MS might be fast tracking Vista replacement.

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

I gave up waiting at least five years ago.

So you haven't used Linux in 5 years and still feel qualified to comment on its quality?

Should give it a retry. You'll be surprised.

 

[SrDriver]

I have used several distributions of Linux over the years and find that the Gnome version of Linux Mint or the PCLinuxOS version both work well for new users. Have best results right now with Linux Mint Daryna 4.0. The Fluxbox version works well on an older computer. Linux Mint is based upon Ubuntu 7.10 Gusty Gibbon.

Link To Linux Mint

Link To PCLinuxOS

I have have setup VISTA on a couple of boxes in the past few weeks without issue.

 

[Crashbox]

I've run Fedora Linux for approximately one year now (Core 6 and now 8) and have been very pleased with it on my Athlon 64 desktop PC. My laptop, however, usually sees WinXP because the wireless chip is not at all Linux-friendly (Broadcom 4318) but I have Fedora 8 on the second hard drive in that PC also. I especially like the cost and stability, and the programming tools available too since I am casually working on an updated version of a time-saving macro I wrote for WSDOT surveyors a few years ago.

 

[sprintman]

Microsoft has sold more than 100 million units of Windows Vista since releasing the software 14 months ago.


The milestone was revealed last week when the company released its quarterly earnings report.

The second quarter also set a record for Microsoft of US$16.37bn in revenues, a 30 per cent increase over the same period last year.

"We are pleased with the progress of Windows Vista in the market," said Kevin Johnson, president of Microsoft's platforms and services division.

"We have hit our stride with partners and customers and look forward to the release of our first service pack later this quarter."

Microsoft claimed that its Client branch has grown by 20 per cent since Vista was released to business customers in November 2006.

Chairman Bill Gates predicted the 100 million Vista milestone at the operating system's consumer release in January 2007.

Vista sales had topped the 60 million mark by July, but excitement faded when PC manufacturers found that demand for Windows XP remained strong and began to offer the old OS as an option on new PCs.



Copyright © 2008 vnunet.com

 

[Mystic]

I heard about the 100 million copies of Vista sold. It seems nobody on the internet wants to talk about that. In view of the fact that there are nearly 1 billion personal computers in the world Vista is now about 10% of that total. Microsoft is saying they expect to sell 200 million copies of Vista in the first 2 years.

I just now came across some information for Apple. About 270 million computers were sold in 2007. Apple sold about 7.8 million computers in 2007. This is less than 3% of the total computers sold.

It is impossible to obtain any reliable statistics on Linux for the desktop. An Apple Macintosh guy did some research and discovered that Linux is less than 1% of desktop personal computers. Hugo Chavez is forcing people in his country to turn to Open Source software. There are no apparent complaints about this in the Linux camp. Microsoft is an 'evil monopoly' but it is okay to force people to use Open Source software.

I came across some other information that Windows servers make up 67% of all new servers being sold. Linux servers were somewhere over 20% and Unix something like 7%. These 3 made up about 98% of the total. Mac OS X Server and BSD and all others made up the other 2%. If this trend continues Windows will make up the majority of servers in a few years.

By the end of this year Vista should the O/S of about 20% of all personal computers worldwide. Windows XP will probably be at least 70% and more like 75%.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Originally Posted By: Mystic
I heard about the 100 million copies of Vista sold. It seems nobody on the internet wants to talk about that.


For good reason! MS forces businesses into purchasing Vista if they want to use a previous version of the product (XP for example). I've purchased at least 50 copies of "Vista" only to legally 'downgrade' to XP. So on paper, that's helped Microsoft achieve the 100 million mark.

I've purchased at least 200 computers with Vista Business. All of them have XP Pro on them.

Do you see the trend?

There are NOT 100 million PC's with Vista on them. That's Microsoft's white-washed tomb! I asked other network guys at our last meeting ( about 9 other departments showed up). All of 4 Vista computers (5 now as I installed Vista x64 on my work PC)...all of them purchased with Vista license, not XP, in case the computer was to be upgraded to Vista at a later date (highly doubtful, but it's a comfort to know there's no other $$ that needs to change hands if that date ever occurred).

Bottom line: there's not 100 million computers with Vista. Home computer users are the overwhelming majority of users with Vista. Businesses show large Vista sales as per the MS contracts as I explained above, but nearly all are choosing XP for a myriad of reasons.

I hope Windows 2010 will be a product that people WANT to own. That will clear up this whole mess. And it will make Linux better, too as competition always improves the breed.

 

[Mystic]

What O/S do you think was the O/S on most of those 270 million new computers sold worldwide? If I go into some store like Circuit City and look at the computers being sold they all seem to have Windows Vista as the O/S. I have heard that it is still possible to get Windows XP installed on a computer if a person wants it but I don't see any computers in stores running Windows XP unless it is a store that sells used computers. I did see Windows workstations with XP installed advertised in a MacConnection Catalog of all places.

