Windows 8 Market Share Better Than OS X, Worse Than Vista

sfsuphysics said:
It's like MS Office products, why? just why? Office 95 works just as fine as Office 365 for 99% of people using it.
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I think that if you were to replace every copy of Office 2010 and 2013 with Office 95 you'd be hearing from a lot more than 1% of the users.
 
Meh - win 7 "fixed" Vista. Win 7 works well, and unless you want to integrate your tablet/cell/PC experience, there's no compelling reason to upgrade.

If they wanted us to upgrade, they should have released a service pack to win7 that f**ked it up and required win8 to "fix".

Otherwise, you just get standard PC purchasing rates as the market share impact of Win8 - no compelling reason to fix something you already have that works.

;)

BB
 
Honestly I don't know can't understand why anyone would even use windows for anything but playing video games. For everything else I use Linux
 
Oh and those of you who hate windows 8 metro get a brain and just install the free source class shell program. Your windows 8 now boots up and looks just like windows 7.
 
spamhunter said:
Agreed, my first thought was why is OS X split into 3 parts, 10.6, 10.7, 10.8? Is it because you have to pay for each release?
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I believe so. I don't have any desire to move to OSX either, but I believe they don't charge near as much for the "upgrade". Instead of giving the new version a new snazzy name they just bump the number up. I could be wrong though, I couldn't care less about Apple's operating system.

rudy said:
lol really, really.....
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NOPE. JAYKAY LOLER!
 
yelsewshane said:
Honestly I don't know can't understand why anyone would even use windows for anything but playing video games. For everything else I use Linux
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Because Windows has the most extensive 3rd party hardware and software support of all desktop OSes.
 
This is a total shocker how could you drop such a bomb on us Steve, what if Bill gates starts browsing the internet and sees this ? He would get so upset and start yelling and screaming and stomping his feet like a little blonde girl that didn't get what she asked for, Steve why ?
 
After a month or so of using Windows 8 on my laptop and customizing it to my liking, I seem to like it a little better than Windows 7. I notice it runs smoother on my laptop than Windows 7 did.

The only reason I decided to upgrade was because it was so cheap at the time for $15. Bought three copies, upgraded a friends Vista laptop and my Win7 laptop, both are doing great on 8. Saving the third copy for when I finally get a new desktop.
 
yelsewshane said:
Oh and those of you who hate windows 8 metro get a brain and just install the free source class shell program. Your windows 8 now boots up and looks just like windows 7.
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Those square corners and colors though! OMG my eyes! (only half sarcastic)
 
I'm really not surprised about these numbers. They aren't good and they aren't really bad. I recently "inherited" a Thinkpad t61 with win 8 on it. Ran it for a couple weeks before plowing it under for an xubuntu install. To be quite honest they could have sold 8 as an upgrade on the enhanced security features, and improved speed in my opinion. It was surprisingly snappy on this old laptop, never crashed, never really gave me any fits except for some crappy out dated drivers. All in all it was an OK experience once I got the hang of it. Would I upgrade from win7 or from xp/vista though? Yeah, I think I would. I can really see why some people see no need though as the UI is fucking terrible and it's expensive for gains that are in the margins as it were. Adoption is inevitable like all versions of windows, how quickly is up for debate though.
 
You have made hundreds of posts and clearly know what it is. Why should it matter to my point how recently you posted? You simpley try to distract people from my main point.
 
JayteeBates said:
Those square corners and colors though! OMG my eyes! (only half sarcastic)
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I completely agree. I can't stand the square pointed edges, the flat colors and buttons. It's like Windows 3.11 all over again. Actually, that's a disservice to Windows 3.11, at least it trued to make the buttons stand out with darker borders.
 
I have windows 7 on my HTPC, and on a whim picked up a cheap dell laptop with Windows 8..........utter rubbish unless you're using a tablet.

If you have 7 already installed, don't even think about jumping onto the 8 bandwagon.....
 
Pieter3dnow said:
This is a total shocker how could you drop such a bomb on us Steve, what if Bill gates starts browsing the internet and sees this ? He would get so upset and start yelling and screaming and stomping his feet like a little blonde girl that didn't get what she asked for, Steve why ?
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Nooooooooo, he would just BUY Steve, problem solved. Now on to help Balmer get a basketball team.....
 
