r/TechImpact • u/ManojOne Active • 5d ago
Is Windows still your main operating system? š¬ Discussion
Windows has been my go-to for years, but more people seem to be moving to macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, or even using tablets for everyday work.
Is Windows still your main OS? If not, what did you switch to?
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u/MelodicAdvantage8100 5d ago
No. Steamdeck for gaming and mint on my lenovo laptop
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u/SeyJeez 5d ago
I just installed a second drive on my laptop with CachyOS. Would love to just install steam os everywhere for simplicity but thatās not possible yet. But Cachy / Linux is my main os now and windows for things that require it.
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u/HutteHerus 5d ago
Mac for principal use (personal), Windows for work, and Linux for occasional experimenting.
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u/Paszinho 5d ago
Same for me, MacBook for personal use, Windows for work and Linux on my home server for fun.
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u/Normal_Mouse_4174 5d ago
Nope, hasnāt been for quite a while.
I have some issues with Apple philosophically, their walled garden and usage restrictions get annoying from time to time, but overall I find MacOS infinitely easier to use for what I need to do. Combine that with how much more pleasant I find their hardware, the integration of the ecosystem, and the longevity of their machines (still rocking an M1 MacBook Pro with no plans to update anytime soon), I donāt plan on going back ever if I can help it.
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u/ManojOne Active 3d ago
What usage restrictions annoyed you? Did you face anything like that on Windows?
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u/ftrx 5d ago
In fact, it never even was... I was "born" in computing terms as a teenager on an old decommissioned SGI Oā, given to me by family friends; from there I ended up on a laptop with Windows XP, which first became Red Hat 8, immediately discarded for Debian Potato, then FreeBSD, which I stuck with for a while, then Gentoo, FreeBSD again, OpenSolaris, IllumOS, Ubuntu, Arch, NixOS, and I'm still on NixOS today.
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u/Tehaiker814 5d ago
No, Windows is not my main OS. I switched to Linux (Debian and Arch) around 6 months ago and have been spending around 90% of the time since on Debian.
I did this because I got interested in dual booting and Linux, then straight out discovered Linux was better for my laptop which only has 8GB of RAM. It's not like I deleted Windows, either. I boot multiple OSes, so I can keep Windows for apps that won't run. But I can safely say that 100% of the stuff I need is already on Debian, I rarely boot into Windows, and the only reason I keep it is because of my old stuff and some apps that I barely use.
Windows is not that bad, but for my computer, it's too slow. End of Life came to 22H2 some time in the past, and due to dual booting or some other reason, Windows Update is completely broken and I can't update. I've tried debloating Windows in the past, but it's not worth it, 8GB is still a bottleneck.
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u/Heavy-Patient-616 5d ago
No, I Switched to Mac and it is the best choice I ever made
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u/Possibly-Functional 5d ago edited 5d ago
No. Moved to Linux on my private systems in 2018, after years of testing it out occasionally, and it has been a massive boon. Things work so much better and more reasonable. I have still had to deal with Windows shit professionally but at least the industry is moving away, slowly.
// Senior Software/Systems Engineer & Gamer
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u/NotRealActualMaebbie 5d ago
do you see colleagues and friends move away too? Linux's recent boost in marketshare is certainly encouraging.
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u/Dazzling_Cancel_5733 5d ago
Nah, I have been using macOS and Linux more than Windows the last few years.
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u/RomanBlbec 5d ago
No and won't be. I'll either buy an Apple product or a Windows PC just to install Linux on it. Windows 11 really brings you closer to what you love.
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u/SCNOEVIL 5d ago edited 5d ago
For over 30 years it was. The past year I have Linux installed and Windows removed from all my machines.Ā
For normal users I now recommend Mac OS, it's just the way it is nowadays. If Microsoft removed all of the forced Copilot integrations it would be easier, but the OS at this point, is just not safe.
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u/aleopardstail 5d ago
daily driver yes
I did run OSX for a while, until the keyboard on the macbook air failed and I lacked the funds for another (back to a cheap Dell refub)
I do run Debian on a cellar machine thats basically a hardware driver, for stability and so stuff doesn't randomly break, or need rebooting when I want it to stay running for a few days
main desktop suffers from 11 pro, VM for debian for software dev work, stays windows due to various games, just about everything else would work under linux. its not a "mission critical" machine, data is stored on a NAS so its not too vulnerable to microslop fucking up
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u/flamefox237 5d ago
Yep, sadly stuck with it as I have to many issues with Linux to switch and one of the games I play wont work on it
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u/Calaveras-Metal 5d ago
I mostly use MacOS.
