While we admit there is a learning curve for typical desktop use, once you grow accustom to the newly styled start menu, you'll see it's easier to organize your items and find what you're looking for faster than ever before. You'll also begin to see the rest of the changes to the OS are minimal, yet positive.
A 90 day evaluation version of Windows 8.1 Enterprise is available for a free download. Also, current Windows 8 users can upgrade to 8.1 for free.