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29.8% of Windows XP users consider a move to Linux over Vista

seopher.com — A recent poll shows a good percentage of *tech-savvy* XP users considering a move to Linux over an upgrade to Vista. It seems Microsoft are pushing users away with more looking at using Linux than legally upgrading.

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  • Darkster, on 10/12/2007, -17/+58I think ~80% will upgrade to Vista even though this will require some time ;)
    • seopher, on 10/12/2007, -8/+39yes, probably. My upgrade depends on how many leaps and bounds Ubuntu makes (or another distro). If one does everything i need.. I'm there.
    • r2d7, on 10/12/2007, -16/+155A blog says it so it must be true.

      29.8% of the tech world is moving to linux instead of Vista.

      Uhuh.

      Okay.
    • jblade, on 10/12/2007, -27/+75inaccurate as hell - burried
    • Sandwiches_Time, on 10/12/2007, -35/+121There's no way 29% of Windows users have even heard of Linux.
    • brendanc, on 10/12/2007, -10/+67I think this really means something like "29.8% of digg users more likely to flame Apple than Microsoft"
    • chris4404, on 10/12/2007, -33/+49Why is their so much Vista bashing? I'll bet 29.8% of Digg users haven't even used Vista and are basing their opinions on over done falsehoods. I'm running RC2 and it runs great, I don't see what so many people are up in arms about. At least wait till its released to bash it.
    • Chewie67, on 10/12/2007, -28/+11If that number were true (which I really doubt), then the percentage considering a move to the mac must be 80%....
    • daven1986, on 10/12/2007, -37/+53I'll switch to linux when it can play the games I want, works with the wireless I have, and is as easy to set up as windows.
    • lordmetroid, on 10/12/2007, -35/+36I never install another windows on my hardware. Microsoft has stepped over the border for my approval.
    • jdb252, on 10/12/2007, -10/+62Hey, a poll posted on a tech blog? With no checks on outright lying/fanboyism?? That'll be SUPER accurate!
    • skyshock21, on 10/12/2007, -19/+53I already upgraded my Windows box.... to Edgy Eft.

      And in case you windows users were wondering? *Yes*, it does rule.
    • PowerCow, on 10/12/2007, -5/+66It is based on a web poll
      on his site
      ... SO 30% of the people that come to a site with a lot of linux articles on it, concider moving to linux instead.
      Totally unscienctific poll and totally misleading title..
      I hate to do it, but i am burying this as inaccurate
    • Canute, on 10/12/2007, -17/+28@daven1986: Funny you say that, 'cause I had the exact opposite experience. My wireless worked out the the box, and all the other drivers for my laptop (sound, wired ethernet, etc..) also worked out the box. Non of this worked when I installed XP. I only play Warcraft 3 and that works fine. For me, Linux just works, while Windows is a heck of a mess setting up and configuring. :)
    • smfullman, on 10/12/2007, -20/+47I rock Fedora, but I will say this: If 29% of people consider Linux instead of Vista, 28% will consider it and then give up when realize how hard it is to do basic stuff.
    • NTolerance, on 10/12/2007, -12/+20@chris4404

      embedded WGA, ultra-restrictive license, etc...
    • naio21, on 10/12/2007, -35/+10"I already upgraded my Windows box.... to Edgy Eft.

      And in case you windows users were wondering? *Yes*, it does rule."

      skyshock21, we really don't give a DAMN! Screw Ubuntu and it's picturesque release names.
    • skyshock21, on 10/12/2007, -16/+5naio21: Hi, I'm a PC.

    • alexandreracine, on 10/12/2007, -19/+3BEEN THERE, DONE THAT!
    • Happy_Phantom, on 10/12/2007, -24/+7I'm running Mac OS 10.4.8 Tiger and Parallels running on my Black MacBook with 2 GBs of RAM and a 160 GB HDD.

      I have Windows XP Pro and Fedora FC5 running under Parallels. Both work beautifully. I'm installing Kubuntu 6.1 at the moment, hoping for better Intel GMA 950 video support than I had with the 6.0.

      When Leopard comes out, after I've upgraded my Tiger, I'll install Vista via boot camp.

      My system is like the UN of microcomputers! All exist side-by-side in peace under the benevolent hegemony of the Mac OS. I love all these operating systems and I can have them all!

      Cheers,

      - Phantom
    • 8086ed, on 10/12/2007, -18/+15"I already upgraded my Windows box.... to Edgy Eft."

      Right on, man. I had a completely legal copy of Windows, but kept getting fed up with having to download a new "Critical Update" every week that did nothing but check to see if I DID, in fact, have a legit copy of Windows. I accidentally messed up my Windows partition installing Ubuntu for a second time (long story), but I ended up just leaving it and putting Ubuntu on the entire drive. The only thing I use Windows for is Adobe CS2, which runs just fine in VMWare.
    • fredclown, on 10/12/2007, -28/+22Macs are too expensive. Those who say otherwise are flat out wrong. I priced out a mac notebook, and and hp notebook with comparable capabilities, and the mac notebook was about $1000 dollars more than the HP. As far as Linux, unfortunately, it doesn’t have the apps I need. I use Photoshop a lot, and I can’t get that for Linux, and don’t try to tell me that Gimp is just as good as Photoshop. Gimp is a piece of junk. It doesn’t hold a candle to Photoshop. The interface is backwards and it is slow. Windows PC is the right choice for me.
    • LycoLoco, on 10/12/2007, -9/+35And approximately 57.3% will just be happy and stay with XP, since they know all their ***** works on it.
    • pensivewombat, on 10/12/2007, -6/+9Right now I'm running a dual boot of Vista RC1 and SUSE 10.1. So far I've enjoyed both of them and I think I will be paying to upgrade to Vista when it is released. If i was running XP though, I don't think I would upgrade right away. Vista is a surprisingly well designed system, but it still has some creases that need to be ironed out, and until new hardware comes out that can take advantage of vista (cablecard, i'm looking at you) the advantages over XP are minimal.

