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Operating System and Browser Market Share
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May 2009 White Paper
The Browser Market Share and Operating System Market Share White Paper data is by month starting in September 1997 through the May 2009. The data sampled is internationally based (approximately 49% of the data points sampled are outside of the United States). Vista continues to have a slow acceptance and trails the acceptance that Windows XP had in the same comparable period. |
In the last several months Microsoft has stabilized its browser market. Firefox and Google (Desktop and Chrome) are still forces that could eat away at the Microsoft browser monopoly. So far user acceptance of Vista has been slowed by the lack if user acceptance for the new OS. Live update did not help in accelerating the acceptance of IE 7, plus with the slow acceptance of Vista individuals and enterprises are not moving to the new version as rapidly as Microsoft would like. An added kicker is those who move to Vista can more readily have multiple browsers on their systems or switch from one to the other quickly and with little pain. The cost of doing that is minimal. Google Desktop will be the next challenge for Microsoft to face. The integrated tab feature is one of the greatest improvements in IE. Based on our test results IE 7 is significantly more robust than prior versions. |
Microsoft market share history
Trends in Browser and OS Market Share
May 2009 - May 2008
The full study was produced with data through May 2009. See a full copy of the press release here.
Vista Market Share News
Apple Acts Like an Infrastructure Monopoly
Apple is acting like a monopoly and is now making thinly-veiled threats to owners of the Palm Pre, a new rival to the iPhone, that it can throw a "kill switch" at any time to deny them use of iTunes as their syncing software.
Apple said it does not provide support for non-Apple hardware that tries to use iTunes for synchronizing content from a Mac or Windows PC. In support document, Apple said it was aware that some third-parties claim that their digital media players are able to sync with Apple software. However, Apple does not provide support for, or test for compatibility with, non-Apple digital media players and, because software changes over time, newer versions of Apple's iTunes software may no longer provide syncing functionality with non-Apple digital media players."
The Pre, which launched June 6 in the U.S., synchronizes with the host PC or Mac via iTunes by tricking Apple's software into "seeing" the Palm smartphone as an iPhone or iPod. Palm has defended the end-around as an "easy and elegant way" for users to access music, photos and video content on their personal computers.
- more infoSecurity More of an Issue
Currently every 4.5 seconds a new infected web page is discovered by security based software. There no longer is such a thing as a trusted website . With the increase of dependence on the internet, new sites such as blogs and social networks only increase the threats that enterprises face.
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SQL injection attacks
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Phishing attacks
New approaches to web security and control include:
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Reputation based filtering
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Real time predictive malware filtering
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Content based filtering
iPhone and AT&T Nework Still Lacking
The new Apple iPhone 3G S that has just been released is still not feature rich enough to be the complete enterprise ready SmartPhone. The primary factor is the lack of a centralized application console to enforce corporate policies across an entire enterprise.
The new iPhone 3G S has remote data wipe, hardware-based encryption and tethering of the device to a laptop (which AT&T does not support) that would seem to please business users interested in protecting data and enhancing productivity.
What iPhone 3G S still needs is a system, run by the enterprise IT staff, to verify -- and to provide an audit trail -- that the encryption is turned on, and to allow IT to conduct a remote wipe if the device is lost or stolen.
Even with remote data wipe and hardware-based encryptions the new iPhone 3G S is no more enterprise-ready than the current version.
- more infoInhibitors to Good Security Policies and Procedures
Many common issues affect the ability of enterprises to implement security policies and procedures that work:
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Many believe ignorance is an effective security strategy.
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Managers who know nothing about IT security have veto power over matters of IT security policy.
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Security Managers feel that the best way to improve security is to violate it.
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No cheap technology for encrypted telephone and email for SmartPhones.
Infrstructure Key To CIO and IT Success
Often, B2B initiatives were driven by the need to comply with a certain mandate or meet specific operational requirements, resulting in a piecemeal chain of systems and leaving communication gaps within the supply chain. Therefore, many companies are working with legacy applications and silo solutions that are not interoperable. There is no easy way to synchronize the data from each system to create a comprehensive view of the supply chain. Silo tools create barriers to working within multiple formats and standards, resulting in lost business, missed growth opportunities and further eroding value.
Additionally, B2B technology itself has built-in complexities arising from communication issues with AS2, AS3 and VAN mailboxes, erroneous data exchange as well as trading partner connectivity problems. These problems are commonplace and drain resources. In fact, according to a 2006 GS1 study, most businesses spend between $40 and $80 per error to resolve problems with item data and invoicing data.
Furthermore, connectivity issues are typically recurrent which creates a reactive environment, shifting focus from core business operations toward lower impact issues, wasting time and creating unnecessary productivity costs.
