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Android overtakes Windows as the internet’s most used operating system

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Re: Android overtakes Windows as the internet’s most used operating system

#251

Post by alnitak »

rsync wrote: post #164
alnitak wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let me ask a (potentially) very stupid question here: What prevents doing the same on phones? What would make a phone hardware able to install anything that compiles to its CPU architecture the same way a PC can?

"What would make a phone hardware able to install anything that compiles to its CPU architecture the same way a PC can?" The reason your question is "stupid" is because you think your phone is just one computer. In fact, you can do just what you describe - and it wouldn't be that difficult - but it would only be for the application processor and you would end up with a nice PDA. In order to make phone calls you would…

hey thanks I think you hit the point very well here. But then how about tablets for example?

Re: Android overtakes Windows as the internet’s most used operating system

#252

Post by digi_owl »

bighi wrote: post #246
georgeecollins wrote: post #18

When I was younger there IBM, Apple, Be, and Microsoft were all working on these amazing new operating systems. Now the #1, #3, #4 most popular operating systems are all some variation on Unix. What happened? Why did no one except Microsoft come up with a new operating system worthy of mass adoption?

Linux and others are indeed new operating systems. They just decided to follow some of the standards used in Unix.

Nah, they started out as direct clones. But certain people (hello systemd) don't want to admit that and try to claim that Linux is its own beast.

Re: Android overtakes Windows as the internet’s most used operating system

#253

Post by ocdtrekkie »

criley2 wrote: post #121
ocdtrekkie wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there is a shocking difference here. Windows install is, for all compatible devices: 1. Insert install disc/USB. 2. Boot to install disc. 3. Spam the next button. Installing new Android OS versions manually often involves custom third party unlock tools from sketchy download sites.

And yet, if you ask a non-technical user to install a new OS, it's entirely likely they'll refuse, be uncomfortable with the implications of what they're doing, and if you do force them to do it, will be frustrated with the result. I worked in a Computer Repair shop for years through college and believe me, the average user has ZERO interest in installing or re-installing an OS. They will pay >$100 to have someone "s…

This is true. And I suspect, a major reason behind Microsoft's much-derided upgrade process for Windows 10.

Re: Android overtakes Windows as the internet’s most used operating system

#254

Post by fauigerzigerk »

bighi wrote: post #225
fauigerzigerk wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So it's Linux fault and Fuchsia is the solution, right? :)

What is this "fuck sea" you're talking about and how do I sail in it?

It's Google's best shot so far at provoking "Android is dead" rumours: http://www.androidpolice.com/2017/02/15/speculation-around-g...

But the reason I brought it up is that Fuchsia OS will have a stable driver ABI.

Re: Android overtakes Windows as the internet’s most used operating system

#255

Post by digi_owl »

vram22 wrote: post #153
pjmlp wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Microsoft put OS/2 Actually regarding OS/2, IBM had lots of blame as well. They didn't managed the whole situation properly and trying to use OS/2 to get back into the game of selling their own PS2 architecture didn't help win the hearts of the buyers. I would have had to pay almost 500 € extra, on today's money to get a PC capable of running OS/2 properly, instead of the one I got with Windows 3.1.

I had read that OS/2 Warp was considered a pretty good OS technically, though I don't remember the details now, as to what made it an improvement over Windows. I remember that PC Quest, an Indian PC magazine, gave out OS/2 Warp on a CD [1] in one issue. [1] They often bundled a CD with lots of free software with their magazine issues, e.g. different distros of Linux, server software, utilities, etc. All free or trial…

OS/2 existed for quite a while before Warp came about. Warp was IBM trying to salvage a sinking ship more than anything else.

http://www.filfre.net/2016/08/ibms-new-flavor/

OS/2 was to go along with the PS/2. A update on the PC platform that was much more bespoke IBM compared to the largely assembled from off the shelf parts that was the PC/AT.

