99% companies have been using Windows for the past 30 years. I would gladly accept any job using Windows, even more if they paid well. I hate Windows way more than everyone else, but being unemployed is worse nowadays.
this post was submitted on 15 Mar 2026
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You assume they don't already have a job and we're just looking for other opportunities. Not everyone is unemployed before they apply for other jobs. If anything that is a good time to look as it gives you stronger position to negotiate from.
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Senior backend engineering definitely doesn’t see 99% windows adoption rate.
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Does anyone actually believe this post??? Because it reads like upvote farming.
Its posted in a humor sub soooo no
Not IT, but my dad said they lost a chemical engineering hire over this once, like 25 years ago.
To be fair they tried posting it on the Linux community on .ml and there were so many upvotes and positive feedback that it crashed the server. So they had to post it again somewhere more balanced to limit the impact.
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They say while using gmail.
Gmail is functional at what it sets out to do, which is send and receive email.
The sender is not expressing privacy concerns, they’re expressing functionality / utility concerns.
Fair enough, still seems silly as hell to me. Windows is perfectly functional for corporate, and even software development use as long as the team managing the image and standard settings at your workplace is competent.
Yeah, being able to customize everything to meet your preferred workflow etc with Linux is preferable.
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It's tagged "Inbox", it looks like this is the recruiter's POV.
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I think that's a tad excessive. Sure, Windows sucks, but it's not my machine so I don't give a shit. Now, if they expected me to bring my own machine and also insist that it's Windows, I'll get pissed off and refuse the offer. Their machine though? They can demand whatever they want, so long as I can actually do my job.
9/10 times it's not Windows I'm fighting against when I'm unable to do my job, it's the IT department not giving me admin rights over the right folders so I can't even install Docker without spending 3 days with them to get the right permissions.
Personally I also would not quit/back out just from that, but “it’s not my machine” misses the point, IMO. It’s a device I’m expected to use ~40 hours a week. Windows fucking sucks. Using that trash for half of my waking hours sucks. Been there, done that, I hope to hell I never have to again.
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Dude how many qualifications do you have that you can turn down a job offer in this economy over such a rather minor inconvenience?!
Dude, that's like hiring a truck driver and telling him his lorry will be pulled by 4 horses.
If they want to pay me to deliver stuff on a unicycle, I'll be delivering stuff on a unicycle. Do I want to ride a unicycle? Depends on the pay.
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"Minor" inconvenience is not having a coffee machine in the dining room, it's nothing like the culture of incompetence that permeates organization that are that severely vendor-locked.
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If you've currently got a decent job, then you can afford to be suuuuper picky.
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Man, imagine being in a financial situation where you could afford to turn down a job just because of if the OS you'd be using
Imagine applying for a job as a backend engineer and not knowing, based on the job posting/qualifications needed that they were a Windows shop.
Or just imagine generating this fake Gmail in Gemini or ChatGPT and posting it to farm the rage.
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Why would you not be very clear about this right at the start of the interview process so you're not wasting everybody's (including your own) time? If this is one of your absolute show-stoppers, then say so up front and we can either work with IT to get you what you want, or decline and move on to the next candidate.
You have a lot more negotiating power once they give you an offer because of the sunk cost.
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Are you talking to the employer or the applicant, because it works both ways?
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extremely based, I have no idea how any dev at my company tolerates windows.
in addition to how extremely slow and incapable the OS is in general,we have to submit tickets to run software because everything is installed through random .exes.
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I had to do that once but the company wanted me to use a Mac over my own Linux. I can't stand anymore to be forced to use specific platforms to do my job. It's like going to a car repair and demand the mechanic to change your tire using a plastic wrench.
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While I prefer Linux and use it wherever I can, I use about every major OS on a regular basis. I have a machine that dual boots Windows due to some expensive specialized software I own that doesn’t work on Linux yet, I have an iPhone because Linux phones aren’t good enough to be a daily driver and Graphene doesn’t work with certain apps I need, I have an Android tablet / Android TVs because they have a usable UX while allowing sideloading of OSS apps that respect my privacy, and I use macOS on my work machine because company IT doesn’t support Linux. Yes, I’d prefer to run Linux on every device, but there are practical reasons for using other OSes, and it’s not like a competent techie can’t learn to use whatever. I assume Linux will continue to gain market share across form factors, but we are not there yet. I’ve actually never worked anywhere where Linux was supported, and while I’ll refuse to work somewhere with unethical business practices, I probably won’t choose to be unemployed to avoid using Windows. Google, for example, does support Linux devices for employees, but I’d rather use a Windows laptop somewhere else than actively build tools for surveillance capitalism.
TL;DR - Pick your battles.
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Lmao mac elitists
I think this person actually wants to run linux, but they are using Mac as a test case.
They mentioned "install an alternative operating system" - which on hardware sold for Windows very much implies Linux.
But if Linux is a no, and even macos is a no - which is from a "big proper company" with support agreements and everything - then the company is obviously a lost cause who are set on windows for life for all time.
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The guy doesn't want Windows but is ok with Mac. That's... not how it works. At all.
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Honestly, yeah, I'd do the same. After several past jobs required Linux, even downgrading to a Mac feels pretty bad.
I dev every workday on Windows 11 and I don't get why people feel like it's awful to work on? I dunno what everyone else is doing but it's basically just switching between the IDE, Slack and the browser. The OS never seems to be an issue for me. My only real gripe is that even I click update and shutdown at the end of the day, it updates and restarts.
Same for my colleagues using a Mac.
I'd be more bothered about using Teams over Slack
You have to install extra crap to get the terminal to work like unix and I always had to fight with it to install things. Not worth the time. Maybe if you don't need a terminal though?
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Teams has recently decided to stop working on any browser except edge. I don't know if this is intentional (at least chromium should work similarly) or if it's a wayland thing, but I'm just assuming malice since webrtc works fine in all other instances.
Fuck all of microslop on principle.
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Windows can add some complications as a dev, especially in the corporate environment when really strict group policies are implemented that stop Devs from installing or configuring systems as they need.
One company I worked at remained on Windows LTSC for security reasons, and a lot of Devs that were working with Java hit a snag if for whatever reason an IDE they were using really wanted a system environment variable configured a certain way and it would straight up ignore user environment variables. They would be restricted from basically being able to configure anything without getting IT to remote on and make the changes for them.
I was forced to use a Mac for the first time years ago for work, I still hate working on a Mac but I can't deny how much more flexible it can be compared to working in a Windows environment that is locked down.
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I don't have the luxury of turning down jobs for windows, but I do draw the line at using it on my own systems. They want me to use it, they have to provide the hardware.
It shouldn't have to be a privilege to be able to turn down a job because of poor decisions management makes, but you can really only get away with this if you have options.
Guy just sounds entitled and precious they wouldn't stump for a Macbook.
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