Stats show an actual [albeit slight] uptick in XP users for the month of Jabuary, 2014.
XP = 29.23%
win8 = 6.63%
win8.1 = 3.95%
Vista = 3.3%
win7 = 47.49%
XP is Dead -- Long Live XP
(13 posts) (5 voices)-
mikiem2
ModeratorLatest stats at http://netmarketshare.com/ show XP continuing to gain.
Oh, & ie8 remains the most popular browser.
Against that backdrop MS is still trying to tell folks it's time to move on. Besides a pop-up in XP, in case you don't know you're running XP, MS worked with Laplink to come up with a new migration tool It may not be available yet, but when it is, per neowin it'll be here:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/end-support-helpPosted 10 years ago # -
freakassoid
Memberwith the end of Win Xp we have
Microsoft might introduce free version of Windows 8.1 (free for everyone, not just Windows 8 users)
free Windows 8.1 with advertising all over in it lol
ok Adware Win 8.1 whats next
but could it work?
:)
James
Posted 10 years ago # -
ChrisS
AdministratorTo understand the desperation in Redmond consider how much $1000 invested on the release dates of various Windows versions from XP onward would be worth today. And, remember that stock options aren't worth much if the stock price is stagnant.
$1000 invested on October 26, 2012 (Windows 8 release):
In Apple: $911; In MS: $1,425 (an index fund would have outperformed MS)$1000 invested on October 22, 2009 (Windows 7 release):
In Apple: $2,694; In MS: $1,623 (hello? index fund?)$1000 invested on January 30, 2007 (Windows Vista release):
In Apple: $6,460; In MS: $1,489 (can't you spell index?)$1000 invested on October 25, 2001 (Windows XP release):
In Apple: $57,618; In MS: $1,680 (fine, just stuff the money in a mattress)Or, Bill Gates' $150 million on Aug. 6, 1997:
In Apple: $12,608,544,304 (that’s $12.6 billion and doesn't include any options)
In MS: $439,809,160 (a paltry $439 million, couch change for Bill Gates)The difference in the two companies is leadership. Good leadership built both companies, poor leadership lead Apple to the brink of bankruptcy but good leadership revived it (for now). MS doesn't appear to have had any leadership since Gates left and it doesn't understand its customers. The “File and Settings Transfer Wizard” is a great tool if you work for Big Corp and your applications are installed on a server, like MS obviously believes you do and they are. Unfortunately for MS, the vast majority of people work for small businesses and the IT department is a kid or grand-kid if you can pry them away from the game console.
XP clearly works great for a lot of people. I have no doubt that a bunch would gladly move to Windows 8 if they could do so painlessly but they can't. Even if the new Laplink would move the applications there's a high probability that those applications wouldn't run. So they have to upgrade the applications, then they have to upgrade the peripherals, then they have to get trained on all the new stuff… so it's a lot of time and money spent to do what you can already do. It's a lot of pain for no gain. And it's a pile of expired and unexercised stock options for the folks in Redmond.
Leadership is much more than a job title.
Posted 10 years ago # -
freakassoid
Memberto add to my post above because it seems to of had a problem
Microsoft might introduce free version of Windows 8.1 (free for everyone, not just Windows 8 users)
Microsoft is introducing two new versions of Windows 8.1 to the market. The first is a standalone version of Windows Enterprise (no Software Assurance agreements required),
and was made available on March 1st. The second one is called “Windows 8.1 with Bing,” and it is speculated that it may be a low-cost or even free version of the OS.windows8.1 bingIt’s unclear at the moment what exactly Windows 8.1 with Bing is, but the considering that Windows 8.1 already comes with Bing integration, the speculation that this is a cheaper or free version of Windows 8.1 isn’t too farfetched — especially in today’s world of ad-funded software and services. If Microsoft can effectively migrate users from Windows 7 or even Windows XP through this new version, it might just be what the struggling OS has been needing.
Let’s just hope it doesn’t mean you can’t use anything else but Bing. I’m sure regulators will have a field day with that, if it happens
hxxp://dottech.org/151361/microsoft-might-introduce-free-version-of-windows-8-1-free-for-everyone-not-just-windows-8-users/
:)
James
Posted 10 years ago # -
mikiem2
Moderator"Microsoft might introduce free version of Windows 8.1 (free for everyone, not just Windows 8 users)
free Windows 8.1 with advertising all over in it lol "
At this point my reaction is: Sure -- Why Not?
