I recently bought a new laptop, and for the first time in years, I decided to stick with the pre-installed Windows 11 instead of immediately installing Arch Linux.
As someone who has spent years daily driving Arch, that felt strange.
But there was a good reason.
Why I Stayed on Windows
I'm a college student, and Windows comes with something that Linux still struggles to replace perfectly for my workflow: Microsoft Office.
PowerPoint, Word, and Excel just work.
Yes, LibreOffice is good, and Google Docs exists, but when professors expect .pptx files with perfect formatting or group projects revolve around Office, having the native applications is genuinely convenient.
For my academic life, Windows has been surprisingly comfortable.
I honestly have no complaints there.
Then I Started Developing Again...
That's when reality hit.
I joined an open-source project that required services like Redis and Supabase.
On Arch Linux, I probably would have installed everything in a few minutes.
sudo pacman -S redis
Done.
Need Docker?
sudo pacman -S docker
Need PostgreSQL?
sudo pacman -S postgresql
Everything lives in one package manager. Life is simple.
On Windows, it became a completely different story.
Some tools require installers.
Some recommend Docker.
Others simply tell you:
"Use WSL."
At first I thought, "Okay, maybe that's fine."
But after setting it up, I couldn't stop asking myself...
If I'm using Linux inside Windows just to develop... why am I using Windows in the first place?
WSL Isn't Bad
Before anyone gets offended, I don't think WSL is a bad technology.
It's actually impressive.
Running a real Linux environment inside Windows is a huge achievement.
The problem isn't WSL itself.
The problem is that many modern development tools assume Linux as the default environment.
Instead of Windows becoming a better Unix-like development platform, the recommendation is often:
"Just install Linux inside Windows."
As someone who already knows Linux, that feels a little ironic.
The Things I Miss from Arch
After spending years on Arch Linux, you start appreciating the little things.
One package manager for almost everything.
Consistent CLI-first workflows.
Native Docker experience.
Easier setup for databases and backend tools.
Development environments that closely match production Linux servers.
More importantly...
The terminal feels like home.
But Windows Isn't All Bad
To be fair, Windows has improved a lot.
Better hardware support.
Great battery life on many laptops.
Excellent Office applications.
Better compatibility with university software.
WSL for developers who need Linux tools.
For many people, it's probably the best balance.
I just haven't fully adapted after years of Linux.
So... Should I Switch Back?
That's the question I've been asking myself.
Should I:
Keep Windows and use WSL for development?
Dual boot Windows and Arch Linux?
Install Arch as the primary OS and run Windows only when I need Office?
Or just accept that WSL is now part of modern Windows development?
I'm genuinely curious what other developers think.
Especially those who have switched between Linux and Windows multiple times.
How do you balance productivity for work or college with a development environment that feels natural?
I'd love to hear your experience.
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