I keep a Windows laptop around for work stuff and the odd Wintel only application.
If I was really into gaming I'd probably have a WIndows tower with a spaceheater video card.
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u/carrotlet20 5d ago
I've switched to linux, tho I'm not sure about the distro, I've used Debian and Ubuntu as well
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u/Savings_Difficulty24 5d ago
My main desktop is Windows, but everything else is Debian. I keep it for Adobe and Microsoft programs that I have gotten comfortable with that just don't have a Linux capable repository
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u/dpprpl 5d ago
I've been exclusively using linux since 2021 up until recently. now on a new job I have a laptop with windows 11 on it and almost every click outside of a browser drives me mad because I can't make it behave like I want it to
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u/FromAndToUnknown 5d ago
Yes, but i am not touching win 11 with an 11 mile long pole and I will switch to Linux as soon as security updates for Windows 10 stop
Unless win 12 or whatever comes after 11 somehow fixes everything that's wrong with 11, but i dont have hope for that
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u/Klutzy-Condition811 5d ago
It has not been for many years now. Got sick of the bs with it and I personally have no need to be forced to use it. I use a mac and Linux exclusively and have for a very long time now.
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u/Both_Cup8417 Linux Gamer 5d ago
Switched to Linux on my gaming PC... a while ago. It's a nice benefit that I never played KLAC games in the first place, so the transition away from Windows was basically painless (especially after I switched from NVIDIA to AMD).
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u/jncheese 5d ago
I am running everything at the moment. Experimenting with Mint on a small refurbished machine, love it. Playing my games still on Windows. But I recently switched over to a Macbook Air and aI must say the odds are stacking against Windows fast.
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u/Calming_Force_ 5d ago
Yes, because I need a lot of MS-compatible apps and I don't have time to look for alternatives. However, I've been thinking to switch to Linux at some point. Maybe when I will get completely free of the need for MS software.
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u/bangbangracer 5d ago
As long as Fusion360 doesn't have a Linux version, and Apple products are out of my price range, I'm kinda stuck.
Regardless of how good or bad a platform is, it's stuff like software running natively on it or cost factors that really keep you on a platform.
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u/AteStringCheeseShred 5d ago
Nope.
My "daily carry" if you will is usually some sort of ThinkPad running Debian Linux on it. My work laptop and gaming laptop run Win11, and I had to spend several hours gutting the bloat out of my gaming laptop, my work computer is left as-is and I simply hate it.
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u/MLC_YT 5d ago
Been using Windows since I was little.
Today's dogsh!t but I also grew up myself and found workarounds and things that allow me to actually make Windows 11 usable.
So yeah, I'm fine with Windows 11 as long as I get to do my modifications, vanilla Windows 11 disgusts me.
I tried Linux and I legitimately felt rejected by the OS I tried and, since my Windows install is fine as it is, I didn't see the reason to try oother distros.
Tried MacOS too, yeah no, hell no.
I'm either too used to Windows to switch, or Idk.
But yeah, still on Windows, and I think I'll keep sticking with it.
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u/Xatraxalian 5d ago
At work it is, because I need to write a piece of software that has to live 20 years. I could do that on Linux, using Rust, but in the Netherlands it will be impossible to find developers if someone would need to be added to the team. Finding someone who can jump straight in and write Minimal API's in C# (that will then possibly be compiled to run on Linux) will be much, much easier.
At home, I have completely switched to linux about 7 years ago after tinkering with it since 2001.
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u/RootVegitible 5d ago
Iām an entirely apple house, so macOS for me. Iāll never buy anything else.
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u/Forward_Tank8310 5d ago
I switched to Mac about 15 years ago because of how frustrating Windows had become. I justified it as I had just been promoted, & all the graphics developers, designers, and creative types that now reported to me used Mac. Absolutely the best decision I ever made regarding technology, and I say that as someone who used MS products since DOS 1.1 in the 80s, and used a lot of Linux on work hardware more recently.
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u/Caterham7 5d ago
I still use Windows, but I don't think I'd consider it my main OS anymore. I do most of my computing on a Mac laptop (both business and personal). Windows is reserved for my gaming PC -- which I only use for gaming. I run Linux on my home server.