    • kavaliro, on 10/12/2007, -9/+6@smfullman:
      What you say is somewhat valid, but not really. Here's the relevant questions for most users: Do I have to configure anything? xwindows, sound, etc.? maybe, but honestly unlikely. Does the web browser/email client work? yes. Does the office suite work? yes. Can I play my pirated music? heck yeah. Cool! One last question: Does Youtube work? umm. well, since you mention it, umm... well you can _see_ it, you just can't _hear_ it. You can fix that, but then the sound is off by a few seconds...no. I'm not saying that every distro has that problem, but the most likely desktop candidate, Ubuntu, does. Other than YouTube, though, I can't think of a thing the average joe needs other than what I just described.
    • jivatmanx, on 10/12/2007, -9/+11@chris

      You're correct, I like to bash vista even though I've never used it.

      My primary concern is that Microsoft does not have a good record of respecting the privacy of it's users.

      I'm expecting there to be backdoors that will leak my private data. Likely, the gov't pressured microsoft for some, with microsoft agreeing wholeheartedly. Just look how easily the phone companies agreed to tapping
    • brundlefly76, on 10/12/2007, -7/+13This 'poll' was conducted on the frontpage of a blog with heavy Linux coverage - duh.

      If you had taken the same poll on the frontpage of digg you would have discovered that 80% of XP users want to switch to Mac.
    • masamunecyrus, on 10/12/2007, -8/+13Honestly, Vista was looking pretty good until their 'you can only reinstall it twice, and you can only update your hardware once, then we force you to rebuy our $400 product' shenanigans.

      Honestly, what were they thinking? I'm not sure if ANYONE can be happy about this. In fact, it boggles my mind that there are people who don't care about something like this. It will affect everyone, save for the people who buy a laptop, and then use it until it dies and then buy a new one.

      Unfortunately, I can't see myself switching to either alternative OS. I'll probably run Windows XP until there is a concrete solution to Vista's licensing problems.
    • stmiller, on 10/12/2007, -3/+22More like 90% will not bother doing anything and just keep Win XP.
    • rejectpenguin, on 10/12/2007, -9/+8The only reason im switching to vista is because of dx10. If directx 10 was for xp, I would never get vista.
    • Gregd, on 10/12/2007, -2/+27I'm one of the biggest Microsoft proponents around. Even Microsoft's new licensing schemes and anti-piracy "measures" have me at a point where I'm ready to "convert" to an alternative OS. ...
    • Wireddd, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8@kavaliro - you tube works great with flash 9 beta for firefox which you can download off of adobe's website
    • tygern, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4I love how this guy defines "tech-savvy XP users" as people who read his blog. This poll, its data gathering methods, and therefore its results are pure crap. How a story about a random blog survey made it to the front page of digg is beyond me. Please mark this as inaccurate and move on.
    • kiantech, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2is there video tutorials that can teach me how to use linux? then I would switch, just I am too lazy to read, and nobody I know uses it, so no hands on learning.
    • Xilon, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8@chris4404: Umm how about the fact that you can only move Vista to a different computer once? You install Vista on your AMD 3000+, 256mb ram, 64mb graphics card, and you realise that you need an upgrade because it runs like *****. You get the new hardware and bam, you need to buy a new licence.

      It's not even really Vista, just Windows in general... it's a lump of crap, a very expensive one at that. I currently own a macbook and a pretty good PC - running Debian. I do have Windows installed on a nother partition and I also have an install under VMware just to make it faster to get into. I need windows becase I am doing a CS course at uni which tends to require windows or windows applications (which imo is idiotic). If it wasn't for uni... bye bye windows. I've been using Debian/Ubuntu for about 3 years now, I've been using Mac OSX since around July... Whenever I boot into windows, within 10 seconds I get seriously pisse d at the speed, constant hangups, constant "Unexpected terminations" (especially when trying to access the network). It's just ridiculous what a ***** OS windows really is.
    • wthnow, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2There is absolutely no need to upgrade all the time people. Just because a newer software / hardware product comes out doesnt mean its better. Are you gonna use the new windows firewall wait there was a security bug issue discovered that shuts it down? Oh. I use a third party firewall, firefox, avg. I can run all games application either on my 2000 or xp machines. My XP is service pack 1. Just as there was no need to go to 360 so fast. I feel bad for the E71 people, people who bought new 360 that are unmodded and fall update is bricking them. My xbox 1 still works fine and graphics are about the same as 360. Gameplay matters most.
    • t3st3r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4> I think ~80% will upgrade to Vista even though this will require some time ;)
      I hope this will not happen :P.Otherwise it will prove how stupid users are.Try to read Vista license.And before clicking "agree" try to think - are you REALLY agree with all this madness?I'm personally DO NOT.And will not upgrade to Vista even if MS offer it for free.Do not need a system I can not trust.There is spyware-like, trojan-like and rootkit-like technologies built in.Their purpose is not to protect you but to fight with piracy and to securely take your rights away with new DRM system.Thanks, I do not need handcuffs, even expensive and with brilliants built in.They're still handcuffs on my hands first, everything else is not matters.
  • cquinnd, on 10/12/2007, -14/+41Written by a *tech-savvy* person who:

    Bases his expectations for Vista on the RC1 build.

