Kim Crosser wrote:MikeD wrote:the other 15%
Per PC Magazine (yeah - I know you need to consider the source!):
In December 2004, the W3C group measured on-line desktop/personal use by operating system:
Macintosh: 2.7%
Linux: 3.1%
Windows (some flavor): the rest (94.2%)
Please provide proof of this data! References?
The
story I have is that IDC published a Dec. 2003 report that MS Windows had 93.8% of
new licenses issued the previous year (
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/32706.html). Hmmm... hasn't changed much in over a year? Plus the fact that you can't buy a PC from anyone except HP without having a MS license
issued to you, those numbers seem VERY suspect Kim! How did they measure
on-line desktop/personal use fully and completely? It's not possible unless they got access to every servers access logs and then went and asked all those users if it was personal use? Assuming they used a sample, what was the sample, games.msn.com?
Did they count the number of people who where
forced to buy a MS license (
The Microsoft Tax) just to delete the OS completely and install BeOS, Linux, Minux, OS/2, etc? Not hardly!
People like to believe the 95% lie. It makes them feel good. Just like that guy in the Camery next to you on the freeway likes to think the difference between your car and his is just a couple 0's. It makes him feel better about his decision.
The 15% I threw out was just a rough guess off the top of my head (based on a few reports I read here-and-there over the last year+). I know MS drones like to debate it because MS publishes such bloated numbers so it will look the part. And most everyone buys into the facade. But it's a number that cannot be measured unless you take a census. And that is not likely going to happen. No one will ever know for sure, and THAT is the only fact in this debate.
And for those that care even further: I believe in the freedom of choice! Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris, IRIX, OS/2, BeOS, etc. It's your money you
should be able to decide who gets when buying technology. But you don't have that choice. When you buy a new PC you
must pay MS their surcharge. It really is taxation without representation, but since it's not the government doing it people keep quiet. It should anger people but it doesn't.
And the point you ask? I mention it merely to inform Tim that I do not think its wise for a small business owner (like himself) to just throw away 5% (if you buys Kim's story) to 15% (if you buy my story) right off the bat when it would cost him $0 in incremental costs to support 100% of his potential market.
End of sermon...