Let us put a bit of perspective to this obvious statement; especially not knowing which OS the statement is in relation to (i.e., Win? Linux? Apple?)
[I am thinking that there may be a dig against Windows OperatingSystem(s) here; since the thread is about WinOS and not the other OSs.]
(#1)"...
wide hardware support..." (aka legacy hw support?) >> Which happens to be one of the BEST attributes of WinOS. [I'd welcome a legitimate challenge to this imo]
(#2)"..
.availability of third-party code..." (BOTH software, but, as well as hardware drivers) >> Which also happens to be another one of the WinOS BEST attributes. [Again another imo and I'd welcome legit rebuttal]
(3)"Instability increases..." because of
(#1) and
(#2) >> but "
compatibility increases" with both legacy hw and sw; making WinOS a much better choice for those who prefer 'respect for legacy' hw+sw. [I wouldn't mind a legit dis to this conclusion of mine]
I'll add one more attribute of WinOS in relation to other OperatingSystems >> Not only is there 'legacy-respect' but WinOS is the most compatible with the contender OSs (i.e., all *nix pre/post variants; each with their own unique idiosyncrasies).
Since the days of the consumer PC stone-age (DOS-era), we have all cussed-out every hal, code, firmware, kernel, run-time, os, registry, drivers, utilities, applications and apps... at one time or another; with some happily switching over to the other competing OSs. << My 'obvious statement'.
I currently run a mixture of old/new WinOS, in multiple old/new hardware installations, which also have to interface/interconnect w/competing old/new OSs and new smart/connected devices, without much of the "
instability increases" you mention.