One in 10 Firefox users are running Windows XP

[Shawn Knight]

Mozilla has released a new Firefox Hardware Report tool designed to help developers determine what hardware they should be targeting to reach the widest possible audience. The data, sourced from the Firefox Telemetry system, is aggregated and anonymized then published on the report website.

While I’m sure that data is helpful to developers, it also provides a detailed look at the current state of the dwindling PC market (among those that use Firefox, anyway).

To say that it’s sad would be an understatement.

According to the latest data, Intel processors are found in 86 percent of machines although nearly 70 percent of processors only have two physical cores and clock speeds are most commonly in the 2.3GHz to 2.69GHz range. As for memory, a third of all users only have 4GB of RAM with 2GB being the next most common amount (in 18.74 percent of systems).

At this point, it should come as little surprise that the majority of PCs – 44.86 percent – are running Windows 7. Microsoft’s latest OS is only found on 25.67 percent of machines while Windows XP, an operating system released more than 15 years ago, accounts for 10.36 percent of the share.

The predominant display resolution, meanwhile, is 1,366 x 768 with Intel-branded (integrated) GPUs being the most popular.

The data may be difficult for hardware enthusiasts to process but it’s very much a reality. With consumers now utilizing smartphones and tablets as their primary devices, there is little reason for them to spend money on a new PC.

Image courtesy 123RF

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https://www.techspot.com/news/67437-one-10-firefox-users-running-windows-xp.html

 

[Spence1115]

Dual core, 4GB RAM and 1366x768 screams budget laptop to me. Not just old ones either, since new cheap laptops look exactly like that (though the RAM is now changing, but nothing else is). Hell, even high end laptops are often still dual core.

I find the fact that the majority have a 64bit OS but a 32bit browser interesting. Shows that Mozilla etc aren't doing a great job of pushing 64bit browsers to those who can benefit from it.

 

[mcborge]

I must be a very uncommon Firefox user then... Win10 64, FX8350, 16gb ram.

 

[Nobina]

1366x768 is SO common and annoying with laptops these days. I had a laptop with that resolution and now I don't have eyes anymore. It is usually packed with 4GB RAM and an Intel Celeron CPU. While they work perfectly for casual stuff, that screen is just a killer for me.

 

[mcborge]

1366x768 is SO common and annoying with laptops these days. I had a laptop with that resolution and now I don't have eyes anymore. It is usually packed with 4GB RAM and an Intel Celeron CPU. While they work perfectly for casual stuff, that screen is just a killer for me.

I know what you mean about the eye strain. I have a laptop like that but I use it purely for trouble shooting my main rig or other peoples computers... I cant look at a screen with that rez for more than 10 minutes.

 

[Nobina]

I know what you mean about the eye strain. I have a laptop like that but I use it purely for trouble shooting my main rig or other peoples computers... I cant look at a screen with that rez for more than 10 minutes.

I don't understand why 1080p isn't standard yet even for budget laptops. Even budget smartphones have higher resolutions now. When I had that laptop I used to play some games on it and every game looked terrible, pixelated, even though I had anti-aliasing turned on. I didn't mention that viewing angles were cancerous...And the glare...

 

[mcborge]

I don't understand why 1080p isn't standard yet even for budget laptops. Even budget smartphones have higher resolutions now. When I had that laptop I used to play some games on it and every game looked terrible, pixelated, even though I had anti-aliasing turned on. I didn't mention that viewing angles were cancerous...And the glare...

I totally agree. I think manufacturers assume that the target market doesn't care about such things or they would pay more for a premium device. The only reason I bought one is because a phone or tablet screen is just too small for me and I needed something that ran windows as a backup / trouble shooting device to accompany my main rig. but for most people these laptops seem adequate, so they keep churning them out.

 

[tomkaten]

To add insult to injury, all those 1366x768 laptops also sport the most horrific TN screens, with dismal viewing angles.

We have QHD in most high end phones already and this crappy resolution in laptops. Doesn't make a lot of sense.

 

[hahahanoobs]

One in 10 Firefox users are running Windows XP

"Mozilla has released a new Firefox Hardware Report tool designed to help developers determine what hardware they should be targeting to reach the widest possible audience."

Didn't XP's EOL already decide this? Why would any developer condone the use of XP beyond that? No wonder so many users are still using XP. People are afraid of change, but if you keep them on the [baby] bottle, you're doing more harm than good - to EVERYONE!

OMG, if you can't upgrade your hardware 15 years AFTER XP was released and get on a SECURE OS, then you shouldn't own a computer. PERIOD!

 

[MonsterZero]

What it comes down to is legacy apps, and surprisingly a **** ton of IT systems run legacy systems and OS. We recently had to replace a WCS controller computer and they were wondering why I wanted to use a windows7x64 bit computer instead of installing windows XP. Long story short some manufacturers are too lazy to update drivers for legacy systems to stay current with the times.

 

[Mouldy CPU]

One in 10 Firefox users are running Windows XP

"Mozilla has released a new Firefox Hardware Report tool designed to help developers determine what hardware they should be targeting to reach the widest possible audience."

Didn't XP's EOL already decide this? Why would any developer condone the use of XP beyond that? No wonder so many users are still using XP. People are afraid of change, but if you keep them on the [baby] bottle, you're doing more harm than good - to EVERYONE!

