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Windows getting caught between Mac and Linux!?

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by jmgarvin

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http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS8541837412.html?kc=EWKNLNAV032408STR4

MS is losing market share left, right, and center to Mac and Linux.

Will Windows 7 stop the bleeding?

21 replies

by boxfiddler

It's nice to see that my mobo maker of choice is being rewarded with increasing sales for jumping on the Linux bandwagon. Perhaps this will help other parts manufacturers decide that it is about time that they, too joined the fray.

Bite me, Uncle Billy. ;)

by jamesrl

In the heyday of the Mac, early 90s, they had about 15 %, then Windows 95 knocked the stuffing out of Macs in the corporate environment.

IMNSHO, 15% is not enough. At 25% you have critical mass enough to get software developers to write for your OS as well as Windows.

James

by jaqui

market share and software support is that the Mac has had the software support even without that market share.

until they come up with a way to count every desktop system running linux, the real market share for linux will never be known.
[ the studies will count every junker pc I get and make work with linux as a pc for windows, yet they all have only linux on them now. ]

by jamesrl

I only really focussed on Mac versus Windoze, thats more easily measured, and back the last time Apple had 15%, Linux didn't exist (although I had a free Unix loaded on a mac, and they were also available for PCs).

James

by hal 9000

If it is released as M$ Claim and it does what M$ claim Windows 7 is very likely to make Vista look like ME.

Col

by jmgarvin

However, it does look like it's the last nail in the coffin for MS and their strangle hold on the market!

by w2ktechman

statement previously, I have re-evaluated and came to the same conclusion.
Originally, I thought Vista would do better than it has, and just be a disappointment for MS, however after over a year, and MS's shift to Win 7 and price reductions on some Vista releases, it really does seem moer like Win ME.
That pisses me off more that I am getting stuck on a full time Vista box next month (Didnt I mention, the co. that I work for are MS b1tches? Yeah, even some of the same problems that have curved the release for over a year are still there, and we are still going to be forced into deployment....
WTF -- Seriously looking at finding a new job.

by locrian_lyric

M$ really screwed the pooch with Vista.

In the past, M$ has managed to please users for the most part and only REALLY aggrivate us techies.

Vista changed all that.

Vista was so bad that even your everyday not-com user could recognize it.

When end users are telling *me* how much is sucks, that's something.

That, plus the absolute REFUSAL of major companies such as the one I work for, to install or even consider Vista for their enterprise solutions is hitting M$ right in the wallet.

My wife wants a Mac, and I'm more than ready to buy her one.

While I can support windows for her, I really don't care to bother, and she doesn't want to have to call me to do it either.

I may well break down and buy one as well.

by dumphrey

pleasing the not.com users (appliance users) makes sense, and this time MS has seriously inconvenienced these people, but one part being overlooked is the part MS is playing in the DRM show. A large part of Vista problems can be laid at the foot of the DRM sub-system that not only impares performance and safety, but limits the usability of the computer (see copy a legally purchased cd and issues, HD playback, etc). Hollywood thinks they have MS by the jewels. History has shown us the results of others that thought this.. But I would bet my best friend that MS will soon be telling Hollywood how it will all work (As did apple and iTunes with pricing and drm on online music sales). I would not be surpised if Vista was poised to fail for the sole reason of testing how much DRM would be enough to satisfy Hollywood, yet not so much that MS lost to much, with the sole purpose of gaining a major upper hand in HD media content, a big, growing, and profitable industry.

by the scummy one

So it appears that MS has out priced Vista and moved the lower end users to Linux. Everyone who researched buying a comp went with a MAC.
So only the lazy sheeple who just took the salesman's rec ended up with Vista, and many downgraded (actually upgraded) to XP.

That seems like a fair assessment (in my mind at least)

by dumphrey

since all their hardware is now commodity, and their vendor lock in is in many ways actually worse then MS. Its easy to make Mac the good guys, but lets not ignore iTunes or misuse of gpled software.

by w2ktechman

my assessment was incorrect anyway, just trying to make it sound simpler in my head.

I, myself actually moved to Linux instead, however if Apple does well over this whole ordeal, more power to them.
Personally, I am not an Apple fan, nor an MS fan, so Linux/BSD are the only real alternatives for now.

by jaqui

we know that linux has a darned good share of the server market, and that there is no accurate count possible for desktops It makes everyone's numbers suspect.

even the linux counter openly admits they have only a fraction of installed linux systems in their db.
[ I usually forget to add machines as I get them to my linux counter account, many linux users don't even have an account with them ]

I would say that if we take the linux server number and half it for a desktop number that it would be about as accurate as any other estimate. That would give linux a desktop share of 12 to 18%

by charliespencer

Bill Gates calls and gives you a choice. He'll give you either

* 100 shares of Microsoft stock but you can't sell it for five years.
* Cash equal to 50% of the current value of 100 shares of MS.

Which would you take? Ignore capital gains taxes.

Me, I'd take the stock. I think MS will still be viable in five years, and that the stock will provide better returns than I can get taking the cash and investing it in some other fashion. In other words, if you think Vista is going to kill MS, I think you're mistaken.

by ed woychowsky

Even if they screw-up everything for the next five years they have deep pockets. With the billions that they already have it will take a long time for them to die.

One thing though, is it just me or is Microsoft really starting to act like AT&T during the monopoly days? They don't care, they don't have too, they are the Software Company.

by dumphrey

MS DOES have deep pockets, and could probably stay in business for a year or better with zero income. But, they are starting to act like They Know Best. The Big Brother approach to business that goes over so well in America. As a rule Americans LOVE convenience, and MS is starting to forget that means the convenience for the consumer to use their computer as they wish, not as MS wants them too. When the OS starts making decisions on what you should or should not do, Americans (sheeple as well) take notice. I would imagine this convenience rule applies world wide.

by w2ktechman

if Vista continues on this path, and if Win 7 fails as well, MS will be in some trouble. Sure, they will still have money, but they will be forced into more of a defensive role with their next OS. Maybe even listening to customers instead of only big businesses and business partners.
Regardless, I doubt MS will go away entirely, but changing the way that they do things may be a big improvement for everyone in the years following. No?

by dumphrey

for Vista, its a slow performer compared to XP or Linux host machines....

That being said, Vista can be made more usable. Disable Aero, google vista services list and disable many of them... The usual windows tweaks. As long as you can get decent drivers, it will at least be stable.
On the desktop, the issued I had were not that much different then from 98 to XP. On the network, Vista had some weird issues with older Cisco gear (pix 501 and 871 router) in that it was behaving different;y because of its "smart" network stack...
BUT, after a month, I was able to use Vista with no real annoyances. I actually enjoyed the sidebar and daily Dilbert cartoons. But, it was noticably slower for many tasks then XP was on the same box, so I switched back to XP. What saved Vista for me was the admin access command prompt. (Type cmd in the "find" box (replaces the run box). Pressing the left ctrl and shift keys, hit enter. Ta da. UAC should ask you to confirm. Now you have a cmd window open with admin priv (and no more uac for the cmd window since it was already granted).
Stay strong W2k... it may not be the best, but Vista is better then ME, it even has a few features I like over XP. But its not an XP-killer at all. I would only choose to use Vista in a buisness if I was also going to use server 2008 (which i need to get on with evaluating...)

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