Windows 11's Patch Tuesday nightmare gets worse

Role of Windows in Microsoft’s Strategy

• Debate over whether Windows is still a “main product” vs just a delivery platform for subscriptions (M365, OneDrive, Azure, Intune, etc.).
• Several argue Windows remains the moat: without it, Office/AD/Exchange/Teams and cloud management offerings lose a key advantage.
• Others counter that Windows now contributes a relatively small share of revenue, explaining neglect and focus on higher-margin services.

Monopoly, Switching Costs, and Competition

• Many claim Microsoft can ship low-quality updates because business switching costs (AD, legacy apps, training) are huge.
• Counterpoint: competition is stronger than a decade ago (Apple share, Linux preinstalls, Steam Deck, browser-centric workflows), and switching costs are falling as more work moves to the web.
• Some see governments/companies periodically exploring Linux, though reversals (e.g., Munich) are cited.

Quality, QA, and Organizational Culture

• Widespread belief that cutting dedicated QA (and relying on devs + telemetry) is central to recurring catastrophic updates.
• Mention of past major breakages (boot loops, BSODs) to argue this is a long-running pattern, not just a recent regression.
• Discussion of historic Dev:QA ratios (often ~1:1 or even 1:2 QA-heavy) and the importance of manual, device-coverage-heavy testing for an ecosystem as large as Windows.
• Some frame this as a broader “MBA-led, short-term profit, cut-costs” culture shift, similar to other large corporations.

AI, “Vibe Coding,” and Productivity Claims

• Many sarcastically connect the update failures to aggressive internal AI mandates and Copilot promotion, dubbing current practice “vibe coding.”
• Skepticism that LLM-assisted coding has delivered real 10x productivity: if it had, visible quality and velocity should be higher, not worse.
• Others argue LLMs mainly amplify existing skill (help good devs a bit, make low-skill output harder to debug) and that root problems precede AI.

User Experiences and OneDrive/Update Pain

• Multiple anecdotes of systems rendered unbootable (e.g., inaccessible boot device, Win11 VM unable to roll back, new ARM machine DOA).
• Repeated complaints about Windows–OneDrive integration: slow Explorer, deleted files, broken app data, inability to move Desktop out of OneDrive.
• Some users report never seeing such issues, suggesting hardware/software combinations and update paths matter heavily.

Auto-Updates, Trust, and Security

• Strong resentment of forced updates that can brick machines; calls to treat Windows updates like a “virus” and disable them via group policy.
• Others warn that not patching creates security risk and can make unpatched users a threat to others (malware hosts).
• Several note that every high-profile failure erodes trust and pushes more people to completely disable updates.

Windows 11 Itself: Best Yet or Buggier 10?

• A minority calls Windows 11 the best OS they’ve used (especially on ARM: standby, docking, multitasking improvements, PowerToys, Excel).
• Majority sentiment in the thread is negative: reports of Explorer regressions, UX annoyances (taskbar/start changes), random inoperable states, and more friction than Windows 10.
• Some have rolled back to Windows 10 (often LTSC) or moved to Linux, citing greatly reduced frustration.

Proposed Remedies and Testing Expectations

• Suggestions: return to slower, service-pack-style releases and longer version cycles; stop bundling features into security updates.
• Expectation that Microsoft should use massive VM matrices plus limited real-hardware coverage and ultra-gradual rollouts (tiny initial cohorts, close monitoring).
• Concern that, absent a serious reset of quality priorities, Windows will continue “death by a thousand cuts,” even if monopoly momentum keeps it dominant for years.