Windows 8: Microsoft's New Coke moment

[Redalien0304]

Sorry i wont touch Win 8 machine il remove Win 8 1st. Win 7 was my last Microsoft OS. I am Ubuntu / Linux all the way now. i think the Zdnet Numbers are somewhat misleading

[SeijiSensei]

It is simply impossible to measure the market share of Linux in any meaningful way. Most OS figures are based on shipments of pre-configured systems with commercial operating systems so all those people who buy a PC with Windows on it then install Linux are counted as Windows purchasers. The server market has similar problems, though machines with pre-installed Linux are more common there. Still people like me buy bare-iron servers and install Linux ourselves. I'm sure I'm not alone in this practice.

Some measures use data from website logs. Web browsers typically announce themselves with information about the browser and the OS on which it is running. Linux typically does better in these measures, but how well it performs depends on the sample of sites chosen for measurement.

I would still be suspicious of any figure for Linux north of five percent of all installed operating systems. Until people can walk into a store and buy a pre-configured Linux PC with full customer support, Linux usage is inevitably restricted to a relatively small group of hardy souls willing to muck around with their computers and professionals running Linux in server rooms.

The BBC have a good summary of the past day's media reactions to the hints that MS will be revamping Windows 8.

[iamkuriouspurpleoranj]

Statistics schmistics. Practically everyone I meet now is a Linux user. And these are charming, comfortably-off people with rich social lives.

A population roughly the same as that of Spain uses Linux worldwide. That might not be that many people on a global level but I doubt you'll ever feel alone in Spain.

[JonPaul]

What bothers me most is that pie chart. So there really are that few Linux users!?

Quality rather than quantity.....

Having said that Linux with its dozens of distros/desktops is its own worst enemy (and I say that as an enthusiast who would never go back to windows)

Some would argue of course that this is its greatest strength

[Jonor]

The pie chart prompts me to think where it likely is an accurate reflection of usage - top three floors at Redmond head office ?

[mr john]

Those figures are probablty quite close. Of course there is a margin of error, but that margin is small. I think some people here need to get out into the real world and see for themselves. PS. with windows 8 all you need to do is install classic shell and you're good to go. It's actually a little bit quicker on most of the machines I've tried it on compared to Windows 7.

Ubuntu 13.04 is pretty good too. Definitely alot snappier than previous unity releases, but the average user isn't going to just jump into something they arent familiar with when they aren't even that confident with what they are familier with. People will get Windows 8 because of the OEM's, and many of them will choose to downgrade or look for a way to get it like the windows they already know.

[goldshirt9]

Every other Windows OS is questionable.
Use & on my desktop and love it.Would say 8 is a step too far in how it looks. I dont want a desktop touchpad, some people do though.
Maybe the tried too hard to force it on the average person.A step too far too fast ?

[iamkuriouspurpleoranj]

^Well, I trust more in my own real life experiences than in a ZDNet pie chart, not that I believe they have underestimated our size.

The fact of the matter is that the Linux community is small by comparison. Just like Poland is small in comparison with Russia. The real question is: are we a viable community? I believe so and that's all that matters. Poland is still viable a country. Russia is just bigger, that's all.

2%. Yes and so what? In Linux, we have some important stakeholders but we have no shareholders. So what is the concern? Are we worried about declining profits? "Still 2% after all these years! What do we tell the shareholders?" "What shareholders?" "Oh, don't say that. You'll hurt their feelings."

Windows is OK. If you enjoy it, use it. Their metro flatstudio-rip-off design is pretty. However, the whole experience, as with the shopping lens in Ubuntu, feels physically superficial and not fully integrated, if that makes sense. I don't find anything interesting to do in Windows but good luck to you if you do.

As a left-handed person in a right-handed world, I find the statistic that probably 90%+ home computer users use Windows just that: a statistic.

[forrestcupp]

I have a feeling that Microsoft is a lot more stubborn than Coke was. Not only will they not change back, but they'll do their best to bully everyone into accepting their change.

It is simply impossible to measure the market share of Linux in any meaningful way. Most OS figures are based on shipments of pre-configured systems with commercial operating systems so all those people who buy a PC with Windows on it then install Linux are counted as Windows purchasers. The server market has similar problems, though machines with pre-installed Linux are more common there. Still people like me buy bare-iron servers and install Linux ourselves. I'm sure I'm not alone in this practice.

You're right. It's impossible to get an accurate measurement. They can't measure people who build their own computers and install Linux. Also, when someone buys a PC with Windows preinstalled and they wipe it and install Linux, the numbers go toward Windows and not Linux. Still, I'm sure the numbers aren't extremely far off. The fact is, most people just buy computers and use them. Most people are never going to install Linux on their computers because all they care about is checking Facebook and emails, and the operating system is just not something they care about going to that trouble over. Heck, most people don't even know what an operating system is.

Every other Windows OS is questionable.
Use & on my desktop and love it.Would say 8 is a step too far in how it looks. I dont want a desktop touchpad, some people do though.
Maybe the tried too hard to force it on the average person.A step too far too fast ?

I think you hit the nail on the head there. They're just ahead of the game a generation. If they would have eased into it this gen, I think they could have gotten away with this in the next version of Windows.

[Umbra Diaboli]

I think right now we are at an intermediate point were no one is buying new hardware.

I presume we may see Linux's market share increase in a year as people are forced to buy new machines, and as support for games becomes stronger.