    Says he doesn't care about Vistas features, but doesn't bother pointing out examples of what features he would like to see in an OS beyond XP.

    Expresses "boredom" as a reason to look elsewhere.

    ---
    You are entitled to your opinion, but when you express it in a way that indicates you are trying to be more "tech-fashionable" (following what looks cool) than "tech-savvy"
    (acknowledging the technical merits of a product, even if you would not choose to buy it yourself), then you undermine your own arguements on the subject.



    • seopher, on 10/12/2007, -21/+12*bases his expectations on the RC1 build, true enough, but also the feature list of the final release.

      *boredom is a good reason to look elsewhere, you don't stay in an unhappy boring relationship, do you?

      *I didn't say I didn't care about Vista's features on the basis of the features alone, just that as a package it doesn't make me "want"! to care
    • IQ70, on 10/12/2007, -25/+13Dude seriously, You write an article, you post it to digg, then you argue with someone who disagrees with you.

      Marked as Lame and Spam!
    • woxidu, on 10/12/2007, -3/+17I don't see what's wrong with posting an idea and then arguing that idea...
    • anasazi, on 10/12/2007, -4/+20if "bordom" is really an issue with your operating system then maybe your spending way the hell too much time on the computer.
    • falstaff, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8I can't argue with the linked page itself. The results of the survey are pretty clear, and fall pretty much in line with expectations.

      The headline, though, is wildly inaccurate.
    • Nougat, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Furthemore, the poll only records the opinions of those who visited the site during the polling period. An informal poll, at best. Also, the wording is suspect: "What will you do when Vista lands?" I imagine a whole lot of people who reported "stay on XP" did so because they're not going to jump *immediately,* rather waiting for the system to stabilize in the marketplace.
    • subgeniusd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6@IQ70: "Dude seriously, You write an article, you post it to digg, then you argue with someone who disagrees with you."

      I wish MORE authors would step up and deal with arguments right on the spot. Besides being a jerk what's your problem?
    • IQ70, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2My problem is that the author makes up ***** statistics, then thinks his article is worth submitting on digg, then morons digg it up to the first page while the author earns ad revenue based off his ***** statistics he made up from his ass.

    • GliTCH82, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I do IT consulting for small business, and almost every workstation at every office I work for is running XP. While I can't say that all of those machines will be upgraded to Vista anytime soon, I can guarantee they will never be switched to Linux.

      Point is, there's no way that the sampling done by this guy's site can ever reach the scope of all XP users. It only targets Internet savvy users, and ones that specifically follow his blog, so it's a huge mistake to come to the conclusion that 29.8% of XP users who took his survey means 29.8% of all XP users.

  • rlmorgan, on 10/12/2007, -14/+13It's good to see some actual poll numbers to back up what many pundits have been thinking for some time regarding Vista pushing people to Linux. Nice work.
    • LabThug, on 10/12/2007, -7/+7While I do agree that it's nice to see some actual poll numbers, I would be a little hesitant to say ~30% of anything is a "good percentage."
    • WATYF, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I'd also be hesitant to say that these are "actual poll numbers". This is a freaking web poll that was done on some site that most people have never heard of. That's not a real "poll", that's a novelty.

      WATYF
    • thebigmatay, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Except for the fact that Internet polls are completely unscientific and usually inaccurate. The subset of the population being polled is not random and therefore not representative of the actual population. People are taking the poll because they are biased to be at that website and they feel like taking the poll. So in fairness, these numbers mean absolutely nothing. Internet polls are fun, and are a perfect representation of how statistics can be used to represent anything. I'll wait for a real poll before I make any judgments about how many people are actually switching to Linux.
    • wpc105, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Too bad the poll numbers really mean nothing in this case. After glancing at the front page, it's obvious that the website is for tech savvy computer users (as stated in the poll), BUT it also is a site that caters to linux enthusiasts as well. It's hardly an unbiased source. It's probably about as statistically correct as asking users visiting apple.com if vista is going to make them move to a Mac. It's hardly representative of the entire community.

      (Hey, for the record, I have one mac, two PCs running XP, and one PC running Ubuntu. I'm really not a particular fanboy of any one system.)
    • schotty, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Although I kinda think the poll is not the best done (to be VERY nice), I think that the end result is there. I have helped friends and family convert to linux with zero effort (minus my bro who needed a new sound card for full support). They are happier and know they are safer (no spyware or virii). Plus with alot of bad press, Vista is getting some bad rap as closed garbage. Buying Vista == buying MS only for most things, and that true or not (thinking that it wont last long if so), doesnt bode well.

