My solution was to dump the Windows environment for my personal use.
I program in Arduino where I only have 2.5 K for my variables, programming with so little memory really forces you to think about your program methods.
I built small projects using 74LSxxx chips, building logic instead of programming it can be refreshing.
When I need more space I program in C++ on a Haiku machine, 32 GB of ram and 12 CPUs gives you the power, but the lack of frameworks means it is all your own coding.