Open up a few of the backdoors that some suspect MS has inserted for the NSA to the Chinese gov, & migration from XP to 8.1 is almost assured. :) Short of that, lower the hardware requirements -- which the April update does -- & price it to match what was paid for many XP installations... from what I've read the number of pirated copies of XP is huge, with reluctance to upgrade based on fears that pirated copies of win7 would stop working, wouldn't be as reliable. Making it free may do the trick -- they've already tried reduced pricing in China.
Microsoft has been making a big deal out of the fact that in-app ads can pay big money -- put ads in Windows & they might even increase revenues.
FWIW I remain kind of agnostic on the whole thing -- the only thing that bothers me, sometimes quite a bit, is marketing hype somewhere between misleading & out right lies. Feel I've got to say something like that at the start because of all the fans arguing both sides whenever you talk about Microsoft &/or Windows... or *nix or Apple or... :)
Personally I wouldn't want to try to train someone in win8/8.1 that was used to XP -- it's too big a leap. Yeah, people just pick up Android tabs all day long, but I think that's a bit misleading... Those tabs do a lot less than Windows, so you're limited in what you can do, & I don't believe most people dig as deep as they do with Windows. You don't have to be a so-called power user to be navigating your files/folders & making settings controlling how Windows works -- ask most people to do the same things in Android & chances are they're going to have to figure it out, as they've never done that before, & Android is different depending on the device.
I suspect there are lots of people feeling the same way, i.e. wanting no part of moving someone from XP to 7 or 8... I've read lots of pro XP & anti XP hate, but I never have seen anyone actually trying to help someone(s) make the transition. Won't help come April with the new big update to win8.1 coming out -- unless you grab & learn a leaked copy, you won't know how it works until it's a done deal on your system(s). So half of anything you teach someone today could be wrong in April.
So what do you do?... I'm likely going to keep XP Pro where it is, as one of the boot options on this rig. It does stuff Vista/7/8/8.1 don't, it's simpler, & as I don't normally use it on-line, I don't feel that there's this huge increased risk when MS ends support. Other than fixing another round of their screw-ups [holes, bugs etc.] on Update Tuesday, MS hasn't given me any support since win3.1, so I don't feel like I'll be missing out on anything come April. :)
As far as those using XP today as their main OS, and those still using ie8, my guess is that if they cared all that much about the downsides like less security, they would have switched quite a while ago. When I look at whatever Microsoft plea for XP users to upgrade I'm more amused than anything else. When I look at the stats it's sort of like a horrified amusement, where I feel I should be concerned, but know that concern would have no impact, wouldn't do the slightest bit of good.
That said, & again this is just me, I think it'll be interesting to see what directions Microsoft goes in. MS wasn't Amazon, and didn't manage their stock pricing -- considering the number of MS employees past & present whose personal wealth is dependent on that stock price I can't imagine why, but compared to Amazon they've been incompetent. So now they've entered the cell phone market, having some success at the low end with people buying their 1st cell. Nokia, whom they've just bought, felt it best to use Android disguised as the Windows Phone OS for their entry level phone for emerging markets, which doesn't bode well, especially when you consider the Firefox phone OS is allegedly going to mean $25 *semi-smart* phones. Rumors say MS is even thinking about giving users access to the Android app stores.
Then there's the Microsoft tablets... The tablet market's growing because of sub $100 devices -- I often see them now for around $40. They may not be great tablets, but unless you've had something better how do you know? And if you're buying one for your kid, how many care? [I don't mean that in a bad way, but risking $40 on something your kid may trash is a lot better than spending $300.] So MS is going against the style leader, Apple, with a marketing campaign based on price? When the price conscious already buy those cheap Android tabs?
Win8/8.1 sales have not been spectacular, there's still investor pressure, there's still in-fighting among the top brass, where they're again playing musical chairs. I have no idea what to make of the fact they're promoting a guy known for [very partisan] politics rather than tech or biz. Now comes word that the Nokia deal was more-or-less forced on MS leadership by the board of directors -- if the board is that directly involved will they bow to investors who want Bing & the Xbox gone [sold or spun off]? Is embedding Bing in Windows a way to keep it in MS?
Cautious rumors keep popping up about how Microsoft may try to ease into a win8 undo -- you've got the missing Start Menu fiasco, grudging acceptance that they could have made things more mouse & keyboard friendly, lousy sales, and signs that the past couple of years have hurt their public image more than helped. With Gates *maybe* taking a more active role in the nuts & bolts direction of the company, who knows.
Posted 10 years ago # -
mikiem2
Moderator"...Even if the new Laplink would move the applications there's a high probability that those applications wouldn't run. So they have to upgrade the applications, then they have to upgrade the peripherals..."