      That said, the recent strides on the Fedora, Linspire, and Ubuntu camps have made linux as good as WIndows or better in all but one category -- Games. Limited there.
  • aknowles5139, on 10/12/2007, -9/+24i have decided to move to a Mac... kinda... the Mac will just make my life easier because i only do multi-media. I will still use a PC for some games... and i will but Vista...
    • seopher, on 10/12/2007, -7/+17good on you, I'm not saying Linux is the only option but that it's a popular alternative and my personal choice. Not sure why you've been dugg down.
    • fanboydcs, on 10/12/2007, -10/+2I really think that they have made vista to complicated for the normal user. I think linux is still a far way off, im predicting 10 years realistically before it has taken over. But if you look at the progress of ubuntu that might be alot sooner. To bad they cant ditch X11 and go with something more like aqua...
    • InetRoadkill, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13A Mac might be a good alternative now for users who are not interested in learning much about computers. Mac's business applications are much better than they used to be.

      Personally, I've already moved to Linux and OpenOffice for my business needs. I love it. But Linux is not for the computer faint of heart. However, if you're willing to get past the learning curve (which is getting smaller and smaller thanks to distros like Ubuntu), you'll learn the love the stability and power that a *nix-based system has to offer. Plus, there are no licensing headaches to deal with and you can upgrade all you want without asking M$'s permission.
    • PuffyC, on 10/12/2007, -21/+5Uh huh, Ubuntu will be "taking over" in 10 years or less, sure. Newsflash - The OS war is over and Windows won. It's the standard on the desktop and there's no compelling reason to switch. Accept it and move on.
    • koick, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10I think the percentage mentioned is closer to the numbers of people who will switch to *Macs*. I predict Mac will take on a significant percentage (much much more than they ever have) of market share in the PC world in the coming two years or so.
      Here's the current trends:
      Dell's stock price from 1 year ago to today: $31 -> $24
      Apple's stock price from 1 year ago to today: $59 -> $81
    • UltraKill, on 10/12/2007, -4/+5@koick

      Yes, but Dell only represents a portion of the window based PCs. Also Mac's stock has gone up thanks to the iPod. Not to say that mac won't gain a larger share of the market place in the next two years, but I wouldn't bet as much as you think.
    • SamMiller0, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5@UltraKill

      pro tip: Mac is not a company, they do not have stock. The company's name is Apple.
    • UltraKill, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@SamMiller0

      Sorry for the confusion. For anyone that didn't know what I was talking about in my previous post, please substitute Apple in place of Mac. o_0
  • codelion, on 10/12/2007, -6/+19Well vista requires just too much from the hardware... my laptop wont even be able to take it...i thought windows xp was too good visually... and then they made vista... ne ways... i m moving to ubuntu...
    • XVampireX, on 10/12/2007, -5/+18Good move. Don't forget Beryl ;)
    • motang, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8Beryl rocks and it is very easy to set up as well.
    • ShrimpCrackers, on 10/12/2007, -4/+11@CodeLion
      Then how old and slow is your laptop? My 4/5 year old Pentium III 1.1ghz laptop with 1gig of ram is running Vista pretty well. It even runs Aero. I'm not kidding its a smooth experience.

      Maybe you should look for a hardware upgrade as well, I mean whatever you're using, it must be pretty old and slow for anything.

      Anyway, try Ubuntu, its very very easy to setup and the user experience is very pleasant. If you're really THAT new to Linux, you could even try Linspire. Gentoo is a lot of fun (to me but not to many others hehe).
    • coredump0x01, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12In Beryl, With all it's wacky, Bubbly waviness my old Nvidia 5200 performs outstandingly, Even while running a game (AIGLX). When I install Vista RC1, Aero glass is disabled and I get told to upgrade my video card because it has too low of a "hardware score" From what I saw in Vista beta 2 before the hardware scoring was implemented, Aero's effects are no more intense then Beryl's and in alot of cases less intense. Forced hardware upgrades?
    • CrazyZ, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2FUD. I'm running RC2 on an amd Athlon 2600 with 1gig of ram, radeon9600 agp card, and a 120g ATA100 hard drive, and it runs just fine, aero and all.

      The biggest gripe I have about RC2 is that I can't get FireFox working properly with flash plugin.
    • Mandeep, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5@shrimp how does your laptop run aero? my dell from march cant run it just cause intel wont release a wddm driver.
    • repruhsent, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@coredump0x01:

      I had an Athlon XP 2100+ system with 1.25 GB RAM and a GeForce FX 5200 card, and Aero ran like *****. I keep wondering how if my Powerbook G4, with a GeForce FX 5200 64 MB VRAM can run Quartz Extreme so well under Tiger, why can't the bigger, 256 MB GeForce FX card run Aero?

      You're right, it probably is forced hardware upgrades. Bastitches.
  • Wildthing, on 10/12/2007, -15/+10I've tried making the permanent switch, but sometimes it's just so much easier to double click than to type apt-get install ...plus gaming is always on Windows.
    • evilTak, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11Hence tools like Synaptic: http://www.debianuniverse.com/readonline/chapter/06
    • kalmi, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8don't tell me that apt-get install apache2 is harder than downloading an installer and going through the installation process...
    • Waterrat, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6 With Linspire and Freespire,it's one click install with Click and Run.

      "Does Youtube work? umm. well, since you mention it, umm... well you can _see_ it, you just can't _hear_ it. You can fix that, but then the sound is off by a few seconds...no. I'm not saying that every distro has that problem, but the most likely desktop candidate, Ubuntu, does."

      Linspire and Freespire and PCLinux do not have this problem.
      You can watch and listen to all kinds of videos.