Re: Android overtakes Windows as the internet’s most used operating system

#257

Post by 72deluxe »

hermitdev wrote: post #191
fridsun wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you break those PC models open what's really different? The hardware interfaces of PC has almost always been stable since the age of IBM PC clones. It might not be a monoculture in terms of all the RGB lightings you can put on your machine, but you definitely don't need to worry about different protocols. All the while Android phones can have the weirdest SoC's on the planet in them.

I admittedly have zero experience with configuring HW with ARM. However, to say that HW interfaces on the PC have been stable since the age of IBM PC clones is a joke. In the DOS days, users manually had to manually set IO memory addresses and IRQ levels. Early Windows sat on top of DOS, so still had to do it there. Plug'n'Play didn't show up until Windows 95, and even then it was hit and miss. Some devices worked, o…

Thanks for reminding me of Plug'N'Pray. Some stuff worked but a lot didn't, likely the cheap rubbish hardware I bought with lame drivers. And trying to load a mouse driver for DOS and play a game that needed himem. Or trying the set the right IRQ to get the DOS game to believe you had an Adlib or SB16 compatible card....

The kids today don't know how easy things are with unified drivers for audio on Mac OS etc. I mean, even USB coming out was amazing instead of serial devices and guessing the COM port? Which LPT1?? And dial up etc etc so easy now.

Re: Android overtakes Windows as the internet’s most used operating system

#258

Post by 72deluxe »

pwnna wrote: post #146
marcosdumay wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Still, somehow Linux distros are reasonably safe but Android is broken.

Not sure about the linux distro being safe part. Linux desktop distros are also riddled with vulnerabilities that no one bothered to look. This is along with the bad design of the desktop in the first place as there're no isolation between apps and so forth. Example: https://arstechnica.com/security/2016/12/fedora-and-ubuntu-0... Android on the other hand, has isolation mechanism built in as the central thesis of its…

The Dalvik system that runs on top does indeed put apps into their own named processes with restricted access etc, quite a good idea imho!

But the entire system as a whole doesn't get updates to lower parts. E.g. Updating your java app doesn't solve the problems in the underlying C libraries the system uses. We're at the mercy of vendors for that, if ever.

Re: Android overtakes Windows as the internet’s most used operating system

#259

Post by jacquesc »

nthcolumn wrote: post #180

I'd just like to point out that Microsoft win either way: Says Forbes: Financially Microsoft is one of the biggest winners from the growth of Android as a platform, thanks to its wide range of patents. Samsung's royalty payment to Microsoft in 2013 was for over one billion dollars ($1,041,642,161 and fifty cents), roughly $3.41 per device.

I think those royalty payments are more of a silver lining to Microsoft's complete failure to capture any mobile market share. Google is still the "platform holder" and has the biggest advantage of Android's dominance.

Re: Android overtakes Windows as the internet’s most used operating system

#260

Post by chickenbane »

_wmd wrote: post #25

I guess this means we can officially stop hating on Microsoft for having such a lax attitude towards security, considering their last OS to suffer from that attitude was released 16 years ago, and it accounts for less than 3% of present day traffic according to statcounter.com Meanwhile according to the same stats, Android sits around 37.9%, and I have to wonder just how many of those devices are still impacted by fo…

> you should have started on it years ago

As somebody who has been following Android for a while, this statement is incredibly unfair. The Android ecosystem is huge and remarkably safe. For those actually interested in the details, the Android security team releases annual security reviews, and the report for 2016 was just released: https://security.googleblog.com/2017/03/diverse-protections-...

The tldr: the number of devices with a harmful app is 0.05%, and for 1.5B devices extremely impressive. Basically, if you only install apps from Google Play and never enable unknown sources (the default and the vast majority of users) you are safe.

While the argument that most devices aren't running the latest security patch is certainly valid, it's important to note that there are many services running on device and in the cloud provided by Google which are doing most of the heavy lifting. If anything, the example of Stagefright actually shows the safety of Android - many many devices have never received any security patch to address Stagefright and yet most users aren't affected.

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