What are your reasons for staying on Windows?

[Max Norris]

inb4, I like Linux.

Some of us do actually like Linux ;) Just not for a desktop.

[Aergan]

Because the Mrs tells me off for spending more than half an hour at a command line console.

[Nothing Here]

Some of us do actually like Linux ;) Just not for a desktop.

I agree with every thing everyone has said so far. Bar the one post by someone who called this a "troll post". Which in fact it is not. I like hearing people's reasons for staying on Windows. I used to make a thousand and 10 excuses not to stay on Windows. So I want to hear people's thousand and 10 reasons for staying.

[yowanvista]

1. Easy to use, the interface is so simple, so polished, so ingeniously designed,

2. I don't have to use any command line terminal to install/configure anything

3. First-grade quality drivers unlike those bs rubbish linux display drivers especially AMD drivers.

4. Everything can be installed with simple user friendly installers, I don't have to mess up with tar.gz files. An .exe program on windows with a one click install, won't be the same on Linux.

5. Unified UI, unified Kernel unlike the fragmented Linux kernel and X-window system, the latest release of Ubuntu for eg still uses 3.5.x, others are stuck with non-mainline variants of 3.6.x

6. I don't have to add/modify/configure software sources.

7. Professional grade software unlike the poorly designed bad UI and ugly linux software

8. Gaming

9. It takes me 20x longer to find or do something in Linux than Windows.

10. Linux is a royal PITA to use full time, Windows is easy and works fine without having to trail through endless forums looking for a way to make it do the simplest of tasks

[TheLegendOfMart]

Monopoly. I have to use Windows to play the latest videogames.

[LaP]

Games. I cant think of any other reason why i pay.

This said Windows 8 price was more reasonable so things may change we'll see if MS keep the same price for upcoming versions of Windows or the low price was just to give people a reason to upgrade to the new UI.

ib4 linux is complicated but the last time i installed it was 15 years ago.

[Duffydemon]

Applications I use feels and works better for me on Windows than their OSX versions. Games, I am a PC gamer and Windows is the only choice here. Compatibility and Availability of software are reasons too. I am using Windows from past 7 years, I am familiar with its interface and know how to troubleshoot when something goes wrong. And Every hardware i have owned works great with Windows.

[Kami-]

Enterprise...

[compl3x]

Every so often I will download Ubuntu and promise myself I will use it more and maybe one day migrate over to it, but after I install it, I would be lucky to boot into it more than twice before uninstalling it. I hate going to play music and finding out .mp3s aren't supported natively so I have to go download some pack (don't know if that is still the case), then display drivers aren't supported properly/experimental, blah blah. I admire the hard work a lot of people put into the different linux distros, but I'm just not that into it to put in the extra effort. That might change in the future.

When you use an OS for a long time you get used to it. You know all the software you need: browser, music player, video player, image editing software, gaming, etc.. You set up your back-ups and understand how to diagnose and resolve issues. Despite what people say, I have been using windows for over a decade and haven't had lots of major problems. In my experience, people **** things up when they are downloading cracked software, "free porn", stupid toolbars, opening attachments from unknown sources etc. Essentially, being ignorant about security and keeping their systems up-to-date. Or perhaps I am just one ofthe lucky ones?

[Billus]

Games, Office, dual monitors and the fact that it just works. Linux is far too much of a pain to get it configured to my liking and feels far too much like OSX when I do. Another thing is that drivers are shockingly bad compared to their Window counterparts. It has improved over the years but it is far from equal from their Windows counterparts and yes I know, vendors are to blame but why bother if there is a severe lack of market. OSX is not a bad alternative and I love it on my Macbook Air but for desktop use, you just can't beat Windows IMO. There are some things I like about Linux like customisability and err, that's about all. I also enjoy using Visual Styles which makes it probably the most balanced when it comes to looks and ease of use.

Saying that, I enjoy Android on my phone as to me, it feels like a much more improved Windows Mobile 6.xx. It's what Microsoft should have done instead of what they have now.

[Ambroos]

I have absolutely no reasons for staying with Windows, I only have reasons not to switch to something else.

I can't switch to Linux (even though I'd like to, I feel that working command-line in Linux provides enormous power - which is why I'm really glad we have a good SSH server at school) because:

• My laptop hardware is very poorly supported
  
• Microsoft Office. I'm a master at Word and PowerPoint and if you use all the advanced features there is absolutely nothing that even remotely compares to it
  

I can't switch to OSX (even though I'd love to, software and OSX in general feels a lot more polished) because of these reasons:

• My current laptop works fine with OSX, but the WiFi card doesn't work so it's basically useless for me. I really don't like cables.
  
• Apple hardware is a bit expensive and I really, really don't want to be one of the "Apple" crowd.
  
• The Apple ecosystem does nothing for me, I'm really just in for the core OS, third-party software and great hardware.
  
• http://i.imgur.com/2v2Fv.jpg - whenever I see one of those I just really don't want a Mac anymore. I don't want a Mac because it's cool, I want it because I genuinly feel that OSX as an OS is (at this point) superior to Windows.
  

Windows 7 does fine for me since it basically does everything I need, is fast and I can work very efficient in it (the superbar and start menu search are awesome!), but I really feel that Microsoft is starting to lose touch with what productive users need.