Vista was a damn great OS post-SP1. If 7 wasn't as good as it is and I didn't get it for free through school, I'd still be using Vista SP2 on every machine I own.

I put 8 Pro on my laptop this past Saturday, installed Classic Shell, booted into desktop with a Start menu. Rebooted, wiped and installed 7 Pro again after realizing that (for me) "fixing" 8 means making it no different than 7 and....what's the point.

I do like the general window GUI....the flat look. However I do still like Aero too though.

I don't, however, like Metro or Live Tiles on my desktop. I'm OK with them on my phone (when I had a WP7)....but not on my desktop.

As far as I'm concerned, Microsoft can do whatever they want from here on out because take it or leave it with Metro, I see no reason to upgrade from 7. I don't care if we're past the 'Service Pack Support End Date' and we never get any further SP's; mainstream support goes for another 19 months and we get extended support for 5 years past that. By 2020 I'm sure there will be something else worth using and I don't think it's going to be Windows 8.
 
MacLeod said:
I don't like Metro and I like my Start button. Those are the sole reasons I'm sticking with Win7 even if I were building a new rig today.

It's not that I hate Win8 or on some grand anti-MS campaign, it's just that Win7 is a superb OS and works virtually flawlessly so I see no reason to spend $100 to "upgrade" to something that won't perform any better and has a worse UI. I think it's as simple as that. Win7 works just as well and has a better UI. I don't see any mystery or conspiracy as to why 8 not getting a warm reception.
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Well said. The people you'll find on the internet attacking those that question the wisdom of MS trying to force windows desktop into a cellphone/tablet paradigm are usually investors, insiders, employees or people with an otherwise financial stake in sales of Microsoft products. Anyone without an agenda that's been using Windows for 10, 15, 20 years doesn't get so hung up on insisting everyone adopt Metro and calling them 'dumb' and 'resistance to change' and 'haters' and 'apple fanboys' if they don't.

Fact of the matter is every version of Windows until 8 has had backward-compatibility tweaks available in the O/S that allowed users to restore previous look or functionality if the new shell didn't work for them. Even if they were buried in .INI files or the registry, they were there - Microsoft respected their customers and didn't question why - they left them a CHOICE.

Windows 8 changed all that and removed the native ability to restore backward compatibility when they removed things like the regkey to restore the Start Menu, Aero Glass etc late in the consumer preview (beta) cycle before release. So they were already there, not easy to get to except by power users, but Microsoft under the insistence of Steven Sinofsky removed those backward compatibility options anyway. That was to the ire of many longtime windows users, that saw the move as arrogant.

So, if there's any "conspiracy" to the widespread backlash, it would be a grass roots one with people that love Windows and want to remind Microsoft not to forget what made it great. Dissension is the highest form of Windows patriotism. We understand Microsoft wants desperately to hop on the appstore gravy train and rolling in those 30% cuts of every sale, we understand they need to adapt to the growth in the mobile sector, but Metro is not that catalyst since its absolutely terrible and half baked. The silver lining is they got rid of Sinofsky - known for creating hostility between departments internally - and the 8.1 update seems to hold positive signs that the company understands it needs to correct course and undo the damage Sinofsky has done.
 
DPI said:
Well said. The people you'll find on the internet attacking those that question the wisdom of MS trying to force windows desktop into a cellphone/tablet paradigm are usually investors, insiders, employees or people with an otherwise financial stake in sales of Microsoft products. Anyone without an agenda that's been using Windows for 10, 15, 20 years doesn't get so hung up on insisting everyone adopt Metro and calling them 'dumb' and 'resistance to change' and 'haters' and 'apple fanboys' if they don't.
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Or maybe some people would like of version of Windows that can run on thin and light tablets without the constant need of a keyboard and mouse.

