Quantative Measure of People Still Using 98?

On Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:43:19 -0400, 98 Guy <98.TakeThisOut@Guy.com> put finger to
keyboard and composed:

>Smith wrote:
>
>> This presents a legitimate question for software developers
>> updating their programs.
>
>http://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php
>
>1 Windows XP 77.16%
>2 Windows Vista 8.88%
>3 Mac OS X 4.58%
>4 Windows 2000 2.86%
>5 Linux 1.91%
>6 Windows 98 0.86%
>7 Windows 2003 0.73%
>8 Windows ME 0.32%
>9 SymbianOS 0.05%
>10 Windows NT 0.04%
>
>Records seem to go back only to May 2007. Win-98 fell below 1% usage in
>April 2008.
>
>This page:
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_desktop_operating_systems
>
>lists several sources and puts current 98 usage at anywhere from 0.4% to
>0.9% (as above).
>
>This page:
>
>http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp
>
>is putting 98 share at 0.2%, which I doubt is that low. Historically
>for the last few years, win-98 useage seems to be about 1/3 of win-2k
>usage (which is currently about 2.8%).
>
>A big deal was made (by some) when Linux usage had tied with Win-98 at
>1.34%, which seemed to happen last September.

If everyone is ditching Win98, then what in hell are they doing with
their CDs? Win98SE CDs are selling for between $50 and $100 on Ebay,
so somebody must still want them pretty bad.

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

Three-year-old info, but what the heck:
http://www.usagewatch.org/2005/08/how_many_pcs_ar.html

"According to the Computer Industry Almanac (March 2005), at the end of 2004
there were 822,15M PCs in use worldwide."

By my calculations, that would amount to over a billion, now. Times 0.2% (if
these were all online computers that got counted by W3schools), still leaves
2 million in circulation.

I'll wager 90% of current purchases of Windows 98 discs anywhere are to
replace lost discs or restore partitions, or to otherwise rebuild what was
originally a 95 or 98 machine. The other ten percent are to install on a new
machine so legacy apps (especially games) can be run.

And just because a few people are selling off old stock, or even used or
pirate copies on EBay (mostly the same sellers), EBay, today, only returned
43 hits for "Windows 98 SE", 21 hits for "Windows 98 Second Edition", and
410 hits for just "Windows 98" which are mostly stuff *for* Windows 98, not
Windows 98 itself. We'll call it 60 copies of SE total being offered, and
after scrolling through the 410 hits for "Windows 98", I only spotted maybe
half a dozen that are Win98 Original. A quick count shows maybe 1 bidder per
each 60 or 70 items offered.

If you want to interpret those numbers as "raging popularity", be my guest.
Note that these numbers are for the entire world, which includes a LOT of
people who consider Windows 98 on old hardware a luxury and anything newer
totally out of reach. 2 million users (or let's say 4 million, with half of
them never going online, vs. a billion? Pitiful.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
http://grystmill.com

"Franc Zabkar" <fzabkar RemoveThis @iinternode.on.net> wrote in message
news:t59nb4l0bj37ip5pttgbir6anbl6e2gpfj@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:43:19 -0400, 98 Guy <98 RemoveThis @Guy.com> put finger to
> keyboard and composed:
>
>>Smith wrote:
>>
>>> This presents a legitimate question for software developers
>>> updating their programs.
>>
>>http://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php
>>
>>1 Windows XP 77.16%
>>2 Windows Vista 8.88%
>>3 Mac OS X 4.58%
>>4 Windows 2000 2.86%
>>5 Linux 1.91%
>>6 Windows 98 0.86%
>>7 Windows 2003 0.73%
>>8 Windows ME 0.32%
>>9 SymbianOS 0.05%
>>10 Windows NT 0.04%
>>
>>Records seem to go back only to May 2007. Win-98 fell below 1% usage in
>>April 2008.
>>
>>This page:
>>
>>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_desktop_operating_systems
>>
>>lists several sources and puts current 98 usage at anywhere from 0.4% to
>>0.9% (as above).
>>
>>This page:
>>
>>http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp
>>
>>is putting 98 share at 0.2%, which I doubt is that low. Historically
>>for the last few years, win-98 useage seems to be about 1/3 of win-2k
>>usage (which is currently about 2.8%).
>>
>>A big deal was made (by some) when Linux usage had tied with Win-98 at
>>1.34%, which seemed to happen last September.
>
> If everyone is ditching Win98, then what in hell are they doing with
> their CDs? Win98SE CDs are selling for between $50 and $100 on Ebay,
> so somebody must still want them pretty bad.
>
> - Franc Zabkar
> --
> Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

