Windows
Microsoft's proprietary desktop operating system for PCs.
Liked for gaming and native GPU support,123 strong backwards compatibility,45 and running industrial and peripheral-heavy software.6 The most common complaints are intrusive ads, upsells and dark patterns, along with updates that break machines or reset user settings.7891011121314
Why people recommend it
Gaming and GPUs · 3
Commenters pick it for native GPU and game support and easy setup for gaming.
“I use Windows on my home PC simply because it's such a versatile setup thanks to native GPU support, game support, and WSL2.”
“for most office and gaming tasks windows is much much easier to setup and get going in”
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“Windows is a plague I try to stay away from as much as possible”
Backwards compatibility · 2
Commenters say it is robust across versions and rarely needs reinstalling.
“Windows takes backwards compatibility very seriously, so I’ve never run into issues with new versions of windows.”
“Windows is a very robust OS, despite all the real negative issues in other aspects.”
Productivity UX · 2
App search launching, window snapping, scaling and FancyZones window management get praise.
“I can also customize modern Windows, at least in the ways I need it to be productive.”
“Windows does not respect you. It deliberately ignores your instructions.”
Industrial software · 1
One commenter says there is no realistic alternative for PLCs, scanners, serial communication and MES.
“I love windows”
Caveats and dissent
Ads and upsells · 3
Many commenters object to ads, Copilot and service upsells, and dark patterns built into the OS.
“it's too in your face trying to sell you additional software/services/features that frankly I find offensive from an OS”
“I don't like playing the game of disabling upsells, dodging unkillable Edge, and restoring secret pre-AI versions of Windows components.”
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“over time, have come to hate Windows. It feels like it doesn’t have a user’s best interest in mind.”
Broken updates · 3
Updates are described as unreliable, forced at shutdown, and sometimes leaving machines locked out or unbootable.
“The Windows updates have become so unreliable and broken so many laptops”
“the situation in Windows is way worse than it ever was in Linux”
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“Windows is such a horrible OS to use when you work in a small company that isn't big enough to have IT”
Bugs and reliability · 3
Users report Wi-Fi, PIN reset, update hangs and daily freezes or crashes.
“Windows is such a bugs galore it's crazy how people use it as their daily drivers.”
“Helped my mother with two Windows laptops. One would not allow her to reset her pin.”
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“Out of the box the clock was wrong and it would just hang on auto-update. No message, no logs anywhere, just hangs.”
Slow and bloated · 3
Commenters call it sluggish, especially on low-end machines, and say it takes heavy tweaking to make usable.
“Windows being a bloated slow mess even when run locally”
“Low end machines with Windows are absolutely painful to use!”
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“getting rid of the basic shit that I don't want modern Windows to be doing was a bigger job than tweaking old Windows for gaming”
Ignores settings · 3
Updates revert settings and re-enable removed shortcuts, and some commenters say it overrides user choices.
“Windows does not respect you. It deliberately ignores your instructions.”
“Almost every update reactivates the shortcut to change locale, even though I've removed it.”
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“Microsoft is user hostile and will sometimes randomly just blow away the Linux EFI partition if they're both on the same drive.”
Confusing settings · 3
Fragmented Settings, a duplicated Desktop folder and constant pop-ups frustrate users.
“Windows essentially pushed me away by saying my prior experience was no longer useful.”
“Windows shows my Desktop folder in four distinct locations in the native file manager.”
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“there's always something trying to grab attention on a Windows desktop”
Often compared with
4 moved from macOS to Windows
15 moved from Windows to macOS
1 moved from Linux to Windows
11 moved from Windows to Linux
14 moved from Windows to Ubuntu
10 moved from Windows to Fedora
9 moved from Windows to Arch Linux
9 moved from Windows to Linux Mint
4 moved from Windows to KDE
5 moved from Windows to Bazzite
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
- I can't upgrade to Windows 11, now leave me alone 5 mentions
- Microsoft patches Windows and Excel – breaks audio, remote access, and paste 4 mentions
- Windows 11 adds AI agent that runs in background with access to personal folders 4 mentions
- Windows 11½ 3 mentions
- Linux 7.3 improves performance when running out of vRAM 3 mentions
- Microsoft forced me to switch to Linux 3 mentions
Data: windows.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 51
“that piece of shit that Windows is”
“I can also customize modern Windows, at least in the ways I need it to be productive.”
“Windows is such a bugs galore it's crazy how people use it as their daily drivers.”
“I regularly use Windows for a few things, and do not have this problem.”
“i use windows by choice”
“decades of windows reboots and virus scanning”
“Windows shows my Desktop folder in four distinct locations in the native file manager.”
“Windows takes backwards compatibility very seriously, so I’ve never run into issues with new versions of windows.”
“Windows being a bloated slow mess even when run locally”
“Real windows is still actually worse...”
“there's always something trying to grab attention on a Windows desktop”
“there's always something trying to grab attention on a Windows desktop”
“while MS works hard to f...up windows it is still way better in most respects.”
“I was mad that I had to pay for windows just to wipe that shit and put linux on.”
“It had very strong functions for office work and stock trading, but the only drawback was that there were many advertisements and vulnerabilities.”
“I'm already upset that I have to use Windows at work”
“I just put up with the shoddy quality. I can do what I need with my photos and it's good enough.”
“Windows is a very robust OS, despite all the real negative issues in other aspects.”
“Never expected that this switch happens because Windows gets worse”
“The issues with Windows and desktop Linux are much much deeper than that.”
“activities in Windows that used to be lightning fast like searching or opening an application now take seconds to 10s of seconds”
“I just installed it on a partition and solely used it for steam.”
“I found Windows condescending and restricting in that regard.”
“I could not care any less about this ruthless and evil operating system called Windows”
“Worth it to get off of Windows.”
“With Windows you were forever dealing with the operating system to solve things.”
“I have to use Windows for work. The barrier to entry is simply lower for many system administrators and users alike.”
“These days i cant recommend Windows to anybody.”
“The last time I touched Windows in a professional setting was about 2001. Yay! Finally! Good Riddance!”
“Low end machines with Windows are absolutely painful to use!”
“I used Windows extensively in the past, but I don't use it in 2026, because it is not Open Source.”
“It is such an utter trash operating system”
“Windows, despite its many faults, has a rock solid ABI”
“going over to Windows is painful”
“I used to get memory-related freezes daily. Literally daily.”
“I just hate modern Windows”
“Windows is such a horrible OS to use when you work in a small company that isn't big enough to have IT”
“I use Windows frequently”
“I'll use Windows or even Linux where it works fine”
“The Windows updates have become so unreliable and broken so many laptops”
“the situation in Windows is way worse than it ever was in Linux”
“The decline in quality is noticeable.”
“for most office and gaming tasks windows is much much easier to setup and get going in”
“it's too in your face trying to sell you additional software/services/features that frankly I find offensive from an OS”
“I don't like playing the game of disabling upsells, dodging unkillable Edge, and restoring secret pre-AI versions of Windows components.”
“I use Windows on my home PC simply because it's such a versatile setup thanks to native GPU support, game support, and WSL2.”
“Windows does not respect you. It deliberately ignores your instructions.”
“I love windows”
“Using windows feels like actively submitting to a hostile user experience.”
“over time, have come to hate Windows. It feels like it doesn’t have a user’s best interest in mind.”
“Windows is a plague I try to stay away from as much as possible”