I feel like if you're bothered simply by the existence of the registry, Windows isn't really for you. I get it, a little bit -- the OOM killer on Linux just boggles my mind, but once you view in context, you can appreciate how we ended with it, at a technical level.

But if you think the registry could be replaced with .ini files like the good ol' days, that's a pretty extreme hot take. If you're open to changing your perspective on what the registry is for, how it is designed, and why it's necessary, read any of the Windows Internals books.