I’ve been using Linux exclusively for about 8 years. Recently I got frustrated with a bunch of issues that popped one after another. I had a spare SSD so I decided to check out Windows again. I’ve installed Windows 11 LTSC. It was a nightmare. After all the years on Linux, I forgot how terrible Windows actually is.
On the day I installed the system and a bunch of basic software, I had two bluescreens. I wasn’t even doing anything at that time, just going through basic settings and software installation. Okay, it happens. So I installed Steam and tried to play a game I’ve been currently playing on Linux just to see the performance difference. And it was… worse, for some reason. The “autodetect” in game changed my settings from Ultra to High. On Linux, the game was running at the 75 fps cap all the time. Windows kept dropping them to around 67-ish a lot of times. But the weirdest part was actual power consumption and the way GPU worked. Both systems kept the GPU temperature at around 50C. But the fans were running at 100% speed at that temperature on Windows, while Linux kept them pretty quiet. I had to change the fan controls by myself on Windows just because it was so annoying. The power consumption difference was even harder to explain, as I was getting 190-210W under Linux and under Windows I got 220-250W. And mind you, under Linux I had not only higher graphical settings set up, but was also getting better performance.
I tried connecting my bluetooth earbuds to my PC. Alright, the setup itself was fine. But then the problems started. My earbuds support opus codec for audio. Do you think I can change the bluetooth codec easily, just like on Linux? Nope. There is no way to do it without some third party programs. And don’t even get me started on Windows randomly changing my default audio output and trying to play sound through my controller.
Today I decided to make this rant-post after yet another game crashed on me twice under Windows. I bought Watch Dogs since it’s currently really cheap on Steam. I click play. I get the loading screen. The game crashed. I try again. I play through the basic “tutorial”. After going out of the building, game crashed again. I’m going to play again, this time under Linux.
I’ve had my share of frustrations under Linux, but that experience made me realise that Windows is not a perfect solution either. Spending a lot of time with Linux and it’s bugs made me forget all the bad experience in the past with Windows, and I was craving to go back to the “just works” solution. But it’s not “just works”. Two days was all it took for me to realize that I’ll actually stick with Linux, probably forever. The spare SSD went back to my drawer, maybe so I can try something new in the future. It’s so good to be back after a short trip to the other side!
Yep, I have used Linux since 2017 after W10 just made everything slower for home use and work. I have been using W11 for work lately, and it sucks. The office16/root/vfs/ProgramFilesCommonX64(86)/office16/ai.exe and aimgr.exe keep hogging resources in task manager and bogging down the system when ever I try to get work done. Deleteing those files helps but they come back after updates, so for now I created two empty text files and changed the filename and extensions to match the deleted files, so far that has kept updates from reinstalling those ai files
Ltsc is supposed to be better too. If you didn’t like it then it only gets worse from there
My main issue with Windows isn’t its technology, but its attitude. The user is no longer the most important consideration. In that way it’s become adversarial.
In that way it’s become adversarial.
Back in the 2000s, I was able to say that while a fundamental install took only about a half hour to set up, usability tweaks and a full fleshing out of functionality took another 4-8 hours depending on what the user was going to use the machine for.
I just did a Win11 24h2 install. It took nearly 24 working hours before I considered it even minimally functional for my needs. Cycling through Win10Privacy two or three times was particularly frustrating. Registry work alone took me a good 8-10 hours of trying stuff a step at a time and then rebooting to see how it worked.
At this point, the only reason why I am still running with a Windows rig is for those half-dozen programs that don’t have appropriate non-Windows variants. It’s why I’m also running a Mac Mini and an OpenSUSE tower through the same 4-port, 6-head KVM.
Yes. I prefer my os to be more passively adversarial. Like Gentoo. It hates everything equally.
My work just changed from gsuite to m365 and it is atrocious. Obviously fuck google but god damn if microsoft arent just the worst at designing UI and considering actual consumer concerns when dsigning programs. Quit your job if they change to office.