DPI said:
Fact of the matter is every version of Windows until 8 has had backward-compatibility tweaks available in the O/S that allowed users to restore previous look or functionality if the new shell didn't work for them. Even if they were buried in .INI files or the registry, they were there - Microsoft respected their customers and didn't question why - they left them a CHOICE.
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Did you forget about this? http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1039832163&postcount=30
 
Wait a minute. Where is Linux in that chart? Hidden in that 1.99% for "Other?" After how many years of availability all of the Linux distros taken together still don't add up to 2%? If "desktop market share within X number of months of release" is the measure of worth for an OS then Linux must suck really hard. ;) I mean, Linux is free, right? However dreadful Windows 8 may be more people would still rather pay actual money for it rather than install a free distro of Linux. It's almost as if you can't give Linux away! Yet for some reason people in this forum keep saying we should switch our desktops to this turkey instead of the clearly superior (based on it's market penetration within 6 months of release) Windows 8! :D
 
yelsewshane said:
Honestly I don't know can't understand why anyone would even use windows for anything but playing video games. For everything else I use Linux
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Even that's changing. With Steam for Linux, indie developers shunning Windows 8 store, and Android now being the most popular OS, more and more games are coming to Linux.

While Windows 8 obviously sucks for consumers, it also sucks for developers. Apps that rely on in app advertising, aren't getting any money on Windows 8 anymore. http://www.itworld.com/mobile-wireless/354457/windows-8-developers-wonder-wheres-ad-revenue Windows 8 store also sucks for indie developers, but I've already mentioned that elsewhere.
 
Without really knowing what empathy means, stepping into someone elses shoes is an evolved persons greatest ability.
 
BladeVenom said:
Even that's changing. With Steam for Linux, indie developers shunning Windows 8 store, and Android now being the most popular OS, more and more games are coming to Linux.

While Windows 8 obviously sucks for consumers, it also sucks for developers. Apps that rely on in app advertising, aren't getting any money on Windows 8 anymore. http://www.itworld.com/mobile-wireless/354457/windows-8-developers-wonder-wheres-ad-revenue Windows 8 store also sucks for indie developers, but I've already mentioned that elsewhere.
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April 2013 Steam Survey: http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey. If game developers aren't interested in Windows 8 apps it's hard to see how they'd have more interest in Linux. As for Android being the most popular OS it generates very little web browser traffic for such popularity: http://gs.statcounter.com/#os-ww-monthly-201204-201304, Windows 8 alone generates twice the web browser traffic of Android and desktop Linux combined. But course this doesn't mean Android is a catastrophe, it is indeed very popular for Facebook, Instagram, casual gaming that doesn't need something like a real GPU, that sort of thing.
 
heatlesssun said:
Or maybe some people would like of version of Windows that can run on thin and light tablets without the constant need of a keyboard and mouse.
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Nice straw man. Nobody's disputing that Metro belongs on tablets. The backlash is from Microsoft acting like that virtually nonexistent windows mobile userbase is suddenly all that matters and all thats important, that playing angry birds and youtube videos is suddenly more critical than business and productivity - pillars that helped Windows get to where it is - or at least was - today. Because thats the message that focusing on Metro and forced booting to it sends even if it wasnt the intention. Like someone turning the lobby at a place of employment into a gift shop that people have to walk through every day with the belief they'll buy something with enough forced exposure.

Did you forget about this? http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1039832163&postcount=30
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Another straw man, you can do better. Not sure what a little known third party hack has to do with Microsoft removing the native ability to get those classic elements from the previous Windows back as they've allowed in every new version of Windows before, but thanks for linking it so a few more people might find their way out of Metro jail.
 
"Metro jail" is a little on the sensationalist side, isn't it? It has some glaring flaws, but I find it difficult to believe that I've been imprisoned in it. Click "Desktop" or any other tile associated with a 'legacy' app and you've made bail.
 
DPI said:
Nice straw man. Nobody's disputing that Metro belongs on tablets. The backlash is from Microsoft acting like that virtually nonexistent windows mobile userbase is suddenly all that matters and all thats important, that playing angry birds and youtube videos is suddenly more critical than business and productivity - pillars that helped Windows get to where it is - or at least was - today. Because thats the message that focusing on Metro and forced booting to it sends even if it wasnt the intention. Like someone turning the lobby at a place of employment into a gift shop that people have to walk through every day with the belief they'll buy something with enough forced exposure.
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If productive work were done in with the Start Button or Start Menu then you'd have a point. Productive work is done in applications. The same desktop productivity applications that run on 7 run on 8 and behave exactly the same way and can even be launched the same way if it's done on the task bar. In Windows 8 however when using multiple monitors there's a bit of a gain here over Windows 7 as the task bar actually works across multiple monitors. Going to the Start Screen once a boot, why does it matter from a productivity application standpoint if those applications can be launched there?

