2025 was a disaster for Windows 11

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Declining quality and testing

  • Several comments trace Windows 11’s instability to process changes: QA was gutted, testing moved into engineering, and release dates trump “exhaustive test.”
  • Older Windows bugs were seen as edge cases; recent ones feel “incomprehensible” and more like alpha‑quality on Home, beta‑quality on Pro.
  • Kernel stability is praised; the user environment (Explorer, shell, Start/search) is considered the buggiest it has ever been.

UX, enshittification, ads, and AI integration

  • Strong sentiment that Windows 11 prioritizes ads, telemetry, AI (Copilot, Recall, “AI in every crevice”) over reliability and user control.
  • People resent being both “paying customer and product,” with Start menu ads, OneDrive nags, forced Edge links, and Copilot buttons even in Notepad.
  • Some note Windows Server as ironically a better desktop because it lacks consumer adware.

Sluggish UI and confusing redesigns

  • Start menu, search, and Explorer seen as slow and brittle; many rely on third‑party replacements (Everything, Start11, Open-Shell, ExplorerPatcher, FilePilot).
  • The new right‑click menu in Explorer is a focal point: slow to appear, split between a new and “More options” legacy menu, hiding common actions, and inconsistent.
  • Settings vs Control Panel duplication is used as an example of a half‑finished migration that’s persisted for years.

Bugs and destructive updates

  • Cited examples include updates that halve GPU performance, brick SSDs, or cause instability on certain motherboards/iGPUs.
  • Users complain about undocumented feature toggles appearing long after an update was installed and updates re‑enabling previously removed bloat.

AI and corporate strategy

  • Many see the AI push as a “drug for C‑suites” and a symptom of corporate rot: leadership chases AI narratives for shareholders, not OS quality.
  • Some tie Windows 11’s decline to Microsoft’s desire to funnel users into higher‑margin cloud and AI products, not to legacy compatibility constraints alone.

Comparisons with macOS, Linux, and gaming

  • macOS is described as also declining (bugs, ads for services), but still less bad than Windows 11.
  • Linux is repeatedly framed as “good enough now,” especially with Steam/Proton and WINE; several report successful migrations for themselves and non‑technical relatives.
  • Nvidia is discussed as pivoting to AI, with gaming GPUs seen as more expensive and less consumer‑friendly, reinforcing a sense that PC enthusiasts are being de‑prioritized.

Diverging user experiences

  • A minority report Windows 11 as “fine” after debloating or careful setup (often Pro, local accounts, scripts), with no major issues.
  • Others argue this itself is a red flag: an OS that requires registry hacks, scripts, and constant vigilance to remain tolerable has already failed most users.