[marko]

We've all got our own thoughts on which operating system from Microsoft was the best, for me it has to be XP despite having used Windows 7 for some time, yet I always seem to go back to XP!. Undoubtedly many of you may not even be using Windows and instead prefer a flavour of Linux or another Open Source variant!.

If you do use (or have used) a Windows OS, which one would you rate the highest?

[James (Jim) Hillier]

Some interesting statistics:

#1 XP retains the dominant market share, which is still more than double that of Vista and Windows 7 combined!!

#2 Despite being heralded as the new great M$ hope, Windows 7 still lags behind Vista. Yes, that is certain to change at some time down the track but with all the hype Windows 7 has received it is surprising (to me anyway) that some 9 months after release date Windows 7 has not yet overtaken the much maligned Vista's market share.

[marko]

Personally I think Vista/7 have went overboard in trying to offer too much security, or at least gives the user too many choices. I know from experience that when users are asked "are you sure", "do you really want to do this" or "please confirm" they often get frustrated with the amount of notices, Vista and 7 were a real turn off for me personally because of this. Then we have the "networking" side of things, just a couple of clicks in XP had you on a wireless network and sharing files, whereas with Vista and 7 it can be a nightmare - even now trying to share files from an XP machine with Windows 7 or vice versa is a complex process and often people just give up!.

Security must be paramount and MS attempted to focus on this in the new releases, but I've said it before and I'll say it again, it was too much too soon with Vista, and Windows 7 hasn't really done anything to turn users back on again. XP was a revolution for the home user, people became familiar and comfortable with it, MS should have built upon this, instead it seemed they tried re-inventing the wheel, but alas it seems to have crashed and burned and the stats from Jim seem to reflect this!.

[Wolf]

I'm a freeware developer and I tried Vista. It's a disaster.
I'll stick to XP for writing programs and use Vista (on the computer of my wife) for testing the installation routines.

[TheRaven]

marko, on 05 August 2010 - 09:51 PM, said:

Personally I think Vista/7 have went overboard in trying to offer too much security, or at least gives the user too many choices. I know from experience that when users are asked "are you sure", "do you really want to do this" or "please confirm" they often get frustrated with the amount of notices, Vista and 7 were a real turn off for me personally because of this. Then we have the "networking" side of things, just a couple of clicks in XP had you on a wireless network and sharing files, whereas with Vista and 7 it can be a nightmare - even now trying to share files from an XP machine with Windows 7 or vice versa is a complex process and often people just give up!.

Security must be paramount and MS attempted to focus on this in the new releases, but I've said it before and I'll say it again, it was too much too soon with Vista, and Windows 7 hasn't really done anything to turn users back on again. XP was a revolution for the home user, people became familiar and comfortable with it, MS should have built upon this, instead it seemed they tried re-inventing the wheel, but alas it seems to have crashed and burned and the stats from Jim seem to reflect this!.

The biggest problem is that there needs to be a dedicated security profile manager that provides more than the usual 4 profiles (admin, power user, user, and guest). You are not going to offer "comprehensive in a package of four" and not still deal with the complexities of "comprehensive" security. There are still quite a few wrinkles but, I'm certain that MS will prevail -- they'd better, I have allot of their products and I can complain quite professionally.

The "too much too soon" crap is spot on and what I feel to be the case as well but, this appears to be a dilemma with the community as there has to be accessibility, but ease of use but, must also not work in the shadows of secrecy, and but, but...

The list goes on and on. I think we see things rationally so try this hat on for me: what if it is not so much as too much too soon but, too much because everyone waited until the last freakin' minute like happens to me at work all the time. Everyone waits until the last minute to tell me what they needed four hours ago and now I have a pile up of job points and more people come waltzing in while I'm trying to take care of the first four or five situations. Now it all comes crashing in -- the sad part about it is that it isn't even the customers.

Sound familiar...
Business is like child birth I heard -- well I believe them now (and I'm a freakin' guy).

D'oh!

[marko]

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The list goes on and on. I think we see things rationally so try this hat on for me: what if it is not so much as too much too soon but, too much because everyone waited until the last freakin' minute like happens to me at work all the time. Everyone waits until the last minute to tell me what they needed four hours ago and now I have a pile up of job points and more people come waltzing in while I'm trying to take care of the first four or five situations. Now it all comes crashing in -- the sad part about it is that it isn't even the customers.

Sound familiar...