Windows 11 LTSC
I’m using Window 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC; the biggest issue I’ve had was that I couldn’t get my video card installed. I had to wait until there was an updated driver, a few weeks after I assembled my computer. Every time I tried to install the driver that was supposed to be the correct one, I got a BSOD.
Honestly, I like 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC better than I liked the 10 Pro version that I had. And–compared to the only Linux distro I’ve used, Tails–it’s fairly straightforward. And yes, I know the Tails is kind of a pain in the ass, and it’s not fair to judge all of Linux against that. But i’m old, and cranky, and just want Win 3.11 back.
I just reinstalled and configured Windows for a friend who’s machine was hacked, so my frustration with Microsoft is very fresh. (She lost 8 thousand dollars of her savings she’s still trying to get back.) After years of using Linux I feel like I’m being punished every time I help someone with their Windows machine.
/Rant
These things in particular drive me nuts:
- Sending everything users do and type (including passwords) back to Microsoft. It’s called spyware when other companies do it. It should be called spyware when it’s an OS called Microsoft Windows.
- Flooding 1/2 the screen with web search results when a search is done from the start menu. I’m looking for an installed program, not a potato recipe.
- Requiring a registry edit to turn that web search off and lots of other simple things that use to be configurable in settings.
- Placing ads throughout the operating system and making it difficult to turn those ads off.
- Forcing the use of the Edge browser no matter what users choose.
- Preventing the removal of unwanted programs without editing the registry.
- Forced updates at Microsoft’s convenience.
- Absurdly long restart times after updating.
- Forced OS version upgrades.
- Reverting settings that have been changed by the user to settings that directly benefit Microsoft’s sales and marketing goals.
- Forced restarts of the operating system causing data loss and the loss of millions of hours of work for millions of users.
- Removing more and more user settings with each new OS release.
- Burying commonly used menu items multiple menus deep.
- Preventing the removal of Start menu items. I will never use the Xbox Game Bar no matter how many time I’m forced to see it.
/
That sucks about your friend. I can relate.
Scammers hacked my elderly mother on her windows laptop. They tricked her with an ad saying there was a problem with her computer, and they had her install remote access software. She mentioned seeing the terminal so I assumed they installed (at least) a keylogger. Luckily, they either ran out of time, or their con took two days, but they said they were going to call my mom the next day and have her log in to the bank to make sure her computer was still working.
So, I wiped her computer and installed Linux Mint with auto updates set up. She only had one simple question about logging in to google chrome and that’s been it for the last month. She has just been using it no problem.
Side note: The next day the scammers had the nerve to call my mom and ask her why her computer was turned off.
My friend got a call from “Best Buy” technical support saying they’d noticed her computer was slow and followed their instructions to set up remote access. Unfortunately she didn’t realize that there was anything to be worried about. It wasn’t until months later when she left the computer on and unattended that the scammers took control. Fidelity wired the money out of her account before she saw the notification and Fidelity has been jerking her around ever since. She’s still badly shaken.
I’d put her on Mint, but as much as I enjoy her company I don’t want to be permanent tech support for her computer.
Sending everything users do and type (including passwords) back to Microsoft. It’s called spyware when other companies do it.
Do you have any proof that Microsoft keylogs you? That’s quite a serious claim.
Have you tried a Google search?
Your claim, your burden.
LOL! You’ve got a very long wait. I suggest you hold your breath.
This is very unproductive for discussion
What if he used sign language and could still hold his breath?
Hmm good point that that be pretty productive
Anyone who’s so lazy they literally refuse to type the same words used in their comment into a search engine doesn’t deserve to be taken seriously. There are lots of adults on Lemmy, but apparently we have a few children too.
Forcing upgrades at Microsoft’s convenience.
This is the only one I agree with. Upgrades are necessary for security, it’s just a fact of life.
The problem isn’t the updates. The problem is microsoft downloading things and restarting my pc without my consent (annoying me until I say “fine, do it” is not consent). No one but me decides when my machine installs updates and reboots. I know I’m putting myself at risk if I let my system fall behind on updates. That’s on me, it’s my computer, it is my right to make that decision.
absofuckinglutely.
