Originally published on LinkedIn (reformatted for zahradnik.io / Medium)
Microsoft Windows was never the best operating system — but for many years, it was good enough. It worked, stayed mostly out of the way, and didn’t interfere with how you wanted to use your machine.
But products eventually become reflections of the companies behind them.
And the Windows of today reflects a very different Microsoft.
Windows has shifted from being an operating system into being a funnel for:
- analytics,
- services,
- identity layers,
- aggressive cloud attachment.
In my view, Windows 11 crossed a line.
Yesterday, while updating my dad’s PC, I saw the shift clearly.
The moment you refuse to sign in to OneDrive, Windows responds with:
- a large error message pinned to the desktop,
- Windows Defender claiming the system is "at risk",
- repeated attempts to steer you back into the cloud.
Yet the only real risk is the operating system itself — trying to behave like a platform you never asked for.
I’ve been a Linux user for years, but I drifted back to Windows because clients required:
- obscure VPNs,
- proprietary corporate tools,
- and, of course, Teams.
Gradually I found myself spending more hours in Windows than Linux… until I removed Linux entirely.
Windows 11 changed that.
This time the decision is conscious and permanent:
Windows will not be allowed on my machines or in my company unless there is a very specific, unavoidable, industry-grade reason.
This isn’t about ideology.
It’s about sovereignty.
I want my systems to serve me, not the other way around.
My path back to technological freedom has begun.
And I’m building a business on the same principles.
Sovereignty starts small.
Will you join?