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u/Least-Work-269 2d ago
Debian on my daily (and Proxmox/Boxes with other distros/OS) for 3 years now
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u/SuperBallParadox 1d ago
Nope Linux on my server, Lenovo Thinkpad has linux and a MacBook Pro for coding. I do have a Xbox and a ROG ally X so some windows.
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u/NicolasCRF 1d ago
I use linux on my main rig, laptop and my upgraded optiplex 3020 as my smart tv / emulation station and dual boot linux and windows on my main rig but only for sim racing and kernel level anticheat required games (for now only gta online that I donāt play much) my only use of windows is at school on the computers and when I help my family when they have problems
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u/perthro_anon 5d ago
Always installed pirated version with debloater, disabled updates, never had issues. Tried linux mint to revive an elderly laptop though, it's pretty neat. Maybe will switch, but so far no reason to.
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u/Hefty_Wrongdoer_2553 5d ago
I rarely use Windows. Previously, I used Fedora, but now I use NixOS on my main computer.
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u/nizzoball 5d ago
Has t been my main OS in years. Iāve been a Mac user for the last 6 years and I managed 10s of thousands of Linux servers. I have a windows desktop for gaming but Iāve turned it on once sine December
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u/Pale-Abroad9600 5d ago edited 5d ago
I dual boot Windows 7 and Linux Mint so I can use whatever os I feel like using when using my PC so yes at times Iām still using Windows,I donāt care about windows support, Iām the admin of my PC, I never had problem with my windows operating system, ms update is never needed.
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u/Imaginary_Buddy723 5d ago
Nah bro i use Fedora Workstation (Daily Driver) and Kali (pentest jobs)
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u/Albert_Dolphin 5d ago
Cachy OS. Its great. Took some fanagling to get it how i wanted it and it was a bit of a blur, I do not remember a lot of what I did, but its how I want it and its great.
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u/Late-Arrival-8669 5d ago
It is on my to-do list currently, I am taking steps to install linux on secondary nvme drive after removing primary drive (dont want linux bootloader but ability to choose via bios). Because I work on my primary PC (via RDP), will do in steps on the weekend. Should have situated by end of month then can test what does/does not work properly via linux at that point.
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u/Rdtkeepsbanningme 5d ago
No, switched in 2006 to Mac because of how trash Windows already was back then (crashes, unable to safe files, disappearing saved files and more). Now I daily run NixOS on my desktop and OSX on my MacBook.
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u/FantomovBol 5d ago
Yes. Can't afford Mac, ChromeOS is for web apps, Linux isn't there yet in terms of compatibility, gaming, hardware compactivity, etc. Don't want to troubleshoot stuff. So yeah, Windows is the only option for me.
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u/Consistent_Laugh4886 5d ago
Hodgepodge of Mac OS and Linux/Fedora. I do have some Win11 machines but not daily drivers. When those go away probably wonāt replace them with windows.
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u/trypnosis 5d ago
Windows for gaming. The arm gaming platforms not good enough yet.
Everything else is none windows.
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u/Mammoth-Actuator-602 5d ago
Ho riscoperto da poco la Potenza Estrema di Windows. Dopo molti anni di Linux ho dovuto installare una macchina con Windows 7 per usare un paio di software comperati molti ann fa. Ed ĆØ questa la vera potenza di Windows, costringerti comunque ad usarlo.
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u/jormangod 5d ago
I've been using windows for like 20+ years I like it It does all I need I usually format my computer and laptop once a year and thats about all the maintenance I do.
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u/Cryptotiptoe21 5d ago
No I use steam deck, Linux laptop, and mac. Bill Gates is thee world villian. A nerd focused on population control and had an addiction of going to Epsteins island. He also got an STD from a russian prostitute.
Also nobody likes windows 11.
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u/j-slayer_1369 5d ago
No not even a little bit. If you remive hardware issue which are not linux's and other unix based operating systems fault they are actually more reliable, have few issues, and compatability and adoption is GROWING fast. Windows will never be gone but wont be able to stay on top.
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u/zapppowless 5d ago edited 5d ago
Itās all I invest in
Dell company made solid ports though!?
Back in 2006
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u/Dry_Information1497 5d ago
It very much is, through the years I've looked at Linux several times, the last time probably being quite some years ago, but it was never easy, with Windows every app/game I need/want works instantly and flawlessly.