- more infoChange Control a Key to IT Infrastructure
With pressure on IT departments to remain lean and efficient, comply to policies, procedures, and regulations and also provide reliable 24-7 service, it is imperative that companies large and small adopt solutions and processes to ensure a known and trusted state at all times. With the reliance on technology to conduct business many companies have turned to configuration audit and control solutions to detect and identify the changes that can jeopardize compliance and security.
Change is necessary not only to keep up with day-to-day corporate evolution, but also to enable IT to transform the organization. As the business continues to demand change, it's in your own best interest to get control of the changes that pose risk.
- more infoMicrosoft drops XP support
Windows XP has transitioned from the mainstream support phase to the extended support phase.
Microsoft's mainstream support, which is usually offered for only five years, actually ran seven and a half years because of the long lag between XP and its successor, Vista. Two years ago, Microsoft also extended mainstream support for XP Home and XP Media Center until 2009, and pushed back the deadline for the follow-up phase, dubbed "extended support," until 2014, to match the dates that had been set earlier for the business-grade XP Professional.
- more infoVista nixed by the State of Texas
The Texas state Senate gave approval to a state budget that includes a provision forbidding government agencies from upgrading to Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Vista without written consent of the legislature. This was proposed because of the many reports of problems with Vista.
A senator said they are not in any way, shape or form trying to pick on Microsoft, but the problems with Vista are known nationwide and the XP operating system is working very well.
The rider requires state agencies to get the written approval of the Legislative Budget Board before purchasing Vista licenses, upgrades or even new PCs with Vista pre-installed on it.
- more infoInternet Explorer 8.0 is a home run for Microsoft
Nearly three years after shipping Internet Explorer (IE) 7, Microsoft has updated its Web browser with the release of IE 8. Based on tests of this final release and the previous RC and beta code, it is clear that IE 8 is possibly the best Web browser that Microsoft has released since IE 5.
It is so good that, we believe that Google pulled it product, Chrome, of the market and put Chrome back into beta.
IE 8 is a must-upgrade, as it improves greatly on that version and includes many features that improve the usability and the security of the Web browser.
- more infoSecurity Breaches are on the Rise
Today's enterprises must deal with a wide array of security threats that can compromise systems, corrupt and steal data, and enable financial fraud. At the same time, hackers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and more dangerous by using new infection techniques such as phishing, piggy-backing multiple attacks, zero-day exploits, social networks, and Instant Messaging and peer-to-peer software to spread malicious software.
While still having to fight viruses, spyware, and other malicious code, the new techniques are causing problems for many organizations. For instance:
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Worldwide, there are between 3 million to 3.5 million infected computers called bots, which can be remotely controlled by a hacker for malicious intent, according to an eWeek article.
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Malicious Web sites, which can infect an un-patched PC when the user simply clicks on a sites URL, grew in number last year to 527,000 (an increase of 100,000 in one year), according to a BusinessWeek article.
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More than 1 million people who visited MySpace.com and other Web sites in late 2006 may have been infected with adware propagated through a rogue banner advertisement, according to computer security group.
Vista SP2 Now Available
The Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 Release Candidate is available to TechNet and Microsoft Developer Network subscribers. Microsoft says it will soon make the release candidate available beyond MSDN to anyone who wants to use it.
In a Feb. 25 blog post, a Windows communications manager on Microsoft's Windows Client Communications Team, said as of Feb. 25 the RC of SP2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 are available to TechNet and MSDN subscribers to test prior to final release. And in the "near future" Microsoft will be making the release candidate more broadly available to anyone who wants to use it, he said. LeBlanc said Microsoft plans to release SP2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 in the second quarter of 2009.
- more infoTypes of Disasters to Plan For
Functional disaster recovery and business continuity plans are created based on best practices and standards. The complete disaster recovery and business continuity planning process is based on a risk assessment which address the three types of disasters that IT functions face:
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Weather
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Facility
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Technology
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Political (terrorist)
- Enviromental (pandemic)
Disaster Recovery Plan versus Business Continuity Plan
Both the disaster recovery and the business continuity plan covers how employees will communicate, where they will go and how they will keep doing their jobs. The details can vary greatly, depending on the size and scope of a company and the way it does business. For some businesses, issues such as supply chain logistics are most crucial and are the focus on the plan. For others, information technology may play a more pivotal role, and the BC/DR plan may have more of a focus on systems recovery.
The critical point
is that neither disaster recovery nor business continuity issues can be
ignored. These IT and human
resources plans cannot be developed in isolation from each other. The core of
disaster recovery and business continuity is about constant communication.
Business leaders and IT leaders should work together to determine what kind of
plan is necessary and which systems and business units are most crucial to the
company. Together, they should decide which people are responsible for declaring
a disruptive event and mitigating its effects. Most importantly, the plan should
establish a process for locating and communicating with employees after such an
event. In a catastrophic event (Hurricane Katrina being a relatively recent
example), the plan will also need to take into account that many of those
employees will have more pressing concerns than getting back to
work.
