2021: The Year Windows Became a First-Class Python Development Environment

In recent years the author grew weary of Apple laptop hardware decisions and decided to stop working on that platform, initially moving to a Linux desktop before ultimately adopting Windows as a stable, reliable development environment.

The article encourages readers who dislike the opaque and complex UI of Windows to continue reading, promising a discussion of how Windows meets common development needs.

1. Command Line

The author reminisces about the appeal of the UNIX shell, noting its power to chain commands, and expresses continued admiration for the Bourne shell. Modern Windows PowerShell offers comparable capabilities, including object pipelines and state configuration, along with enhancements like Oh My Posh for a comfortable prompt.

PowerShell provides built‑in help for each command and a relatively gentle learning curve, while the new Windows package manager winget simplifies installing tools such as Git with a single command.

2. Dislike Using Mouse

Finding the standard Windows UI painful, the author prefers keyboard‑driven workflows. Tools like Alfred on macOS inspire the use of PowerToys Run on Windows, enabling application launch and system actions via the keyboard.

PowerToys also includes a Keyboard Manager that allows remapping keys, such as moving Ctrl to Caps Lock for more ergonomic access.

3. Python: A Platform Nurtured by Thousands

Previously, Python developers on Windows faced weeks‑long struggles to get modules working, but recent investments from Microsoft and the Python community have dramatically improved the experience, supporting virtual environments, Poetry, pipx, and other tooling within PowerShell.

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) also allows native UNIX‑style development on Windows.

4. WSL: I See the Penguin!

With WSL 2 and the newer WSL‑g, developers can seamlessly build, debug, and run Linux programs on Windows, including those requiring X/Wayland GUI or audio support.

The integration is mature, allowing Docker and other tools to run inside WSL, and popular IDEs like PyCharm and VS Code work well with WSL deployments.

5. Embracing Innovation

The author takes pride in adopting high‑value, innovative technologies and reflects on the transition from costly proprietary workstations to affordable Linux‑like UNIX environments on commodity hardware.

While still seeing potential in Linux desktops, the author acknowledges accessibility challenges and decides to embrace Windows as an effective desktop system backed by a strong ecosystem and corporate investment.

The author looks forward to further exploring Windows' potential.