Microsoft’s Worldwide Desktop/laptop Operating System Share by Version (2021-06 to 2022-05): Windows 95 @ 0.00%, Windows 2000 @ 0.00%, Windows 98 @ 0.00%, Windows NT @ 0.01%, Windows Vista @ 0.05%, Windows XP @ 0.29%, Windows 8 @ 0.42%, Windows 8.1 @ 2.13%, and Windows 7 @ 18.32%.
- NOTE: Linux Mint, Debian, Red Hat, and most other Linux Distros are at a *LOWER* 0.00% than Windows 2000. Total Linux Market Share is 1.45%. Chrome OS @ 0.75% has a higher Market Share than both #1 Ubuntu @ 0.24% & #2 Fedora @ 0.06%.
The Times They Are A-Changin’
Hey, I loved Windows 95 too, and hated to see it go; however, it is now 2022 ‘n a *LOT* of changes have happened since 1995. Maybe you just love that computer that much ‘n probably oughta upgrade it a tad by adding a modern Linux OS in the mix wid Win95…if so, then keep reading.
Windows 2000…don’t believe I ever tried it, i.e. it seems I stuck wid Win98 until the Windows Me tricked me. 🤔
Windows 98…it was OK, IMHO, but keep reading.
Windows NT…never tried it so cannot speak from any experience on it.
Windows Vista…probably the best *PURE* Desktop OS ever made. Computer OEM’s had problems wid it…generally screwing it up wid their bloatware. Doing a clean install cleared up all problems. Talk about customizable…*EVERY* window could be set to the size you wanted, and also set to open in the exact location you wanted it to. Vista Home Premium & Ultimate were my favorite versions. Vista Ultimate is probably my all time favorite OS. Yeah, it was hard to give up Vista…read on for some Linux tips.
Windows XP…I went wid the upgrade from WinMe to XP and that ended up being a pain. At the time I was tinkering a lot wid various experimental tweaks, and would do clean installs a lot. Back then, a clean install required installing WinMe again, and then upgrading it to XP…a pain. WinXP does have a serious ‘fanatically‘ faithful userbase, and they are a hardcore lot…I honestly respect them for their longtime stand. Y’all would be *PERFECT* candidates to give Linux a test drive…trust humble me! Do yourselves a favor ‘n keep reading…
Windows 8 & 8.1 both suked! I kept giving them a second ‘n even a third chance, but they were both just such horrid OSes that I kept going back to Win7 (before upgrade trial period ended…waaay before!). I suggest that any Windows 8 & 8.1 users should just stop reading at this point…
Windows 7 – @ 18.32% – was another of my favorite OSes…took me awhile ‘n many attempts before finally doing ‘it‘, i.e. movin’ to Win10. Lots of people still using it, and some of the computers may still be able to upgrade to Win10 for free…Win10 still has about 4 years of life left. Possibly convert it to a Linux secondary computer. Read on…
Old Hardware & Linux as a ‘Portable Secondary‘ OS
I had a bunch of old computers before I finally got rid of most of them in 2016. Most were from 2005-2007. A Dell from 2010 was gutted in November of 2019 ‘n turned into a ‘Test bench‘ – Here & Here.
There are over 3,000+ versions of the Linux OS…counting Distros, Flavors, SPINS, Distro-based, DE’s, etc. It is not a Desktop OS for ‘normal people‘. However, it can be useful as a Special *PURPOSE* OS, e.g. adding life to an old computer. Install it onto a USB and you have a portable OS that you can use without interfering wid your Win95 or Win98 or WinXP…or even Win7.
There is a difference between a ‘Live‘ bootable Linux OS USB ‘n fully installing that Linux onto a USB.
If that sounds confusing to a Windows user, I usually suggest they try Puppy Linux. That is sorta a hybrid mix of the ‘Live‘ & fully installed OS. 1) You create a ‘Live‘ bootable Puppy USB wid Rufus. 2) give it a try ‘n if you like it, then answer yes to the question it asks – do you want to create a “Personal Storage File” – when you start closing it down:
Once that Personal Storage File gets created, all your settings, changes, updates, added apps, etc. get saved every time you shutdown.
Wid the USB, you never need to go inside the computer or install Linux on same drive wid your primary OS or worry about a dual-boot setup. Just put in the USB ‘n then hit your Boot Menu key as it boots up.
- For more info on how to fully install Linux onto USBs – Linux ‘n USB Flash Drives.
Not all of the 3,000+ Linux OSes will fully install to a USB. A Win95 computer may even be too old for Linux on a USB, so you would need to use a CD…I guess. Why is anyone still using a 1995 computer anyway?!? 😉
Besides portability ‘n specialty options, how does one choose a Linux OS from 3,000+ choices?
Passwordless vs “Authenticate” popups or other ‘Pesky Passwords’
Most of the Linux leadership, Linux developers, and Linux users are comfortably stuck mentally in a distant past when few people had even heard of Linux. Since few people knew about Linux, there was no one trying to hack into it wid malware, and the Linuxers (themselves) declared that OPEN SOURCE Linux was the most secure OS. Most still believe it today.
