Comment by tomrod
2 months ago
Windows 11 is so bad. It's worse than Vista. Microsoft took everything decent about Windows after the Windows 8 debacle and decided if it works it needs to break.
It's unfortunate. Microsoft had the talent to have premier products but is stuck in second or third on everything.
Appropriate, if funny: https://ritholtz.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/2011.06.27_o...
It's sad, really.
Microsoft could easily make one of the best general purpose OSes. They have a lot of cool stuff in Windows, especially for devs. There's native git integration in file explorer coming, PowerToys has great utilities (peek, fancy zones, command palette), WSL & WSL w/ graphics, terminal, native SSH now, sudo, winget & automation with it using DSC from a simple yaml file, and some of the best backwards compatibility in the industry.
Yet they squander it all by violating their users trust and consent, and consistently ignoring their users feedback.
That's what makes Windows 11 so frustrating for me, even though I've already switched to macOS ever since the M1 air. I would go back to Windows in a heart beat if they got their act together. I always liked Windows. It's been my main OS for a long time, even though I've always kept a Linux machine around and macs here and there, Windows was my go to.
Normally I would say all MS needs to do is focus on putting out a good OS, keep focusing on all the dev QOL stuff they put in and dump the user hostile behavior, but I think its too late for them at this point. They've burned every bridge.
Every cool feature you listed is windows gaining more Linux like features. Which begs the question…
True, and that's what makes them great features. Windows could have been, and could still be if Microsoft cared, basically a Linux distro but with al the drivers in the world & better nvidia gaming.
I always preferred working in WSL vs on macOS because it was real Linux, whenever I was forced to use Windows.
Like all of Microsoft's consumer products/efforts, they start off with something that could be great and then manage to destroy it from within.
It really is sad! Truly
I've been a Microsoft user since DOS days and diehard Windows fan since it first came out. All through the years I've installed, ran, broke, reinstalled, tinkered and administered countless Windows PC's for myself and clients. Was even on track to be MCSE NT certified through my employer until the Internet bubble burst and got laid off. Played with so many others like Linux, BSD, Solaris, BeOS, etc as well but always at end the day just wanted my Windows and get stuff done. I was known as the "PC Guy" in my circles.
Where Microsoft is now and what Windows 11 has slowly become, I have really started to think their Windows division is just a nuisance for them and they don't care. Every month I seem to be reading another anti-user friendly decision and ANOTHER switch I have to find to turn off at every install or visiting family. A default install of Windows 11 is an assault of Constant locked-down install, forced account adding or worse grabbing it from Edge or where it can, ad-based data slurp with so much stuff running in the background and other enshittification of the OS. WHAT IS GOING ON??
Even the Pro version MEANT for business and domain PC's has Xbox stuff on it and game bar running by default, now CoPilot on as well by default, screen snapshots. Instead of a nice light install for business and hardcore users that you then ADD to to make your desired setup, it is the opposite of having it all installed and you spend an hour removing everything.
I am ready to jump ship for first time in my life.
> business and domain PC's has Xbox stuff on it and game bar running by default
I know where you're coming from, however Win+G has _one_ use in the corporate world: give users the ability to record their screen without installing (and licensing) additional software to document breakage for support.
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> I have really started to think their Windows division is just a nuisance for them and they don't care.
I think this is definitely part of it, but I also think Microsoft wants people to move to other platforms. Not because they want to kill Windows, but because they want to kill Windows on Hardware.
They've been talking about Windows as a Service for a long time, and now they have Windows 365 boot (hardware can boot directly into the VPC). Their new agentic stuff all oeprates inside W365.
That they renamed the remote desktop app to the "Windows app" is no coincidence I think.
Microsoft wants Windows to become an app that you can run from anywhere. Less of the OS on your hardware, and more a service you subscribe to. For their own suite of software, outside of some more advanced Excel features, there's little reason to run Windows now. Even PowerBI Desktop has had it's functionality included into the PowerBI service web app & fabric, and Microsoft has said that is where all new features will go.
Microsoft wants out of the hardware OS game. To them, it doesn't matter whether you have a Surface or a MacBook, it's likely you'll be interacting with Windows in some form on either platform, and if you work for any F500 company, you are certainly using Office/M365 anyway.
In fact, that's how it already is for me at my job now. I have a MacBook Pro. Windows is just another app on my laptop that I open when I need it, and close when I'm done.
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Original link, by original artist: <https://bonkersworld.net/organizational-charts>
Much obliged!
Every other windows version is terrible. Therefore, I bet windows 12 will be pretty decent, as far as windows goes.
I dont understand their system requirements. At this point 1Ghz processor is BS, 8GB of RAM minimum and SSD is required
I've been looking for this picture for ages! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
It’s like they say, only alternating versions of Windows are actually worth using.
It’s almost like they follow a software version of Intel’s old tick-tock pattern. A version that’s super experimental, but unstable and flaky (95, Me, Vista, 8, 11) and a version that irons out the wrinkles to make a solid OS (98, 2000/Xp, 7, 10).
I'm not sure I'd consider Windows Me to be very experimental, except perhaps an experiment in sadism...
However I do love that its Wikipedia article includes the sentence "Retrospectively, Windows Me is viewed as one of the worst operating systems of all time".
Me was very experimental with the audio/video processing pipelines and playback capabilities. Many of those were ported over to the XP.
That being said, even people at the time knew it was mostly a half-hearted experiment and wondered why Microsoft was even moved forward with it. So you're not wrong.
There is a better cycle for this. LTS. You don't force people off LTS until next LTS version has had time to iron out its wrinkles. This is really basic stuff. You'd expect one of the largest companies in the world to at least get the basics.
Problem is, I don’t think it’s a conscious decision by Microsoft. It just happens because they have to make their next versions appealing to buyers with new features.
Supposedly, the longer lifecycles of newer versions with large milestone updates was supposed to help with this, but seems to have just bandaged it over.
And, to be fair, the Apple community makes similar complaints about macOS with alternating releases. Just with far less vitriol (given macOS generally has a higher reputation among those that use it in a power/professional sphere).
The difference I believe was that past failed windows versions were not intentionally bad, they were well intentioned but failed to achieve the goals, with windows 11 it's like they are deliberately making it worse.