It’s not just your decision though. Like vaccinations, your decision affects everyone else so it’s not your decision alone.
Nobody’s writing a NixOS virus to target me. Even if I download a linux virus it will probably complain about unmet dependencies
Not talking about viruses despite the vaccine comparison.
Software has vulnerabilities, even on NixOS.
On my kid’s laptop I was holding Windows 11 24H2 back because of Recall, but this week it just decided to install itself. Now it’s a Linux laptop.
See? They forced you to upgrade to Linux, now you’re more secure!
FYI: Recall is delayed and will only work on specific arm computers anyway. So you weren’t in at any immediate risk. Not arguing against installing Linux though. That’s great!
How did it play under Linux?
Look, I’d get my Mom to switch to linux if she still had a chance to play warcraft. Does it play on a rolling RPM release so I don’t have to periodically reinstall the OS? I’m serious. This is almost the only reason I don’t switch the family – very particular games.
Wow works fine on Linux for me
Go atomic immutable. Is it different? Yes. But the system is always updated without any package hell. Makes managing a system for others extremely simple. Bazzite for gamers, aurora for workstations, bluefin if you like Gnome.
I dunno, I dont think it’s normal to get two blue screens on a fresh windows install.
Windows audio really is trash though, I’m totally with you there.
Windows will never have the flexibility of JACK
what is jack?
the alternative to gstreamer. both were precursors to pipewire, which aims to meet both use cases.
Well, Windows was never perfect. People just got used to its shenanigans. They tend to meddle with bullshit registry yet somehow basic commands on Linux is too complicated.
Poor comparison, honestly. Only like 5% of Windows users will only have a vague notion about what a registry is and a fraction of that would have messed with it under duress. By comparison, nearly all Linux users are expected to learn a handful of commands with strange abbreviations and arcane symbols to perform otherwise basic tasks. That’s not some unsubstantial barrier to be dismissed.
I know it’s not an exact comparison but I think it’s fair. Almost every Windows user (or the ones who fix others’ computers) hit a situation where they had to modify registry (or run a .bat file they have no idea what it does -there were even official solutions like this-) to fix something, at least once in their lives. As a go-to tech-savvy person for a lot of people around me, I know I did this all the time. (I still remember that once someone asked me to remove 3D Objects folder because they couldn’t and it was also a registry fix). On the other hand, while Linux is mature with its commandline, it also came to a point where a normal user don’t need it, just like in Windows (it’s a plus if they know at least how to paste commands if they need though). For example, my sister uses openSUSE and I taught her about YaST and she never had a single issue in the last 2 years, everything is done via GUI. She can install flatpaks if she needs too.
In windows’ defense, the “complication” comes from the fact that there is no constant visual display of the filesystem structure in a terminal window like there is in the Windows registry.
That said, taking an hour to become comfortable with the terminal is not a difficult task. Understanding
~, and constantly usingdf -handls -al(for me anyway) will help a lot of people figure it out.
Fedora Linux has been the most stable OS in my experience, having used Windows XP to 10 and switching to Linux before 11 came out. I can leave it on for literally weeks on end and the memory never randomly fills up, nor does it get more and more glitchy/crash prone as you leave it on, both of which I have experienced on Windows.
In my experience, Fedora tends to be what a lot of developers settle on after distro hopping. This is by no way universal and RedHat has issues. But at some point, the OS and desktop environment become background noise compared to your own code and IDE. Younger people probably have different preferences — and they should — but you get more experienced and you have your setup. If my laptop dies, I can get back to coding quicker with Fedora than any other distro and it’s almost always stable.
In the end, a computer is a tool and being skilled with an old tool can be better than being new to a more modern tool. I still use the same brand/type power drill that I used in high school/college when I worked construction in the summers. (Dewalt and I’d rather the old 18v but they switched to 20v. I have an adapter to charge either battery, though, so it’s fine.)
I have an ongoing irritation with windows (use it for work, Linux at home): It steals focus from the window you’re using if another window opens.
Drives me nuts. I’ll be typing my password and pop! Oh look I just typed my password into something else that popped up because IT requires this program to run on login today.
