Windows "SUCKS": How I'd Fix it by a retired Microsoft Windows engineer
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN people share it in Windows 11 backlash threads as an even-handed insider's view of what is wrong with Windows.
What it is
Dave Plummer, a retired Microsoft engineer who wrote Task Manager, responds to the claim that Windows sucks. He describes how he would fix common annoyances, in what he calls a love letter to Windows wrapped in a rant.
Recommended by 3 HN commenters across 3 different months, 2025 to 2026.
What Hacker News said
Recommends noir_lord · 2025-11 · on “Microsoft executive closes replies after Windows 11 "Agentic OS" backlash”
That's an entertaining read. I binned Windows 11 recently (only kept it around for gaming) because I didn't like the direction it was clearly going (and has been for a while - including their shoehorning of AI into everything when I don't want it or need it) and don't game enough that I care much any more. For the first time since the 80's I'm not running a Windows OS on any of my machines. I doubt they'll care, I'm one user of hundreds of millions but I don't have to consider whether every update is going to turn on something I don't want/hate so I care. The linked video (via a linked post) from Dave Plummer does indeed sum up my feelings pretty well - [this video]
Recommends pipes · 2025-12 · on “2025 was a disaster for Windows 11 as bugs and intrusive features erode trust”
The average home user probably won't know what power shell and GitHub are. I can't run the scripts you are talking about on my work pc. I can sympathise with your point of view but it does feel a bit like "works for me because I know what I'm doing". Also how long before another Windows update that undoes what the scripts do. I used to be very pro windows simply because of backwards compatibility and hardware support was ridiculously good. I can't recommend Linux to relatives as they'd be utterly confused. Dave Plummer, ex windows kernel dev does a good job of explaining what the issues are: [this video]
Recommends GeekyBear · 2026-06 · on “Windows UI evolution: Clicking an unassociated file”
I find this take (from the guy who wrote the Windows task manager while at Microsoft) to be evenhanded. > Windows "SUCKS": How I'd Fix it by a retired Microsoft Windows engineer. [this video]
Cites accrual · 2025-11 · on “1M Downloads of Zorin OS 18”
Dave Plummer, retired Microsoft engineer from the early days, made a video on this 2 weeks ago: > Windows "SUCKS": How I'd Fix it by a retired Microsoft Windows engineer [this video]