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>"99% of people do everything in a browser these days anyhow." This exaggeration is clearly absurd.

by FpUser 6y ago

MintelIE 6y ago
Are you certain about this? I think I was being conservative. It's easy for us tech nerds in our little gadget bubbles to suppose that everybody is like us. But most people are simple browser users, and Office 365 and Google Docs have all but killed off office software on the desktop for many users.
- jeremyjh 6y ago
  > Office 365 and Google Docs have all but killed off office software on the desktop for many users. That hasn't been my experience at all. While those tools are definitely used - especially for collaboration - most people on my company's Office 365 subscription are downloading and using the full products for their daily work. This is true in both very large companies and the (non-tech) startup I work at now.
  - dathinab 6y ago
    Honestly my experience with collaboration with Office 365 last year was pretty beer bad. At least for sight technical cases people they are many better solutions.
- kgraves 6y ago
  > But most people are simple browser users, and Office 365 and Google Docs have all but killed off office software on the desktop for many users. In reality, I see most people use desktop software instead of the browser (without using the internet in some cases) to do their work. (Think CAD, Adobe, DAW software, Excel, video production software) even on mobile/tablets Office can be used where no internet connection is available. I seriously doubt that users would spend all their time in a browser window other than for consumption purposes like social media and video sites. The idea of 99% of people doing everything in the browser seems questionable to me and some data about this would be helpful here. Apart from the computer science department, I also doubt that people would find it easier to go to Linux, BSD or the other galaxy of distros.
- abjKT26nO8 6y ago
  On the contrary, it's easy in our tech bubble to assume that everybody else uses a computer just for mail, netflix and spreadsheets, when in reality most people have niche needs. It's just that there are many niches. E.g. I know people from scientific circles who use CAS software I've never even heard of, my sister is an architect and needs to use CAD software. YouTube video authors often use advanced video editing software. Musicians use audio editing software. Publishers use Adobe InDesign. Then there are gamers. This "not geek => mainly spreadsheet user" stereotype is really strange. And basically everybody, whom I know personally, complains about the UX of anything web-based, so don't even think about putting CAD, CAS or InDesign into the browser.
- perl4ever 6y ago
  I work in an office that mostly uses Office, but doesn't use the web version for everything. Microsoft never fully implements everything when they make a substitute, so you're always faced with a case-by-case choice as to which one. And the software people use includes things that aren't part of the basic apps, like Project, PowerPoint, Visio, I don't know what else.
ajkjk 6y ago
Why do you think so?
- FpUser 6y ago
  The ball is actually not in my court. The original claim 99% should be somehow substantiated. It is not. On a practical note desktop software is being used by countless professionals. There is nearly infinite amount of those tools in countless areas. Amount of small businesses is insane as well and you can hardly find one without some old PC/Laptop running some of their desktop software. None of that would exist if there was no market. 99% claim does not really fit into the picture.

>"99% of people do everything in a browser these days anyhow." This exaggeration is clearly absurd.

by FpUser 6y ago

>"99% of people do everything in a browser these days anyhow." This exaggeration is clearly absurd.

Are you certain about this? I think I was being conservative. It's easy for us tech nerds in our little gadget bubbles to suppose that everybody is like us. But most people are simple browser users, and Office 365 and Google Docs have all but killed off office software on the desktop for many users.

jeremyjh 6y ago
> Office 365 and Google Docs have all but killed off office software on the desktop for many users. That hasn't been my experience at all. While those tools are definitely used - especially for collaboration - most people on my company's Office 365 subscription are downloading and using the full products for their daily work. This is true in both very large companies and the (non-tech) startup I work at now.
- dathinab 6y ago
  Honestly my experience with collaboration with Office 365 last year was pretty beer bad. At least for sight technical cases people they are many better solutions.
kgraves 6y ago
> But most people are simple browser users, and Office 365 and Google Docs have all but killed off office software on the desktop for many users. In reality, I see most people use desktop software instead of the browser (without using the internet in some cases) to do their work. (Think CAD, Adobe, DAW software, Excel, video production software) even on mobile/tablets Office can be used where no internet connection is available. I seriously doubt that users would spend all their time in a browser window other than for consumption purposes like social media and video sites. The idea of 99% of people doing everything in the browser seems questionable to me and some data about this would be helpful here. Apart from the computer science department, I also doubt that people would find it easier to go to Linux, BSD or the other galaxy of distros.
abjKT26nO8 6y ago
On the contrary, it's easy in our tech bubble to assume that everybody else uses a computer just for mail, netflix and spreadsheets, when in reality most people have niche needs. It's just that there are many niches. E.g. I know people from scientific circles who use CAS software I've never even heard of, my sister is an architect and needs to use CAD software. YouTube video authors often use advanced video editing software. Musicians use audio editing software. Publishers use Adobe InDesign. Then there are gamers. This "not geek => mainly spreadsheet user" stereotype is really strange. And basically everybody, whom I know personally, complains about the UX of anything web-based, so don't even think about putting CAD, CAS or InDesign into the browser.
perl4ever 6y ago
I work in an office that mostly uses Office, but doesn't use the web version for everything. Microsoft never fully implements everything when they make a substitute, so you're always faced with a case-by-case choice as to which one. And the software people use includes things that aren't part of the basic apps, like Project, PowerPoint, Visio, I don't know what else.

ajkjk 6y ago

Why do you think so?

FpUser 6y ago
The ball is actually not in my court. The original claim 99% should be somehow substantiated. It is not. On a practical note desktop software is being used by countless professionals. There is nearly infinite amount of those tools in countless areas. Amount of small businesses is insane as well and you can hardly find one without some old PC/Laptop running some of their desktop software. None of that would exist if there was no market. 99% claim does not really fit into the picture.