u/OldMan_Joey

So today I decided to use Windows 11 because I saw the hate towards it.

Yup, it's always "Telemetry, Copilot, Updates" and blah blah blah.

So after using Linux (with temporary Windows 10 jumps due to gaming exhaustion) for 5 years, I think it's time to try out Windows 11.

Installation: Installation was similar to Windows 10 so I said "good, this process will go out smooth.", then here comes setting up the actual OS. What happened? Setting up the OS wanted an internet connection and a Microsoft account. I was like: "...What the fu-" yeah I just tossed an "OOBE\BYPASSNRO" trick into the cmd and then it rebooted to greet me with setting it up this time with an option to do it without internet connection and so I could create a local account. This is definitely nothing like Windows 10 at all. Windows 10 was simple to set up, Windows 11 is definitely NOT simple.

System: Once it booted up, it wasn't that confusing. But it felt really different compared to Windows 10 or KDE Plasma on Linux. By default, all icons were at the center. I honestly love when the programs are in the center and the start icon is at the left corner. But this? This was a bit confusing but hey, okay, I managed to at least push everything to the left side like how I was used to back from Windows 10 (the start menu is ugly though, not a fan of it).

Tweaks: Since Telemetry was a real thing, I decided to "debloat" the operating system. (Win11Debloat, O&O ShutUp10 and Chris Titus Tech's Windows Utility was used) After that my RAM usage lowered, Advertisements now weren't a thing and AI features were gone so I was happy.

WSL: One thing I didn't expect from Microsoft was WSL, that means I can technically still use Linux. This one surprised me cuz I chose a distro I wanted (arch btw), and I was able to use the terminal without any issues. I also was able to use Linux software right on Windows. So this, surprised me a lot.

Gaming: Obviously, gaming is flawless. I don't need to worry about if the game's anti-cheat will work or not and I don't need to worry about which Proton version to choose. I was happy cuz now I can finally play games such as Battlefield 6, Destiny 2, Delta Force, and many more. Even emulation works better. (PCSX2 finally doesn't cause stutters, Bluestacks works better than Waydroid etc.)

Conclusion: I got mixed feelings for current Windows, but it's not completely a bad system as many people say though. Only what I'd cut out are AI features and Telemetry. If Microsoft made proper Privacy settings (if you don't want us to steal your data, we won't steal your data) and made AI features completely optional, I think it would be a decent OS. I'm at least happy that there's a way to debloat and optimize the system otherwise I would consider this system BAD right away, and I'm also happy about WSL being a thing. (not sure if Win10 had WSL too, I think it did but I never got into that unfortunately)

(rather not posting this to the linux subreddit cuz i bet that my ass would get kicked for saying that windows is not entirely as bad as many people say)