Discussion: Windows Market Statistics

[Kasual]

You gamers pay virtually nothing (maybe your Dell/HP/Lenovo PC charged you an extra $40 for Windows, or gosh -- you "pirated LTSC". That puts you in the back of the priority list for Windows feature requirements.

Windows 7 License fits right in Windows 11, LTSC version works too while it is the right 10 Home (7 Starter/Home/Home Premium) or 10 Pro (7 Pro/Ultimate) doesn't change.

Windows 11 still uses the Windows 3.0 (for sure) code (probably older) and includes the oldest security (known low risk and unknown) flaws instead of writing the code from scratch.
Windows is full of garbage and the main reason to use NTLite, Windows includes DWM or Desktop Window Management for fancy looking stuff, now emulating Linux workspaces, probably software protection added to the 20 years older Windows software protection instead of replace it with new and clean.

Ms is pushing too far the Windows adware on every new version.

 

[Clanger]

Windows is full of garbage. Ms is pushing too far the Windows adware on every new version.

I really should look into the various linux multimedia(blah blah blah) builds next year. As a minimum use Debian as my internet os and windows as my workstation. oh look, a flying pig.

Reaper for linux, audacity, WINE for those old programs i use looks like windows days are numbered.

 

[Hellbovine]

You are not considering Turbo Boost...

I think I worded my intent poorly, I was trying to focus on just the speed/core aspect, assuming everything else was identical. That was probably too basic of a way to discuss it since processors are way more complicated than that nowadays. Nuhi and yourself painted it much better in that single-threaded benchmarking is what is important.

 

[Hellbovine]

I noticed a few people are implying that we don't pay for OS...I don't know about everyone else, but I'm still forking over $100+ for an OEM license every time I build a computer, so Microsoft has around $1,000 of my family's money, as we built computers over the years. Yes, there are a lot of pirates out there, and premade computers come with an OS that manufacturers get a discount on, but that's not free.

Also, before anyone chimes in about how they bought legit licenses for $30, no you didn't. You paid that much, but most of those sites are not legit, and are actually illegal because they resell the same license keys, which is why they have no valid contact information and are based overseas.

As for "upgrading", it is a nice gesture that Microsoft sometimes allows people to move onto the next Windows without paying, but, it's not an upgrade since that word means it's a flat improvement across the board. Migrate is a more accurate term for this process. I'm still paying for migrations too in my data being sold (telemetry), plus annoyances with adware, time lost figuring out the reinvention of the wheel, and loss in gaming performance. In other words, Microsoft wants people to upgrade because they make more money on your data, than from selling a license.

Lastly, let's not pretend like this isn't a monopoly--there is no choice in OS, nearly everyone on the planet must use Windows.

 

[Clanger]

let's not pretend like this isn't a monopoly--there is no choice in OS, nearly everyone on the planet must use Windows.

Wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too many linux distros, everyone pulling in different directions instead of working together on a single project.
Many linux distros are based on debian or something that is based on debian so you got to wait for debian to fix something then the forker to fix their thing then the forker of the fork gotta fix their thing, duck fat, i go straight to debian everytime and ive always got a debian live image ready to go when i need it(during testing) or im up crap creek.

The first person to mention ReactOS will suffer Death AND Ugu.

 

[Taosd]

I noticed a few people are implying that we don't pay for the OS...I don't know about everyone else, but I'm still forking over $100+ for an OEM license every time I build a computer, so Microsoft has around $1,000 of my family's money now as we built computers over the years. Yes, there are a lot of pirates out there, and yes pre-built computers come with an OS that manufacturers get a bulk discount on, but this crap ain't free for me and many others.

Also before anyone chimes in about how they bought legit licenses for $30, no you didn't. Yes you paid that much, but they are not legit. Those sites are illegal and that's why they have no valid contact information and are all based overseas. They resell the same license multiple times, after a certain amount of time has expired, because they can recycle a license over and over and continue making money on it.

As for "upgrading", it is a very nice gesture that Microsoft sometimes allows people to move onto the next Windows without paying. But, it's not an "upgrade". That word means it's a flat out improvement across the board. "Migrate" is a more accurate term for this process. I'm still paying for migrations too in my annoyances with adware, time lost figuring out the reinvention of the wheel, and loss in gaming performance.

Us little guys *are* paying for the OS in both money and in blood, sweat, and tears, and we deserve to be treated as such. Until Microsoft releases an actually free OS supported fully by ads galore, then that's when things will be different. Also, let's not pretend like this isn't a monopoly--there is no choice in OS, nearly everyone on the planet must use Windows.

back in the day, in the uk, altho it was bundled, they did have a legitimate ' buy windows 8 for £30 - when bought with a £200 laptop (Argos)' - code redeemable at microsoft . Thankfully since then, i've been able to go from 8 to 11 for free .....

