Dave Plummer, a former Microsoft engineer, has already grabbed the occasional headline, but This time he comes with a loaded gun, describing Windows, without a word, as «garbage».
If you still don’t know who Plummer is, tell you that he was hand in hand creating well-known tools such as the Task Manager, the calculator or the ZIP support. Of course, his opinion cannot be framed as just another.
For him, the reasons for the failure are several. Broadly speaking, it details all kinds of problems that affect all types of users, making it clear that they still have a lot of work to do and that it is vital to improve the operating system..
Many users feel trapped in a system that is slow, invasive and full of problems. And they are not only complaints from users, since, as you see, whoever designed part of that system also criticizes the path that Redmond is taking with respect to Windows.
«I’m going to do something that probably won’t get me many invitations to fan meetings. I’m going to argue that Windows is really terrible for some people and at some times, and for pretty specific reasons once you get down to it,» he says.
For him, Microsoft has opted to make the system more beginner-friendly, at the cost of sacrificing the experience and control that powerful users need, those who use Windows daily and demand much more.
Specifically, explains that the obsession with rounding out the interface and making the experience easy has led to the loss of qualities that made Windows an efficient and customizable environment.. It mentions problems such as the inability to uninstall Edge without it appearing again, the annoyance of CoPilot on the system, and the constant invasion of ads and promotions within the operating system itself.
To all this we must add updates that force surprise restarts, configurations that are difficult to find or that change on their own, and a surveillance that is extreme for him.
«Right now, this is what people mean when they say that Windows is garbage. They don’t complain about the anti-thread scheduler or the I/O stack. They hate the experience of feeling pressured by their own computer, a computer that already belongs to them,» explains the expert.
The solution from the former Microsoft engineer: a Windows pro mode
With all this, Plummer proposes a professional mode within Windows that completely changes the user experience. According to him, this mode would allow users to disable ads, eliminate invasive telemetry in favor of absolute transparency and centralize all settings in one place so they do not have to search for them on the PC.
This mode would also imply putting the Windows terminal as the default console, with tools such as Winget, SSH and tar installed as standard and accessible.
Besides, proposes that Windows updates be allowed at scheduled intervalswithout annoying restarts, and with clear details about what changes are being made, with the option to back out with a single click.
The idea with this mode is to be able to offer a Windows with an easy-to-use experience for the less technological, which, in turn, includes a more pro mode for developers and professionals, attracting them from Linux to a Windows that is more friendly to them.
Although this could certainly be a great idea, it seems that no one is counting on Plummer anymore after his departure from Microsoft, despite his great contributions. «No one calls me to ask my opinion. I do not take any credit for triumphs nor do I assume any blame for poor decisions, although I deserve the right to admire some and criticize others.»