[com2kid]

> On the other hand, I've never had my Linux desktop crash for decompressing a big ZIP archive.

Yeah but I have, on multiple occasions, installed updates through a Linux package manager and after a reboot been brought to the console.

> I can only guess the there's something fundamentally broken about Windows and file systems because many operations are so ridiculously slow no matter the hardware.

NTFS is bad handling a large number of small files.

> aside from the actual desktop (working with multiple windows) being very bare and annoying to use,

How so? I love the hotkeys for snapping Windows, and Windows also has hotkeys for moving windows between monitors.

Lots of third party utility apps exist that can extend this functionality out.