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There seems to be a lot of misinformation floating around the internet about Windows 8. On certain message boards, you may find that the prevailing sentiment is that Windows 8 is a fundamentally broken, unnecessary piece of software. But is that really true?

On the other hand, there are plenty of people writing about how you absolutely should upgrade to Windows 8. (One very influential example is PCWorld.) These too need to be taken with a grain of salt. This is because, until February 2013, Microsoft was selling Windows 8 at the rather astonishing price of $40 American.

But now the price has gone up. If you aren't a student (students in Canada can get the product for around 70 bucks), Windows 8 will run you about $200. Which isn't small potatoes by any means. In fact, it's about half the price of a cheap laptop, and if you bought a new laptop today for $400, it would come with windows 8.

Don't get us wrong. Windows 8 is not a bad piece of software. Microsoft seems to have learned all the right lessons from the disastrous launch of Windows Vista, 2007's biggest OS scandal.

Having spent quite a few hours working with Windows 8, we're able to confirm that the operating system is indeed functional. However, it may not be for everyone.

If you are the kind of person who uses very expensive software like Adobe Creative Suite, music creating tools, or video streaming software, you may want to think twice about Windows 8. With complex software like this, glitches are almost inevitable when a new operating system appears. This means that, if you were to upgrade to Windows 8 tomorrow, you may not be able to use Photoshop anymore. So, that's a good reason to wait.

Bug and glitches are generally worked out completely in the first 6 months of an operating system's life. And here's the other side of the coin: Windows 8 is really fun to use.

Windows 8's interface is a huge improvement on Windows 7, especially if you're using a trackpad or a touch screen. Windows 8 is essentially Microsoft's answer to the interface work Apple has been doing in the recent years. The new operating system allows more fluid integration of multi-touch, which is a fantastic help if you're someone who likes to be able to move around an operating system quickly and easily.

However, for many that high price tag is going to outweigh the interface benefits. $200 dollars for a better looking, more fluid version of Windows 7 (remember, it's based on almost identical code) simply will not make sense to many people, especially to people who are using complex, high end software, which may fail to function correctly in Microsoft's new system.

Furthermore, the new system takes some time to learn. If you're used to clicking on your start button to bring up your programs, you will find the move to Windows 8 jarring and confusing. The start menu is simply gone. It's replaced with a fancy looking overlay that is difficult to locate if you don't know what you're looking for.

On the other hand, if you're in the market for a new laptop, you will likely want to get one with Windows 8 preinstalled. In fact, the way the market is right now, it'd be tough to find a single laptop without Windows 8 installed.

In either case, it's clear that Windows 8 is an improvement over the still excellent Windows 7. If anything, the inevitable Windows 7 price drop may be enough to convince people who are still using Windows XP (like many businesses or governmental organizations) to move to an operating system that does things substantially better. Seriously, if you're still using Windows XP, you should upgrade at least to Windows 7.

But if you're happy with Windows 7, you're not thinking of getting a new laptop, and you aren't interested in spending $200, Windows 8 may not be for you. However, if you need the very best in OS software you can get, and you aren't worried about some small glitches with the programs you currently use, by all means go for it! And have fun!

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