      But yes,those who noted the poll means nothing.
      Now if a professional polling company did the same poll,we could get some better answers.
  • codyman, on 10/12/2007, -4/+13I'm so far not impressed with Vista and I am one of those 29.8% thats pondering moving to Linux (I've dabbled in linux for years, just this time it may be permanent)
    • t3st3r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'm own a kinda new AMD AM2-based system.As for me, KUbuntu works pretty nice, it auto-detected all my hardware, even SB Audigy, bluetooth dongle, NForce 570 chip set and all it's integrated goodies.For Windows, I have to install decent amount of drivers to get all this crap to work.KUbuntu just installs and works.There IS sound, there IS all hardware detected, there IS 1280x1024 automatically choosen matching my 17" LCD perfectly.Windows fails to auto-configure my monitor properly and sets up some crappy resolution which looks poorly on my LCD.So, looks like MS got too lazy and bastardized to win this competition.Proper time to send them to the hell!Only stupid gamers who cares about game "narcotics" more than about their rights are about to use Vista :P.Everyone else have to understand that DRM is bad and MS's new system allows MS to have more control over your PC than you will have yourself.
  • thenotself, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10I've been CONSIDERING moving to Linux for the last 5 years - but I haven't yet. I'd like to see how many of that 29% make it to Linux.
    • melkore, on 10/12/2007, -6/+7I've done the same thing and like clockwork my Linux install breaks with no warning every time I try it.

      Once I no longer have to use the command line to edit xorg.conf to have a higher resolution than 1024x768 I'll consider it again.
    • Shananra, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Try SuSe then, I haven't modified a single text file, and I'm running a dual head setup with completely different resolutions. In short, the time is now :)
    • t3st3r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1As for me, KUbuntu 6.06.1 and 6.10 did detected my 17" LCD (on DVI interface but tested with VGA cable as well) properly and choosed best parameters very well!That is, 1280x1024 was auto-choosen during live CD bootup and for installed copy of system.This is more than 1024x768 I guess.And Windows fails to automatically set up screen resolution properly.It chooses lower one which looks quite poorly on my LCD....so, actually, there is example how Windows supports hardware worse.Actually, I'm even not aware where xorg.conf is located.Not because I'm too lame or lazy, I just do not going to fix things which are not broken, he-he :)
  • JohnCrichton, on 10/12/2007, -13/+2when battlefield 2 is supported on linux and i dson't mean through WINE then i will consider making move to linus
    • evilTak, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15Then email the company and tell them to get busy making a port. You realize it's not an issue of GNU/Linux supporting this game or that, it's an issue of the game supporting GNU/Linux.

      Kudos to Id, Epic, and Bioware for supporting GNU/Linux.
    • Ssullivan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5@JohnCrichton
      You'll consider making the move to "linus"? LOL
    • MacParrot, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Linus: The Charlie Brown of Operating Systems
  • szembek, on 10/12/2007, -5/+15An internet poll? You've got to be kidding me.
  • mecole21, on 10/12/2007, -6/+14the other 70.2% doesn't even know what Linux is.
  • fanboydcs, on 10/12/2007, -6/+13if you think about it, once pc enthusiasts realize they cant swap their harddrive or motherboard with out paying a license then they are going to switch or pirate windows vista.

    PC people are PC people because they dont know any better, they dont even ask what computers are good quality they just find the cheapest one they can afford. Most people just go to compusa see a HP computer in their price range and buy it. Others call dell and order one because they have only heard of dell..

    People that build their own machines or do real work on them will either switch to linux or mac.

    • CrazyZ, on 10/12/2007, -12/+6FUD again. You get 10 major hardware changes before Vista is even going to balk at you, and then you just have to re-activate. That's completely reasonable. How many people make 10 major hardware changes to their PC in it's lifetime?

      A major hardware change IS NOT just swapping out your drive, or video card or motherboard, but a combination of multiple major components being changed.
    • JonForTheWin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6& don't forget those of us who do real work will end up pushing all the others to use GNU+Linux as well.
    • WATYF, on 10/12/2007, -11/+3@fanboydcs

      Yeah... I'll have to disagree with that. As someone who builds all of his own machines (using high quality components... not the cheap crap), and as someone who *does* "know better", I really wouldn't consider going to anything else. Windows XP works great for me. It never crashes (yes... I said never... not once... ever). And it runs everything I use (Games, VS.NET, Pro Tools, etc).

      I even recently converted my brother from Macs to PC. It's just a better, all-around platform. Yes, if you use Mac specific apps, then Macs can be better for you. If you like using the command line all the time ;o) and don't need to play games (or use much major commercial software) then Linux can be better for you. But if you want to play games, be able to build a ridiculously fast machine (with quality components) for way less than you can buy any computer for in the store, if you need to use commercial software (which more often than not is Windows specific), and if you know the simple things it takes to not be a moron and get yourself infected with viruses and spyware, then Windows is probably the better choice.

      One thing to note about this poll (this informal, doesn't-mean-anything-to-anyone internet poll on some obscure website) is that the majority of the people picked "Stick with XP". If I had to guess, I'd say that *that* is the far-and-away prevailing "tech-savvy" mindset at the moment. I don't know a single other nerd who is just gung ho to switch to Vista (or anything else, for that matter). XP works, and it works well, and it's very easy to turn off all the of fluff and have a streamlined, fast OS. I'm not so sure we'll be able to say the same of Vista, and I'll be waiting a while before I bother to find out.


      (btw, how ridiculous is it to say that people who build their own machines should switch to linux or MAC??? You can't even build your own Mac (without going through a lot of extra trouble).

