Windows isn't an OS, it's a bad habit that wants to become an addiction

www.theregister.com /2025/04/28/windows_opinion/

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Sunshine (she/her) @lemmy.ca

3mo ago

Opinion

Windows isn't an OS, it's a bad habit that wants to become an addiction

www.theregister.com /2025/04/28/windows_opinion/

40 comments

Windows 11 isn't even on the top 3 worst iterations of Windows.
I think MS shot itself in the foot by doing the whole "we'll just iterate on this one forever" pivot to data gathering thing. At least in the good old days of Windows Me they could point at the next refresh as a clean break, even if it wasn't.
I ran Windows Me for maybe a year, by the way. Mostly out of morbid curiosity. It wasn't even that bad, as I remember it.
- Windows 11 isn't even on the top 3 worst iterations of Windows.
  In terms of spyware and enshittification it sure as Hell is!
  And that's the measure that matters here: not mistakes, but deliberate abuse of the user.
  
  Speak for yourself. I'd rather take spyware and enshittification than whatever Windows 8 was.
  I can get rid of the spyware and I was never going to use copilot anyway. Vista was Vista all the way through.
  
  Windows 10 is also a privacy nightmare and also has Edge, One drive and ads.
  Windows 11 has some nice features and you can use Group Policy to clean it up a bit.
- Shocking to see a person always defending windows and hating Linux saying this. Shocking!
- ME was the last version of windows with a true DOS mode with native network support. That was a big deal for LAN gamers at the time
  
  Look, I was moving over from 98 and had been messing with 2000. When it came to choosing between constant blue screens or zero software compatibility it was a three way tie.
- I think in terms of damage 11 is up there since it won't work on systems without TPMs, but 10 is also approaching EOS, so an ocean of machines are about to become ewaste or malware vectors.
It's interesting to see something as mainstream as The Register seriously suggest folks start ditching Windows and their preferred alternative seems to be Linux. Perhaps the year of the Linux Desktop won't forever be "next year".
- Does it matter though? Just use what you want to use.
It's literally an operating system
- yeah… you can hate it all you want but it is still an OS
I’m paying Microsoft $9 a month for something and I can’t find out what and can’t cancel it. I’m going to have to nuke my credit card to get it to stop and I don’t even know if that’ll work.
- sounds like a forgotten minecraft realms host
  
  Oh shit that’s helpful thank you, might be Minecraft I tried to introduce to my kid years ago or something like that? I’ll check thank you
Windows might be a habit, but Microsoft is doing a pretty good job in breaking this habit. Many rather jump ship than make the move to Windows 11.
- Windows 11 is better than Windows 10 from my experience
  It has lots of Microsoft induced pain but it also has a Terminal and good support for modern stuff.
According to physiology, a bad habit becomes an addiction when it negatively impacts your life.
It’s already an addiction.
Windows is doing its best to shake me off. It keeps reminding me that it's ditching Win 10 and I'd better upgrade. Except I won't, because my (perfectly good) computer isn't up to spec for 11. So in effect it's telling me that I'd better hurry up and decide on a Linux distro, tick tock.
Given the number of windows machines that exist, isn't it already an addiction?
Ok then you linux nerds should put together a drop in replacement distro that grannies can use
Until then you will always be hobbyists
- Like Mint?
  Although there are probably some better ones specially for old people.
  But Linux is usually pretty easy for old people, as not much needs to be done after setting it up and it just keeps running.
  
  Mint as easy as it is is not a drop in replacement
- ChromeOS preferred young students to grannies actually. 😌
  
  Generous to call that an OS
- What's wrong with it being for "hobbyists?"
  It is great for anyone who wants to actual have control over there own computing. It isn't and never was for "grannies"
  
  Until you can get the grannies to adopt, linux will always be a novelty for desktops
  That's the point I was trying to make
  And in true linux fanatic fashion, you are incapable of understanding just how terrible a product linux in general is
- I used to put Linux Lite on old, crappy laptops and sell them to little old ladies. All you have to do is show them how to get on the internet.
- So, where is the issue?
  I installed Fedora a few years back on a PC of an 70 yest old woman. Reason: EOL of windows 7.
  Last week I visited her. Fedora is up2date, no issues, und besides the initial guided tour I did not provide any support.
  So, apparently, we HAVE already those distributions. So:
  what is your point?

40 comments