Windows 8.1 is due out on October 18, and will be a MAJOR UPDATE, and supposedly Microsoft claims they've listened to their clients complaints with Windows 8 and have addressed the most common ones .... including the start menu issue.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/preview
I have a thriving business in my retail computer business DOWNGRADING people who don't like Windows 8! I would say currently, as many as 1 in 4 of the machines in for repair, are to downgrade Windows 8 ...
I buy "AS-IS" machines with Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional licenses very cheap on eBay, and install Win7 on their machines with clean Digital River MSDN downloads .... Windows licenses are 100% transferable.