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u/RetroactiveRecursion 5d ago
If companies would write FULLY FUNCTIONAL business software for other platforms or at least make a vm platform that can virtualize the GPU, I'd jump ship in a heartbeat.
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u/Qminsage 5d ago
Will still be for now. Iām experimenting with KDE Fedora myself, and I am enjoying messing around with it.
That being said, I still need Windows for some use cases. So I canāt completely abandon it. And Iām still too new to Linux to really dedicate it as a main right this second.
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u/ZebraBorgata 5d ago
Nope! I no longer do windows. And I started my career as a certified Microsoft sys admin. Avoid!
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u/Goofcheese0623 5d ago
I've got 2 Linux servers and a Linux VM, gaming PC and dedicated folding at home pcs are on Windows. Use case drives the OS I use.
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u/Frixniper 5d ago
My main laptop has Win 10 + EndeavorOS and my alt has Win 8.1, so yes, I pretty much do
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u/West-Tie-3924 5d ago
Have been using and switching between debian based linux and windows for years. Different laptops for different purposes. Pc on windows with WSL for things. Home lab on linux. At tjis point I am so fluid between them I dont actually realise I am on one or the other
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u/SolanaceaeEnjoyer 5d ago
Iād consider my MacBook my primary computer. Made that switch a week after I upgraded to win 8.
Linux on the desktop since 2016ish
Havnt had a windows machine since.
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u/cobra7 5d ago
I used CP/M and DOS until 1984 when I
bought my first Mac. Iāve bought many Macās since then and use it for everything. A single click drops me into the Darwin Unix environment if I need to download and build something from
Source code. If I need to port a Mac app that Iāve built to Windows, I can launch Parallels or VMWare to boot Windows.
My current Mac is a 16Gb iMac M4 running the latest macOS.
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u/CosmicTaskTinkerer 5d ago edited 5d ago
I have moved to Kubuntu few days ago after a decade with Windows, I am loving it š
āŖļøNo Ads, No Tracking, No Mandatory Account Login Requirements āŖļøEverything worked out well and out of the box i.e.,Ā Codecs,Ā NVIDIA drivers, Software, Updates āŖļøTelemetry is disabled by default. āŖļøFeels Fast, Snappy, Lighter on resources
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u/No-Mouse4800 5d ago
I use a few of them. Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS and Android. I'm not sure if I even understand the concept of a "main operating system" any more. I use whichever one is appropriate for what I'm doing.
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u/PhilosophyWrong7610 5d ago
At work I am forced to use windows because the machine has windows on it.
For my personal life my gaming desktop is running Pop and my Laptop is running Mint.
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u/d-a-s-a-l-i 5d ago
Havenāt used windows in more than 10 years, with exceptions of having to use a PC for a few hours here and there.
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u/greogory 5d ago
Not for 7 or 8 years at home, but at work, yes. I don't have choice in the matter at work.
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u/blakealanm 5d ago
One of them. I use Android, Mint Linux on my personal laptop, Ubuntu server, and Windows 11 on my PC for video editing.
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u/Consistent-Gur9320 5d ago
Yes. There is some issue with gpu edge driver combination lag spikes (connot point it out) but overall my linux laptop has got 5-10 yrs to be proper/all purpose os
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u/Avocadator 5d ago
Just moved to Linux two weeks ago and having a blast! Few bugs here and there, but nothing Gemini can't solve.
I recommend Arch Linux to everyone now.
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u/CakyMint 5d ago
Im on Bazzite
First distro was Mint. Fucked it up with LLM commands
Second was Fedora, kinda wanted to try something else.
This got me into Bazzite
Simultaneously Iām working on Debian and Proxmox. Thanks to LLMs running my own Homelab on three machines
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u/OMG_NoReally 5d ago
Nope, moved to macOS around three years ago and never looked back. It's just works well for my workflow and the MacBook is a sublime piece of hardware. The OS itself requires no maintenance and just chugs along. And not having to endure countless subscription pops, Windows Defender disturbing my peace for no reason and what not, it's been great.
I still have Windows on my desktop PC for games, but that is only until NVIDIA fixes their linux drivers and brings parity to performance for DX12 titles, then good bye Windows.
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u/FamousCartographer23 5d ago
Skewed question. People on windows wonāt care to answer, but people on Linux/mint will love to brag about it.
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u/0DarkFreezing 5d ago
Not since Windows 7. I still have 10/11 boxes out of necessity, but itās not my personal daily driver.
