400 million Windows PCs vanished in 3 years. Where did they all go?(zdnet.com)
zdnet.com
400 million Windows PCs vanished in 3 years. Where did they all go?
https://www.zdnet.com/article/400-million-windows-pcs-vanished-in-3-years-where-did-they-all-go/
8 comments
> The only thing I hate is the stupidity of the command/ctrl behavior that's different than windows/linux. But I fixed that with a mechanical keyboard running VIA.
Amusingly, that's probably my favorite thing on Darwin! It fixes annoying conflicts like ctrl-c meaning copy except in a terminal where it means (approximately) kill the running process; now ctrl-c means kill, and cmd-c always means copy. Similarly, web browsers can have terminals that I don't accidentally close because ctrl-w only means delete-word, not close tab. It's good enough that I've passingly toyed with porting it to the FOSS-unix ecosystem, but I don't think it's practical.
Amusingly, that's probably my favorite thing on Darwin! It fixes annoying conflicts like ctrl-c meaning copy except in a terminal where it means (approximately) kill the running process; now ctrl-c means kill, and cmd-c always means copy. Similarly, web browsers can have terminals that I don't accidentally close because ctrl-w only means delete-word, not close tab. It's good enough that I've passingly toyed with porting it to the FOSS-unix ecosystem, but I don't think it's practical.
https://github.com/rbreaves/kinto does the mapping pretty well
Love Kinto, although I find on PopOS it is pretty annoying always having to wait a couple seconds for the command key to register to select multiple files, zoom in/out etc. But overall it does a very impressive job of letting me continue using all that Mac muscle-memory including my favourite, command + {} for right-hand tab navigation.
Keys are easy enough to remap. I got an MX keys keyboard because, unless something changed yesterday, Apple believes that only laptop users deserve a lighted keyboard. I mapped the ever-useless caps lock key to "option", which is less destructive.
One thing I don't like about the default mac keyboard is the weird placement of the command key. If you are a touch typist and learned by rote to type with your pinky, the command key placement on the mac just sucked.
I'm not saying Windows got this right, but MS instead overloaded the left pinky with the windows key. And on the right pinky, it's function and menu keys. That made control and alt even harder to use.
I think the A500 keyboard layout was better in every respect where the control key is where the caps lock key is now. Less keyboard options forced people to think more about software design.
I'm not saying Windows got this right, but MS instead overloaded the left pinky with the windows key. And on the right pinky, it's function and menu keys. That made control and alt even harder to use.
I think the A500 keyboard layout was better in every respect where the control key is where the caps lock key is now. Less keyboard options forced people to think more about software design.
The quoted number is awfully specific. Monthly active devices? Why not licenses since that's what they are theoretically in the business of selling? Active devices would be relevant to their ad revenue, so I'd be interested to know what's the context for the statistic and what they're actually tracking. Are enterprise and other installs that block ad telemetry included?
Big up Valve for giving the world Proton, great to see what happens when people have an alternative.
Even if it’s actually less than 400 million, everything helps.
Even if it’s actually less than 400 million, everything helps.
And SteamOS. SteamOS showed everyone that low-power processors could be surprisingly competent, with perfect hibernation and sleep, without Windows.
especially with large organizations scurrying to replace old devices running Windows 7 before the end-of-support date that's now officially less than a year away
Okay zdnet is getting piholed for AI generated hogwash
Okay zdnet is getting piholed for AI generated hogwash
[deleted]
That article is a speculation, the number 400 millions was taken out of the article author's ass.
The author asserts the number comes from official Microsoft user base size statements three years apart.
The figure derived from differencing two other numbers may or may not be correct but it has a non anal origin.
The figure derived from differencing two other numbers may or may not be correct but it has a non anal origin.
Have you actually read the article?
The author's assertion came out from his ass: he concluded that "more than a billion users" in MicroSoft's presentation means "exactly about 1 billion users".
No, 1.5 billions is "more than a billion users" as well.
The author is a speculating bitch, not a journalist.
The author's assertion came out from his ass: he concluded that "more than a billion users" in MicroSoft's presentation means "exactly about 1 billion users".
No, 1.5 billions is "more than a billion users" as well.
The author is a speculating bitch, not a journalist.
Obviously I read the article.
Have you read the HN guidelines?
Have you read the HN guidelines?
I'm just done with Windows after Nixon said Windows 10 would be the last OS and they'd just iterate on it then broke that promise soon after.
You weren't done when Gates said 640k was all you'd ever need?
Neither myth will ever disappear.
Neither myth will ever disappear.
Wasn't alive then haha
I used Jeff Geerling's ansible scripts, and now I have all of the development tools, fusion 360, and xtool creative suite through it and homebrew. I still don't like the fact that apple forces you to pay the memory and storage tax, but OTOH windows has been broken for a few years -- and forcing me to upgrade hardware from a perfectly serviceable Dell XPS 15 from 7 years ago to Windows 11 sealed it for me.
I thought I was going to dread the experience but it was fine. The only thing I hate is the stupidity of the command/ctrl behavior that's different than windows/linux. But I fixed that with a mechanical keyboard running VIA.