To quote Mark Twain, “The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” I suspect, if Windows XP were capable of speech, we just might hear the same observation repeated regarding its own demise.
Sure, Windows XP no longer holds the overwhelming market share it once held – which, according to Computerworld, reached a high of 83.6% of all operating systems in November 2007. But, statistics in OPSWAT’s latest quarterly report, to be released today, might surprise those pundits who frequently pontificate that XP is dead – dead – dead. We’ll, it just isn’t so!
There’s little doubt of course, that XP will eventually disappear from the scene – but, not quite yet. In the meantime, according to OPSWAT, XP continues to hold a better than 50% worldwide operating system market share at 55.84%, followed by Windows 7 at 38.81%. Vista trails the pack, with a dismal showing of 4.72%.
BTW, I’m not here to dispute the fact that Windows 7 is considerably safer overall than XP – that would be simply ludicrous. But, it’s equally as ludicrous to ignore the fact (as so many self described “experts” do), that XP continues to command a huge market share.
Graphic courtesy OPSWAT
Additionally, the OPSWAT’s report takes a close look at Worldwide and North American Antivirus vendors market share and, the gathered information may hold some surprises for those who assume that the security application marketplace is controlled by a select few major developers.
The following graphic reflects North American market penetration only. Worldwide statistics are available in the full report.
Graphic courtesy OPSWAT
Report methodology: Usage data for security applications on Windows systems.
The data was collected using OPSWAT’s AppRemover and Am I OESIS OK? tools, which utilize the detection capabilities of the OESIS Framework to collect information regarding the applications installed on endpoint computers.
More than 43,000 data points were compiled for this report.
The full report which is chock fill of absorbing statistics is available here.
So, who is OPSWAT?
If you’re a techie then you’re very likely familiar with AppRemover, a free powerful anti-malware, antivirus application remover from OPSWAT. Beyond this direct connection however, you might not be familiar with OPSWAT.
From the site:
OPSWAT is the industry leader in software management SDKs, interoperability certification and multiple-engine scanning solutions. Our solutions are simplified and comprehensive, solving complex development problems to reduce time and costs for your engineering and testing teams.
OPSWAT offers software manageability solutions to streamline technology partnerships between leading technology solutions and software vendors. By enabling seamless compatibility and easy management capabilities, we make connecting your solutions with other software applications effortless.
If you found this article useful, why not subscribe to this Blog via RSS, or email? It’s easy; just click on this link and you’ll never miss another Tech Thoughts article.
Bill Mullins' Weblog - Tech Thoughts 
This statement “Windows 7 users have Microsoft Security Essentials pre-installed on their systems” is completely incorrect. Windows 7 does not come with MSE pre-installed, it is provided via Windows update when no installed AV app is detected.
Hi Dave,
For sure you’re on the money.
I’ve removed that statement, and have contacted OPSWAT to see exactly what they meant by this. Can’t see that they meant anything but what the statement reads – in which case, they’ve missed by a mile.
I’ll have to admit, I was asleep at the switch on that one.
Thanks for picking that up.
Best,
Bill
Hey, you didn’t write the article 😉
Hey Bill,
I still use XP, I’m not surprised it still has a huge share of the market, people are comfortable with it. I guess a lot of those people are like me, they just can’t afford to update every few years when a new OS comes out.
I have no doubt Windows 7 is a lot more secure than XP, I would be surprised if it wasn’t (what would be the point of a new OS). But I have adopted good security practices with XP and I can’t remember the last time I had to deal with any serious malware. In the end, it doesn’t matter what OS people use, if they are stupid with th eir security practices, they will get stung.
Cheers
Mal
Hey Mal,
Your point needs to be repeated – “I have adopted good security practices with XP and I can’t remember the last time I had to deal with any serious malware. In the end, it doesn’t matter what OS people use, if they are stupid with th eir security practices, they will get stung.”
Staying safe on the Internet is just that easy – and, just that hard.
Best,
Bill
In my home, Windows ME ain’t dead yet.
My computer is ten years old and the only things I’ve upgraded or replaced have been the RAM from 128 to 312 mega bytes, the monitor which died, and the CD-Rom which died. Other than that it still works fine. I replaced each item with used and newer hardware that was cheaper than my original stuff!
It seems to me that computer technology is moving faster and faster “forward,” blindly toward who knows what. The only thing I can tell is that why should I buy a brand new expensive computer when all I want to do is read websites, look at pictures, download MP3s, burn CD’s, and check my email.
As long as my internet browsers (Seamonkey 1.1.19, Opera 10.63) hold out, I won’t be buying a new computer any time soon. And as long as ClamWin keeps supporting Windows 98/Me, I won’t be buying any virus scanners either.
Maybe when Windows Me is totally 100% dead, then I’ll “upgrade” to XP. But only if Microsoft gets rid of the product activation during the installation.
Hey Aaron,
That’s impressive! You certainly have my respect – I know how hard it can be to keep an older machine ticking. And, I do agree – the catch up game is out of hand.
Bill
I believe your actually safer with Windows 9x as most malware probably can’t run on it
Hey Dave,
Yes!!!! I agree. Been saying this for 2 years, or more (to much laughter from my buddies).
In fact, I’ve got an old HD, bagged and tagged, right in front of me with 98 SE installed. Been thinking of throwing it back into an old 665 MHz Dell, and taking it for a ride.
Best,
Bill