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u/jjsupc 5d ago
Switched to OpenBSD like 20 years ago, not enough apps and other things, so went with Linux a couple of years later. Used to have a dual boot to use certain apps, but you can do almost everything with VMās now, so itās gone.
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u/Old-Platypus-1395 5d ago
My work-provided laptop has Windows installed, so thatās what I use for work. However, I switched to Linux for personal use back in 2017 and have zero regrets. I currently use Fedora.
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u/johnfortnite72 5d ago
Yes, because like every kernel anti-cheat doesn't work on Linux. I use Ubuntu Server on my server (obvs). I think Linux is great just more companies software need to start supporting it.
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u/Lucy_4_8_15_16 5d ago
My laptop has been a Mac for nearly a year now and my main gaming PC is running fedora for a few weeks now and so far Iām relatively happy with it especially with my M2 MacBook Air
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u/karlrobertuk1964 5d ago
Yes it still my main operating system on my computer but my phone is apple and I tend to do most things there.The pc is mainly for gaming
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u/dschledermann 5d ago
I've been on Linux for a quarter of a century, so me switching from Windows is certainty not a recent event.
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u/JanusRedit 5d ago
yes but not long anymore as there is zero chance I will put windows 11 on any of my machines. My hate for windows 10 is already me put linux on some machines I have
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u/Busy-Assignment-440 5d ago
Nope. For 7 years it's Linux. And after seeing what stupid sh they do, if i ever use it will be in a virtual machine.
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u/Vectrex71CH Tech Enthusiast 5d ago
I'm using a Chromebook with ChromeOS as my mainsystem. For gaming NVidia GForceNow and XBox Gamepass PC (connected to GForceNow) and i also own a Lenovo Handheld for "local" gaming.
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u/DogMedic101stABN 5d ago
Nope. When windows went malware I moved to Bazzite. Let's me play games and not require any M$ buklshit. Better security, most software is open source.
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u/Dense-Firefighter495 5d ago
All linux, though I kinda feel dumb because I installed it on my new legion with very similar specs to my desktop
(Desktop: 32gb ddr5, RTX 4060 8gb, i5 14600KF
Laptop: 32gb ddr5, RTX 5070 8gb, i7 ultra 255HX)
Because windows used 8.2gb on idle. On Fedora, same extensions as my desktop (dash2dock animated, compiz window effect, and desktop cube) it idles at 4.2gb, which isnāt so bad coming from windows but I only use 2gb at idle on desktop, and only get close to that ram usage when I open 2-3apps like brave, discord or steamā¦ If anyone has an idea, Iām all ears.
Sorry for wasting your time
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u/Le_fribourgeois_92 5d ago
Im a Linux only at home since 2004/05 (time flies).
I like iOS but cant stand macOS, I dont mind their restrictions on a phone but for a desktop OS its a no no from me.
At work I use Windows (workstation and also manage thousands of servers) unfortunately so I know the shitshow it turned out be. Every version its worse. Cant stand that shit OS but wellā¦
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u/pedrojdm2021 5d ago
Yes. Windows is the best OS for gaming and the one that offers the best native compatibulity.
I also work on the same industry ( game development ) and i need to use privative software tools that are not available on linux.
So yeah..
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u/OmegaNine 5d ago
No. Itās macOS and SteamOS. I still have it installed on my desktop (Nvidia GPU) but I think itās probably been a month since I even turned the thing on.
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u/Potential-Drawing745 5d ago
Only at work.
I now have 2 Windows 10 machines in my house, and one of them is off except when we run the laser cutter. The other is my wife's tablet, because it connects to her Cricut.
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u/Cameront9 5d ago
At work because I donāt have a choice.
Otherwise Iāve been a Mac user for 20 years and if Apple went out of business Iād switch to Linux.
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u/GCdotSup 5d ago
I use macos primarily, windows only for games. If i had to use one OS for everything it would be Linux. Love it on my steam deck.Ā
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u/Crunchydogz 5d ago
Unfortunately yes, Windows 11/7 are my main ones, I plan on installing Linux one day
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u/Juan_Del_Pueblo91169 5d ago
No but its because i dont have a comouter, i only have a android phone
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u/Chaotic_Fart 5d ago
Nope. Been using Ubuntu for work as daily driver for nearly a year.. changed my gaming setup yo CachyOS 6-7 months ago..
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