I like the current (old) behavior of Linux.
Usually, when programming, or generally typing, when Linux freezes up, I like to take a photo of what I was typing. The file will be there after reboot, without the latest modifications, which I can then type-over from the photo. In Windows, you have to reboot fast, and redo by memory.
Otoh, Linux freezes up some times, and you are not certain if the kernel hangs, or if a user-space software is hogging everything. In those cases, CTR+ALT+F1 moves you to the root console, where you can log in to take a peek, and kill the offending software... or not, and then you know the kernel is fubar.