The Alternatives to Windows 8

Windows 8 is unique in that it is the first version of Microsoft’s mighty operating system that faces serious and stiff competition from its rivals.  For the first time there are not just one but a great many serious contenders for the role of your desktop OS.  So with so many people wary about the changes that Microsoft are bringing forth I thought I’d take a look at the alternatives, see how they might fit with your Windows world, and examine just how realistic a switch away from Windows this year can actually be.

Windows 7

The obvious place to start is with Windows 8′s predecessor, Windows 7.  One thing is certain, that this operating system will be hugely popular right up until support ends for it in January 2020 and possibly even beyond as it wouldn’t be without precedent for Microsoft to extend the support life for a version of Windows.  Windows 7 could be considered the ‘ultimate’ version of the desktop OS, not just because it’s the last true desktop OS from Microsoft, but because of its reputation for reliability, compatibility, stability and security.  There is also XP Mode to run any older Windows software that won’t run natively, but with support ending for XP in April 2014, it would be unwise to use any XP software after this time that requires Internet access, and many including Microsoft and security researchers would advise not using it at all after this time.  Sticking with Windows 7 is probably the best solution in many ways.  It will still be on sale and being shipped with new PCs until the autumn of this year and many will consider it the operating system to use going forward.

Windows Vista

Few people would now consider Windows Vista as a viable alternative to Windows 7 or Windows 8.  Notoriously slow, especially on older hardware, and with software compatibility that was largely broken, almost all Vista users have either upgraded to Windows 7 already or plan to do so as soon as possible.

Windows XP

Despite the popularity and compatibility of Windows 7, it’s Windows XP that has won hearts and minds in the way no other Microsoft operating system ever has.  This comes despite some huge security issues that have plagued the platform and its default web browser Internet Explorer 6.  This operating system is already out of mainstream support, so no more service packs and updates are being issued, and extended support for security and stability fixes ends in less than two years, before the launch of Windows 9.  A lack of suport for new technologies including USB3 and Thunderbolt also count against this OS, unless you are able to get specific third-party drivers.  Anybody sticking with Windows XP will need to have a very good understanding of the security risks involved in doing so, this really isn’t a strong contender for your OS choice for the next few years.

OS X

Apple’s desktop operating system has a great many strengths, but a few major weaknesses as well.  Those strengths involve being one of the most stable and secure operating systems the world has ever seen.  It’s eminently usable too with gesture control that Windows 7 simply can’t match and a software base every bit as strong as that for Windows.  It’s not going anywhere either.  On the minus side there are still questions about how Apple are set to integrate their iOS tablet features into the desktop, effectively doing what Microsoft are doing with Windows 8 but probably to a slightly lesser degree.  Moving to OS X would also not just require buying a new and sometimes expensive computer (or even computers) but unless you were going to run Windows 7 or Windows 8 in Boot Camp or the Parallel’s virtual machine, you would have to re-purchase all your software as well, as very little software these days comes with both PC and Mac licensing.

Ubuntu

Three years ago GNU/Linux was still the rank outsider in the desktop OS world, but times have changed with Canonical turning their Ubuntu OS into an operating system every bit as polished and usable as OS X or Windows 7.  The best part is that this operating system is free and, with version 12.1 now comes with long-term support, meaning it’s no longer essential to upgrade your operating system every few months.  On the downside, software support, especially for the major apps is still lacking with traditional Linux apps lagging behind their OS X and Windows alternatives.  Ubuntu’s new HUD (Head up Display) for finding menu items in software might not be to everyone’s tastes either.  This feature can be switched off and traditional drop down menus reinstated, but Ubuntu still needs that all important software support to compete on a level playing field.

ReactOS

Currently in alpha, this Russian organised Windows NT/XP clone promises to be binary compatible with Windows and support every piece of hardware and software that works with Windows XP.  It’s a bold claim that so far seems to be panning out.  It should be complete and bedded-in by the time Windows XP support ends so it could be a viable alternative.  On the down side, Microsoft has a way of aggresssively going after any “Windows Clone” and having already shut down Lindows a few years ago they will soon have their guns trained on ReactOS, no matter how well the developers might be covering themselves in terms of copyright.  There is also the fact that ReactOS has been in an alpha stage now for an extremely long time, and frankly may never be completely finished.

iOs, Android, QNX

Do you actually need a full desktop operating system any more?  This is an interesting question as the majority of tasks we perform on our PCs can now be done equally well on a tablet running Apple’s iOS, Google Android or RIM’s QNX.  These tasks, including email and web browsing are actually pleasurable on modern tablet operating systems and this situation is only set to improve.  The burgeoning app stores, and the quality of those apps is improving every day too with companies like Adobe showing how advanced photo editing, another of our major tasks, can be made simple and pleasurable on a tablet.