Just FWIW...
I track most all installs in the XP Mode VM -- it's a simpler OS so tracking is simpler, not to mention win7/8/8.1 can get a hair up its *** with hundreds of thousands of registry adds [that I *think* are temporary] during a simple app install. [Sorry for the language but it's been frustrating for years.] Nowadays there's very rarely much of any difference between the same app in XP & 7 or 8/8.1. On the really old stuff written for win95/98, in my limited experience 8/8.1 is actually better than anything prior. [I've got some old stuff like Fontographer & Pagemaker that I still use, if rarely.]
Originally with Vista, where I had the misfortune(?) of being an earliest adopter, software was supposed to behave a LOT differently. Developers I think soon realized that there wasn't this huge rush to Vista, and abandoned any efforts to follow the Vista model & do things any differently. Back when Vista was new, software designed for it installed a lot differently, & there was this mini rush to get new compatible versions of software out, that lasted maybe a year if I remember correctly. Then it was back to the same ol' same ol'.
From what I've found the main difference between an app in XP & 7/8 is the newer Windows is usually 64 bit, so registry entries can be normal or in the Wow64 sections, or both. Registering Direct Show filters, &/or any files that have to be registered with Windows, can be a pain when the files are 64 bit, but 32 bit works the same as XP -- the Regdrop I've got on my win7 desktops is dated 10/06/2001 ! Some, more minimal drivers will work just as well in XP & win7 32 bit, so if you have to have something, maybe win7 32 would be a better option -- having a 64 bit OS has fewer everyday advantages than you might think. More involved stuff like graphics drivers of course are Windows version specific.
Where I've seen limitations myself are with graphics drivers [AMD no longer actively supports XP], audio drivers [my soundblaster ZX won't even work in XP Pro], 64 bit only apps like Vegas Pro, and with security software. The last is the biggest problem practically speaking -- I have to turn off auto updates or XP can stall booting.
My suggestion for anyone thinking about upgrading would be to 1st check hardware compatibility with Windows, bearing in mind that the April update relaxes win8.1 requirements. 2nd I'd check core hardware driver availability. If your graphics hardware is nothing special then Windows may have stuff built-in that'll work OK -- if you have a graphics card, if there ever was a win7 driver, & you can get your hands on it, you're probably OK. You'll probably want to upgrade audio -- changes between XP & Vista/7/8/8.1 are too great & you'll likely have problems even if you get working drivers.
Next I'd make sure you have sufficient hard drive space, & add a win7 or 8 trial in a dual boot setup to see how well it worked, e.g. I would not be happy with a single core CPU, no matter how fast it was, but you might think it's OK. Or you might find it's too sluggish with the amount of RAM you have, & upgrading that may be cost prohibitive or physically impossible if you've got a laptop. If you pass those hurtles, move on, swapping your software over -- very often you'll just have to run the app & it'll add whatever registry entries itself, then register it as necessary with your key. If you have hardware like a printer or scanner that will only work in XP, try adding XP as a VirtualBox VM & see if it'll work there. Once you're satisfied you can either ignore the XP boot option, or remove XP, maybe using that license in a XP VM if you want/need one.
One option I'd be very careful of is migrating your existing copy of XP to a VM. I've done it a few times now, it's a PITA, and performance always lagged the same version of Windows installed fresh in a VM. That's important -- you still need hardware resources to run Windows including the VM host software, so your VM only gets a portion of those resources to run... add in that everything in that Windows VM has to talk to the host software, which then talks to your hosting copy of Windows, which then talks to your hardware, & you're effectively running a much lower powered PC/laptop. It can be handy if/when you can't re-install & re-register software, e.g. my wife has a lot of Real Arcade games that she can't ever migrate, but be aware that software activation can be tied to hardware, & in that case going to a VM will get you nothing.
Posted 10 years ago # -
ChrisS
AdministratorMicrosoft might introduce free version of Windows 8.1
I'd buy a copy of Windows 8.1 for $20, heck I'd probably by more than one copy but I won't install an ad-based trialware OS that's likely both a security risk and time-limited. MS was trying to sell Windows 8 for about $100 and the market said "sorry, not particularly interested". MS hypes Windows 8.1 saying "it's just like Windows7VistaXP but better" for only $100 per copy and the market says "that's a nice ribbon but it's still a sow's ear".So now it's going to be free? No, how about $40? Or, heck it's cheaper than your latest game at only $20? Now it's going to be free? Well, free if you don't worry about the search engine that's monitoring every activity and reporting all of your information to the mothership. The NSA probably already has the info for sale anyway so why worry?
