What are your reasons for staying on Windows?

[zeke009]

I've yet to run it to a reason to make me dump Windows. When they give me a good reason, I'll move on. Until then, I'm more than happy with Windows 8.

[TruckWEB]

I run Windows 7 and OS X. So the question would be, why I'm not using one of the many flavors of Linux? Because both Win and OSX are complete, they work and do everything that I want. Everybody is pushing software for Win or OSX, but not so much on Linux, and most of the time, it's incomplete.

[DavidM]

So, for everyone who said they only stayed on Windows for gaming, if you were to one day stop gaming, would you still stay on Windows?

I haven't said it yet, but gaming and ease of use. I've used Slackware, Mandrake/Mandriva, Fedora, K - X - and U - buntu, and none of them were as easy to use and worked as well as Windows - even after all the tweaking that needs to be done. Because there was ALWAYS something that didn't work quite right.

If I were to stop gaming? Since Windows is basically free (comes installed and working) and almost completely hassle free, I wouldn't have a reason to change, so I guess not. IF, we got into a discussion of W8 and Microsofts desire to ruin the desktop, I then might have a reason to build my own Linux distro just so I don't have to put up with these vendors and their "stores" and their tablet UIs. I'm a desktop/laptop user - no tablet, no smartphone - no need for their UIs cluttering up my tried and true desktop. Heck, I can even make and place ****ty shortcuts all over my desktop that look like "live tiles"... but NO!

[123456789A]

Excel (the real version)

Efficiency

Games

Interface customization

Hardware support, being able to build my own system

Saves money

Saves time

Makes me money (business user)

Adobe doesn't crash when trying to save files

I thought the PC guy on the Mac commercials was more like me

[M4nB3arP1g]

I game thats basically the only reason I stay with windows. If I didn't PC game I would most likely be using OSX.

[Hum]

I see and how does that make you feel?

I'm just biding my time until I've written Hum OS 1.0 :shifty:

[Farchord]

Compatibility and Games. Though, truthfully, if there were more games in Linux or in OSX I might actually find a way to leave Windows.

[Detection]

Been using MS OSs since DOS, I know Windows very well, when something goes wrong I usually already have the solution in my head, Other OSs I have to spend hours searching for a fix

Brain is faster than Google ;)

[thealexweb]

All the games I've come to be used to playing are on Windows, that and I can't afford a Macbook. I can see me moving to Mac eventually though and having Windows on it for when its needed.

[Stoffel]

Force of habit I guess, I've been using MS stuff since MS-DOS 3.0 and moved along every other version.

So by now I know my way around it.

I tried a Mac from friends but OSX just feels strange to me. I don't like it.

[Phouchg]

* Force of habit and experience

The first and the hardest part in adopting whatever other OS would be unlearning Windows. But then what - being a total noob once again, breaking it twice a day, not being able to solve my own problems at all? Aaargh... I loathe the very idea of going back to that!

* Gaming (AAA titles at that)

Which, of course, is a valid reason only for certain alternatives and not others.

* No free (as in cheese) alternatives

If we stretch the concept, Windows kind of is free for me because of Dreamspark. About on the same level as bundled OS X or largely corporate-sponsored Linux kernel.

* Mobile OS suck

Plain and simple. I'd rather use a CLI-only OS for the rest of my life than suffice with any of those misdesigned, incomplete retard turds.

* Not caring for the other meaning of free (as in diarrhea) aspect in the slightest

This idealistic hipster evangelist subculture does not impress me. In fact, it annoys heavily at times.

[greenwizard88]

Why would I want to use OS X? It's a good OS, but limited by overpriced hardware and (not very well) supported by a crappy company.

Unless you mean Linux, which is a horror to run on anything that isn't exactly standard issue hardware. I'd like to give Android a shot, but even the SIII has a few issues that bug me.

[mrp04]

It's the world standard, it works great, and everything is available on it. Why would I switch to a less supported more obscure OS?

[SinghKing]

CS6 :)

[WAQT]

There is really no real alternate to Windows out there, OSX, Linux are very limited with what can be done on them, or the software's, Windows on the other hand is global, tons of software's and customization's and does what I need it for.

[Chicane-UK Veteran]

Honestly I've had enough with Windows and would quite gladly change. The problem as is for many people compatability with certain applications I use, and of course the perrenial favourite, games.

If Apple made a well priced Macintosh that ticked all the boxes for me, I'd probably switch tomorrow - and just use OSX for everything and boot into Windows for some games. But as it is Mac hardware is too expensive and purely out of principal I refuse to spend the money on it.

I'm leaning very much towards building a Hackintosh in the New Year so I can use the hardware I want, and use MacOS 10.6.

Linux I want to like but continue to find it too frustrating and simply unattractive to use.

[Dot Matrix]

Because Microsoft has a complete eco system.

[pepsihabbit]

Because windows works well. These troll threads are getting old.

[theyarecomingforyou]

I own thousands of pounds worth of software, mostly games, which only run on Windows. I also have many devices that rely on drivers that run only on Windows or Mac, which rules out Linux as a viable alternative. Also, I find Windows to be a much more compelling platform than OSX or Linux, so even if I didn't have a financial incentive to stay with Windows I still would because of the user experience.

[deadonthefloor]

I like it because it's not *Nix.

I don't like man pages and forums full of elitists who insist I'm dumb for not getting it.

Windows MVPs across the web are by and large much nicer to work with and help people.

As a professional software developer I like the reach I get using the .NET framework.

*Nixes are mechano sets. OSX is just mechano with a different skin.

WIndows is Lego.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Application availability and the high entry cost to the OS X ecosystem.

[Ethere]

As others have stated, I use Windows because it does work well, and I know the ins and outs of the OS. Games just work. I know WINE is a work around for some games, but I don't want have to go through that hassle. I'm perfectly content in running Windows 7.

[Jimmy422]

Program compatibility - if I want almost any kind of program I can google it, install it, and be done with it. None of the apt-get, repository, command line bull like with *nix, just click and run.

Games - that's a given.

Ease of use - There's no click-and-hold to open a menu or any of the complicated stuff like Mac OS - everything just works. Aside from Windows 8, everything's been pretty much the same since Windows 95.

Speed & Design - Windows doesn't feel clunky and bloated like the gaudiness of Ubuntu or OSX. Everything is fresh and modern.

Hardware - it's pretty hard to find a modern day computer that can't run some version of Windows - be it CE, RT, or just plan Windows.

[MikeChipshop Member]

Having worked a great deal with both I always found Windows to be the most efficient and a nice blend of ease of use with power.

[Konstantine]

Linux is complicated. I don't want to learn commands to do simple things. That just sucks.

Oh, surely a prick will quote this post and say something idiotic.

inb4, I like Linux.