2 ms·
The desktop market is bigger than the little world you live in. It seems every month there's a highly rated HN post about how this is finally the year of the Li
by drzaiusapelord 10y ago
The desktop market is bigger than the little world you live in. It seems every month there's a highly rated HN post about how this is finally the year of the Linux desktop. And before that on Reddit and before that on Slashdot and before that newsgroups for the past 15+ years.
I think its difficult to know the vast amount of software that's user/business critical that's Windows-only and how many people will never run an OS that isn't pre-install on their computer. Even as a sysadmin/devops for over a decade, I'm still surprised how strong Windows is. Some of it is legacy inertia and some of it is merit. No one else is investing in gaming like MS does. No one else builds developer friendly tools that a very mediocre team of devs can be made productive with. No one else builds a dumbed-down office suite that even a high school drop out can be productive in. No one else markets to the business community like MS, etc, etc.
It also doesn't help the "year of the linux desktop" argument that Windows is losing to mobile, but Windows 10 includes many mobile concepts. In fact, as far as I can tell, its very much modeled after Android. I know grandma won't buy a Surface Pro, but it is now easier for her to go from Android or iOS to Win10 and not be scared or confused.
I think Windows has a long life still. Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean you can just wish it away. For segments that aren't the kinds of people who post on HN, its still very popular and that's ignoring its dominance in business.