I hate to burst the bubble of negativity some try to propagate but...
IF, one uses the good ole Desktop, one can have whatever icons on it including, the This PC (My Computer) icon. Plus, IF, one uses the Desktop Toolbar, now one can navigate or drill down to anything, anywhere from said toolbar and not have the desktop icons
even show & cover up pretty wallpapers.
Please, don't be saying stuff to make people who don't know any better think Win8 is weird or difficult... it is not. Fundamentally, basically, it's just another version of Windows... better & easier than any before but, no re-invention of the wheel.
Yes, one may do things a little differently in 8 OR one can do them almost the same though, easier, faster & w/ fewer clicks & less digging than previously possible.
Did y'all know one can stay permanently on Desktop & still, access everything & anything w/out ever changing screens or leaving Desktop? Then there are many other people who really, really, use Start & heaps of APPS and think it's all just terrific.
Also, one can have Desktop & 1 or 2 APPS all share the screen. There is a lot of flexibility in Win8.
A lot of how one feels towards Win8, over time, depends on the attitude at the onset w/ it.
As for Charms, rather than fussing over it, don't use it, regardless of how serviceable it is... certainly, there are other paths (that did & still exist) to get at what is in the Charms Bar.
Cheers,
Drew