34 engineers on Hacker News describe using Windows Server first-hand: 4 endorse it, 12 regret it, 0 are mixed.
“Using Windows as a server feels like using your lounge room as a commercial kitchen.”
regret · production · ehnto · 2025-11-03 · source ↗ · wrong label?“the Windows Server ecosystem is absolutely abysmal if you aren't in it for Exchange, MSSQL... I supported that trash from server 2000 - 2012 r2. Never again.”
regret · production · swozey · 2024-04-29 · source ↗ · wrong label?“I will never again support a Windows Server over a Linux VM.”
regret · production · stepbeek · 2022-02-21 · source ↗ · wrong label?“I build my stuff on top of a stack that hardly ever goes down.”
endorse · production · 15 yr · jasonkester · 2019-11-06 · source ↗ · wrong label?“It would be great if at least Windows Server came with a built in ssh server.”
regret · production · pmontra · 2017-12-12 · source ↗ · wrong label?“We run Windows 10 and the lastest Windows server on all our machines and don't have problems”
endorse · production · GlobalServices · 2017-05-15 · source ↗ · wrong label?“it far out performs windows based DCs”
regret · production · mrmondo · 2016-12-28 · source ↗ · wrong label?“we've migrated two mid-sized office networks recently to Windows domain environments, and that cost the customers extra money just for CALs”
regret · production · thaumaturgy · 2015-07-07 · source ↗ · wrong label?“Our Windows Server did updates, then came back up with a "you need to renew your license" lock that prevented any I/O”
regret · production · sarciszewski · 2014-11-16 · source ↗ · wrong label?“I'll take *nix and Java all day over IIS/Windows server. No thank you”
regret · production · manyxcxi · 2014-11-13 · source ↗ · wrong label?“running 30+ windows servers ... Window Server administration can be very slow”
regret · production · zargath · 2014-07-07 · source ↗ · wrong label?“I hate Windows servers. Every time I have to RDP into them to change some configs”
regret · production · socialist_coder · 2013-12-14 · source ↗ · wrong label?“I have to buy user CALs for #1 and #2. One CAL gives me the right to connect that user to any of our file shares and to AD.”
regret · production · rufugee · 2012-12-11 · source ↗ · wrong label?“We had constant problems that have pretty much disappeared since we replaced it with a machine running Windows Server 2008 R2.”
endorse · production · lukeschlather · 2011-03-23 · source ↗ · wrong label?“It would be great to have a free base Windows OS release ... but a fully functional networking stack, and no connection limits.”
regret · production · moon_of_moon · 2010-09-17 · source ↗ · wrong label?“I have never seen the problem since switching to a Windows server.”
endorse · production · mattw · 2010-05-19 · source ↗ · wrong label?“I remember doing this when we migrated from Windows 2000/2003 to AIX.”
neutral · production · kwanbix · 2026-09-09 · source ↗ · wrong label?“We were mostly working with .NET/Windows Server”
neutral · production · bob1029 · 2023-12-16 · source ↗ · wrong label?“I pay more for Veeam, Windows Server, and many many many other things than i do vmware”
neutral · production · phpisthebest · 2023-12-13 · source ↗ · wrong label?“even with limited knowledge of Windows server administration. I just needed to write a few batch scripts to run on startup.”
neutral · production · progmetaldev · 2021-11-18 · source ↗ · wrong label?“I had it on modern windows server that boots up in 60 seconds.”
neutral · personal · icameron · 2021-01-02 · source ↗ · wrong label?“By far our top expenses are licenses since we run quite a lot of Windows server (hypervisors and VM).”
neutral · production · jmnicolas · 2020-11-20 · source ↗ · wrong label?“running Server 2008 Terminal server. (Just... don't ask.)”
neutral · production · to11mtm · 2020-05-24 · source ↗ · wrong label?“not because we also use Windows server and the centralised management facilities”
neutral · production · Silhouette · 2019-10-03 · source ↗ · wrong label?“our operations engineers do Microsoft servers and our developers do C#.”
neutral · production · moksly · 2019-07-20 · source ↗ · wrong label?“since it has to run on Windows servers.”
neutral · production · lancefisher · 2019-06-23 · source ↗ · wrong label?“I currently run on Windows servers, some of which are Core.”
neutral · production · majkinetor · 2019-05-06 · source ↗ · wrong label?“copying and pasting into the customer Windows Server 2008”
neutral · production · mcs_ · 2018-10-04 · source ↗ · wrong label?“I currently have a Django-based intranet site (Windows Server 2012 w/ MSSQL DB)”
neutral · production · mkane848 · 2016-09-26 · source ↗ · wrong label?“We had to have our copier company come out to upgrade the firmware on all of the devices when we moved to Server 2012.”
neutral · production · discreditable · 2016-09-12 · source ↗ · wrong label?“at our company, we run a Windows Server 2008 R2 Terminal server, with Outlook 2003 installed for email.”
neutral · production · krylon · 2014-11-29 · source ↗ · wrong label?“At work we run a large mix of Windows Servers, SQL servers, Linux, Drupal, MySQL, Moodle etc.”
neutral · production · wfjackson · 2014-10-30 · source ↗ · wrong label?“upgraded the server we run Moodle ... on from Windows Server 2003 to Ubuntu Desktop.”
neutral · production · RKoutnik · 2013-02-21 · source ↗ · wrong label?“I'll give you my suggestions based on a mini version of the configuration I've been using for a couple years”
neutral · production · 2 yr · TomOfTTB · 2011-12-12 · source ↗ · wrong label?