Windows 10 isn’t the most vulnerable operating system – it’s actually Linux
The passwordless future is here for your Microsoft account
A breakthrough year for passwordless technology
Hackers have been so easily hacking into Linux, that a few Distros (like Ubuntu) have gone to Microsoft for help. Open Source means everyone has access to everything about Linux…hackers *LOVE* such freedom! Linux password protections are a joke, e.g. the standard user has a password that gives the user sudo privileges…HELLO!?!
Two children playing on their dad’s computer accidentally found a way to bypass the screensaver and access locked systems. That was wid Linux Mint.
Thusly, we can cut down that list of 3,000+ Linux OSes by simply looking for ones that don’t demand their Linux users to freely accept annoying “Authenticate” popups or other types of pestering ‘Pesky Passwords’ demands.
What is an “Authenticate” popup? Here is a few of them:
- Fuk!?! Put down the mouse ‘n move to the keyboard ‘n type in the ‘Pesky Password‘. Talk about workflow ‘Killers‘!!! OK…now leave the keyboard ‘n go back to the mouse.
Yeah, we Windows users want to avoid more than one password requirement per PC session…usually just at a Login Welcome Screen. I haven’t used a password in Windows for decades.
Basically, avoid all Linux Distros other than some Ubuntu-based, some Debian-based, some RHEL-based, Slackware and some Slackware-based OSes.
Want to see my Top 8 List?
From the Karmi’s Top 10 Linux Distros page:
Tier One
1a. Porteus 5.0-rc3 CINNAMON – 4/18/2022: Porteus keeps getting better! #1 in ‘Portability & Linux Tester‘ category. Main Linux working OS for me. ‘Companion‘ OS for Win10/11 & for Linux tests. Also see Porteus Linux page for more info. Fulltime Linux Root User option!
1b. SparkyLinux 6.3 & 7 Cinnamon – 6/5/2022 See Sparky Linux 7 Cinnamon post. 6/1/2022 See 3-Part series: 1 – 2 – 3.
1c. Ultramarine Linux: Based on Fedora® – 5/21/2022: New to the Top 10, but may have a long future in it. More of a ‘Linux Working OS‘, but wid lots of power behind it. Great prospect for potential Windows users, providing both ease of use & a portable secondary OS.
1d. Fedora 36 Cinnamon SPIN – 5/10/2022: the GUI dnfdragora package manager has been *VASTLY* improved ‘n I have never seen it operating this fast! Check out the ‘Life wid‘ Fedora page.
2a. AlmaLinux 8.6: ‘NVIDIA driver & KDE Plasma DE‘ – 5/20/2022: #1 in ‘Desktop Duty‘ category. Everything works in ‘Root‘ section, including all system sounds. No ‘Pesky Passwords‘. What all Linux ‘Root‘ user sections should be like…
2b. FossaPup64 9.5 (AKA Puppy Linux 9.5) – 4/6/2022: #1 in ‘Portability & Rescue’ category. No ‘Pesky Passwords‘ in Puppy! If Puppy ever added a Cinnamon Desktop Environment (DE) it would probably be #1 in the Desktop Duty category ‘n #1 in the Portability & Rescue category, i.e. I probably wouldn’t need a Top 10 list!
Tier Two
3. Slackware 15.0 Stable w/ KDE Plasma – 2/9/2022: new to the Top Tier. Terminal work involved, but a wonderful Linux OS to work wid.
4. EuroLinux 8.5 KDE Plasma – 3/4/2022: Great OS for root users, and everything works!
OK…that’s my Top 8 recommendations.
Conclusion
Windows 11 is the best OS I have ever used. If you have an old junkie, maybe try Linux on it, or build yourself a new one…OEM Win11 Key costs less than $30. Start looking for a new computer if you can’t Build Your Own…know how prices are running, and strike when the price gets to where you want it.
Not many people have actually ever given up on Windows, as reflected in the total user bases of Mac, Linux and even Chrome OS. Heck, there are over twice as many Win7 users as all three of those OSes.
I’ve spent years trying to find one Linux OS that could outperform a current Windows OS on ‘Desktop Duty‘, but none ever came close to the total performance.
One of the reasons that I like to look for the right ‘Passwordless‘ OS in some Ubuntu-based OSes, some Debian-based OSes, and some RHEL-based OSes is that many *MANY* more hardware OEMs will provide the Linux drivers for their product…especially printers ‘n scanners.
See my recent Sparky Linux 7 Cinnamon post on my old printer having an Ubuntu driver for the Debian-based Sparky OS. I don’t care for either Ubuntu or Debian, since both are strong advocates for “Authenticate” popups or other pestering ‘Pesky Passwords’, but hardware OEMs like ‘n trust them to make stable ‘n reliable OSes.
Linux is not a ‘Plug and Play‘ (PnP) OS like Windows, so it requires checking out a products specs to see what Linux Distro or Distros it might support.
Give my Top 8 list a shot…put them on a USB ‘n don’t worry about mistakes. Just pay attention, start over, and give it another shot.
Puppy Linux is the easiest of all, great hardware recognition (it installs on everything), excellent stability, but it has the JWM desktop that isn’t as easy as Cinnamon is. Cinnamon is closer to the Windows desktops.
Will add this post to the Windows 11 page…
LINUX IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES – you never know what you’re gonna get!
Linux Newbie - since 1996 