notepad.exe as a 0.2 MB standalone executable does no longer exist. (
Note: technically it does still exist, but it just launches the "app")
NotepadApp.exe is a 70 MB "app":
- It has a startup time of 2 seconds
- It requires you to sign in with a valid Microsoft Account the first time you use it
- It will no longer be updated by Windows Update, instead it requires Windows Store to update
- It will annoy you with "you need an update" messages inside the "app"
- You have to sign in with a valid Microsoft Account to use the Store
- While in Windows 10 Pro/Education/Enterprise it was possible to use the Store without Microsoft Account if you were in a corporate environment, Windows 11 forces the use of a Microsoft Account even if you are part of an Active Directory Domain and use Windows 11 Enterprise Edition
Now lets talk about
cmd.exe vs.
WindowsTerminal.exe and its
5 second startup time...
I would not call this "
bugs". I would call it
intentional user mucking or
always online compulsion. "Windows Phone" has been dead for years and a "Microsoft Surface" has a screen size comparable to a laptop, so I really don't get why Microsoft keeps going converting everything to useless "apps".