Vista Capable Words Could Cost Microsoft $8.5 Billion
(Computerworld)
Microsoft
Corp. would have to come up with as much as $8.5 billion to settle accounts with
the customers affected by its 2006 "Vista Capable" marketing program, according
to documents unsealed by a federal court.
U.S.
District Court Judge Marsha Pechman released the figures yesterday from the
class-action lawsuit, which claims Microsoft misled consumers with the Vista
Capable campaign in the months leading up to the January 2007 release of the
operating system.
Why are Metrics So Hard to Implement?
metrics are at tool that is critical to quickly identify and address problems that affect an IT organizations cost structure and resultant service to its users. Metrics identify problems with network, systems, and application resources that a company relies on for its business.
However, IT managers face significant challenges deploying and managing these systems to their maximum benefit. Key issues include:
- High costs for commercial software licenses and maintenance fees;
- Waste from unused shelf ware and/or multiple tools with redundant functionality;
- Dependence on expensive consultants for installation and support;
- Lengthy and expensive system deployment, and
- High resource cost associated with system management, administration, and support.
Moreover, metric systems frequently are not configured to produce critically needed input to the IT business processes used for management of service levels, availability, capacity, incidents, problems, and operations.
- more infoMajor PC Security Breach
(Computerworld)
The computer worm that exploits a
months-old Windows bug has infected more than a million PCs in the past 24
hours, a security company said today.
Early Wednesday, Helsinki, Finland-based security firm F-Secure Corp. estimated that 3.5 million PCs have been compromised by the "Downadup" worm, an increase of more than 1.1 million since Tuesday.
"[And] we still consider this to be a conservative estimate," said Sean Sullivan, a researcher at F-Secure, in an entry to the company's Security Lab blog. Yesterday, F-Secure said the worm had infected an estimated 2.4 million machines.
The worm, which several security companies have described as surging dramatically during the past few days, exploits a bug in the Windows Server service used by all supported versions of Microsoft Corp.'s operating system, including Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Server 2003 and Server 2008.
Microsoft issued an emergency patch in late October, fixing the flaw with one of its rare "out of cycle" updates.
- more infoSome Lay-off - Some Hire - They All Sue
While BlackBerry maker Research-In-Motion (RIM) is hiring, Motorola is laying-off. At the same time both of the mobile and wireless rivals head to court as RIM claims Motorola is unfairly blocking former employees from working for RIM.
BlackBerry maker RIM is seeking a court order preventing Motorola from blocking its former workers from working for RIM. In a complaint filed last week, RIM claims Motorola is engaging in improper competitive practices by unfairly enforcing a nondisclosure and non-solicitation agreement signed by the two rival cell phone makers in February.
RIM claims in the Dec. 23 complaint filed in a Chicago
state court that the agreement expired in August and it is free to hire former
Motorola employees. In September, Motorola sued RIM to bar the Canadian firm
from hiring any Motorola employees under the terms of the February
agreement.
Vista Service Pack 2 Available
(Computerworld) As expected, Microsoft Corp. launched the
first public beta of Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2), making it available for
download from both its Web site and through its update mechanism.
Microsoft seeded the update to subscribers of its TechNet and Microsoft
Developer Network (MSDN) services, and announced it would open the beta on
Thursday to anyone interested in trying the preview release.
Vista SP2 is now available in five language-specific editions: English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish. According to a Microsoft spokeswoman, the company won't be issuing the beta in any other languages; instead, 31 additional versions will be available only when SP2 reaches "release to manufacturing," or RTM, status.
- more infoDisaster Recovery for Vista
Windows Vista Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise come with a more advanced backup and restore utility called Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore. This program allows you to create an entire backup of your computer that can be used to restore your computer in the case of system-wide failure. Unlike the standard backup and restore feature that comes with all the versions of Windows Vista, Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore allows you to not only restore your data but also the complete operating system and other critical system files.
This Vista disaster recovery option works by
creating an image of the selected hard drives and saving this image to either
multiple DVDs or to another hard drive. In the event that your computer is no
longer able to boot into Windows Vista, you can then restore these snapshots
using the Windows Recovery Environment.
- Click on the Start button to open your Start
Menu. The Start button looks like this:
- Click on the All Programs menu option.
- Click on the Maintenance folder.
- Click on the Backup and Restore Center icon.
Vista Flops - Has Only 50% of the Market Share XP Had After 23 Months
In the first 23 months after its release, Vista only has 17.32% of the operating system market. That is in sharp contrast to the history of Windows XP which had 37.05% of the market 23 months after its initial release. A full study has been released by Janco Associates, Inc. More information can be found at http://www.e-janco.com/VistaMarketShare.html
