A few users answered the question about Windows 8.1 and did not simply voice their frustration with Windows 8. I am very grateful for those few helpful answers.
The OP specifically asks for information about the user’s experience with Windows 8.1.
My daughter is going to university. It’s not hard to guess what she’ll be using her new computer for. She’ll be using MS Office a lot to write papers and prepare presentations. She will not be studying computer science, so she will not be coding. She will, of course, be doing all the normal things people do with computers, such as surf the Internet, watch movies and shorter videos, and listen to music, etc. She is not a serious gamer. In fact, I’ve never seen her play a game on her computer. She plays games on her phone.
I want to especially thank @jaytkay for the very useful link. If my daughter does not like the new Metro interface, then your link will be invaluable. I have seen this mentioned on other places I’ve read about Windows 8.1, and having this link is very handy.
My daughter is very bright. She will figure out how to make the best use of her new machine quickly. I have done my own research about Windows 8.1, and I believe it will serve her well.
I asked this question to get useful tips about how other people have used Windows 8.1. It was not my intention to start a thread bashing any particular company or their product. Complaining about Windows 8 is not useful here.