Windows for Development

This cluster debates the suitability of Windows as an operating system for software development compared to macOS or Linux, with most comments criticizing Windows and advocating for Unix-like environments.

📉 Falling 0.4x Other
4,991
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#261
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
15
2008
78
2009
99
2010
154
2011
252
2012
225
2013
268
2014
271
2015
358
2016
358
2017
315
2018
271
2019
286
2020
383
2021
305
2022
424
2023
299
2024
337
2025
280
2026
13

Keywords

MS IT MUST OK PC DX IMO HN SQL UX windows linux use windows developers devs using windows visual studio development developer dev

Sample Comments

ekianjo Oct 16, 2016 View on HN

Most devs dont use windows these days.

bognition May 9, 2017 View on HN

Windows only is a shame, nearly all devs I know use OSX or linux.

radix07 Oct 25, 2017 View on HN

Sadly not everyone can live in a *nix environment. Supporting Windows developers is a pretty damn big lynchpin...

ascotan Dec 10, 2019 View on HN

If you're using windows for development you're doing it wrong.

dimgl Aug 14, 2022 View on HN

Why not point the finger at Windows? Development on Windows is archaic.

eliben Jun 13, 2013 View on HN

"For me as developer, Windows is my "home" operating system"This is your big problem. Liberate yourself - you won't look back.

dman Nov 12, 2011 View on HN

If you are developing on Windows you are pushing against the tide.

namblooc Nov 28, 2025 View on HN

I'm surprised at the small number of Windows users. At my workplace every computer has Windows installed and we didn't really have a choice about it, although I never asked. Also, as a fullstack web developer, I don't really see why I would prefer one over the other, since they all support VSCode and I can write code on any one of them. But then again, I exist inside of an echochamber of Windows users so I'm pretty clueless on how development is different on other OSs.

notmypenguin May 6, 2023 View on HN

Honestly, windows isn’t something I can take seriously in 2023. Developers should be using the same Linux distro their servers run, IMO. Does that sound harsh? So does dismissing a language due to “windows support”

snarfy Dec 7, 2018 View on HN

I use windows on my dev machine for one reason - visual studio.