You can find Apple computers at Apple Stores and a few other places.

Personally I don't think I have ever seen a Linux computer in a store anywhere. Maybe possibly Wal-Mart back in the Lindows days.

I agree with you that competition would be good. In an ideal world it would be nice if there were 3-4 different O/Ss in use on personal computers with each O/S having about 25%-33% of the market. Apple may eventually be able to provide at least a limited amount of competition to Microsoft at least in the USA. In the world as a whole Apple is only about 3% of personal computers but in the USA the figure is at least 6.5% and maybe 8.1% depending on who you believe. I can see Apple maybe being 10% of the market or even 15% of the market in the USA.

There are a few reasons I personally cannot stand Linux. One reason is that there never seems to be hardware support for stuff I need like photo printers and scanners. Heck, you have to check that every component on the computer will work with Linux. Another reason I can't stand Linux is that you can't get accurate information at the Linux websites. I don't like being lied to. And I get extremely tired of so many people saying all the time just wait until next year! Next year has gone and come several times already! Are you not tired? How do you feel about people being FORCED to use Linux and Open Source in some countries? Everybody wants Microsoft the 'Evil Dark Empire' to die but it is okay to force people to use Linux? I don't see many complaints about people being forced to use Open Source. No matter how evil Microsoft may or may not be why is it okay for people to be forced to use Open Source? I like being able to choose what O/S I use.

Businesses will be slow to adopt Vista. Where I work they can't switch to Vista because some software will not work in Vista. We have both Unix and Windows servers and the Vista computers have to be able to interact with the old Unix computers. Heck, we were slow to move to Windows XP. I was the moving force behind going to Windows XP to some extent. We were still using Windows 2000 not that long ago. But it probably will not be too long before the super smart lady gets it all working. She will write the software so that all the computers get along just fine.

I have been using Vista for about a year and I don't see what all the complaints are about. Seems to work pretty well. There could easily have been 100 million copies of Vista on some of those 270 million personal computers sold. I would not be surprised if the figure was higher than 100 million.

 

[simple_gifts]

Mystic, you sound panicky. Linux liars? Forcing people to use OSS? Get a grip.

http://education.zdnet.com/?p=1498
http://www.physorg.com/news120930030.html

These people like choice too.

 

[Mystic]

Maybe you need to do a little bit of research. Type in 'Hugo Chavez' forcing people to use Open Source.'

As for panicky-no. I get sick and tired of people year after year talking like as if Linux is going to replace Windows. Heck, I thought about switching to Linux myself. It never happens and no matter how many years go back and it does not happen people keep talking like it is going to happen tomorrow. They better make it happen pretty soon. Windows has a one billion computer lead. I used to visit a lot of Linux websites because I was thinking about switching. One website I visited was a website to check and see what printers and scanners were compatible with Linux O/Ss. Years went back and some of those same printers and scanners are still not compatible or only partially compatible.

Another website I visited there was a prediction about five years ago that Microsoft Windows would be gone in five years. Well, it is five years later.

We would all be better off if there was more competition. Only Apple can compete and I don't think Apple is going to go beyond maybe 15% market share. There is no other O/S that can even begin to compete with Microsoft Windows for the desktop.

There exists an illogical hatred for Microsoft that is simply silly. People need to get over it. If Microsoft was forcing people to use Windows O/Ss that news would be all over the web. But if people are forced to use Open Source that is all fine.

Let us agree to have this conversation again five years from now.

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

Maybe you need to do a little bit of research. Type in 'Hugo Chavez' forcing people to use Open Source.'


I think this has a lot more to do with Chavez than OSS.

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Quote:

Maybe you need to do a little bit of research. Type in 'Hugo Chavez' forcing people to use Open Source.'


I think this has a lot more to do with Chavez than OSS.


I looked, all I found was that Chavez was requiring the Venezuelan government to go open source.

If Chavez moves the Venezuelan government to open source, it will be one of the few rational things he has done.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

If one sets their mind to do something, they can.

http://www.saugus.k12.ca.us/opentech

This guy took a disperse environment, made it Linux, and they are VERY happy with it. I've emailed him in the past regarding his environment and some of the gotchas of moving to a new platform. Initially, it was a bit of a learning curve, but by using it (Linux) 24/7, it became like anything else (including Windows or a Mac) and people warmed to it as they were able to get their work done just as they had done before.

And they're off the vendor lock-in hamster-wheel. And they aren't limited by proprietary licensing. And the customers are happy.

 

[NJC]

Originally Posted By: Mystic
I get sick and tired of people year after year talking like as if Linux is going to replace Windows.

I don't see the Linux crowd here claiming that. Most folks are pleased to have an alternative to Win ... and we suffer some of the bumps along the way as it matures. I wouldn't mind if Linux was able to carve a larger share, just so it could receive more hardware support and make it into a better product.