Where should I even start, I’m disappointed…really disappointed. When I tried Windows 11 in a virtual machine it looked like it could be the next Windows XP or Windows 7. Instead it turned out that you can’t really get Windows 11 to run, even on fairly modern machines. This brings a lot of problems with it I’ll discuss in this article.
The e-waste problem
E-waste has been troubling us for decades now since technology existed. When computers were new nobody was thinking about potential environmentally dangerous things that’s inside of any computer. Windows computers were never built to last, because with each release Microsoft is putting the bar one higher on the system requirements. Surely any computer that’s modern could run Windows 11 perfectly fine, but the biggest issue is that Microsoft is deliberately whitelisting a very tiny fraction of computer parts out there. This doesn’t only make consumers want to buy a new PC, but also produces a lot of e-waste, because you’re throwing away your whole computer fleet for an operating system that would technically be supported on those computers you have thrown away. I could have also made the argument, that packaging the Windows operating system also produces some amount of waste, but Microsoft kind of learned that people could download ISOs off the internet and flash them onto USB sticks they already own. The problem is that Microsoft just went one step backwards with Windows 11 by removing a way to download ISO files and either forcing people to buy a boxed version or a PC preloaded with Windows 11. If you care about not being burned to death by dragging summer heats (and climate change is real) then I’d recommend that your next PC should run Linux instead, because for this you won’t need an entirely new computer.
DRM and more
In general I have nothing against people excercising their right to not have their works stolen, but in the case of Microsoft it’s a completely different story. Actively hindering people to customize, refine or otherwise make the experience better is a crime against humanity. What do I mean specifically? This means that Windows 11 really tries to first make secure boot mandantory. We may not know if there will be machines locked only to run Windows, but this is against any defintion of what a computer should be. Users should have the freedom to run any program they wish on a computer, this especially includes operating systems. Also Microsoft is actively encouraging people into buying more shitty DRM services like the Adobe Creative Cloud right through their DRM-infested store front, the Microsoft Store. There is no more such disgusting thing than putting hurdles in place for something people invested real money in.
Are you even trying?
Now we just talked about the technical aspects (or at least the glimpse of what I could get what Windows 11 will look like), but what about the general polish of the OS? I mean, yes, it’s Windows after all and Microsoft wasn’t so good with designing any user interface in their entiry history of their existance, but let’s take a look. I must say, that the whole design looks dated after staring at it for about a week or so. Don’t get me wrong, there are even people trying to switch out their Macs for that design, but I am not really a fan of it anymore. I just don’t get it, this looks exactly like KDE Plasma 5 and they even use the same wording in their ads! Microsoft seems to not have it done right another time. Just no.
Conclusions
Windows 11 will still be the bloated mess that everyone knows and loves since decades. Nothing special has been added to Windows 11 what we Linux users already had in the 90s. This is a really disappointing OS and I hope Microsoft just gives up on Windows entirely. It’s on life support, embrace it!
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