DPI said:
Another straw man, you can do better. Not sure what a little known third party hack has to do with Microsoft removing the native ability to get those classic elements from the previous Windows back as they've allowed in every new version of Windows before, but thanks for linking it so a few more people might find their way out of Metro jail.
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This isn't true exactly true. Things have been dropped out of the UI from one version to the next, like the Motion Desktop in Vista but gone in 7. And Active Desktop from XP to Vista. As for Metro jail, hard to fathom the concept for me as I use a lot of Metro apps and all of the desktop apps I've always used and even more now on 8 as I've picked up some desktop apps that I've never ran on 7. With more software than ever before under Windows and new hardware to run it on, my guess is that many inmates in real jails would love a Metro jail.
 
Wrench00 said:
Companies take forever to upgrade because of custom software that is in production.
I have this problem I have XP machines running accpac for dos because the company can't afford 300k a customized add in for Sage 300 that figures out cost waste on sheets of steel.

Also there are plasma and laser cutters on the floor that run odd and archaic software on to drive PLCs. Hell I have 95 OSRB 98 and SE, 2000 and WINXP CE in production for the same reasons.
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If it works there isn't any point in upgrading. It might be more trouble when factoring in downtime and employee training time.
 
Windows 8 is....oh who cares already. Either you like it or you don't

But worse than Vista? Now that does hurt...

Yes, XP needs to go away now. I would have argued that point 3 years ago for enterprise users but not now. Windows 7 is the new XP.
 
heatlesssun said:
April 2013 Steam Survey: http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey. If game developers aren't interested in Windows 8 apps it's hard to see how they'd have more interest in Linux. As for Android being the most popular OS it generates very little web browser traffic for such popularity: http://gs.statcounter.com/#os-ww-monthly-201204-201304, Windows 8 alone generates twice the web browser traffic of Android and desktop Linux combined. But course this doesn't mean Android is a catastrophe, it is indeed very popular for Facebook, Instagram, casual gaming that doesn't need something like a real GPU, that sort of thing.
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Unlike most I actually don't mind your Win8 white knight shtick. You could at least attempt to compare apples to apples in your attempts to deride any other OS. Steam was released on Ubuntu in mid feb of this year, or roughly 2 months ago. Those stats you are using as some type of "evidence" are roughly 5-6 weeks after release, on a single distro. Given thats the case MS should be embarrassed at the Steam adoption rate given the head start and captive audience they have. Not surprising though it's some "win" for Win8 champion crowd though.

As a side note you should reconsider using web traffic stats as any metric of worth, doubly so when comparing desktop to mobile.
 
Ghettobox said:
Unlike most I actually don't mind your Win8 white knight shtick. You could at least attempt to compare apples to apples in your attempts to deride any other OS. Steam was released on Ubuntu in mid feb of this year, or roughly 2 months ago. Those stats you are using as some type of "evidence" are roughly 5-6 weeks after release, on a single distro. Given thats the case MS should be embarrassed at the Steam adoption rate given the head start and captive audience they have. Not surprising though it's some "win" for Win8 champion crowd though.

As a side note you should reconsider using web traffic stats as any metric of worth, doubly so when comparing desktop to mobile.
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These stats aren't mine, their Steam's, interpret them how you wish. But I would imagine that Microsoft is perfectly happy with being "embarrassed" over anything else showing up on this survey.
 
yelsewshane said:
Honestly I don't know can't understand why anyone would even use windows for anything but playing video games. For everything else I use Linux
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Ease of use, power, catalog of applications and games, industry standard.... y'know, the thing that productivity and entertainment both depend on?
 
heatlesssun said:
April 2013 Steam Survey: http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey. If game developers aren't interested in Windows 8 apps it's hard to see how they'd have more interest in Linux.
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Steam for Linux just came out. Games take time to develop. If you paid any attention to games, you'd see the rising popularity of Android and Linux, amongst game developers.

