For most of my life, I’ve used an operating system other than Windows. I’m no fan of Microsoft’s platform, but there is one thing it does better than anyone else.
Apps Work on Windows for a Really Long Time
Back before most new software appeared on the web, it was written for Windows. And even though most software can be run directly in a web browser, those that can’t still target Windows first (at least on desktop PCs). Here’s the thing—once those apps are created for Windows, they will work for a really long time.
It’s how long these apps last, even more than the number of apps released, that I most envy about Windows. You can try to run a PC game you bought in the 90s and there’s a non-zero chance it might still work.
This may seem a small thing, but you don’t fully appreciate what you’ve got until you have to do without it.
Microsoft Prioritizes Not Breaking Apps
Many businesses run on ancient software that no longer receives updates. They don’t consider switching operating systems even when they’re aware another option exists, because it would completely upset their workflow. Microsoft knows this about its customers. As a result, more than any of its competitors, the company prioritizes not making changes that break other apps.
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That’s not to say that new Windows updates never break software. It does happen, with people using that as a reason not to update to a newer version of Windows (and oh boy, are there many other reasons to justify this decision). Such software breakage is inevitable, but when Microsoft wants to experiment with a change that it knows will break all the things, it tends to ship them as an alternate version of Windows, like Windows RT back in the day or Windows on ARM today. This contrasts with Apple, who is prone to making unilateral changes and telling third-party developers to get on board.
As much as it irks me that you’re only ever a few clicks away from stumbling into an ancient part of Windows that hasn’t changed in a decade, the stability of Microsoft’s platform is a big reason that a storefront like Steam can offer the staying power that it does.
This Is Not the Case on Linux
Linux may power most of the internet, but only a small minority of people use Linux on the desktop. For a long time, I was one of them. While I actually preferred many of the Linux apps I used over the Windows software I had left behind, there was always at least one program that I wished would come to Linux.
But as time went on and new versions of Linux came out at a predictable cadence, existing Linux apps would stop working. Linux underwent changes that would often improve or revitalize things is the background, rolling out components Linux users know by name like systemd and Wayland that require developers to update their apps. Some never do.
At first, I fully believed the promise that open source software never dies. But for less popular programs that no one wants to maintain, once the most recent release starts to break, it might as well be dead, even if the source code still exists in a sarcophagus somewhere.
Smartphones and Tablets Are Even Worse
I now do all of my computing on my phone, a foldable Galaxy Z Fold 6. I love desktop modes like Samsung DeX, but I currently use them as a fallback. I’m writing this first draft by hand in Samsung Notes. I’ll then tap a Galaxy AI button to convert my handwriting to text using on-device processing.
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I’ve tried many writing apps over the years. Some, like iA Writer, have disappeared from the Play Store. Even those that stayed have had their functionality changed. JotterPad used to save all files in a folder easily accessible outside of the app (great for backing up files to external storage or having control of your data in general). Now, due to Google security requirements for apps integrated with Google Drive, JotterPad’s locally saved files are now tucked away somewhere inaccessible.
Mobile games are perhaps the most frustrating. It’s bad enough seeing how many games come to iPhones but not Android. It’s worse to see how many games did come to Android but no larger run on newer phones, like Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles or mobile classics like the original Shadowgun. An app can be popular today and will be no longer available in just a few short years.
I haven’t switched back to using Windows after all these years, and I have no plans to (except maybe on an Xbox gaming handheld one day). But as I enjoy embracing newer forms of computing, I do look at this one aspect of Windows with a glint of jealousy in my eyes.
