Back in high school, I dual-booted Windows and Puppy Linux. I liked Puppy Linux because it was minimalistic and ran fast on my 233MHz AMD K-6 processor. But I kept Windows around because, to this day, there’s still no real alternative to Microsoft Office. It’s vastly superior to any other office suite, and anyone who argues otherwise is just trolling.
Fast forward to 2025, and my main and only computer is a MacBook Pro. My philosophy is that I want one device to do everything because I refuse to carry around multiple machines. I had to buy a MacBook Pro for mobile app development. Unfortunately, the only way to compile iOS apps is through Xcode. No, those cloud solutions don’t count.
For years, I complained that macOS just wasn’t as efficient as Windows. I hated how it handled Alt-Tab (I have to use an app to get it to work like Windows). I hated using the Command key instead of Ctrl for shortcuts. I thought Spotlight Search was a garbage version of Win+R. And don’t get me started on macOS’s weak attempt at window snapping… Windows let me quickly split my screen by dragging windows to the edges, while macOS’s version was terrible. To be fair, macOS Sequoia finally improved this, so kudos to them.
Even after years of using a MacBook as my main computer, I still insisted that Windows was the better OS… until Windows 11 came along, and here’s why:
1. Start Menu Downgrade
The Start Menu in Windows 11 feels like a glorified mobile app launcher. You can’t pin things exactly where you want, and Microsoft pushes “Recommended” apps and web results instead of just showing you what’s on your system. If I wanted to search the web, I’d open a browser.
2. The Control Panel Overhaul
The Control Panel used to be beautiful. You could tweak your system and easily access almost any setting you needed. Then Microsoft started dumbing it down over the years. In Windows 10, it was annoying but manageable; you could still access the old Control Panel with a few extra clicks. But Windows 11? They buried it even deeper, and in some cases, removed certain settings altogether. Sure, the new Settings app looks prettier, but who cares if it lacks the functionality we actually need?
3. File Explorer
File Explorer will never be as bad as Finder. I’ve set my default folder view in Finder a million times and it still ignores me. File Explorer in Windows 10 was simplistic and straight to the point, no weird gimmicks… given these two examples, Microsoft inexplicably decided it was a better idea to make File Explorer more similar to Finder than classic File Explorer. Its now slower, has unnecessary animations, and extra padding around UI elements. The right-click menu hides essential options behind an “extra options” button. Why do I have to hold Shift + Right click just to get the full menu? Just give me the full menu.
4. Slower Performance
Windows 10 felt fast and efficient. Programs popped up immediately when I summoned them. I loved the Win+R shortcut; I could hit Win+R, type “notepad,” and Notepad was open in an instant. Same with Microsoft Paint (mspaint) and Microsoft Word (winword). For some reason, in Windows 11, there is an ever-so-slight delay. It’s not huge, but just enough to be annoying to the point that it slows down my efficiency.
Speaking of slowing down processes, what happened with Print Screen? It used to just take a screenshot of the whole screen (or the active window if you held Alt). But now? Pressing Print Screen launches the Snipping Tool… five seconds later. Then I have to select an area. Then I have to confirm it. If I need to annotate it, I have click a bunch of other stuff. It’s like taking screenshots with extra steps.
So Now What?
I used to stay up late Googling ways to compile iOS apps on Windows just so I could switch back. But lately, I haven’t found myself having the urge to do that anymore. Maybe macOS is actually the lesser evil now. If I really need Windows, I can always run it in Parallels… but even then, it’s Windows 11, so I avoid it.
I vote we bring back Windows 8 or Windows 10.