It's the longevity of these applications, even more so than the sheer quantity released, that I most admire about Windows. You can attempt to run a PC game you purchased in the 90s, and there’s a real chance it could still function.

This might seem trivial, but you never truly value what you have until you experience its absence.

Microsoft Focuses on App Compatibility

A lot of businesses operate using outdated software that no longer receives updates. Even when they're aware of alternatives, switching operating systems isn't an option because it would disrupt their workflow. Microsoft understands this well. Because of this, the company places a higher priority than its competitors on ensuring changes don’t break existing apps.

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Posts 5 This doesn’t mean new Windows updates never cause issues. They sometimes do, which is why many people choose not to upgrade to newer versions of Windows (and yes, there are plenty of other reasons for that too). While software compatibility problems are unavoidable, when Microsoft wants to introduce a major change known to break things, it often releases them as a separate version of Windows—like Windows RT back then or Windows on ARM today. This approach differs from Apple, which frequently makes sweeping changes and expects developers to adapt.

Even though it frustrates me that navigating through Windows occasionally leads to parts of the OS that haven’t changed in ten years, this kind of stability is one reason platforms like Steam maintain such long-term viability.

Linux Doesn’t Offer the Same Stability

While Linux powers much of the internet, only a small fraction of users run it on desktops. For quite some time, I was among them. Although I found many Linux applications superior to the Windows tools I had used before, there was always at least one program I wished would become available on Linux.

As time passed and new versions of Linux were released regularly, older Linux apps started to stop functioning. The system underwent changes aimed at improving and modernizing core components—such as systemd and Wayland—that forced developers to update their software. Some never did.

Initially, I believed wholeheartedly in the idea that open-source software never truly dies. However, for less popular programs with no active maintainers, once the latest release begins breaking, it might as well be considered dead—even if the source code remains archived somewhere.

Mobile Devices Are the Worst

I now handle all my computing tasks on my phone—a foldable Galaxy Z Fold 6. I appreciate desktop environments like Samsung DeX, but I treat them as a backup plan. I'm drafting this initial version by hand using Samsung Notes, and then I’ll tap a Galaxy AI button to convert my handwriting into text via on-device processing.

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Posts 37 Over the years, I've tested many writing apps. Some, like iA Writer, have vanished from the Play Store altogether. Others remain but have had their features altered. JotterPad used to store all files in a folder easily accessible outside the app, which made backing up data or managing files externally very convenient. But due to Google’s security policies for apps integrated with Google Drive, those locally stored files are now hidden away where users can’t access them.

Mobile games are especially disappointing. It’s bad enough that many games launch exclusively on iPhones and skip Android entirely. Worse still is watching games that once worked on Android fail to run on newer devices—titles like Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles or early mobile hits like the original Shadowgun. An app may be wildly popular today, yet vanish completely within just a few years.

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It’s been years since I last used Windows, and I have no plans to return (unless perhaps through an Xbox gaming handheld someday). Yet, as I continue adopting newer ways of computing, I can’t help but look back at this particular strength of Windows with a hint of envy.

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