Windows 7 and 10 were decent enough after a clean install. Windows 11 doesn't necessarily feel sluggish but with all the stuff Microsoft blasts at you it doesn't feel like you're getting anything done.
It's like the operative system is constantly fighting you and doesn't want to get out of the way.
It's not, and in a vacuum I don't think anyone would mind. It is the fact that it is concealed that is really shitty.
"It reserves bandwidth for high-priority tasks such as Windows Update over other tasks that compete for internet bandwidth, like streaming a movie"
As much as I'd like to keep my system up to date (and I really do), if I'm watching a movie then that is my priority. Any task I'm currently using the bandwidth on, should be considered my system's priority. This is akin to rebooting the computer when it determines it is necessary, with the user having little control to stop it; it's intend isn't malicious, and it is meant to protect the user, but all it achieves is upsetting the user and make us find ways around it or turn it off completely.
It's like that with every competitive game.
You see other people playing it and think "wow, that's cool. I wanna try it", only to be welcomed by what you just described. Your success then depends on whether you have a hard skin to endure the bullshit, or if you're social enough to have others play with you that won't dismiss everything you do so easily. More often than not we don't have the patience/ability for either.
I've found DDG to be adequate for the majority of things I search, but when I need something specific or with some nuance, it fails miserably. For that reason I still use Google when I do stuff for work, or when I do troubleshooting. For my daily usage DDG is just fine, though.