I’ll admit it; I’m a Windows fan. You may not be able to tell given how curmudgeonly I can get whenever Microsoft gets something wrong, but I’ve been using Windows ever since I was a kid. I’ve never even used a macOS device, let alone owned one.
But still, just because I’m a long-term fan doesn’t mean that I don’t have my grievances. In fact, because I’ve used Windows for decades now, I do sometimes get nostalgic for the editions of yore compared to what we have today. So, here are some of the ways Windows has gotten worse over the years.
5
It’s less fun-loving
It’s colder as a result of growth
In the 90s-00s, Windows had a lot more fun to it. You had Clippy, the digital assistant, lots of games that came with the system pre-installed, and some nice sound themes and wallpapers to set your PC to.
Of course, that was back in the day when Windows wasn’t as dominant of a powerhouse as it is today. Now, companies all over the world rely on Windows to do their jobs, and as such, Microsoft has slowly stripped away the fun games and the novel additions to make it something suitable for both personal and business use. And I get it, but I also miss it.
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4
Microsoft hates local accounts
It’s a Microsoft account or bust
Hey, remember local accounts? If you’re not sure what they are, they’re a special kind of account that only “lives” on the computer. You could make as many as Windows allowed without needing to sign up for any online-enabled service or manage an account on your browser.
Microsoft used to allow you to make these hassle-free; in fact, before the internet became as essential as it is now, it was your only option. Eventually, when Microsoft accounts became a thing, the company let you sign into Windows with either a local account or a new shiny Microsoft one.
The thing is, there’s a lot more data collection Microsoft can do with an online account than one that only exists on your PC. As such, it has slowly been removing ways for people to sign in with a local account and locking them into Microsoft-only accounts. People have still found ways, but things are looking grim.
It’s still pretty bad on Windows 11
The weird thing about the Windows 11 Start menu is that it’s not usually one of Microsoft’s weaker spots. Past Windows versions have had pretty solid Start menus (okay, maybe that one tiled version from Windows 8 wasn’t great, but at least Microsoft reversed that). And then Windows 11’s Start menu came along and it was kind of bad. And then years later, Windows 11’s Start menu still isn’t the best.
Even the Taskbar has seemingly regressed. Windows 10 lets you place it on any side of the screen you like, but Windows 11 is very stingy with its options. The worst part is that I’m not entirely sure why Microsoft continues to limit choices like this. It feels like a pretty arbitrary thing to consciously leave out of Windows 11.
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2
Microsoft Edge is a little too clingy
Let me use the browser I prefer
I remember when the Start menu got its web search feature. It was cool to imagine that I didn’t have to fire up a browser and open Google every time I wanted to look for something. I opened the Start menu, performed a web search, and Edge opened. I closed Edge, looked for a way to change the default system browser to Chrome, discovered that I couldn’t, and never used the feature ever again (at least, intentionally).
At some point, Microsoft got mad that people were swapping away from Edge and forced Windows to use its own browser by default without any way to change it. It’s a move that only worsened my opinion of Edge and made me more adamant not to use it.
1
The ads need to go
Definitely the worst part of modern-day Windows
Okay, who saw this coming? Everyone? Excellent. Yes, taking that number one spot is the deluge of ads we’ve seen in Windows 11, and even some retroactively added to Windows 10. They’re a relatively new addition, and I really, really dislike them. I sometimes get little Xbox pop-ups telling me about games, and I really don’t like them. Definitely the worst thing Microsoft did to Windows in recent years.
When one window opens, another one closes
Windows has had some excellent additions over recent years, but there have also been some bad ones. And while I have personal grievances with all of the above, you can bet that Microsoft will have me in its pocket for years to come.
#ways #Windows #worse #years
source: https://www.xda-developers.com/windows-gotten-worse-recent-years/