Posted 10 years ago # -
mikiem2
ModeratorI Like that Chris. :)
Apparently with Microsoft's blessing, the new low-end Nokia cell, maybe intended more for emerging markets, is running Android made to look like the win8 phone OS. Most of the Windows cell phone sales have been to first time buyers. I'd guess that MS & Nokia realize that's where their market lies at the moment, & are scrambling to get cheaper products out to capitalize on that. Same thing with their tablets, where they're trying to dial back the hardware requirements so they can introduce a lower cost version in India. Logically the next step would be towards something to compete with Chromebooks, and it seems like that might be the direction they're heading with a lower cost win8.1 for OEMs.
If you were looking to buy a new PC/laptop I wouldn't expect including a lower cost or even free version of Windows would actually lower the price all that much -- OEMs don't pay much now, and I have a hard time thinking that reducing the price of a $500+ laptop by $20-$30 or $50 would make them fly off store shelves... retailers are knocking off hundreds of dollars every day. So I'd think when they talk about low cost hardware they're getting as close as they can to Chromebook territory while still being able to run win8.1.
As far as win8/8.1 itself goes there are some, I think more minor improvements to the OS. They made some small advances in graphics handling that were a logical progression to the work they did in Vista & improved in 7, e.g. they improved graphics scaling when/if you had more than one monitor but at different screen resolutions [which also BTW broke a few games]. Because they wanted better power efficiency for laptops & tablets they were also motivated to redo the graphics pipeline a bit -- the screen is now drawn or rendered once in memory instead of twice. Where I suspect the biggest boost to gaming will come is in the next Direct X though, which I read at this stage is expected *maybe* in about a year.
http://www.neowin.net/news/next-version-of-directx-to-be-called-directx-12-more-info-coming-in-marchFor the new Xbox & Playstation AMD/ATI gave developers low level access to the hardware, which they're in the process of bringing to their Windows drivers as Mantle. Microsoft has said they want to add that sort of more direct graphics hardware access to DX, I assume for all graphics hardware. If that's part of their push to attract game devs back to their stuff, maybe they'll listen to what the devs want most, & that *might* have a big impact, especially if like Mantle it seems to favor more common graphics hardware rather than the top end.
Otherwise, in their quest to emulate the way Android apps just move into the background when you start something else, they improved memory handling, which I give credit to for very slightly faster video renders. They added a Microsoft version of RAID disk handling that may work well for some folks -- I *think* mainly those that were big fans of their home server OS. Microsoft improved the way Windows finds & adds drivers, though I expect the only ones who noticed were those upgrading several systems when win8 1st arrived. And I *think* they made it easier for hardware makers to implement some stuff like RFD printing that's more common to Android & iOS devices -- I imagine it'd be amusing watching someone with a laptop trying to "Tap to Print" though. :)
"I'd buy a copy of Windows 8.1 for $20, heck I'd probably by more than one copy "
That's why I bought three when it was $30. :)
It was a gamble based on the notion that it wouldn't get cheaper, & might turn out to be worthwhile in the future. Having run the betas though, I'm not sure that if they had offered win7 or win8 for the same price I wouldn't have bought 3 more win7 licenses instead.Posted 10 years ago # -
Antivirus Software support for XP - going forward.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Whiterabbit-uk
Games GuruInteresting discussion guys, thanks.
I've migrated all of my computers apart from the laptop (that had Vista installed) and one computer over to Win 8 from Win 7(though was forced to because I'd bought 4 non genuine copies (unbeknownst to me) and a business edition from my original Win 7 purchase had been mistakenly sold to me. Microsoft wouldn't revalidate the business version when I had cause to reinstall it a year after I’d originally installed it. They said the activation code was good for upwards of 60+ computers and I as a home user I should never have been sold the copy. It had been mistakenly sent to me as a replacement for one I'd initially purchased shortly after Win 7 was released, but the 64 bit disc had been missing; as I used 16GB of sysRAM and 2GB of gRAM at the time, the 32 bit version was useless to me (because of the 4GB RAM limitation). Thankfully the distributor accepted responsibility and agreed to replace the first copy.