      WATYF
  • bazmail, on 10/12/2007, -5/+13when xp is end-of-lifed i'm switching completely to linux. i dual boot as it is.
  • sishgupta, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10I am already part of that 29.8%.
    Sorry ms it took you way too long to put out your OS and it's not even that great. I made the switch to Ubuntu on my desktop.

    Oh and before someone freaks out about the article title and goes Linux is a kernel not an OS: Linux is a term that can be used to refer to an OS based on the Linux kernel. Technically speaking though, it is a kernel.
    I just wanted to pre-troll the trolls.
    • JonForTheWin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3"OS: Linux is a term that can be used to refer to an OS based on the Linux kernel."
      Because you _can_ spread confusion to others doesn't mean you should. & no, the OS is _not_ "based" on the kernel. The GNU project was started years before. The system uses the kernel, doesn't mean it's based on it. Linus didn't start the project. Had he not contributed, one of the *BSD kernels would have been used. A great system ready to replace Unix wasn't just magically already there when Linus let the kernel out into the wild.
  • floweringmind88, on 10/12/2007, -7/+5The real key to upgrading to Linux is Wine. Wine development is cracking out updates. By the end of the year they are supposed to release version 1.0. If this is true you will see a huge mass move to Linux.

    Opensuse is really the most awesome distro if you are coming from XP. I like unbuntu 6.10 but it is rather bare and for power users. For example I installed it and it didn't automount my window drives, didn't have wine to install (I would have need a source for install). But it keeps getting better every distro, so I look forward to see what they come up with next.
    • CrazyZ, on 10/12/2007, -11/+4Wine is the biggest failure the OSS community has, and they poster child it around like it's the end all golden calf. You have obviously drank the Wine koolaid.

      Wine is flawed in so many ways and the fact that it has taken over 10 years to get close to version 1.0 is pathetic. It's not a solution anyone should be banking on, and definitely not a solution one should bank on in a production environment.

      I have yet to have one single application work 100% properly using Wine.

      You all know it's true too.
    • seuaniu, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12@crazyz:

      Are you ***** high? Wine works great for lots of apps that people use every day. You think its pathetic that they are taking so long to decide to name their next release 1.0? Well, lets see you try to re-create an entire operating system's API, in a clean room, from scratch, when that API is a constantly changing target, and the maintainers of said OS have a vested interest in making sure you fail.

      If you want to see how easy it is to do that in reverse, check out cygwin. Linux software runs just fine on windows because its an open system.

      You, sir, are a troll.
    • dcherryholmes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10@CrayZ:

      Yeah, well, what the WINE people are doing is very difficult, considering MSFT does a lot to make sure it will fail. You people that want to smear linux because it lacks drivers, or games, or this or that, never seem to acknowledge just how difficult reverse-engineering is. If MSFT gave one whit about interoperating (as opposed to extinguishing) with other operating systems, I'm sure WINE would run like a dream.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WINE#Microsoft.27s_response_to_Wine
    • CrazyZ, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2@seuaniu

      Not trolling at all.

      You said it with your own words. The API is a constantly changing "moving target". It doesn't matter how good the developers are. Wine's goal cannot be accomplished, ever. If you cannot get an application out of alpha in 10 years, it's time to sink the project and start with a different perspective and approach.

      Name one MAJOR mission critical application you would trust to run under wine.

      Name one MAJOR application that works flawlessly under Wine.

      Seriously. I use whatever is right for the job. I hold no fanboism towards any platform. I run Ubuntu and OpenSuse at home, and NT, 2000, XP, and various server products at work. Wine is not a solution for anything other than the most unimportant stuff, and it is in no way a linchpin in the conversion of the masses from one platform to another.
    • CrazyZ, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1@dcherryholmes

      " If MSFT gave one whit about interoperating (as opposed to extinguishing) with other operating systems, I'm sure WINE would run like a dream."

      That's hilarious. If MSFT gave one whit about interoperability then Wine wouldn't even be needed and we'd all be happier, but that is a completely different discussion.
    • RicktheBrick, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3I upgraded to ubuntu 6.10 and I am disappointed. It took over 15 hours of downloading and setup time. That was a lot more than downloading the original operating system and installing it. I would think the firefox would come with flash and video player already installed and ready to use but since I have the 64 bit operating system and adobe does not support it I can not play flash and youtube or google video just does not work. My back button on my mouse refuses to work too. I do not think I should have to be an expert and use the terminal program and use apt-get or sudo or ./. I tried to install boinc and all the instructions just failed to work. I was hoping that software would keep up with hardware but there is still too little 64 bit software out there.
  • akiraeternal, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7Marked as inaccurate.

    Title says '29.8% of Windows XP users consider a move to Linux over Vista', pointing at all users.

    Description says 'a good percentage of *tech-savvy* XP users'

    Inflammatory digg, lame!
  • ahawks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Linux has made great leaps and bounds in the last couple years for sure, and I'd probably chose it over Vista. But then, I've worked in the Linux field for the last 3 years.

    There are just a few things I'm still attached to in Windows.
    • clesters, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0> Linux has made great leaps and bounds.
      Where??? Show me one thing that you can do on Linux now, that I couldn't have done years ago on just about any version of UNIX. As a matter of fact, show me a distro of Linux that is more secure / stable / faster now, than FreeBSD was five years ago.
  • CCRider, on 10/12/2007, -6/+7For many people, despite how much do they want (myself included), the move to Linux is simply impossible, due to the lack of decent professional software in the likes of Inventor, AutoCAD, Photoshop, etc...