KDE is much better about not stealing window focus like that.
Mac os is pretty bad with that bullshit too
What windows are you having randomly pop up? That might be width investigating because that shouldn’t be happening.
They’re things like drive mapping scripts, stuff like that. They’re definitely normal for our setup. Just not sure why they have to interrupt me!
The fact that Windows devs seem to not know how to run tasks hidden and in the background always bothers me. I’m sure it’s the fault of Windows itself, but Linux doesn’t open jack until I tell it to. With all the extra helper programs needs in the tray to run all the proprietary hardware, I about lose it with all the shit popping up to yell at me.
It’s very easy to run things like scripts in the background. Showing a command/powershell windows because of a drive mapping script is amateurish (and very annoying). Usually scripts like those are run on logon.
We have an automation server at work that runs a bunch of scripts for all kinds of stuff. It just uses task scheduler. Hiding the script output is as simple as telling it too. We have a lot of servers at work that run important production shit interactively. So someone has to logon the server and start the problem.
It’s utterly disgusting. I recently introduced them to NSSM which can run simple programs as a service, which entirely solves the problem. But it’s bizarre that no one else has suggested that before, or found some other solution.
Fortunately, I’m not responsible for prod applications running on those servers, it just really fucks with our patching procedures.
I forgot how terrible Windows actually is
Windows, while always shitty, has seriously gone downhill in the past 5 years. I’m looking to switch back to Linux myself, but I have an NVidia GPU that needs constant driver babying on OpenSUSE (my preferred distro). My current plan is to find someone who is willing to swap a RTX 4070 for a equivalent or slightly worse AMD card, and then switch back to OpenSUSE.
That’s more of an OpenSUSE issue, as much as I hate to say it’s not Nvidia. Fedora may work better for with the options available for non-free DKMS builds on kernel upgrades, but you’ll always be battling the Nvidia side with newer kernels pack releases. The open builds don’t work for display yet, so that’s not an option anywhere.
Oh for sure. I just like OpenSUSE enough to switch GPUs for. I only really run older games aside from Baldur’s Gate III and Cyberpunk, so I really don’t need the latest and greatest.
What makes SUsE so good for you?
i setup my old job with linux internally. never had issues. day i quit boss told me to install windows so he can find a replacement employee. sure.
3 years later. boss wants me back. they’ve had nothing but problems. but i’m not allowed to install linux again.
he says, “if windows didn’t have so many problems you would be out of a job.”
It’s interesting seeing the variety of experiences in this thread. I definitely had to fight Linux to get it setup and stable on my machine, but ever since then it’s been rock solid in a way I’ve never experienced with a Windows install.
Windows has a mind of its own…and being at the mercy of their update cadence or w/e other nonsense Microsoft is pushing sucks.
Meanwhile on Linux, I’ve had two CPUs that have C-State/P-State issues (5900x, 1700x), some weirdness with my audio interface, and a GPP0 bug that interferes with sleep. All of them are fixed or managed on Bazzite now, and it took plenty of digging for docs/reddit threads but now it’s rock solid.
On Windows, any time I’ve needed to deal with the Microsoft Store I run into issues that require registry fixes, uninstall/reinstalling various things, etc. Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon 5 had issues launching as a result on Windows but not on Linux.
Ultimately, not being under the Microsoft gun is such a relief that the initial battle is completely put out of my mind. I’ve had some instances where I’ll boot into Windows for games, or HDR/Atmos support more reliably for my living room setup, but they have gotten rarer and rarer over the past couple of months.
For the record, Sea Of Thieves is also available as a standalone purchase through Steam, bypassing the Microsoft Store and their half abandoned UWP format entirely. Never had any issues with the Steam version on Windows.
The microsoft store sells games? I thought that was only used to occasionally update your xbox for pc controllers by grabbing the xbox accessories app. Never seen the microsoft store otherwise.
I think the Xbox App somewhat serves content through the Microsoft Store, I definitely had to troubleshoot between the two for a couple things.
