Call this "part 2" or just the “I-send-this-when-someone-says-Windows-is-fine-for-devs” edition. Old long post is here.
Easy shots
- Corpo bloat: macOS & Linux handle corporate bloat gracefully. Windows somehow manages to fight itself into lags
- Builds: Same hardware. Same IDE. Same IntelliJ version. Same Java version. Same corporate junk (Defender, Edge, compliance agents). Same project. Linux build times were almost 2× faster than Windows. That's not an "illusive feeling" - that's a clear measurable difference
- Apple: M-series chips feels like witchcraft. Absurdly good
- Battery: 3–4 h on a Windows 11 “ultra” laptop vs a full day (or more) on MacBook
- Responsiveness: Linux & macOS stay smooth; Windows lags through context switches and UI animations
- Tools: most modern dev stacks are Linux-native. On Windows, you end up using WSL. Basically Linux inside Windows
- WSL: if you need to emulate Linux just to get work done… maybe just use Linux?
- Recent updates: Windows 11 managed to break localhost, disable recovery tools, and lock out USB input in its own recovery mode. Fun! 🤡
- PowerShell vs Bash: nice try, but GNU tools are still superior
- Privacy: No comment needed 😶
- Price: Generous-spec MacBook costs +/- same as the balls-to-the-wall Dell you can buy. Or, you know, install Linux on it...
I have many, many other points, about resources management, but the objectively fell more like nitpicks and opinions rather than objective truth.
I tried to like it. I really did. I spent a year with it at work. But with the new MS direction there's nothing left to like...
- If your OS update can break localhost, you’re fighting your toolchain rather than developing
- On Linux/macOS you don’t get this same level of OS-layer sabotage (especially when you control your stack)
- For dev machines, you want predictability and speed, not "surprise update broke my workspace" before the deployment day
macOS = polished + when you need corpo software (looking at you, Citrix).
Linux = total control of your workflows.
Windows 11 = a 25-year-old car with a tablet duct-taped to the dash and a dashboard light that says "Restart Required" and new update just makes steering wheel disappear.
Can you work on Windows 11? Yes. But why would you do that to yourself? Who hurt you?
I still stand with my opinion: Windows 11 is ClownOS, MacOS (in combo with M chips) is better; and Linux can be whatever you want it to be.
