Time To Dump Windows? – Dennis Forbes

The Death of Windows: A Personal Journey from Microsoft Enthusiast to Linux Convert

For years, Windows was the beating heart of my digital existence. I was the guy who subscribed to MSDN, Technet, and every Microsoft beta program I could get my hands on. I held MCSE and MCSD certifications, wrote for Microsoft’s magazine, and watched every move the company made, knowing the entire tech industry would shift in whatever direction Redmond decided to go.

But today, I stand before you with a confession that would have shocked my former self: Microsoft doesn’t matter to my life anymore.

This isn’t some angry anti-Microsoft tirade. Far from it. Microsoft has been instrumental in shaping the technology landscape, and as a $3 trillion company, they’re clearly doing something right. This is simply the story of how I realized that nothing ties me to Windows anymore, and how that realization represents a broader trend that’s been quietly building for years.

The WSL2 Paradox

My journey into this realization began with something ironically Microsoft-created: Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2). For years, I’ve used WSL2 as my primary gateway to doing CUDA-related work. The irony isn’t lost on me—I’m running a fat Windows layer primarily to host a Linux machine.

The setup was born out of necessity. My work involves FlashAttention and Triton, tools that are partly supported on Windows but are, frankly, a mess. It’s just way better to use Linux for this kind of work. So I found myself RDP-ing and SSH-ing into a Windows desktop, then jumping into a WSL2 session on a beefy Windows machine, all to essentially run Linux.

The Breaking Point

Today, I reevaluated my dependencies and realized something profound: there’s absolutely nothing that ties me to Windows anymore. Years ago, there was always some Windows-specific tie-in—some app or communications platform that worked best on Windows. Today? Not so much.

I primarily use Apple Macs, and while I have my criticisms (Tahoe was a regression, and Apple is an extremely greedy company), the hardware is superb, and their chips remain simply the best all around. For my CUDA work, I could just as easily deploy to a Linux box, which is exactly what I do for 100% of my business and commercial deployments anyway—like pretty much all the industry.

The “Year of Linux Desktop” Myth

I recently saw someone declare it the year Linux takes over the desktop, to which the predictable cynical reply came: “We’ve been hearing that for years.” And it’s true—this prophecy has been circulating for well over a decade.

But here’s the thing about technological change: it happens gradually, then suddenly. I imagine a lot of people would find that absolutely nothing ties them to Windows anymore. Even gamers are finding their needs met through solutions like Steam Proton. The barriers that once made Windows indispensable are crumbling away, one by one.

My Microsoft Graveyard

Looking around at my digital life, the evidence of my departure from the Microsoft ecosystem is everywhere:

My Xboxes sit unplugged, gathering dust. Azure is the one major cloud provider I have zero deployments on, while I have extensive deployments on OCI, GCE, AWS, and others. My once-beloved Hotmail account has devolved into basically a spam collection vehicle.

The only Microsoft product I still use is GitHub, and even that is completely fungible to me. The slightest nuisance would have me moving elsewhere without a second thought.

The Broader Implications

This isn’t just my story—it’s a microcosm of a larger shift happening in the tech world. When the guy who once held Microsoft certifications, subscribed to all their services, and watched their every move can completely walk away from the ecosystem, something significant is happening.

The reality is that modern computing needs have evolved beyond what Windows specifically offers. Cloud computing means most of our work happens on remote Linux servers anyway. Cross-platform applications have matured tremendously. Even specialized workloads like machine learning and AI development often work better on Linux.

What About Apple?

You might wonder if I’ve simply switched allegiances to Apple. While I do use Macs primarily, I’m actually considering a switch away from Apple as well—if their hardware weren’t so excellent, I probably would have already made the jump.

The Bottom Line

Interesting times indeed. There was a time when Windows was the center of my professional and personal life. Now? It’s just another layer I run to get to Linux.

This shift represents more than just one person’s changing preferences. It represents the culmination of years of gradual change in how we interact with technology. The once-mighty Windows empire, which seemed unassailable, is finding that its subjects have found other kingdoms to call home.

And if someone like me—a former Microsoft enthusiast who once built his career around their ecosystem—can walk away without looking back, perhaps the “year of the Linux desktop” isn’t such a far-fetched prophecy after all.

Other people’s experiences will differ, of course. But for me, and I suspect for many others, the question isn’t why leave Windows—it’s why stay?

Tags: Windows death, Linux desktop, WSL2, Microsoft ecosystem, tech migration, operating system shift, Windows alternative, Linux gaming, Steam Proton, cloud computing, CUDA work, Apple hardware, tech industry trends, Microsoft irrelevance, GitHub dependency, desktop Linux, operating system choice

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