They're not "shoving Windows 8 down people's throats". They're just developing software for the Windows 8 and more importantly Windows 10 platforms. And they're giving Windows 10 upgrades out for free to get everyone up to their modern software without costing an arm and a leg.

Whether you like Windows 8 or not, doesn't change the fact that Windows 7 is six years old, and you can't run off an old operating system forever.