Prediction: Microsoft Is Going to Do the Funniest Thing Imaginable

Summary

When you think Microsoft you probably don’t think sense of humor. And yet, I’m convinced that Microsoft is going to do a very specific very funny thing within our lifetimes.In 2017 I predicted that most programmers would lose their employer <-> employee bargaining power in the next 15-25 years. This was a pretty controversial take at the time, and I never wrote about it publicly, so it’s hard to claim too much credit for being right.This time I want the credit, so I’m posting my prediction publicly while everyone still thinks it’s ridiculous:I predict that within 15 years Microsoft will discontinue Windows in favor of a Windows themed Linux distribution.Sound crazy? Hear me out. There’s no escape! Well, for now anyway.Even people who choose to daily drive Windows agree with this statement. Nobody looks forward to new Windows releases. If you’re a Windows user and you’re not complaining, you’ve likely internalized Windows bugs as just “what computers are like.”Explorer.exe is preventing Windows from shutting down.Over the past 20 years, I’ve gone through phases of daily driving Linux, macOS, and Windows. People had their favorites, and Windows was always the most jank, but for much of this time all three OSs were viable options for getting things done.The reality is that Microsoft no longer has the expertise in house (or the incentive) to maintain Windows, never mind make improvements to it. As a professional programmer, I no longer consider Windows a viable option for serious work.I think there’s some good stuff happening at the kernel level, but it’s squandered by everything that’s built on top of it. Heck, you can’t even use it to give a slideshow without risking Windows Update deciding to reinstall your whole OS mid presentation! Ask me how I know.Sure, you can try to trick Windows into turning off the features you don’t like. Good luck. Daily driving Windows in 2025 means playing cat and mouse with Microsoft. You try to get your work done, Microsoft tries to sto...