"Gary S. Terhune" wrote:

> We'll call it 60 copies of SE total being offered,

There are, right now, 91 seeders and 13 down-loaders for the win-98 CD
torrent that I wrote about in the other thread. And that's just one out
of many win-98 torrents going at any given time.

There are 16 win-98 cd's being offered at ebay.co.uk using /"windows 98"
second edition/ as the search phrase. There are 20 being offered at
ebay.com using the same search phrase, 7 on ebay.ca, only 1 on e-bay
australia, 0 new zealand, 12 at e-bay germany, 4 e-bay NL, about a dozen
on E-bay France...

> If you want to interpret those numbers as "raging popularity",
> be my guest.

I don't think anyone was claiming that.

> By my calculations, that would amount to over a billion, now.

It's likely that many win-98 computers are not connected to the
internet.

At 1% usage (internet + non-internet-connected) that would be 10 million
pc's still running win-98.

> 2 million users (or let's say 4 million, with half of
> them never going online, vs. a billion? Pitiful.

Pitiful?

And you were expecting - what?

Given the Microsoft is an illegal monopoly that has violated countless
laws and paid millions in fines all over the world, it's Microsoft's
business practices that are pitiful.

Given that they had to stop selling it 4 years ago in order to make the
numbers fall - you call that pitiful?

Given that Microsoft controls or dictates that the majority of new PC's
must come with an OS installed, and 99% of the time it's their's, and
it's the one that THEY want to put on it, maybe you call that pitiful?

Given that it was only recently that *nix/Linux usage has risen to equal
win-98, maybe you call that pitiful?

On Mon, 1 Sep 2008 16:28:14 -0700, "Gary S. Terhune" <none> put finger
to keyboard and composed:

>Three-year-old info, but what the heck:
>http://www.usagewatch.org/2005/08/how_many_pcs_ar.html
>
>"According to the Computer Industry Almanac (March 2005), at the end of 2004
>there were 822,15M PCs in use worldwide."
>
>By my calculations, that would amount to over a billion, now. Times 0.2% (if
>these were all online computers that got counted by W3schools), still leaves
>2 million in circulation.

My question would be, assuming that, say, 10% of current XP and Vista
users upgraded from Win98SE, then where are *their* old CDs? If *I* no
longer needed my Win98SE CD, I would be offering it on eBay at the
current inflated prices.

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

You know, in my case, I still have my Windows 95 and 98 Original Retail
Upgrade disks. Both were *very* used. (hundreds of installs.) I wouldn't
sell them for any price, even though I haven't used them in something 7
years. In fact, when I get a little extra cash, I'm going to buy up some of
those versions as collectors items.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
http://grystmill.com

"Franc Zabkar" <fzabkar DeleteThis @iinternode.on.net> wrote in message
news:sqrpb41a3jc4t9lr5332nnvahcr72u34rf@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 1 Sep 2008 16:28:14 -0700, "Gary S. Terhune" <none> put finger
> to keyboard and composed:
>
>>Three-year-old info, but what the heck:
>>http://www.usagewatch.org/2005/08/how_many_pcs_ar.html
>>
>>"According to the Computer Industry Almanac (March 2005), at the end of
>>2004
>>there were 822,15M PCs in use worldwide."
>>
>>By my calculations, that would amount to over a billion, now. Times 0.2%
>>(if
>>these were all online computers that got counted by W3schools), still
>>leaves
>>2 million in circulation.
>
> My question would be, assuming that, say, 10% of current XP and Vista
> users upgraded from Win98SE, then where are *their* old CDs? If *I* no
> longer needed my Win98SE CD, I would be offering it on eBay at the
> current inflated prices.
>
> - Franc Zabkar
> --
> Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.