Windows is the world’s operating system. It runs on over a billion devices, powering everything from office laptops to the computers in nuclear power plants, and yet there’s at least one person on every IT team who swears they’d rather switch to Linux.
But come on. Windows is like Deutsche Bahn: Everyone complains, but no one has a real alternative.
Why Windows is (despite everything) the most used OS
Microsoft doesn’t make sexy products. They make products that survive.
Windows isn’t everywhere because it’s perfect—it’s because it’s indestructible.
1. Legacy Support: Windows runs on everything – forever
Do you know what you can do on a 20-year-old Mac? Exactly, use it as a doorstop.
Do you know what you can do on a 20-year-old Windows machine? Probably still running your accounting software from 2002.
Microsoft understands that businesses don’t like to change things. If you have a hospital that needs a Windows XP machine to run a device from 1998, Microsoft won’t say, “Well, tough luck.” No—they’ll just offer an expensive enterprise support contract and keep you on the hook for another ten years.
2. Windows is there for everyone – whether you like it or not
MacOS? Works on exactly three devices, which Apple deprecates every two years.
Linux? Fantastic—if you can manage to install Wi-Fi drivers without sacrificing your weekend.
Windows, on the other hand, runs on all sorts of devices. Companies buy mass quantities of cheap Dell laptops, workstations, servers—all running Windows. Even your grandpa can pull an old laptop out of the basement and work with Windows without opening a terminal.
3. Gamers have no choice
Do you want to build a gaming PC? Then you’re using Windows.
Yes, Steam has a Linux mode. Yes, Proton exists. But at the end of the day, Windows has DirectX, and most game developers don’t even think about optimizing a game for Linux.
4. Companies love control – and Microsoft gives it to them
Windows isn’t just an operating system. It’s a religion for IT administrators.
With Group Policy, Active Directory, Intune, and other tools, corporate IT can control every aspect of your machine. Want to install Google Chrome? Not without admin rights. Want to change your desktop wallpaper? Nope—that’s locked in the corporate image.
And if you think you can control your own Windows Update—don’t worry, Microsoft does it for you.
Why Windows still drives you crazy on a regular basis
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Microsoft product if it didn’t have some incredibly annoying quirks.
1. Updates, die dir in den Rücken fallen
Every Windows user knows this:
- You’re giving an important presentation, open your laptop… and Windows decides that NOW is the perfect moment for an update.
- You restart the computer – it takes forever because “Updates are being configured.”
- Then you finally get to the desktop – and your sound driver has decided to stop working.
Windows updates are a lottery where you’re always hoping for the wrong ticket.
2. The Control Panel is an archaeological excavation
Imagine you work at Microsoft and someone asks you:
“Hey, where can I set the default printer?”
Now you have three options:
- The new Windows 11 Settings app (modern, but incomplete).
- The old Control Panel (a relic from Windows 7 that’s somehow still there).
- The command line, because you gave up.
For 10 years, Microsoft hasn’t been able to decide whether to get rid of the old Control Panel, so they just let both exist.
Endless bloatware
You’re installing Windows on a new PC. What do you expect?
- A sleek, modern OS that boots quickly?
- Or an operating system that comes pre-installed with Candy Crush, Xbox apps, and three different news feeds?
Exactly.
Windows comes with so much unnecessary stuff that your first step after installation is always a “debloat script” from GitHub.
Conclusion: Windows remains the operating system we cannot get rid of
Windows isn’t perfect. It’s not even particularly good.
But it’s too convenient not to use.
Microsoft understands what businesses need: control, compatibility, and the courage to keep ancient software running forever.
As long as Apple focuses on lifestyle products and Linux remains an insider’s secret, Windows will continue to rule the world—with or without Candy Crush.
OS – Windows – Tech