:P Yes, can relate to that but over time these people have came to realise that when they see the back of my head it means I'm leaving and they can wait until tomorrow, we have lives too :)

[Quantum D.]

As a user that started with a Vic 20 from Commodore (I even had a (sigh...) Coleco Adam (the one with an used machine gun disguised as a printer) at one time), I had these plus a DOS machine with 5" floppies and no hard drive, a Windows 3.1 machine with a (big for its time) 40MBs HD, a XP tower from Dell(which I only parted with because of its limited non-upgradable RAM), a Vista tower from Compaq (that just went into a coma) and I now have a HP laptop with Windows 7.

My favorite is still XP but 7 is gaining in my heart, Vista almost had me pulling all my hair out!


In a recent article by Andrew Lyle (02 August 2010 - 05:04) at the Neowin (DOT) Net site, it has been reported that according to Statscounter (DOT) com, Windows 7 managed to take 20.09% total market share, while Vista has now sunk to 19.41% worldwide. Windows Vista released to manufacturer in November 2006, and shipped to retail in January 2007. Windows 7 managed to surpass Windows Vista in as little as 12 months, even with Vista being released more than two and a half years earlier, selling more than 175 million licenses.

Windows XP still dominates the market with 53.92%, but is quickly declining month-over-month as users are quickly adopting Windows 7. Windows XP has lost as much as 24% over the last year since Windows 7 has been released.


But according to by Lee Mathews (Aug 2nd 2010 at 9:45AM) over at downloadsquad (DOT) com, the story is almost the same with only his opinion on the near future for XP being different.

Here is an excerpt from the article: It was really only a question of when, but Windows 7 has finally overtaken Vista in operating system market share. Windows 7 is now closing in on 20% as Vista's presence continues to slide. Vista's lack of popularity aside, Windows 7's rise is still impressive -- especially when you consider the fact that widespread enterprise adoption won't really take off until service pack one is released early next year.

So... How long do you think it'll be before Windows 7 catches XP?

Judging by the number of customers still requesting XP on custom builds, I'd say the old boy still has plenty of gas left in the tank.

[marko]

Ahh, the old Dot Matrix printers, I almost forgot about them until I was sent to a distribution depot for a large drinks company to fix an issue and on approach heard the unmistakable sound of a 24-pin beast hammering away at delivery orders!.

I also remember a story some time ago about how Dell were actually forced to start shipping XP again after customers started complaining in their droves that Vista was impossible, Windows 7, I think, redressed the problem somewhat though rumor has it that MS are having to continue supporting XP till at least 2014 as business users refuse to upgrade to Vista or W7!

[Information Overload]

I'd have to go with they're all rubbish for my vote, but besides that fact I stick to XP simply because Vista is horrid in my opinion, though i have nothing to back that opinion up but personal experience, and I haven't tried Windows 7 but I hear its basically Vista covered in a new coat of paint, but that is just hearsay I'll admit. So basically I stick to XP as the lesser of three evils. Only reason I have XP on my home computer is because I game on it and its not mine its my dad's who does computer work so he must keep up with what people are using. Only reason I have XP on my netbook is because it came with it.

[James (Jim) Hillier]

I started off with a TRS-80.....loaded programs from audio cassettes. They were all volume sensitive, I had to keep a list of all the programs and the optimum volume setting for each one....LOL

The first printer I ever bought was Dot Matrix, and it cost $699.00....I must have been crazy. :wacko:

Aah memories!!

@Information Overload.

Quote

I'd have to go with they're all rubbish for my vote

Connor, try not be so negative mate. I know it is somewhat fashionable to be a Microsoft knocker these days but never lose sight of the fact that they (MS) have provided the main inspiration and work base for the modern 'personal' computers we are all enjoying today.

[Information Overload]

My dad once found an old computer that was one of the first models to have a CD drive in it, the kind you had to buy a case for the CD for, but he gave it away to a friend who was actually willing to put it together and get it working. I can't imagine those days and I don't think I want to. :P

[marko]

:lol: LOL, my earliest memories of computers were the old BBC type contraptions at school, can't even remember if they worked by cassette or the massive 5" floppy disks, think it was the floppies (which is where 'floppy disk' came from because they were truly 'floppy!' unlike their 3.5" replacement which were rigid). Those big floppies only held something like 80Kbs and the 3.5" replacements only held something like 1.44Mbs, jeus! those were the days!!!