    And, please, don't even start that GIMP/Wine/whatever babble.
    • smb3d, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Awesome, digg the guy down because the software he uses isn't available on linux.
  • CoffeeandTV, on 10/12/2007, -10/+8Linux is still a terrible alternative for your regular user. These "tech-savvy" users must enjoy doing everything the hard way.
    • boblmartens, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9I would have to disagree with what I have seen from people. For the regular user, Linux is almost better. By regular, I mean my parents and fiancee. They don't need games and don't need to understand half of the stuff that goes on for them. They want internet, word processing, and email. Those things I can provide with Linux and not have to worry about popping over every week to clean off the crud they have added to the machine.

      However, just what I have had happen to me.
    • MrJinx, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13You base that on what? How is installing and using GNU/Linux the "hard way"?
      I installed Mepis on my parents PC, and they are average/regular users. To them there is no difference between Mepis or Windows. They still use Thunderbird to check their email, and Firefox to browse the web.

      Its only terrible if all you know is Windows, and are unwilling to try/learn anything new and expect it to work like Windows.
  • mikewilsonuk, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9I am planning exactly this: I'm upgrading my PC this weekend, going to run Win XP in Parallels only when I have to (hopefully not often). Will be doing everything else in Ubuntu. I tried a Mac a couple of years ago, hated the wretched thing and hated Apple keeping one hand in my wallet all the time.
  • Ramble, on 10/12/2007, -8/+3Most people haven't even tried Vista.
    And Linux, well, the less said about that the better.
  • Slagged, on 10/12/2007, -5/+4I will stick with XP until it's time to buy a new computer. Doubtless then new machine will have Vista on it.

    Like many others, I have been "educating" myself on alternatives to MS. However, without proper game publisher support, Linux will never be my primary OS. That said, any technology pro that isn't getting up to speed on Linux is probably not doing themselves any favors.
  • kerrle, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9I'm definitely not pickup up Vista. I've bought and paid for every Microsoft OS since DOS 6, and I beta tested Vista, but I haven't seen anything that'd justify the purchase when you consider the pricing and licensing issues.

    I'll keep XP around for gaming - it's not in publisher's best interest to require Vista for a while yet, as it limits the audience for their game - but my main work OS will be Ubuntu. I've been on it for a while now, and I can honestly say that it's by far the environment I'm most productive in.
  • SleepJunkie, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6There is a huge difference between the tech savvy user and the everyday home user. For the most part, the everyday user knows nothing at all about Linux, sure, some may have heard the name before, but that's as far as it goes.

    Even if 30% of tech savvy XP users switched to Linux, it would not take a huge bite out of Microsoft.
  • coheedcollapse, on 10/12/2007, -7/+5I'm sorry, but as much as I enjoy Linux, I really wouldn't ever have it as my main machine or replace windows totally.

    I don't personally think I'm going to upgrade to Vista anytime soon, but I'm sticking with XP as my main system for a while now - not only for the programs that are exclusively for PC that I really enjoy, but for gaming as well.
  • inajeep, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1MS will only really worry when new pc/laptops offer Linux as an alternative desktop. I have no idea what the upgrade rate is, 95 to XP, XP to Vista.... but MS looks at new boxes first. I have an old laptop(ME originally) so MS already got their money from Dell that I updated to Linux. My wife needs a new laptop because her Vaio video is hosed. I will most likely update that one to Linux but her replacement will be an XP.
    So having a dual booting system, or changing a Windows system to a Linux won't hurt MS as much as some would think. Chances are that a windows system already had Works or Office installed.
  • Dred, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9Well I know I am totally hooked on linux now. I will not be getting Vista.
  • btgoss, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2People say they won't upgrade, but it is going to come down to games. If your favorite game (or must have/need/use app) is only on Windows, your going to switch... It sucks that Microsoft is really putting the screws to people, but that is the reality of it...

    Unless, Apple becomes smart, allows "white-box" manufacturers to make low to mid end MacIntel machines, maybe let in AMD with certain approved chipsets, and give the "average" person a cheap and legal OSX machine... then things could get insteresting... but that would make Apple a software company, like Pixar, and ultimately Disney... so who knows... it's a random thought..
  • andredabass, on 10/12/2007, -4/+5wow does this seem like someone pulled numbers out of their ass...

    think about computer users... and not just home users but business users... what percentage of companies use Linux right now ...
  • ski309, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7Technically, 38.6% isn't the majority, it's the plurality. A majority is always more than 50%.
    • dkoon, on 10/12/2007, -6/+4For anything compare to Microsoft, Over 10% is the Majority. According to our Linux/Firefox/Mac Fans.
    • PhreighnQ, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1The author NEVER says a majority. What constitutes a good percentage depend on the topic. Someone could accurately say that Firefox has a "good percentage" of the market considering it is relatively new and requires people to take specific action to get it. Likewise if you ask "is murder wrong" anything less than 100% is not a "good percentage".
  • o0o0steve, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3What is Seopher.com again?
  • khag7, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3Yes and 29.8% of Americans consider a sex change at some point in their life, but "considering" means to think about doing it, not necessarily plan or decide to do that. For 1/3 windows users to "consider" a switch is not a big deal.
    • OrangeTide, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Yea it works like this...
      Windows User: I'm considering switching to Linux, but Linux has to be easier to use, support all my current applications, have new applications and games made for it all the time. Once they do that I'd seriously think about possibly maybe switching.
  • dkoon, on 10/12/2007, -11/+6Linux Rocks + Windows Sucks + Put a % with whatever number on it = Digg Front Page
  • Phocion55, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4I am an avid fan of Linux but I can't envision this happening......at least for now.

