11 Percent of Windows XP Users Will Switch to Linux

[Sensei Aizen]

Nice article to read, here:

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2014/02/windows-xp-users-may-switch-linux

date: 2014-Feb-21

[R3450N]

I personally think that given the thoughtlessness of certain people who still use Windows XP, they might not have heard about Linux. If they knew about Windows 7/8 then it's hypothetical to think they would have not switched at all. Suffice it to say that Windows XP users could be pretty damn clueless as to what they're doing and how they managed to stay on XP for all these years. I left XP in 2007; it does show.

[vipor29]

i will be suprised if 11% jump over to linux. if more game publishers jump over then maybe,2013 was a really great year for linux,so far this year im not so sure

[TheSniperFan]

I won't only be surprised, I'll throw a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ party if that happens! :D

[labyrinth]

The article is about some private organizations not about home users. The home users won't change from Windows any time soon.

[76561198006170904]

People who still uses windows xp are afraid of changes so I don't think they will jump to linux any time soon. They will probably have to upgrade hardware, so win 8 will be many new users stop.

[kAori]

more gnu/linux users should proselytize. I've managed to convert a good amount of friends and acquaintances and my whole family w/ exception to my aunt who doesn't like anything :3

A good support system (ala VNC etc) will help a lot as will not bogging ppl down w/ jargon.

Though I dont use it anymore, I would say Ubuntu has helped a lot of new ppl myself included. I recommend Solydxk to any really new ppl though (Solydxk = Linux Mint Debian Edition w/ XFCE or KDE)

[R3450N]

Ubuntu is a great place to start learning Linux: Linux Mint included; hence it would give users a chance to decide which path to take: stay with Ubuntu or continue learning by trying out other Linux distros, start customising etc etc etc. Meanwhile...

[UraniumDeer]

Escrito originalmente por vipor231:

2013 was a really great year for linux,so far this year im not so sure

On the graphics side of things, I have great expectations, and hopes for 2014. First, there's Wayland, which hopefully lives up to the promise of perfect frames. It finally seems that the different components that needs support, will have it during summer, or early fall 2014.
Then there's the drivers. While MESA is still lackluster in it's GL support, it is making progress. And though the binary AMD-drivers don't show much improvement, the Open Source drivers receives much love. nVidias binary drivers, are quite functional, and are gaining support for EGL, which all the Open Source drivers already has.
This all means decent driver performance, perfect frames, without having to fight with settings in drivers and X, X-crashes, screentearing, grey fills, the works.
I read, during the steam machines announcement, that Valve was working on fixing sound drivers. Something with latency issues, if memory serves. One could hope, that it'd result in less buffer issues (or whatever causes sound to crackle, especially on Skype (does anyone know of any Skype alternatives btw? It doesn't have to be able to use Skypes network, or call phones, as long as you can add friends, call them up, chat with them, n' such. I don't like the fact that skype is M$ software, and that it just completely takes over control over sound-settings, regardless off how you set it up.)).
[EDIT] And I forgot to mention all the Linux support from the graphic engines. Latest engine with Linux support, is CryEngine, and then there's Frostbite, and a few others, that often are used in AAA titles.[/edit]

On topic:
The fact that it's companies, that make up those 11%, is pretty interesting.

[Oerthling]

Escrito originalmente por UraniumDeer:

On topic:
The fact that it's companies, that make up those 11%, is pretty interesting.

Thinks about it.
Consumers who still use XP today never will upgrade their existing machines. They move away from XP when the old machine dies and then they automatically get a W8 PC - because that's the de facto default for a PC you can buy as a consumer.

Corporations are different. They have dedicated staff or hire consultants on demand.
If they still use XP now it's for 2 reasons:
1) have particular specialized XP software that doesn't run on newer Windows machines.
2) Keep costs down. They simply didn't see a need to buy new hardware and then train their employess when the old stuff stil works and they feel safe enough behind their firewalls to not care too much about sec updates for XP. Either their uses have no or very restricted internet access or they are simply ignorant about security risks ("nothing ever happened in the past").

If a corp wants to keep costs down, has no special software needs (perhaps all work is done in browsers anyway), then a cheap PC with a basic Linux install is all they need. User stays in FF or Chrome all day long anyway - then it doesn't matter what OS is providing the driver layer for your browser.
No doubt some corporations fitting that profile will switch to Linux. It provides the cheaper base for their browsers and has a good security track record.

Some institutions with specialized software (solutions you can't buy off-the-shelf) will go with whatever their consultants come up with. And many modern in-house applications are Java-in-tomcat solutions where again the user just uses a browser to access the centrailzed enterprise app. Basically a fancy way of brining the old terminal accesses mainframe back. But this time with fancy graphics and mice.

[Zyro]

Escrito originalmente por Oerthling:

Thinks about it.
Consumers who still use XP today never will upgrade their existing machines. They move away from XP when the old machine dies and then they automatically get a W8 PC - because that's the de facto default for a PC you can buy as a consumer.

I don't agree. XP machines will get insecure (or much more insecure, if you like) in april.
Consumers should change and I think (and hope) most will.

[Boo Seta]

Escrito originalmente por algiuz@linux:

People who still uses windows xp are afraid of changes so I don't think they will jump to linux any time soon. They will probably have to upgrade hardware, so win 8 will be many new users stop.

Or they just have poor performance hardware so they can't install Vista, 7 or 8. In this case some Linux distros come in handy.

[Dusk of Oolacile]

Escrito originalmente por Revernus:

Escrito originalmente por algiuz@linux:

People who still uses windows xp are afraid of changes so I don't think they will jump to linux any time soon. They will probably have to upgrade hardware, so win 8 will be many new users stop.

Or they just have poor performance hardware so they can't install Vista, 7 or 8. In this case some Linux distros come in handy.

The linux kernel taxes old hardware more than vista, 7 or 8. Gnome, KDE and most popular desktop managers consume a lot of resources. Also video driver support for ancient cards doesn't really exist. No wonder some want to keep XP even after it expired.

[UraniumDeer]

Escrito originalmente por LOLCAT:

Escrito originalmente por Revernus:

Or they just have poor performance hardware so they can't install Vista, 7 or 8. In this case some Linux distros come in handy.

The linux kernel taxes old hardware more than vista, 7 or 8. Gnome, KDE and most popular desktop managers consume a lot of resources. Also video driver support for ancient cards doesn't really exist. No wonder some want to keep XP even after it expired.

Is it taxing old hardware more, due to lack of support? 'Cause there's a whole lot of embedded hardware that uses Linux-kernel, because of the effeciency.

[Dusk of Oolacile]

Escrito originalmente por UraniumDeer:

Escrito originalmente por LOLCAT:

The linux kernel taxes old hardware more than vista, 7 or 8. Gnome, KDE and most popular desktop managers consume a lot of resources. Also video driver support for ancient cards doesn't really exist. No wonder some want to keep XP even after it expired.

Is it taxing old hardware more, due to lack of support? 'Cause there's a whole lot of embedded hardware that uses Linux-kernel, because of the effeciency.

Nope, recognize punctuation. It was 2 different sentences. It taxes old hardware because it's not optimized for it.
Embedded devices run customized software. Try to put it on your Pentium 2 machine...

[Dedale]

There are plenty of lightweight linux distros which work on a pentium 2. But for businesses using XP and so poor they can't afford some new cheap computer i think mastering DSL or SliTaz is besides the point.

We don't know how the questions were phrased. Nor what they used their computers for. amongst other things.