Here the problem is storage and file management.  With a tablet you’re restricted to storing your files mainly in cloud services and in order to get those files on the tablet in the first place, or indeed into the cloud, you need to synchronise with a desktop computer.  We can fully expect these devices to become more independent over time, and perhaps even support external hard disks and USB pen drives.  Unless and until this happens though these tablets (and I’m obviously excluding Windows 8 tablets from the list) just aren’t quite ready to handle our ever expanding collections of music, videos, files and photographs.

Summary

So this is my own take on the alternatives to Windows 8 and how effective and realistic a move to each one might be.  You will probably have your own ideas on what would make a good alternative and why.  You might be just sticking with XP despite the security concerns, or sticking with Windows 7.  You may even decide that now is the time to get rid of your desktop PC altogether and move solely to a tablet.  Perhaps your music is already stored in the cloud or you use a service like spotify, and maybe your new digital camera can upload your files directly to Picassa or another cloud service for you.  Why not tell us your thoughts in the comments.

What might a post-Windows world look like?

We take for granted these days that Microsoft will always provide new versions of Windows and Windows Server, that Google will always provide world-leading search and that many other companies will just be there for us in perpetuity.  After all, look at the big names like Coca Cola, Ford and and more that have been with us for a hundred years or more.  Only when it comes to specific websites such as Facebook do we accept that their candle may burn out quickly.

But the technology market is different, and in the last three years we’ve seen it take on a whole new dimension where Windows is no longer the obvious operating system choice, and where comparisons are increasingly being made with IBM.  On tablets, a market that Microsoft invented back around 2003 they’re going to have a real fight on their hands, and in computing generally it’s no longer clear what devices and form factors we’ll be using in even five or ten years time.  What is obvious however is that the traditional desktop PC is well and truly on its way out.  Lastly new operating systems such as iOS, Android and WebOS have blown away the notion that people will resist a learning curve on new devices.  So what would the world be like if Microsoft stopped making Windows desktop and server products?

First of all it’s not very likely, Microsoft would probably drop Windows products last of all with their expensive research and development centres and other products such as Xbox falling by the wayside first, so there’s no need to worry in the short term.  Windows 8 is a big gamble though and if it fails then Microsoft will either have to backtrack with Windows 9, pull an immensely impressive rabbit out of their hat or face the consequences of poor decision-making.

There has already been talk that Google would like to bring Android to the desktop.  HP said the same of WebOS, which they are still developing or at least maintaining, and could put extra resources back into quickly.  Ubuntu Linux is now at least as friendly as Windows XP was, only the lack of big name software for the platform is holding it back now and Apple’s OS X is becoming more like iOS with every release.  So it’s already clear that there’s plenty of choice.

We might also expect an open-source upstart operating system to appear too and it might even be a reinvigorated WebOS.  Companies such as the Mozilla Foundation might see an opportunity as their Firefox browser begins to fade in popularity, and this is just one of several places where a new operating system might emerge.

In the business space, some of the GNU/Linux companies including Red Hat, might jump in with versions that will run Windows programs on the desktop.  This isn’t new and has already been done with operating systems such as Lindows (later renamed Linspire).  This product still exists today and could prove popular with businesses if Windows 8 and Windows 9 fail to deliver the working experience that they need.

Again it’s very unlikely that Microsoft will cease development of Windows in the next twenty years at least.  If they’d have done it even five years ago there would have been almost no alternatives to choose from.  Should they do it now though businesses and consumers would probably just shrug their shoulders and quietly move on to the next big thing.

App downloads jumped by 60% over the Holidays

Christmas was a good week for all of us, but a great week for apps with analytics firm Flurry reporting a 60% leap in app downloads on the previous week.  The figures which cover smartphones and tablets for just iOS and Android operating systems estimated that 6.8 million iOS and Android devices were activated on Christmas day with 242 million app downloads.  Over the whole Christmas period they estimated that some 1.2 billion apps were downloaded to devices with 20 million new devices activated.