    Maybe in the future. I have two Windows boxes at home and couldn't see myself completely ditching them.
  • crewof502, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6I converted to Linux about 1 year ago when they turned on the Windows Genuine Advantage Tool and I heard more and more about Vista. I am a tech savvy individual and it took no time to learn Linux (Ubuntu). The installation was the easiest I have ever seen from any operating system, even Windows and all other Linux flavors for that matter. Since then, I've had little to no difficulties and if I do, a reference to google or digg for information usually gave me some direction on what to do. That's better than any Microsoft support! Biggest problem I can see is games. People want games on their PCs and Linux isn't there yet... Nonetheless, if your considering a conversion from Windows to Linux before Vista comes out, consider a dual boot with your current Windows installation before going Linux full-time.
  • joemommasfat, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1The question was not limited to people who currently only use XP, so "move to linux" might not be correct.

    I'd be willing to bet that 10% of those people would answer "use linux" regardless of the question, as that is probably what they do already.
  • naio21, on 10/12/2007, -7/+5Tech-savvy XP users are a minority. 30% of this minority is near zero.

    Marked as inaccurate.
  • OrangeTide, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5I think a more likely scenario is that millions of people will hang onto XP for as long as possible, until Microsoft quits posting updates on it. The only sticking point is upgrading your computer and moving your XP installation over. It is possible (people do it all the time because they don't want to reinstall everything and figure out how to back up their data).
  • Darkness123, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1I would love to move to Ubuntu, my problem is I just do not want to find Linux Versions of the each of the programs I use and also make sure they work in Ubuntu the way I like it. I probably will not upgrade to Vista either, it just uses way too much CPU and RAM.
  • dkoon, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3It's sad to see these articles on digg.
  • croxis, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2I wonder how many people who make comments here actually read the article....

    "The quality of these results are open to interpretation as always because the sample is destined to have been affected by the overall opinion of the readership, so the figure open to trying Linux is probably less but the trend remains as an indication. The results were:"

    At least they acknowledge the limitations of their study, although probably drew the wrong conclusion.
  • CoolWind, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1Actually, there's no need for anyone to switch from XP to something else. XP is just fine and I'm planning to stick with it for quite a while. Not many people are gonna like Linux once they find out what it's really like. The beautiful desktop pictures and Windows-like menus that cover up the tech geekiness of Linux are only skin deep and won't be enough to keep people hooked.
  • TimDigg, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6My main problem with vista is that they are starting to use more of my system resources than I'm willing to give up

    MS is making my video card do dual damage...running a game and the OS itself
    • TimDigg, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I forsee a higher percentage of blockbuster games being released for linux based OS in the future
  • SirSpank, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3The thing that will always keep me and many of us hopelessly bound and reliant on MS is the fact that only Windows can REALLY run games. If Linux or any other OS could be taken seriously as a gaming platform, I'd switch in a heartbeat.
  • DjOverEZ, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5What a pointless survey, Vista isn't even out. How can someone make an informed decision?
  • qishi, on 10/12/2007, -5/+0I believe they say this now, maybe they'll even grab some Linux ISOs. Then they'll buy their new Dells that come with Vista on it .....OOH LOOK SHINY NEW VISTA GRAPHICS.
    • drag, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Compiz and Beryl are much more fancy and shiny then anything Microsoft has shown off with Vista yet.
  • paku, on 10/12/2007, -7/+4I love Ubuntu, and have it installed on two systems at home, but I would never leave XP for the linux desktop in its present state.

    That being said, what would I gain from upgrading to Vista?
    GUI enhancements? I would buy a MAC for that.
    Games? XP runs BF and CS just fine in XP, and I don't see those going anywhere soon. Hell, with the Wii coming out, I might get back into online console gaming.
    Photoshop CS2, Illustrator, CloneDVD, etc.. work just the way I want them in XP.

    So.. yeah.. ***** Vista.
  • mpancha, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5That's statistics for you... just plain bad data.

    A tech savvy user.. of course they would consider Linux. A good set of data, and a good poll is wether the everyday, basic user would go Vista or another OS. They outnumber the techs by leaps and bounds.

    I plan on upgrading to Vista simply b/c as a tech myself it would make no sense not to learn the latest Windows OS hands on before my clients do.
    • PhreighnQ, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Data about what the average user will do would be good for a poll about what the average user will do BUT this was not a poll about what the average user will do. Complaining about this data not being good for determining what the average user will do is the same as complaining that a poll about people's favorite fruit doesn't accurately show what people's favorite vegetable is. Don't complain that a poll doesn't accurately represent what you WISH/THINK the poll should be about.
  • rockorager, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2The only reason I haven't switched to Linux on my old laptop: Laziness and I don't have a port of Mathematica for Linux...along with ChemOffice
  • slider121, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4I moved to Ubuntu when the whole WGA "UPDATES" happened. I still keep a Windows XP box for gaming and the few windows programs I need, but will not update to Vista and I turned off Automatic updates on Windows XP, and download updates manually.

    The key words in this article are "tech-savvy".
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