None of your complaints are about Windows. They're all, almost universally, about OEM and third-party shovelware. You can't separate windows from its ecosystem

None of your complaints are about Windows. They're all, almost universally, about OEM and third-party shovelware. You can't separate windows from its ecosystem - it's allegedly the choice of vendors and the availability of commodity hardware that makes windows at all appealing for most computer users. And the windows ecosystem sucks - it's full of weeds and parasites. Windows can't be examined in the abstract - if 99 out of 100 randomly chosen configurations in the marketplace are just terrible, then that's just Windows. It's the incredible leeway that Microsoft gives IHVs that makes Windows as popular and at the same time as terrible as it is. That's what characterizes Windows. As an operating system, it isn't half bad (it's architecture is quite good, actually) . As a platform, it's terrible. See, you're doing it again. You're not dealing with "Windows issues", you're dealing with issues on Windows boxes, caused by non-Windows problems What exactly is it that you're arguing? It seems like you and the parent are largely in agreement and you're trying to generate friction. I would contend that you're right that it's absolutely true that with enough research and with constant vigilance, you can bring a retail Windows system into an acceptable configuration, have all of your hardware enumerating properly, and avoid malware. I would contend that the parent is right that maintaining a Windows system is just barely worth it if it's your own machine and is a hopeless time-sink if you're doing it for free for anyone else, like family. Are you two really just arguing past each other? The point here, though, is that you're not an idiot. Your family aren't idiots. You're just all too lazy for your own good. Please see the posting guidelines. Personal attacks are not acceptable.