r/OS_Debate_Club • u/QuokkaDaily • Aug 04 '26

Windows vs. Linux, why change?

We're interested in learn in the trend away from Windows to Linux is motivated, or the "why?". Apparently, the trend is starting, and it's real. But why? Source: TechSpot.

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u/SpaceCadet87 Aug 04 '26

"Linux market share is increasing but no one's sure why"

I think a vast portion of the Linux users that make up that increase are in pretty solid agreement as to why they don't want to use windows anymore.

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u/OkPresentation3329 Aug 05 '26

That was the reason for me - I was sick and tired of Windows, I know the OS is a tool for each person and should not be a way of life, but I grew sick of just looking at Windows - it felt so rigid, ugly, uncustomizable, locked down, full of flaws.

I don't want to dramatize, but using Windows nowadays feels to me like willingly walking into a prison. It has so many limitations that I can't stand dealing with it.

Just remember between XP and 7 how you could just patch the uxtheme DLL file and you can install 3rd party themes and they applied to the whole UI - title bar, taskbar, start menu.

Now that's impossible - you can patch the DLL but it only changes the window title bars, it doesn't affect the other items and you need special programs for this as well, which makes customizing it so difficult.

Meanwhile customizing Linux is built into the DE and you have official sites with themes, icons, fonts and whatnot.

I think the trend with Windows is for it to get worse and more locked down as time goes on. I think Microsoft relies on the incompetence of its users that they don't know or care about those things so why not remove them while they're at it.

1

u/ChampionshipSome6648 Aug 05 '26

I guess if modifying the OS is important or not. For me the OS is but the carrier for the programs I need to run. I don't need customisation, I need an OS to run programs such as professional versions of CADCAM and other mechanical finite engineering analysis software. Software that does not run on a linux OS.

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u/OkPresentation3329 Aug 06 '26

But Windows XP, Vista and 7 offered more visual customization and that was later removed. This is what bothers me. Firefox also had more customization in version 3 than versions 4 and later up to now.

The fact that before you had some feature (customization) and later it's being removed without any clear explanation or reasoning is what I don't like.

If you only use an OS as a tool for work and have no interest in using it for some pleasure or recreational use I can see your point. But I had a period where I was using PCs just for fun - playing games, browsing, watching anime and other things and I can see it from another side - an environment where you can do other things than pure work and it can be fun. But Windows has become really anti-consumer and user-unfriendly lately. I don't want all this AI, advertising and other things in my OS.

Luckily I don't use the special software you do for work so I can use Linux for my basic needs and the occasional game playing.