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Microsoft has been incredibly successful at lodging their ecosystem into firms around the world. Lots of IT infrastructure lives and dies on AD, Azure, Windows

Microsoft has been incredibly successful at lodging their ecosystem into firms around the world. Lots of IT infrastructure lives and dies on AD, Azure, Windows Server, SQL Server, Office, Power BI and the like, and lots of IT personnel live and die on their expertise with such software systems. Given that moat, I'd say a 17% hit is incredible.

AnIdiotOnTheNet 4y ago
Windows is also still the platform for PC gaming due to its support for all the latest GPUs, peripherals, and APIs. Not to mention a ton of other more niche hobbyist activities.
- zamalek 4y ago
  This isn't clear-cut nowadays (especially if you avoid Ubuntu). Linux and Windows trade blows in terms of performance. OpenGL, Vulkan, DX11, and DX12 are all supported on Linux. Some features are a work in progress (RT on AMD for example), NVIDIA are cleaning up their act and their Linux experience matches their Windows experience (and they have full API coverage). Windows only holds dominance through anti-cheat support. I would say that PC is still the platform for gaming.
  - Zhyl 4y ago
    Anti-cheat is improving though [0]. EAC and Battleye both have Linux/Proton support and so just need for developers to enable within their apps (Battleye only needs for the Devs to send an email for BE to activate it their end). [0] https://areweanticheatyet.com https://areweanticheatyet.com
  - AnIdiotOnTheNet 4y ago
    It isn't just anti-cheat, it's support for peripherals and games as well. I recently got into DCS (sometimes kinda works on Linux via WINE), for which I purchased nearly $1000 worth of high-end peripherals which technically work on Linux, kinda, if you give up half of their feature sets because the software that gives you access to those features doesn't work on Linux. VR is also a shitshow on Linux.
- zdw 4y ago
  I think you have this reversed - it's application (game) level backwards compatibility leading to large market sizes of people who have gaming PCs, which leads to a cycle of dependency which Windows just happens to be a required part. SteamOS, Wine, and similar are attempts to break Windows out of this cycle. Hardware support is similar - vendors go after the biggest market. Also PC gamers are used to installing kernel drivers from random third parties, whereas other OS vendors usually want drivers to be integrated in the main release.
- Zhyl 4y ago
  The Steam Deck and other developments (Proton/DXVK, Nvidia kernel drivers, EAC/Battleye AC support) have weakened that position, though. Linux is still only 1.2% of PC gaming, but the idea of that increasing isn't as bananas as it was in 2015 before any of these developments were announced/released.

AnIdiotOnTheNet 4y ago

Windows is also still the platform for PC gaming due to its support for all the latest GPUs, peripherals, and APIs. Not to mention a ton of other more niche hobbyist activities.

zamalek 4y ago
This isn't clear-cut nowadays (especially if you avoid Ubuntu). Linux and Windows trade blows in terms of performance. OpenGL, Vulkan, DX11, and DX12 are all supported on Linux. Some features are a work in progress (RT on AMD for example), NVIDIA are cleaning up their act and their Linux experience matches their Windows experience (and they have full API coverage). Windows only holds dominance through anti-cheat support. I would say that PC is still the platform for gaming.
- Zhyl 4y ago
  Anti-cheat is improving though [0]. EAC and Battleye both have Linux/Proton support and so just need for developers to enable within their apps (Battleye only needs for the Devs to send an email for BE to activate it their end). [0] https://areweanticheatyet.com https://areweanticheatyet.com
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 4y ago
  It isn't just anti-cheat, it's support for peripherals and games as well. I recently got into DCS (sometimes kinda works on Linux via WINE), for which I purchased nearly $1000 worth of high-end peripherals which technically work on Linux, kinda, if you give up half of their feature sets because the software that gives you access to those features doesn't work on Linux. VR is also a shitshow on Linux.
zdw 4y ago
I think you have this reversed - it's application (game) level backwards compatibility leading to large market sizes of people who have gaming PCs, which leads to a cycle of dependency which Windows just happens to be a required part. SteamOS, Wine, and similar are attempts to break Windows out of this cycle. Hardware support is similar - vendors go after the biggest market. Also PC gamers are used to installing kernel drivers from random third parties, whereas other OS vendors usually want drivers to be integrated in the main release.
Zhyl 4y ago
The Steam Deck and other developments (Proton/DXVK, Nvidia kernel drivers, EAC/Battleye AC support) have weakened that position, though. Linux is still only 1.2% of PC gaming, but the idea of that increasing isn't as bananas as it was in 2015 before any of these developments were announced/released.