I definately agree with you on Microsoft having the monopoly, altho there are the other OS's which do have very limited support for the majority of things i use...... I had even thought about using steamOS, but i would lose a bulk of the games playable because they are microsoft based.
Apple have found their own niche, their OS working on 'selected' hardware .. i too wish there was such a thing as a totally free OS, just like windows, but not as bloatful.

 

[Clanger]

Apple have found their own niche, their OS working on 'selected' hardware

there is something to be said for having a very limited supported hardware list but official apple hardware upgrades are damn expensive and when they change cpu types old software wont work on the new cpu's unlike windows where i still use xp era programs without any compatibility settings.

 

[Necrosaro]

there is something to be said for having a very limited supported hardware list but official apple hardware upgrades are damn expensive and when they change cpu types old software wont work on the new cpu's unlike windows where i still use xp era programs without any compatibility settings.

NUHI, we need a windowless operating system haha

 

[Clanger]

NUHI, we need a windowless operating system haha

Banned! - Reason - posting while tripping on mushrooms

 

[Necrosaro]

Banned! - Reason - posting while tripping on mushrooms

Dam, do I get a court case at lease to plead my innocence?

 

[Clanger]

yes, if you bring a bag of the mushrooms with you

 

[Hellbovine]

NUHI, we need a windowless operating system haha

I think this would have a ton of potential, and I would try it. I've been keeping an eye on SteamOS, hoping it becomes popular because it would add some competition to Microsoft and once they start losing money they may take some of our complaints seriously.

 

[Clanger]

ReactOS has been talked about since i got into computers, 2005 mebbe, and look what stage that is at.
Best we can hope for is a fast lean linux distro or windows that is thrashed to bits.

 

[Kasual]

I noticed a few people are implying that we don't pay for the OS...I don't know about everyone else, but I'm still forking over $100+ for an OEM license every time I build a computer, so Microsoft has around $1,000 of my family's money now as we built computers over the years. Yes, there are a lot of pirates out there, and yes pre-built computers come with an OS that manufacturers get a bulk discount on, but this crap ain't free for me and many others.

Ms oem license is for the user and isn't tied to the hardware, ms oem manufacturer license is tied to the branded hardware and isn't allowed to use on different hardware or lately I´m missing something.

I have tested win 7 license after win 10 setup, win 10 connected to Ms servers and set a new valid key in branded hardware.

 

[Hellbovine]

Ms oem license is for the user...

I'm not going to attempt to list off Microsoft's rules/promotions in the last 20 years, instead I'll explain my personal journey. I bought an OEM XP disc, and not being aware of any free update to W7 had to buy a W7 license, then sold the W7 license at a loss because it was ridiculously bloated compared to XP and we were still strongly in the 32-bit era so memory was tight, and I didn't need DX10 (awful) or DX11.

I personally skipped Vista, though my family members used it and also followed different OS leapfrog paths. Then W8 came out and was disliked by the public so I waited for W10. Then I bought a W10 OEM license since I wasn't aware of any XP to W10 upgrades. That was 3 licenses for one computer, now add in the various premade PC's we bought and other custom builds over the years, and it adds up.

 

[Necrosaro]

ReactOS has been talked about since i got into computers, 2005 mebbe, and look what stage that is at.
Best we can hope for is a fast lean linux distro or windows that is thrashed to bits.

ReactOS hey, been following that one for awhile. I check back every once in awhile and see how things are going.

 

[Necrosaro]

ReactOS hey, been following that one for awhile. I check back every once in awhile and see how things are going.

It's crazy how much extra work people have done for windows 2000 however. That was the last system before it started down the road of bloating.

 

[Hellbovine]

Updated the original post with new data for July 2023. In the months since the previous stats, several important things have happened in the computer world, such as all forms of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 fully reaching end of life support. Chrome ended support for them as well, and Steam announced that it would end support for them all at the start of 2024.

Another big change was that Microsoft disabled access to their older ISO images, such as W10 21H2 for example, and now only provide the latest version for direct download, and this affects tools too, such as Rufus. These kinds of recent changes, plus the new UEFI BlackLotus issues, will cause almost every Windows operating system besides 10/11 to disappear from the data in 2024. Windows 7 already plummeted from 11.2% usage in December of 2022, down to 3.43% in July of 2023. Windows 8.1 also dropped from 2.6% down to 0.68%.

 

[garlin]

W7 & 8 will drop when Steam-based games stop working Jan 2024. If the MS/Activision-Blizzard merger passes, Blizzard will kill 7 & 8 clients.

 

[coax256]

Put anything installed on a second partition, and treat OS like it's temporary, take every reinstall as the opportunity to have newer and better configured system.

Good point. I know it my Fedora install, I used a ton of symbolic links for my data. It's so easy to link everything back up on a clean install. I never really thought about that for Windows except games.