5 Reasons Why I Don’t Use Windows 10
I’ve been a Linux user for a lot of years and I’ve always been a critic of things it does poorly. Lately, my criticisms have led the Linux folk to ask me
If you hate Linux so much, why don’t you just use Windows?
Buckle up folks; I’m going to fill you in on the 5 reasons as to why I don’t use Windows.
1. Automatic install of promoted Apps & Games
Every single time I boot into my Windows partition or fire up a Windows VM, I see various and sundry apps & games that I’ve uninstalled a half dozen times have made a return.
Apparently Windows will install various “promoted” applications during regular Windows Update intervals unless you opt-out. Even when you do opt-out, sometimes Windows Updates can magically opt you back in.
What blows me away about this is that most Windows users I’ve talked to are like “meh, I just uninstall them when I see them”;
They shouldn’t be there in the first place!
2. Windows Notifications
Every Linux desktop environment has its own way of displaying notifications. Some desktops do it better than others. Some desktops don’t do it at all
Microsoft calls it the Action Center but its more like a cluttered drawer of notes and messages, along with some buttons that feel out of place. Seriously, why is Tablet mode an option here by default?
What’s more about the Action Center is that Microsoft will happily throw random ads at you based on your usage and activity (unless you opt-out).
3. Installing Applications
I will proudly admit that I am spoiled by Linux package management. On Linux, I rarely (if ever) have to browse to a website just to download an application. Instead, I use my Linux distribution’s package management system and simply tell my system what to install.
On Windows, 9 out of 10 times I have to browse to the developer’s website just to download the app I want. Sure, there’s the Windows Store but as of February 2018, it is still not a good place to find and install apps from.
Chocolaty greatly helps alleviate the pain of installing applications, but the install & uninstall process is still painfully slow and generally unfriendly.
4. Licensing
Whenever I bring up Windows licensing costs, the Windows users scoff. As if everyone has to pay to use their operating system.
Well, Linux users don’t. And there’s not much else to say about it. In my opinion, its a better business model to provide the platform for free, and charge a premium for apps and features.
5. Customization
Customizing your desktop with custom app launchers and skins was huge with Windows XP and 7. But it seems like the craze died off with Windows 8.
Perhaps this is less of a gripe with Windows itself, and more of a lamentation about the community in general. Nobody really customizes their desktop anymore, and everyone’s Windows desktop looks pretty much the same.
Compare that with Linux. If you aren’t familiar with what Linux users do with their desktop, take a jaunt over to r/unixporn (safe for work!) and prepare to be blown away.
Wait, what about Privacy and Updates?
To be honest, I don’t use Windows enough to care about privacy concerns. I agree with the consensus that Microsoft spying on you does suck, but you can opt-out in the system settings.
And what else can be said about Windows Updates? They suck. But not as much as the other things I listed above.
Conclusion
If you ask any ordinary Linux user about why they dislike Windows, I’d wager that 9/10 of them would scream “ZOMG PRIVACY AND SPYING!!1”. But my issues with Windows are a bit more meta.
My operating system is like a canvas and I don’t want to be told what to do with it. If Windows were a canvas, every time you leave the room and come back, there’d be a new drawing on it (those damn promoted ads). Sure, you could erase it or whatever, but it shouldn’t be there in the first place.
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