IE 8 is the last Explorer

[twocows]

As if Microsoft is finally realizing that they're stuff is crap. First Windows 7, now a completely new browser. Just when we thought the reign of Microsoft was over, eh? :laugh:



Actually, it's because Vista was 6.0. And since 7 is what Vista should have been, they stuck it at 6.1 while retaining the number 7 that was supposed to be 7.0.

Microsoft's lost 3% market share in less than a year (source). There is some good hype regarding Windows 7, but remember that Windows 7 won't be released until at least late this year. That means the downward trend will continue for another half year, and Apple market share will probably hit the big 10% mark by that time. I don't know if simply making a slightly better OS and a browser that's on par with the others (for once) will be enough to lure people back. Not to mention that Linux usability has grown in leaps and bounds; just a few years ago, it was nigh impossible for an average user to install and use any distribution of Linux. Now it's easier than installing XP for some distributions.

 

[Nitrous Oxide]

Microsoft's lost 3% market share in less than a year (source). There is some good hype regarding Windows 7, but remember that Windows 7 won't be released until at least late this year. That means the downward trend will continue for another half year, and Apple market share will probably hit the big 10% mark by that time. I don't know if simply making a slightly better OS and a browser that's on par with the others (for once) will be enough to lure people back. Not to mention that Linux usability has grown in leaps and bounds; just a few years ago, it was nigh impossible for an average user to install and use any distribution of Linux. Now it's easier than installing XP for some distributions.

Well, it means that they won't be falling anymore for one. And considering any store-bought computer still comes with a Microsoft operating system, I don't really see any of this period as anything more than a slight bump in the road. Sure, people hate Vista, but they're forced to use it (well, not exactly, but how many of our parents will go research Linux distros for their new laptop?). Windows 7 comes out, Vista is eliminated, there are no more complaints (significantly less at least). As much as I'd like to see a Linux distro dethrone Windows, it'll never happen. Microsoft is proving once again (see Windows 2000) that it can learn from it's mistakes and still come out on top. Sure, Mac will hit 10%, but guess what, that's only 10%. Microsoft is going to hold it's commanding majority for a long, long time after this all-things-Apple craze dies out.

And how can anything be easier than installing XP? I'm pretty sure all you do is click next a few times. Same with Windows 7... :\

 

[Bianca Paragon]

And how can anything be easier than installing XP? I'm pretty sure all you do is click next a few times. Same with Windows 7... :\

Try installing on a SATA HDD with Windows XP ^_^

 

[twocows]

Well, it means that they won't be falling anymore for one. And considering any store-bought computer still comes with a Microsoft operating system, I don't really see any of this period as anything more than a slight bump in the road. Sure, people hate Vista, but they're forced to use it (well, not exactly, but how many of our parents will go research Linux distros for their new laptop?). Windows 7 comes out, Vista is eliminated, there are no more complaints (significantly less at least). As much as I'd like to see a Linux distro dethrone Windows, it'll never happen. Microsoft is proving once again (see Windows 2000) that it can learn from it's mistakes and still come out on top. Sure, Mac will hit 10%, but guess what, that's only 10%. Microsoft is going to hold it's commanding majority for a long, long time after this all-things-Apple craze dies out.

And how can anything be easier than installing XP? I'm pretty sure all you do is click next a few times. Same with Windows 7... :\

My mother recently bought a laptop without consulting with me at all. It was an ASUS Eee PC, and it had a tweaked version of Xandros Linux on it. Admittedly, Xandros has some ties to Microsoft, but that's besides the point. The only help she needed was in transferring her Microsoft Office files from her main computer over to the laptop.

This, in my mind, is one example of how Microsoft could continue to lose market share. A casual computer user with little tech experience bought a non-Microsoft computer on her own, and needed no help in using it. It's Microsoft's worst fear, and it's happening more and more.

You say that installing XP is simple, but honestly, it's not. I just did it this morning on a laptop I was repairing for a friend of a friend, and if it's a fresh install, it requires you to manually edit the partitions to install. Easy if you know what you're doing, but many people don't know what a partition is.

As for Apple being a trend, I disagree. Apple has steadily been gaining market share long before it was "trendy," and they've integrated their OS into a lot of their popular hardware. As long as they keep their OS usable and attractive, they'll continue to be a thorn in Microsoft's paw.

 

[nickstr]

Windows 1
Windows 2
Windows 3
Windows 95 should be 4
Windows 98 should be 5
Windows 2000/ME should be 6
Windows XP should be... wait...
...
Windows 7
Windows 8

I wonder why they started at 7 when they decided they'd go back to numbers...

You got all the numbers wrong, Windows 3 was 3.0, 3.1, 3.11, Windows 4 was Windows NT 4.0, Windows 5 was Windows 2000 and Windows XP, Windows Vista is 6, and the current beta of Windows 7 is 6.7. You would think it is the other way but 3 was Windows 3.0, Windows 3.1, Windows 3.11, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98SE, and Windows ME and they all used the same kernel but updated versions of it and switching to a 32 bit version of the same kernel with Windows 95. Previous versions of Windows before 3.0 also used the same 16 bit kernel along with all versions of Windows up to 3.11 running on top of MS-DOS. All versions starting with Windows XP use what is called the NT kernel which was introduced in 1993 with the first version of Windows NT and this was truly the first 32 bit version of Windows but used mainly in professional and laboratory environments. My guess of why the NT kernel became the basis of all versions of Windows was because of two possiblities, one being support issues with drivers since hardware manufacturers had to deal with Windows 98, 95, ME, and 2000 and also because of complaints from users of Windows ME involving stability and other issues.

 

[Nitrous Oxide]

You say that installing XP is simple, but honestly, it's not. I just did it this morning on a laptop I was repairing for a friend of a friend, and if it's a fresh install, it requires you to manually edit the partitions to install. Easy if you know what you're doing, but many people don't know what a partition is.

Yes, but Microsoft is aware of this. I'm pretty sure they have something that tells you to use the entire disk. And for anyone that doesn't know what a partition is, there's about a 99% chance that that's all they need.

 

[Kenneth Alog]

I really wish they would start making Gazelle from scratch, if they just re-mod IE, then that would be very awful.