[Nothing Here]

Every so often I will download Ubuntu and promise myself I will use it more and maybe one day migrate over to it, but after I install it, I would be lucky to boot into it more than twice before uninstalling it. I hate going to play music and finding out .mp3s aren't supported natively so I have to go download some pack (don't know if that is still the case), then display drivers aren't supported properly/experimental, blah blah. I admire the hard work a lot of people put into the different linux distros, but I'm just not that into it to put in the extra effort. That might change in the future.

When you use an OS for a long time you get used to it. You know all the software you need: browser, music player, video player, image editing software, gaming, etc.. You set up your back-ups and understand how to diagnose and resolve issues. Despite what people say, I have been using windows for over a decade and haven't had lots of major problems. In my experience, people **** things up when they are downloading cracked software, "free porn", stupid toolbars, opening attachments from unknown sources etc. Essentially, being ignorant about security and keeping their systems up-to-date. Or perhaps I am just one ofthe lucky ones?

Ubuntu will install all the codecs you need for playing music at the time of install. All you have to do now is tick the little box during install.

[HawkMan]

Windows 7 and Windows 8, in my honest opinions are great OSes. But this isn't a debate about Windows. Just a discussion on why everyone who is on Windows stays on Windows.

For me, I stay for the games I play. So why do you stay on Windows?

Primarily, why should I not be in Windows, I see no reason to switch to linux or OSX.

if I where to go deeper however, I could list plenty of reason for not switching to these, from requiring more work to do simple tasks, to less efficient, to lack of software and hardware support, and in general terrible interfaces that require tons of tweaking and adjusting to become usable when I don't see a need to spend all this time tweaking and I can just use my OS. the same problem I have with Android, to much tweaking required when I just want a working OS, and why I'll be back on WP on my next upgrade.

[Growled Member]

if I where to go deeper however, I could list plenty of reason for not switching to these, from requiring more work to do simple tasks, to less efficient, to lack of software and hardware support, and in general terrible interfaces that require tons of tweaking and adjusting to become usable when I don't see a need to spend all this time tweaking and I can just use my OS. the same problem I have with Android, to much tweaking required when I just want a working OS, and why I'll be back on WP on my next upgrade.

Same here. As I've grown a little older, and with much less free times, I just want things to work. I want things to be simple, and to just work. I probably do use Android probably now my Chromebook for most things, but many things are just easier and better to do in Windows. I rip all my DVD's to my hard drive, for example, and it's much easier in Windows for me since I don't care for Handbrake.

[Symal Taneous]

I play a lot of games on my PC and too many of them aren't available on Mac or Linux. I am getting a Macbook in January or February though, so I'm hoping to slowly migrate to the Mac platform.

[aviator189]

cuz it works and there's no good reason for me to switch to anything else, really.

[Nothing Here]

Same here. As I've grown a little older, and with much less free times, I just want things to work. I want things to be simple, and to just work. I probably do use Android probably now my Chromebook for most things, but many things are just easier and better to do in Windows. I rip all my DVD's to my hard drive, for example, and it's much easier in Windows for me since I don't care for Handbrake.

I also rip my DVDs. However, since I cannot afford a Windows app for ripping, I use Handbrake, so I rip everything under Linux. It's easy to use for me. It's one of the few reasons I keep Linux.

[chconline Veteran]

Simple: It's the best.

[HawkMan]

I also rip my DVDs. However, since I cannot afford a Windows app for ripping, I use Handbrake, so I rip everything under Linux. It's easy to use for me. It's one of the few reasons I keep Linux.

there's a ton of free windows apps for ripping DVD's....

[Nothing Here]

there's a ton of free windows apps for ripping DVD's....

Your correct. But none of the free ones are worth a damn in my opinion. Handbrake just does the job. And the results are awesome.

[Shannon]

Familiarity. I know Windows and I know how to do everything I want to do in it. I have Ubuntu running on my HTPC and whenever I need to do something on it, I need to search around forums for ages looking for the correct terminal commands to do it. Very annoying.

And I won't change to OSX. My girlfriend's laptop is a Macbook and I just don't like the feel of the OS. I don't like all the flashy animations, how apps open and close (or rather how they don't close). The hardware is also expensive, app compatibility isn't on par with Windows yet, and finally, the whole Apple culture seems elitist and hipster. Not saying that all Apple users are like that, but most people I personally know with Macs only own them because they are cool, not for any other reason. I don't want to be part of that culture.

[Nothing Here]

Familiarity. I know Windows and I know how to do everything I want to do in it. I have Ubuntu running on my HTPC and whenever I need to do something on it, I need to search around forums for ages looking for the correct terminal commands to do it. Very annoying.

~snipped~.

No need to start a negative campaign against an OS in this thread. I was just wanting to know why you stay on Windows. Not why you stay off of other OSes. Or how bad the people are who the other OSes.

[Max Norris]

I also rip my DVDs. However, since I cannot afford a Windows app for ripping, I use Handbrake, so I rip everything under Linux. It's easy to use for me. It's one of the few reasons I keep Linux.

Just out of curiosity, does the Windows version of Handbrake not work for you? (Just curious, don't know as I use something else.)

[Nothing Here]

I tried it once and it failed for me. But that has been some time ago.

[neo158]

Because 99% of all the software I already own only works on Windows and I'm not about to ditch it all and replace it with alternatives.