HAL must die!

[Da Rock]

On 03/17/11 01:27, Chip Camden wrote:
> Quoth Jerry on Wednesday, 16 March 2011:
>    
>> On Wed, 16 Mar 2011 06:29:25 +0000
>> Matthew Seaman<m.seaman at infracaninophile.co.uk>  articulated:
>>
>>      
>>> On 16/03/2011 00:37, Jerry wrote:
>>>        
>>>> Microsoft has approximately 90% of the desktop market share with
>>>> everyone else dividing up the remainder. If you are on a Microsoft
>>>> platform you use their products. The same applies to other platforms
>>>> and their utilities.
>>>>          
>>> Microsoft may once have had 90% of the desktop market -- but is that
>>> still true?  Macs seem to be everywhere nowadays.
>>>
>>> Also, how important is 'desktop' nowadays, compared to mobile browsers
>>> and the like?  If the iPhone doesn't support Flash, then anyone with
>>> any sense is going to provide an HTML5 alternative.
>>>        
>> There are numerous sites with purport to state the latest statistics
>> on OS usage, etc. This is just one that I have used before. I obviously
>> cannot verify its accuracy. As far as I can tell, it is an impartial
>> assessment.
>>
>> http://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=8
>>
>>      
> That's interesting and all, but what does such a sampling really tell you?
> By contrast, if I look at Google Analytics for the OS makeup of visitors
> to chipstips.com, I get only 50% Windows, 44% Mac, 5% Linux, and 1%
> Android.  (I'm not sure where *BSD gets classified in that scheme).
>    
BSD/Unix would either be compiled in with linux, or in the "other" 
category- usually the former, especially given the linux compatibility 
which gets used more than native for browsers.
> So the number you pay attention to is the number that applies to what
> you're trying to find out.  If you're looking at trends for investment,
> then you need to look at growth/shrinkage rather than fixed market share.
> If you're wondering how you should target your applications, then look at
> usage (and growth) within your target user base (which may or may not
> include home or small business users, for example).  How you obtain those
> numbers has to vary depending.
>
> I don't have hard data to back it up, but it seems to me that an awful
> lot of Windows users are such merely due to inertia.  More
> technologically inclined users (a growing segment) tend (but not
> exclusively) to prefer other platforms.  At least, that's what I'm seeing
> among my clients, readers, and associates.
>
>    
But as mentioned in another post, the more technical may play with their 
UA settings to achieve compatibility.

The trends would show a large number of mobile users due to a tablet 
boom- which most appear to be ignoring. Better to stick to recognised 
standards and be aware of the legal implications of failing to recognise 
the _whole_ community- if someone with disabilities can sue government 
entities and win on accessibility arguments, then the same would be true 
of platforms for interaction. Take a hint- it'll be cheaper in the long 
run...