By Martin Jansen, Owner of Jansen-PCINFO
“Oh Microsoft Windows, how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways.” Apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
In the Linux community, Windows is often spelled ‘windoze’ due to the slow and security lax nature of Microsoft’s operating system.
Windows has been this way for years, but now it is even worse. With the advent of Windows 11, Microsoft once again changed the desktop, but now the system regularly reports back to headquarters – despite any security settings disabled by the owner of the PC.
History
Back in 2001, Steve Ballmer, then CEO of Microsoft, led a campaign of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD) against Linux. The claim was that Linux violated Microsoft patents – a false premise. Ballmer recognized that Linux was a superior OS even then and wanted to preserve Microsoft’s dominance in the PC operating system world. I was just starting to use Linux at the time. It made me mad that a big company would pick on little PC owners using Linux instead of Windows.
Still I worked in the IT industry for many years and had to deal with the daily problems that Microsoft inflicted on my co-workers. Today, in retirement, I help people with Windows 10, 11 and the problems continue. Poor security allows for malware and viruses to infect Windows systems.
Updates
Updates in Windows are painfully slow. The user really doesn’t know what is being updated or how long it will take. And for home users, that update may reboot the computer without consent. In corporate environments computers are controlled by IT departments that determine when and what updates are applied, usually in the wee hours when few are working.
Layers
Starting in 2006 with Microsoft Vista, perhaps the worst OS ever, Microsoft started to put layers of fancy user interfaces for some of its most basic settings. For instance, Device Manager controls the drivers needed by the operating system. Several layers of screens in settings stand in place before the user can actually see the device manager to add, remove or upgrade drivers. Bypass the layers with: press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog, then type devmgmt.msc and press Enter.
Windows 8 is tied with Vista vying for the worst OS, replacing menus with nothing but icons. Once again Microsoft presumed, incorrectly, what the user wanted in an operating system.
Windows 11 Snapshots & Recall
According to Microsoft: Recall & Snapshots is a feature in Windows 11 designed to enhance user productivity by capturing and saving screenshots of on-screen activity. This allows users to easily retrieve previously viewed content, making it simpler to revisit important information.
Personally, I don’t trust Microsoft with screenshots of my system as I may be typing in passwords or other sensitive information.
Follow this article to turn off a feature that no one asked for and takes up more cpu cycles.
Conclusion
Hate is such a strong word. I will instead say that I strongly dislike what Microsoft has created for its users. Windows has become another bloated way for Microsoft to generate money, not an operating system that helps its customers.
Many have left the pain of Microsoft, using Linux instead. They are happier and more productive. Try Zorin or Linux Mint.