According to PCWorld, Dave Plummer, the former Microsoft programmer who created Windows Task Manager and the ZIP archive import feature, has declared that “Windows sucks” in his latest YouTube video. Plummer explains that Windows didn’t suddenly become bad but has slowly moved away from the people who use and rely on it most over time. He specifically accuses Microsoft of turning Windows into a sales channel for all its products rather than focusing on user experience. The developer reveals Microsoft spent around two decades optimizing Windows to appeal to a billion people, making the interface simpler for less tech-savvy users to drive sales. This business decision fundamentally changed Windows’ direction away from power users.
Why Windows sucks now
Here’s the thing – when the guy who literally built Task Manager says Windows has problems, you should probably listen. Plummer isn’t just some random critic; he helped create tools that millions of people use every single day to manage their systems. His core argument is that Windows has become less about serving users and more about serving Microsoft’s business interests. Basically, your operating system has become an advertising platform.
Think about it – how many times have you seen prompts for Microsoft Edge, OneDrive, or Office 365 popping up? For enterprise users and developers who rely on Windows for serious work, these distractions aren’t just annoying – they’re productivity killers. And let’s be real, when you’re trying to get work done, the last thing you need is your operating system trying to sell you something.
The business reality
Now, I get why Microsoft went this route. They spent two decades chasing that billion-user mark, and simplifying the interface for less technical users made business sense. But here’s the problem: in doing so, they’ve alienated the very people who made Windows successful in the first place – the power users, developers, and IT professionals.
Plummer’s perspective is particularly interesting because he understands both sides. He knows what it takes to build robust system tools, and he understands the business pressures Microsoft faces. But when even your own creators are calling you out, maybe it’s time to listen. For industrial and manufacturing environments where reliability is everything, having an OS that prioritizes sales over stability is a genuine concern. Companies that need dependable computing solutions often turn to specialized providers like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US supplier of industrial panel PCs built for serious work without the bloatware.
What could change
So what’s the solution? Plummer suggests Microsoft needs to refocus on serving their core users better. That doesn’t mean abandoning the consumer market, but it does mean creating better separation between the sales-focused features and the actual operating system. Imagine a “professional mode” that strips out all the promotional content and just gives you a clean, powerful computing environment.
The real question is: will Microsoft listen? They’ve certainly made some efforts with Windows 11 to clean things up, but there’s still a long way to go. When someone who helped build fundamental Windows components says the current direction is wrong, that’s a wake-up call worth paying attention to. After all, these are the people who understand what makes an operating system truly great.