The report said that “the last week of 2011 was the largest week for device activations and app downloads in iOS and Android history.”

This shouldn’t come as any major surprise to people though as many people would have received new tablets and smartphones for Christmas, but also that app stores had a great many cheap deals on over the holiday period.  Even so, these numbers are huge and very clearly indicate that our hunger for smartphones and tablets isn’t going away any time soon.

When you factor in the number of people who would have picked up cheap Blackberry Playbook tablets over the holiday period we can expect activations to be much higher.

Flurry, which gets its data directly from Apple and Google said…

Looking forward to 2012, Flurry expects breaking the one-billion-download-barrier per week will become more common-place.   While iOS and Android growth continues to amaze, the market is still by all measures relatively nascent.

It’s very likely that they are correct and that 1 billion app downloads a week worldwide will not just quickly become the norm, but that the number by the end of 2012 will in fact be considerably higher.

Factor in the launch of ARM-powered Windows 8 tablets, now probably scheduled for early 2013, and that number will rise exponentially as people try out Metro apps for the new operating system.  It is a reasonable predication though that by the time this happens the weekly app download figures for iOS and Android will have exceeded 2 billion a week.

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© Mike Halsey MVP for gHacks Technology News | Latest Tech News, Software And Tutorials, 2012. | Permalink |
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How Long Will Your SmartPhone Loyalty Last and Where Might You Jump?

Now that Nokia have launched their new Windows Phones, and cemented their future with Microsoft (at least for the foreseeable future) we’re down to just four major players left in the smartphone space.  Apple with their hugely popular iOS operating system, Google’s free open-source Android, Microsoft’s new-kid on the block Windows Phone and RIM’s could soon be in trouble BBX.  In the last few months we’ve seen both Nokia’s wonderful MeeGO and HP’s equally lovely WebOS bite the dust.

I’ll start this conversation by getting all teary-eyed.  It’s a huge pity that two operating systems as capable as MeeGo and WebOS both seem to be on their way out forever.  We all know that the worldwide smartphone market is easily big enough to support them, but support is the issue as it costs millions for companies to develop and maintain these operating systems.  This is money that Nokia simply don’t have and that HP may not be willing to pay.

But what will this mean for you in the coming years?  For the moment people who have iPhones seem to want the next iPhone when their mobile contract ends, and people who are on Android seem to like it too.  Windows Phone hasn’t yet been around long enough for anyone to reach the end of their first contract using it but RIM’s Blackberry’s also have a loyal following.

There are several main reasons for smartphone loyalty.  These include people being resistant to change and not wanting to learn something new, just getting really comfortable with an operating system and also having paid a lot of money for all those apps you won’t be able to port to a new OS.

But loyalty and favouritism for the operating system isn’t the whole picture.  There is also loyalty to the handset manufacturer.  Many people love Nokia, or HTC because they’ve always had a good experience with their phones.  Many more people like Sony Ericsson (soon to be just Sony) for their gaming integration and so on.

In the end though we all tire of the mundane and want a change occasionally.  This could mean iPhone users jumping ship to Android or Blackberry users jumping ship to Windows Phone.  In short, it could mean anything and there are a whole lot of factors to consider.  There is also the question of if you have loyalty to any one manufacturer and how you feel about this?  I’m very fond of HTC but I’ve owned phones by LG, Sony and others and all have been very good too.

So I’m interested ot ask here what platform you are currently loyal to, if indeed you’re loyal to one at all and what other ones you would consider in the future if you’ve even thought that far ahead?  To start I’ll say I’m very loyal to Windows Phone but, as and when I get bored I’d consider either the iPhone or a BlackBerry.  This would be for several reasons, I’m not happy with the malware problem that still exists on Android and while I don’t like iOS very much, you can’t easily complain about Apple’s hardware.  For BlackBerry, they’d have to produce another handset similar to the Storm, a full touchscreen as I’d never want a full QWERTY keyboard.

So what are your preferences?

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© Mike Halsey (MVP) for gHacks Technology News | Latest Tech News, Software And Tutorials, 2011. | Permalink |
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