Up to that point only two of my computers were running Win 7, an OEM pro version that my wife had got cheap because of her affiliation to a college; she’d got a generous reduction for being a teacher. The second version was the business edition that Microsoft were disputing. The rest I’d left as XP, simply because I’d rather spend my money on new games than a new operating system (plus I’d always liked XP – apart from the occasional BSOD). :) When Microsoft refused to re-activate the first copy (that had cost me £170) I looked for cheaper versions to replace the activation code. I found a site that sold activation codes slightly cheaper, so went ahead and purchased one copy initially. I wanted to ensure it was okay (genuine) before committing myself to more copies. Microsoft validated the operating system (which foolishly led me to believe the copy was genuine), so I went ahead and replaced all of my other XP computers with Ultimate editions of Win 7. Almost a year later (last February/March 2013), all of the computers running Win 7 from this source started to throw up messages saying I was using a non genuine copy of Windows. So, basically I was left with 4 useless computers. They still worked, but a message kept popping up every 15 to 20 minutes telling me I was using an illegal copy.
As Win 8 was selling significantly cheaper than Win 7 at the time, I decided to replace all of the Win 7 computers (apart from the OEM version, which was a genuine copy) with Win 8. It’s been a costly business for me and I still miss my Win 7 computers. I don’t mind Win 8, but I think all of the bad press and negative reviews has coloured my opinion of it. I don’t have a touch screen (yet), so the interface is annoying. (I do use a previous giveaway that boots it up directly to my desktop).
(hmmm, a little off the point)
Posted 10 years ago # -
mikiem2
Moderator"The rest I’d left as XP, simply because I’d rather spend my money on new games than a new operating system"
My wife & I have never cared all that much about Windows versions either.
I tend to be an earliest adopter based on the notion that I'll have to update everything eventually anyway, as software & hardware will someday be incompatible with the old version. I don't like unknowns, at least to the extent I can prevent them. There's also a bit of you don't know if it's better or worse until you try it -- there's always that chance that something will have noticeably improved.
As long as it'll still run, I'll probably keep XP Pro on my rig [whatever I happen to be using] for years. Even if it gets to the point where I only use it for stuff like performing win7/8.1 backups & restores, it costs me nothing to keep it there, & provides a very real benefit. I'd say the same about the copy of Vista HP on my wife's system, where she's got some Real Arcade games that couldn't be migrated. As it is now I can jump between XP, 7, & 8.1, while my wife can choose between Vista, 7, & 8.1, but we both spend the majority of our time in win7, simply because it's more work to duplicate your stuff across 2 or 3 versions of Windows. Could I backup/restore without XP & Vista? Sure, but it's simpler/easier, & the backups are smaller, plus it costs me $0 for those benefits. They're also handy on the rare occasion 7 breaks... what's better than any rescue disc? A complete OS.
With the exception of security software, XP Pro still runs fine, and for the vast majority of software I've installed, runs just as fast as 7 or 8.1. It's more antiquated, but its requirements are also far less, so everything balances out. My wife still feels that Vista is slightly faster than 7/8.1, only moving to 7 as primary when security software 1st started causing hassles there too. With XP & to a lesser extent Vista, problems arise with auto updating before the OS has fully started -- I've also had to spend time creating AV exceptions for all the processes starting with Windows. I could probably find security software that would work better with XP & Vista, but my wife doesn't have a lot of patience with a the sort of geeky GUI a lot of security stuff sports. She likes Bitdefender in that respect, it's got good ratings, I got it cheap, & it works fine with 7, so there ya go.
And that in a nutshell is why I may very strongly disagree with Microsoft's hype, but can very well see the point of XP & Vista users, as well as those running 7 or 8. Regardless the version, some of the arguments fans & users make are valid & sound.
" I don’t have a touch screen (yet), so the interface is annoying."
Someday I may adopt masochistic tendencies, & at that time I *may* consider a touchscreen. :)
They work because of static electricity. They often do not work *at all* for me. I detested touchpads on laptops because 1/2 the time I literally could not use one, so I was [it turns out justifiably] worried when I couldn't find a printer that did what I wanted without a touchscreen. I have to use a stylus with my tablet -- I either get no response, or it's spread across the screen. I had to get a bluetooth keyboard for it -- even the stylus relies on you as a source of static electricity, & I'm anything but a reliable source. Because of all that the idea of win8's touchscreen interface is so totally absurd to me personally, that I've been completely successful ignoring it. It's almost like a mental block where I cannot see it, so it hasn't bothered me in the least. :)
Really the only 2 things that do bother me about 8/8.1 are the sign-in being tied to an on-line acct., & the boot menu -- I consider a graphical boot menu just silly, & since it doesn't work as well as 7's, I've happily reverted to 7's boot loader or menu.
Posted 10 years ago #
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