the obvious one.
It's nice to see someone not bashing Windows 8 because it's different for once.
The one thing I would have added and the first thing I would recommend to anyone moving to Windows 8 for the first time.
Pin to Start
Clear all the icons you don't want out of the Start Screen and pin the ones you want. This can include all your desktop apps. Then re-arrange them into whatever order you like best. Then just press the windows key or click the bottom left and all the programs you need are right there.
The old start menu was very limited in its ability to customize. If you just deleted all the shortcuts you didn't want it would probably prove troublesome somewhere down the line. Of course you could back them up into a folder somewhere but that sounds like a lot of hassle and beyond the regular user.
The new start screen is there to shape into whatever you want but people seem to miss this. If you were so inclined you could remove every metro app and create an all Desktop app only version of the Start Screen. Later if you change your mind you can just pin stuff back again. All my top 8 or 9 progs are in the first left hand column of my Start Screen and I know exactly where to find them. It's actually made things quicker as I no longer need to drill down three folders to get to things or create a gruesome looking start menu with too many things pinned to the top level.
