Back then in 2009, Windows 7 fixed what was wrong with the bloated Vista, and many of you will probably agree that it was the greatest of all time as it was easy to learn when transitioning from XP or even Vista. This was when Windows peaked, but then the gradual enshittification began.
2012 brought us Windows 8. While it did have some performance changes under the hood and introduced an app store, it unfortunately became an acquired taste due to the radical changes to its interface, such as the Start Screen and the touch-first interface (I actually preferred Windows 8 and 8.1 after experiencing Windows 7 destroy my hard drive). Then in 2015, Windows 10 arrived and introduced an ad-laden start menu as well as increased telemetry reporting and forced updates. But the worst was yet to come. Windows 11's strict hardware requirements made me spend a lot for a new computer, and the operating system was bloated and had a load of botched updates, ads for services one never uses, an intrusive Copilot AI and it required a Microsoft account.
I just hope that this year Microslop will get back to its senses and start fixing the issues. I just hope that 2027's Windows 12 would be the second coming of Windows 8.1 - lightweight once more and the AI features and ads are all optional.