I learned about bad position of christian subjects in empire. Young male childern were taken from parents/mothers and made into elite wariors Jannisaries and politicians. Taxes was very hard to pay, large population in Serbia, Bosnia, Rumelia accept islam to enhance personal position and to make life easier and lower taxes. It all seems to me that they were not tolerant society and state, more true Orient/Asian empire. In last few months I read about Turkish rewriting of Ottoman history and erasing or hide unwanted parts to get to public. Armenian ethnic cleansing/genocide and many more events that take part in era of Ottoman empire on teritories with non-muslim people.
Sorry for English, not my native.
It's very complicated and changed over time. At some points (such as when the Empire was at it's peak in the mid 17th century) non-Muslims were left or more less to themselves, with the notable exception of the Devshirme (the child tax).
For much of it's history the Ottoman Empire was actually more tolerant of minority groups than the Christian Europe, especially with respect to Jews.
Religious minorities such a Catholics, Orthodox and Jews were grouped into communities called "Millets." These Millets would be run by the religious leaders of the minority groups and according to their own laws, so they had some amount of self-rule.
As the Empire declined, the political system became more corrupt, and the taxes levied on the non-Muslims became increasingly exploitative. At the very end of the Empire (the early 20th Century) the Ottomans were more and more authoritarian and brutal. At this point it was not a good time to be a minority in the Ottoman Empire.
Sources:
-The Balkans: A Short History by Mark Mazower
-The Balkans in World History by Andrew Wachtel
-The Modern Middle East by James Gelvin