Attempting to swap the Windows desktop.
Attempting to swap the Windows desktop.
I dislike several aspects of the Windows UI library and desktop interface. It feels outdated and poorly designed. The high-level framework limits the quality of the desktop experience. On Linux, GTK and Qt perform well and run efficiently. Even before diving into the Windows UI, I noticed the current design suggests a future shift toward web-based applications. The idea of using markup languages for the entire OS in 10 years is concerning. I imagine soon all software will be web apps, requiring a complete overhaul of the desktop. I’m trying to avoid as much of this garbage as possible. I’ve switched to an alternative start menu, but even that feels less ideal. The taskbar and its pop-ups are still issues. While there are alternatives for file explorers, most didn’t meet my needs. I also attempted to replace the Settings app, but no suitable substitute exists.
Once there was a KDE 4 port for Windows, but it's no longer used. The challenge with Windows is that users rarely expect changes—replacements usually just add on top of what exists or sit beside it. Windows only offers one Desktop Environment, which means we focus on supporting it directly. If you try to forcefully remove components, your setup can break. Even in Linux, you often encounter needing parts from other Desktop Environments you don’t use, which is why portals have been adopted to simplify support across different environments.
in contrast to numerous Linux-based choices... which tend to perform poorly in optimization efforts... Windows 10/11 desktop delivers impressive efficiency for its purpose. Most Linux distributions usually lag behind in speed compared to Windows on the desktop environment. You’re essentially capturing the essence of a Windows 9x setup. The notion that minimum requirements rise due to Microsoft’s implementation choices is fundamentally misguided. Requirements are determined by market demands, and numerous manufacturers aim to attract customers with misleading information. Windows 11 actually performs better on a 2007 netbook equipped with just 4GB RAM than many Linux distributions. What’s your concern about the settings app? Outside of some advanced options (which still reference older control panel menus), it’s quite user-friendly and operates quickly enough for adjustments you might need. Additionally, many customizations can be made without dismantling the core OS—smoothing out corners is a simple fix, thanks to users like those behind tiny11. There are powerful tools available to help manage Windows features, making it possible to refine settings without completely overhauling the system. In reality, I share your view on the start menu... and integrating Bing is arguably the least impressive change Microsoft has made since the "cancel" button on the 9x login screen. These issues can often be resolved without compromising overall stability—after all, choosing Windows was meant to provide that stability.
Never used Linux before and talking nonstop about it. Sorry, I’m just being honest. This sounds like a joke, don’t you think? Who would say something like that? It’s really slow and heavy! The interface uses the latest M$ UI library, but it feels terrible.
I own two Linux machines—one for daily media use and another as a server. I’ve tested everything from Windows 7 to various Buntings, Manjaro, and Fedora, but Windows still works best for me. You run it just once unless you’re extremely impatient; then it feels sluggish compared to Explorer.exe on a slow machine. The main concerns are about the future of the desktop interface and whether the control panel will be missing. As before, my 2007 netbook on Windows 11 runs the settings app smoothly during updates, so the issue lies with me, not Microsoft.
Don't turn into a power user by deliberately messing with software. If that happened, I'd be the best guitarist ever thanks to all the strings I've broken. As usual, you're after control in the most confusing way possible. It seems we're still stuck in the Dunning-Kruger effect, making quick judgments about people who spend time learning from you. Why do they even bother with your threads and offer help? That level of patience for nonsense is beyond me—obviously these folks have more tolerance for absurdity than I do.
@manikyath Notice each person has their own tastes. Your machines might be quick enough so you won’t notice any gap, and you don’t even think about Microsoft’s reputation. Yes, I get that some may think Windows runs smoother, but let me really clarify your point. You want to understand why Edge starts up faster than browsers on Linux? It launches automatically in the background and loads directly into RAM. As for why many programs feel snappier on Windows, it’s because of its strong memory caching. Most of what Windows offers is essentially shortcuts—though you might say that’s clever. Regarding the “snappier” feeling, I agree it can be improved with better hardware and software tuning, but if the software itself is too demanding, it won’t matter much. I’m really skeptical about your perspective. What surprised me most was hearing you run Windows 11 on a 2007 netbook. Also, check out someone at Microsoft directly—would they say Linux would perform better on that kind of hardware? If you still believe Linux struggles, there’s probably an issue there. At least acknowledge Win7’s performance for its time. To sum up, it mostly comes down to having a sufficiently fast system and not worrying about other factors. Even though the settings menu isn’t as light as some Linux tools, it still uses a lot of resources. Browsing through GNOME settings requires minimal CPU, whereas testing Windows settings is a bit more demanding.