Going to say something that might sound a little crazy, and please trust and allow it the kind of nuance of someone who has been in IT and specifically software for 20 years before considering commenting:
It's truly a shame that Microsoft is an evil company and they have ruined the sentiment of Windows nigh-on permanently for most people, because if not for the things that obviously make it horrible - Secure Boot/TPM requirements, constant 24/7 stream of genAI garbage, dark patterns on version updates and the NUE, garbage UI decisions, etc - all the things that clearly come from executive desks and not the masses, from a power user standpoint, Windows 11 is the best that Windows has ever been.
Things like massive PowerShell advancements, WinGet being an incredible package manager, MSIX packages being a great end user and developer release option, better access to shell replacements and DWM hooking versus its predecessors, better versioning and web fetch for drivers, better DISM/PXE boot/imaging options, some built in easy toggles for things like HAGS and flip presentation model, PowerToys being a killer app, etc. etc.
Just like any tech company absolutely trampled by capital, I feel so bad for any developers there that clearly love what they're making and want to make an operating system that they would enjoy using and then having to deal with this shitstorm of AI and forced vibe coding minimums and all this hot garbage.
And like, even IN some magical fairy land where tech sector bubbles pop and these omni-companies realize they have to have ethics in order for people to support their product, the damage has been done for Windows' reputation so much that none of that love and work will ever be seen or cared about.
This is not me glazing Microsoft in any shape or form; Microsoft as we know it needs to fall. This is just another instance of a disgruntled former IT careerist lamenting the dreams of people who want to make better software, even large-scale software, and being taken advantage of by megacorps.
I should also add: If you are in a situation where you are forced to use Windows 11 and can't stand it, and want to get the most out of it despite the hellscape that MS makes you navigate through, my DMs on Bluesky are open and I'm happy to help with any questions or share any workflows to make your experience a little better, like disabling AI everywhere, advanced customization, package management, PowerShell tricks, etc.