Take a look at the popular Kickstarter funded games. Most are going to be developed for Linux. None, or very few are going to be on the Windows 8 store. Game funding on Kickstarter didn't really take off til last year, so those games aren't out yet. Games take time to develop. So while few of them are out yet, they are coming.

Indie developers are abandoning Microsoft. It's been gone over before, but if you need it repeated:
How Microsoft is trying—but failing—to court indie game developers
Why game developers are flocking to Sony and fleeing from Microsoft

Microsoft has not treated indie developers well.

Microsoft has abandoned XNA. Unity is where indie and small developers have gone. Unity does Linux, it doesn't do MS Visual Studio.

App development for Windows is stalling. It's not just game developers who have abandoned Windows. Windows 8 app store growth slows And those that rely on adds, aren't getting any money on Windows, Windows 8 developers wonder, where's the ad revenue?

It's a complete failure for Windows apps, all the way around.


As for Android being the most popular OS it generates very little web browser traffic for such popularity:
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Android Smartphones Generate the Highest Share of Web Traffic And it's growing, while the desktop market is shrinking.

Linux Now Has "Double" the Market Share of Windows

People might still be using their PCs more often on the internet than their mobile devices, but that is changing.
 
BladeVenom said:
Steam for Linux just came out. Games take time to develop. If you paid any attention to games, you'd see the rising popularity of Android and Linux, amongst game developers.
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Sure there's a rise in interest Android mobile gaming but that's not at all the same thing as console or PC gaming.

BladeVenom said:
Take a look at the popular Kickstarter funded games. Most are going to be developed for Linux. None, or very few are going to be on the Windows 8 store. Game funding on Kickstarter didn't really take off til last year, so those games aren't out yet. Games take time to develop. So while few of them are out yet, they are coming.

Indie developers are abandoning Microsoft. It's been gone over before, but if you need it repeated:
How Microsoft is trying—but failing—to court indie game developers
Why game developers are flocking to Sony and fleeing from Microsoft

Microsoft has not treated indie developers well.

Microsoft has abandoned XNA. Unity is where indie and small developers have gone. Unity does Linux, it doesn't do MS Visual Studio.

App development for Windows is stalling. It's not just game developers who have abandoned Windows. Windows 8 app store growth slows And those that rely on adds, aren't getting any money on Windows, Windows 8 developers wonder, where's the ad revenue?

It's a complete failure for Windows apps, all the way around.

Android Smartphones Generate the Highest Share of Web Traffic And it's growing, while the desktop market is shrinking.

Linux Now Has "Double" the Market Share of Windows

People might still be using their PCs more often on the internet than their mobile devices, but that is changing.
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One thing to watch out for is the rumor that the next Xbox will be able to run games from the Windows Store. If all it takes upfront (yes I know about the cut, that's the case for Android and iOS as well) is a Windows Store developer license to get on the Xbox, that's a pretty big deal for indie developers.

App growth picked up a lot last month for 8 after the link you posted was written: http://www.neowin.net/news/report-windows-store-now-has-over-65000-windows-8-apps

And I don't get this notion of Linux having more market share than Windows because a bunch of cheap Android devices has a Linux kernel that can't even run Linux desktop programs. Hell I can run Android apps on my Windows 8 machines with this: http://www.bluestacks.com/. Does that mean that Windows is a version of Linux now since it can run Android apps that don't work on desktop Linux?
 
Yes. Virtualizing an operating system on top of another makes the operating system underneath the same as the one being virtualized.

Absolutely correct.
 
wonderfield said:
"Metro jail" is a little on the sensationalist side, isn't it? It has some glaring flaws, but I find it difficult to believe that I've been imprisoned in it. Click "Desktop" or any other tile associated with a 'legacy' app and you've made bail.
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Every time you try to get out, it pulls you back in.
 
heatlesssun said:
And I don't get this notion of Linux having more market share than Windows because a bunch of cheap Android devices has a Linux kernel that can't even run Linux desktop programs. Hell I can run Android apps on my Windows 8 machines with this: http://www.bluestacks.com/. Does that mean that Windows is a version of Linux now since it can run Android apps that don't work on desktop Linux?
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Straw grasping at its saddest
 
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