Is there any good reason for anyone to be installing windows anymore other than locked-in enterprise IT setups? Gaming was the big holdout and even that doesn't feel too relevant these days
Gaming, apps that only run on windows, ease of use, stability/reliability.
I last installed windows on my PC a couple years ago after upgrading CPU/Motherboard, and since then it just trucks along with zero issues, every game I play works perfectly, and programs I use are easy to install and work reliably.
I have Linux on my laptop and it's nice not having the bloat, but it's also a huge pain getting things working.
Just today I tried to install DaVinci Resolve to do some editing and it's throwing library errors for some reason, why doesn't it resolve it automatically? Or better yet why doesn't the installer come with them like it does on windows? Linux tends to leave everything up to the user which sucks.
Also tried to play EVE through Steam, but it just says "unsupported OS" when I click play with no other help or explanation.
Everything on Linux feels like pulling a tooth, sure it'll eventually work after a lot of time and effort, until something updates and breaks everything again.
Installing Windows involves filling in about 6 inputs then waiting an hour. This results in a device that will happily chug along without user involvement for a decade. (Yes, it will have ads and automatically restart for updates, but frankly most users don't care. I do, and disabling ads and automatic updates took me 30m of digging, and it's been 6 years since I've seen a Windows dialog. I suppose I turned off the "featured articles on lock screen" flag when it was added a few years ago too.) My mother still uses her 10+ year old Surface without issue. She's a non-technical user who's daily drivers are Apple devices.
Windows major updates reset things alot and enable thigs that were disabled. How can you have gone 6 years without seeing a popup when they have added things in the last 6 years during major updates that are enabled by default and show dialogue and notifications. Also you are obviously on windoes 10 and not seen the new nonsense in 11.
My parents prefer Linux because it doesn't pressure them with pop ups and enabling new features, it just leaves them alone. If your mom uses a Microsoft account and is happy with windows then Linux would be a nuisance to her as windows popups were for my parents.
I'm on Windows 11 and I keep it up-to-date which may be how I've avoided the automatic updates, but I'm as confused as you how I've avoided the popups and ads! I also have notifications entirely disabled.
Haha, fair... Shit crashes. My work laptop has bluescreened twice in four years, and I take my gaming pc down about once a month with a game or render. But they're both still running today! Biggest fix has been a restart (maybe a few) and we're back up and running.
Ok, "chug along happily without user involvement" probably isn't the right way to phrase this...
Yes. Frankly, there's still a lot of software that is either only available on Windows or only works well on Windows. Plus, for all its criticisms, Windows is very good at "just working" out of the box without having to fiddle with it.
For 99% of of people out there, that's preferable to all the headaches you can get under Linux.
And for gaming, yes, it's still essentially the only real option. Out of the library of games I own maybe 10% work on Linux out of the box, and maybe 1/3 with WINE and a lot of work.
Thats weird, because pretty much any game I have wanted to play on Steam (with the exception of a couple VR titles) have run flawlessly on my Linux machine. Proton works for the majority of games, I have found.
I know games with anti cheat often don’t run, but those are the exception not the rule.
I assume you're playing a lot of older games, so Linux support is generally OK. But with newer stuff and especially competitive multiplayer stuff support is not very good on Linux.
I believe that's less of an issue in Proton now, although for a lot of those cases, the develop has to recompile some stuff. Seems more or less painless, but they do need to make the effort to go and do it.
I've never encountered that (though something similar happened with a ubisoft game on my unmodified Nintendo Switch...), but can't you just grab a pirate copy if this happens?
I gave Linux a try again on my laptop and the first game I tried (EVE Online) just said "not supported" when I tried to run it via Steam. So not a good start so far.
Personally I have to keep a Windows VM around for the odd bit of software. Oftentimes it's software made by someone for a very specific workflow in a niche interest, and so it's less compatible either because they hardcode things, or they're just interested in getting the very specific workflow they need working, and not in any "best practices".
I've experimented with Windows, Linux, and Mac to varying degrees and have recently settled back on Windows. Here's my perspective:
- Mac: Ideal for those who don't mind a more controlled environment, where Apple dictates much of the user experience. While it's possible to customize beyond Apple's defaults, doing so can complicate things.
- Linux: Suited for users who can tolerate some unpredictability. It offers the most control, particularly on desktop, and can be incredibly efficient when functioning smoothly. However, maintaining this state can require significant effort, as updates may disrupt previously stable features like hibernation, graphics drivers, and Japanese input. The introduction of Wayland has further complicated the landscape.
- Windows: Strikes a balance between Linux's flexibility and Mac's controlled ecosystem. While it lacks Linux's high degree of customization, it's less restrictive than Mac. The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) provides a competent Linux experience for many use cases. Although troubleshooting can be challenging, issues are generally less frequent compared to Linux.
After transitioning from Windows to Mac to Linux and back to Windows, I've gained a newfound appreciation for Windows, especially its later versions. Despite its flaws, Windows emerges as the platform requiring the least maintenance, efficiently facilitating both work and leisure with minimal friction—at least in my experience.
It depends on what you want out of a DE, I guess. I prefer minimalist window managers (evilwm!), though the wayland team seems hell-bent on breaking them.
XFCE, LXDE, etc, are OK compromises, since they let you configure wifi graphically out of the box (they are similar to windows before the whole windows 8 thing). Current KDE is surprisingly good too. I get the impression all of those will continue to work for a long time.
Anyway, the worst thing about MacOS is the window management. It's ridiculously buggy. Just the other day, I couldn't find one of my VS Code windows with the mouse or keyboard. I had to go to the "Window" menu and click on it to get it to open.
I last installed windows on my PC a couple years ago after upgrading CPU/Motherboard, and since then it just trucks along with zero issues, every game I play works perfectly, and programs I use are easy to install and work reliably.
I have Linux on my laptop and it's nice not having the bloat, but it's also a huge pain getting things working.
Just today I tried to install DaVinci Resolve to do some editing and it's throwing library errors for some reason, why doesn't it resolve it automatically? Or better yet why doesn't the installer come with them like it does on windows? Linux tends to leave everything up to the user which sucks.
Also tried to play EVE through Steam, but it just says "unsupported OS" when I click play with no other help or explanation.
Everything on Linux feels like pulling a tooth, sure it'll eventually work after a lot of time and effort, until something updates and breaks everything again.