Windows 7 passes XP, Mac OS X passes Vista Two aging Windows operating systems slipped a ranking each in the market share race this August, with Windows 7 overtaking Windows XP as the world's most popular desktop operating system, and Apple's OS X overtaking the late, lamented Windows Vista. This news comes to us from Net Applications' monthly Net Market Share survey, …
My friend also runs Windows 98 on his internet/email machine at home. He maintains it does everything he wants. What's interesting is, as somebody mentioned above about there being no security patches for it - well, according to my friend, there's none needed.
My friend hasn't had malware on that machine in years, and he's been to some damned dodgy sites on it. Most, if not all, malware these days relies on the NT kernel (i.e. Win NT, 2K, XP, Vista and 7) to do its evil business.
Which Windows 98 does not have.
Which means modern malware won't work on it. And so few people still use it that it's not worth the effort of the malware crooks to support it. My friend maintains that running Windows 98, a long-obsolete system almost no-one uses any more, has become more secure than running an NT-based machine with an antivirus. He has an old antivirus anyway, just in case there's a bit of Nimda or Melissa still floating around, but I haven't seen that machine catch anything since Geocities was big business!
Of course, there's still the many other security holes that might allow an attacker to get remote control of his machine, but they'd have to be running some pretty antiquated shit themselves to do it!
Bet win98 is also a damned site faster....
Perhaps I should 'down grade' my machine an benefit from the improved virus protection (no one can be bothered) and the superior speed (would be interesting to see just how fast it romps along on a modern machine with all its ram and processor speed.... could be pretty impressive. I remember booting up my old 286 - complete with turbo button, typing win at the command prompt, getting windows 3 and then word up before my pentium xxxxxxx thingy running the then latest version of windows was fit to do anything).
Some of this you just cant emulate. We have a few custom network cards (not your usual ethernet) needed to talk to the ageing PLC network. With an emulator you can't get on that network as they only made these things with ISA bus cards.
Ideal solution would be to get the system upgraded. But as long as it still works, they don't want to touch it.
Trouble is, the thing will fall over with no available replacement parts, then they will want their upgrade in the next 3 day.
Customers? Pah.
For the obvious part; it should be obvious. XP isn't being sold, Win7 on the other hand still is so it was only a matter of time before one would overtake the other.
Still, I think its well deserved and to me (for whatever that's worth) it shows that the market isn't stupid. When I bought my current desktop PC it came with Vista (Home-Premium) pre-installed. At first I used this for a games machine, after I got my PS3 I used it for dedicated 'Windows stuff'. Even later I actually started using it for my common desktop and for my hobby (synthesizer / DAW usage & synthesis study in general).
Fun part is that only /after/ I upgraded to Windows 7 professional I finally realized the major differences between Vista & 7. No kidding; on some aspects (multimedia for example) these are huge.
Quick example: I have my DAW ('sound software') setup to generate some percussion using samples, a bass line using a (software) synthesizer and some lead sounds using a so called "VST" (software synthesizer but this time a plugin, so 3rd party stuff). I also applied some sound effects to all three tracks. On tops all tracks some together on the 'master' where I applied a 'Compressor' sound effect to keep the overall volume a bit in check (meaning: making sure that I don't have too big extremes in volume).
Vista CPU load, with all my hardware attached (controllers, keyboard, USB soundcard): 70 - 90%.
Win7 CPU load (same as above): 10 - 20%.
When I was still using Vista I didn't consider upgrading, but after I had I was actually glad I did.
I agree >1% is a bewilderingly massive amount of people who have installed another operating system, or rather gone out of their way to NOT use Windows! Especially considering so many businesses have locked themselves into the proprietary Microsoft systems. It is getting much easier to break away from the lock-in now.
These figures do need to be taken with a hefty pinch of salt.
Many of the more enlightened web users who frequent the tech forums block all manner of hit counters and ad sites. How many Reg Readers use Firefox with NoScript and Adblock-Plus. come on hands up....
I block all these sites. The onlt time I ever see any adverts is on my totally locked down (can't even adjust the screen resolution) windows 7 laptop. Thankfully they installed VMWare so all my browsing is done via a VM (Linux) that is totally under my control
anon just because I don't want to give our corporate IT droids any ideas about locknig the laptops down even further.
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So really you need to combine EVERY SINGLE version of OSX to surpass what is one of Microsoft's least popular OS's. However as Apple insist each new version is a new OS then it must be treated in the same way as Windows different versions, and in that case it's still firmly planted in fourth place.
I've always wondered what it is that turns previously intelligent individuals into raving copy-bots once they're employed in the field of IT journalism. If only I had a dollar for every incidence of some oblivious journalist claiming Windows Vista is a disaster I could buy Kim .com's house. At this point, Windows Vista is actually better than Windows 7. On a clean install, Vista with service pack 2 is faster and takes a lot less interface customization to make it work well than Windows 7 does. I've got both Windows 7 Ultimate and Windows Vista Ultimate here in my house and I keep Vista on my personal machine because I actually like it. If you genuinely do prefer Windows 7's interface then power to you. I personally hate it. Please stop repeating that baseless claim that 7 is better than Vista. They're virtually identical under the hood with 7 having slightly poorer Superfetch optimization. Microsoft tried to shorten the boot up time with Windows 7, by reducing the effectiveness of the Superfetch service, in response to user complaints over Vista's perceived boot time.
Look whose laughing now, that piece of crap is now much more "popular" that Linux. I would suggest that most people who are using OSX are doing so by choice, ie. they chose to use it by paying with their own money for a Mac, as opposed to many of the XP/7 clan who use it because a)It was pre-installed or b)My work uses it or c)Everything else must suck, or the Linux ABM'ers.
The article admits there are gaps in the statistics due to the metoedology of basing it in the OS of systems accessing the internet but what about those that do not use the web at all.
From those that sit on a desk in a small non internet based business used only for WP to those companies who restrict which employees have access to the internet as a timewaster there is going to be a considerable count worldwide. As these are probably going to be predominantly older OS's I think that XP has a long way to go before it loses its crown especially as the differential is so small.
Add to that all those systems using one of the flavours of Windows as Embedded controlling various dedicated machines and systems which are not in the market of regular upgrades because they are designed to be a particular job.
Win8 is a major change to the OS is used day to day even if you think that change is acceptable. I am still getting used to it but such annoying things keep coming up from how to get the Run box to shutting down. The music tile opening XBox Live, why? I have 18000 tracks so why is the 1st thing I am going to do is buy more? Most of the "apps" I use promptly drop back to the desktop so I might as well stay there
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