Skylark95 Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Summary: Microsoft can only hope that it's re-invention of Windows 8, Windows 8.1 aka Blue, works because Windows 8 continues to fall behind even Vista's dismal desktop operating system market acceptance numbers. As for the mobile operating system space, Microsoft needs a miracle. The real take-away from Net Applications' May 2013 release of NetMarketShare monthly operating system statistics is that, as PC sales continue to collapse, Microsoft's Windows 8 sales are helping them to plunge to the bottom. While Microsoft apologists focus on Windows continuing to be the dominant desktop operating system, they keep missing the two elephants in the room: Windows 8 continues to fall behind Microsoft's previous top operating system failure, Vista, and Windows is no longer the dominant end-user operating system. True, on the desktop, Windows 7 still ranks as the top operating system with 44.85-percent, followed by the still popular Windows XP with 37.74-percent. Vista—yes the never-loved Vista—comes in at third with 4.51-percent. Despite the fact that finding and buying Windows 7 PCs has become increasingly more expensive and difficult —just try finding one in a retail store—Windows 8 still comes in last at 4.27-percent. Worse still, Windows 8's month-over-month growth rate is lagging farther and farther behind Vista's dreadful 2007 adoption numbers. When the operating systems were first launched Windows 8 trailed Vista by just over half-a-percent among PC buyers in its first month. Now, in their 8th month out, Vista's market market numbers lead Windows 8 by 3.64-percent. With every month that has gone by, Windows 8 has fallen further behind Vista's monthly numbers. Needless to say, both lag far behind XP and Windows 7's numbers at similar points in their product life-cycle. I suspect things will only get worse for Windows 8. Blue, Windows 8.1, promises to address some of users' concerns about Windows 8. But, will it address enough of them?For example, if all the reborn Start Button does is give you another way into the despised Metro interface will Windows XP and 7 users really care? No matter how good Windows 8.1 turns out to be, it seems likely that business buyers will hold off on buying any version of Windows 8 until Blue is available in the fourth quarter of 2013.Can Windows 8.1 re-start Windows 8? In the greater end-user market, as Mary Meeker, the well-regarded analyst and venture capitalist, pointed out in her May 2013 Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers' 2013 Internet Trends report, Apple iOS and Android now have the lion's share of computing devices with 65-percent running one of these operating systems over Windows' 35-percent. Mark Shuttleworth, Ubuntu Linux's founder, was on to something when he declared that Ubuntu Linux's first bug, that "Microsoft has a majority market" was now closed. NetMarketShare's mobile operating system statistics show Apple iOS holding the lead with a strong 59.49-percent, followed by Android with 24.4-percent. Java ME, with 10.2-percent and Symbian with 2.06-percent, which aren't even smartphone operating systems bring up the rear. Below these we find the once mighty Blackberry OS, with a mere 2.06-percent, and all combined versions of Windows Phone with a tiny 1.21-percent. Microsoft's mobile operating system share is actually worse than it appears. None of its most recent smartphone/tablet operating systems, Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 or RT. even breaks the 0.01-percent mark on NetMarketShare's mobile/tablet operating system market share chart. How bad it is that? Android 1.6, with 0.01-percent, does make the chart. Some would argue that comparing mobile and desktop operating systems is like comparing apples and oranges. A more apt comparison is horses and cars. Both provide you with transportation. PCs and their operating systems are on their way out. Microsoft, a buggy-whip manufacturer, might disagree with this analogy. Will Windows no longer matter? Of course not. Some users will always need PCs and most of them will stick with Windows. The question for Microsoft today is "Will anyone want Windows 8?" The market has spoken and the answer is "No." Source: http://www.zdnet.com/windows-8-continues-to-fail-7000016222/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvdabc Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 I upgraded to windows 8 because I heard it was faster but I wish I could reinstall win 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylark95 Posted June 3, 2013 Author Share Posted June 3, 2013 Almost any recent popular distribution of Linux is much more resource friendly. Booting to Windows usually takes at least 2+ GB of RAM while Linux Mint 15 usually uses a little less than a GB. Even less if you turn off the fancy GUI features. Using Linux can have the occasional issue as many distros are usually not quite as stable as Windows, but I like it regardless.Don't know what Microsoft is thinking but so far they have pushed me from Xbox to PC gaming and I've been using Linux Mint 15 as my primary OS just because the Windows 8 GUI is horrid. I currently use Windows 7 for games, but that is about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvdabc Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 How is the UI for linux? I've used windows all my life so it would be hard for me to try another os Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylark95 Posted June 3, 2013 Author Share Posted June 3, 2013 Here are a few screenshots I took a few minutes ago. http://imgur.com/a/0OIVV You can download it and burn the image to a cd from the link below. You can try out running it right from the CD without installing anything. I've also provided a link that tells you how to install alongside windows.If you do install it, I strongly recommend backing up any files you have in case something goes wrong (although not likely). http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php http://www.linuxbsdos.com/2012/06/06/how-to-dual-boot-linux-mint-13-cinnamonmate-and-windows-7/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvdabc Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Alright ill give it a try Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylark95 Posted June 4, 2013 Author Share Posted June 4, 2013 Some of the steps in the install guide above I would consider optional. If you don't do the easy BCD step (I don't, GRUB works fine) then you can just mount the os partition to the root directory. (represented by /) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dateranoth Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 Windows 8 was too big of a change. Why would anyone without a touch device move to 8 from 7? No reason in its current state. I may start using Linux on my server boxes and HTPCs. Linux has growing support, but MS has the lions share of gaming compatibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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