I’ve mainly used OSX/MacOS tho right out my life, but have used Windows for work. From my understanding, installing an app on Windows scatters files throughout the OS and makes it sometimes difficult to fully uninstall an app. Often times there are files that are leftover.
In macOS it’s super easy because with a lot of apps, the files are bundled within the app itself making it easier to remove.
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There’s no hard technological difference between desktop operating systems in this. Much like Linux or Mac, Windows also allows the entire filesystem to be accessed by programs, and so what these programs leave there gets left there. And just like on your Mac, deleting programs on Windows generally goes just fine.
What there is a difference in is the preferred approach despite this technological background. Both on Mac and Linux programs tend to come in the form of “”””self contained”””” packages that are more standalone. This typically makes the process a bit more reliable (but it’s still not great by far).
On Windows, uninstallers of heavier programs will especially be more brittle, because they tend to roll their own custom code for vanity reasons. And since it’s something you can do well, it’s also something you can do unwell.
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