They do sell games as well. I think I got an episode of the Batman Telltale series through it for free, though much like Epic managing an additional library with less features/support is usually not worth it for me.
Ah sorry, guess I should have tagged it as sarcastic.
Honestly I think this may have happened on the Steam version for me, I ended up reinstalling on Linux same-day and didnt have the same issue.
IIRC it had something to do with the Xbox Game Bar/App registry entries that still applied to the Steam version. I had definitely used the UWP version before though, so it’s possible it was that or that had contributed.
But downloading it on Bazzite and just having it work was…a little bizarre to experience.
There is no perfect OS that just works for everyone. They are all software so they all have bugs. People how say an OS just works have never hit those bugs or have gotten used to fixing/working around or flat out ignoring them.
This is true of all OSs, including Windows, Linux and MacOS. They are all differently buggy messes.
Linux is the buggy mess that works best for me though.
Nothing is bug free, but that doesn’t mean everything is sort of the same just different flavor.
The last couple days I dealt with Windows, which is out of the ordinary for me. I had to build a little thing and chose PowerShell and that is quirky but ok at a glance. Now we are in 2025 and PowerShell is a modern thing, and kid you not you install a thing using
Module-Installand then you uninstall it usingModule-Uninstalland what happens? The thing is only gone partially and some broken remains stay. And then another curiosity comes up where after long rummaging it turns out that one user (Admin) simply cannot see another user’s mounted share - has microsoft ever heard of the concept of “permission denied”?That’s not a differently flavored bag of bugs, that is like decades of computing and software engineering hadn’t taken place
I use Powershell a lot at work, and I really like it. Especially compared to bash which gives me headaches when reading.
But yeah install-module and uninstall-module can sometimes be quirky. The easiest solution is to remove the files for the directory.
it turns out that one user (Admin) simply cannot see another user’s mounted share - has microsoft ever heard of the concept of “permission denied”?
I’m pretty sure the reason is that because the share is mounted using the users account and doesn’t affect anything else. It kinda makes sense for me because that is just the way Windows works ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Two users can have different mapping so giving a permission denied doesn’t make a lot of sense since it simply doesn’t exist for the user.
Powershell, windows terminal and winget are all legitimately nice tools, powershell especially is just stupidly more powerful than it needs to be (and verb-noun syntax is great).
You can cherry-pick examples of problems from every OS. That is my point. They all have issues that you may or may not encounter and quite a few that would make people from other OSs scratch their head and think what the hell the devs are thinking. Pointing out one issue of one OS does not change any of that.
Which is proven by the other replys to your comment - others dont find this issue to be as show stopping as you do and just live with it or dont use it at all. How many issues do you do the same for on your favorite OS?
While that’s true, there are objectively different levels of ‘just working’ though.
I’ve never spent so little time googling how to fix things as I do with Ubuntu or Mint. It’s much more frequently needed and time consuming on other Linux OSs, iOS, Windows, Android. Haven’t personally used Mac.
Also, I’ve always found a fix on Ubuntu. The same can’t be said for other OSs.
That’s just personal examples, but the general idea still stands: different systems have a different amount of bugs, (or worse, ‘features’) and the difficulty of fixing them isn’t the same for everything either.
My point is the different levels of just working are subjective, not objective. I personally have spent far more time fixing bugs or just reinstalling ubuntu systems then I have over the same period for Arch systems. So many of my ubuntu installs just ended up breaking after a while where I have had the same Arch install on systems for 5+ years now. Could never get a Ubuntu system to last more then a year.
Everyone has different stories about the different OSs. It is all subjective.
Man I’d kill to be able to use all of the APT commands I see online. DNF forces me to know what I’m doing lol.
After switching to Silverblue a couple years ago I’ve used dnf, like, three times maybe. I find rpm-ostree even simpler than apt since it’s easy to tell what additional packages I’ve installed, it’s trivial to remove them, and I’ve never had a dependency issue.
Amen. This is similar to the experience I have too. When I use Windows I have as many if not more problems. If I was only using a web browser, like most non-power users, I would have across the board worse issues on windows.