OMG, if you can't upgrade your hardware 15 years AFTER XP was released and get on a SECURE OS, then you shouldn't own a computer. PERIOD!

You could turn a Windows XP installation into Windows POSReady with a simple registry 'hack'. Windows POSReady still receives security updates until April 2019.

 

[Yynxs]

'hahahanoobs'...hence the name. More clueless than most. Good that you have a 40hour plus per week job paying multiple minimum wage so you can afford to upgrade anytime you want. Sadly, the majority of Americans are making do with a full time job defined as 35 hours per week now.

Good thing you own a business employing hundreds of people across multiple state lines and can afford to develop new database and spreadsheet applications and then pay millions to train those hundreds of people in the random changes Microsoft makes in their o/s and software that breaks your custom business and accounting solutions every time they decide an update is in order. Sadly, no good businessman or woman wants to spend those dollars to retrain their people every time MS gets an itch. They'd rather keep the poople employed.

Good thing you can visit all the ABSOLUTELY SAFE! javascript powered pages using offsite scripting calls from non-designated hard IP cloud addresses that can't possibly be compromised with your new equipment because XP visiting those same sites would be TOTALLY unsafe, especially since no one with XP ever heard of MBAM, Antivirus, or passwords. That's obvious, they use XP.

Probably a good thing you don't remotely understand that Firefox is used worldwide (while you've never left your gramma's basement) and for some of the rest of the world, the homeless and poor of the US are rich in comparison to them. Having a computer, any computer, for your child or your use or shared in a dirt floor classroom is a transition to and view of a more hopeful future, whether it runs XP or anything else. Probably good, also, you don't know anything about the tons of free teaching software available for XP.

Yeah..you're probably better off not knowing that the fact that 10% of the PC population still runs it is a testament to the strength and durability of XP and that you're opinion is really not applicable to a world outside your grandmother's basement.

 

[Mouldy CPU]

To add insult to injury, all those 1366x768 laptops also sport the most horrific TN screens, with dismal viewing angles.

We have QHD in most high end phones already and this crappy resolution in laptops. Doesn't make a lot of sense.

You've probably never been out of the United States. Computing devices including laptops and mobile phones are subject to heavy import duties and taxes in many places around the world. Laptops that cost $400 in the US could easily cost up to $690 before profits in regions like South Asia for example. Add to that the fact that South Asia has among the lowest per capita income, it should be easy to understand why laptops with low-end specs get the biggest chunk of the markets there and many other regions.

 

[DaveBG]

One in 10 Firefox users are running Windows XP

"Mozilla has released a new Firefox Hardware Report tool designed to help developers determine what hardware they should be targeting to reach the widest possible audience."

Didn't XP's EOL already decide this? Why would any developer condone the use of XP beyond that? No wonder so many users are still using XP. People are afraid of change, but if you keep them on the [baby] bottle, you're doing more harm than good - to EVERYONE!

OMG, if you can't upgrade your hardware 15 years AFTER XP was released and get on a SECURE OS, then you shouldn't own a computer. PERIOD!

So which windows OS is more secure than XP again noobs? I bet you will mention Win10 hence your name... or you are just paid by Microsoft and want more people on the data collection "secure" train.

 

[CortyDK]

Many people are quite content with a budget laptop. If your only requirements for your laptop is homebanking, surfing, mail, social media and the odd youtube video, any budget laptop will do fine.

I bought a HP 13" 1366x788 core i5-4210u with 4 gigs of RAM. Uses the onboard iGPU. I use it for everyday tasks as it is small, light, convenient and easy to carry around. Yes I upgraded to 8 gigs of Ram and a Samsung SSD, just because I'm used to the boot times from a SSD and 4 Gigs made Chrome stutter when having many open tabs. And of course, upgraded from Win 8.1 to 10.

Remember that the majority of pc users around the world are not hardcore gamers..

My dad's wife uses an acer laptop (Win 10, core i3, 4Gb RAM, 128 Gb SSD, iGPU on a 15,6" 1366x768 screen) and she is perfectly happy because it covers all her needs, she surfs, mails and writes referendums in Word, so she does not need more power.

I can't really see anything wrong with budget laptops, because they are built with a purpose.

 

[hahahanoobs]

You could turn a Windows XP installation into Windows POSReady with a simple registry 'hack'. Windows POSReady still receives security updates until April 2019.

Sure, but I don't think that's what the majority of users are doing.

 

[hahahanoobs]

So which windows OS is more secure than XP again noobs? I bet you will mention Win10 hence your name... or you are just paid by Microsoft and want more people on the data collection "secure" train.

I'm not even going to dignify that with a response. Move on.

 

[liammac002]

I bought a $500 Asus laptop 4 years ago with similar specs to what's being describe in the article (Dual core i5, 6 gb of RAM, 1366x768 screen, slow iGPU, and it came with Windows 7. Two years ago I got my HP Envy with a dGPU and much more respectable specs. In all honesty, all I used my laptops for was web browsing (I have a desktop I built for gaming) and they both perform similarly. I don't need 16 gb of RAM and an i7 for the stuff I do on my laptop. If my old one had a 1080p display and I upgraded to 8 gb of ram, I think it would be perfectly fine as my daily driver. I gave my Asus to a cousin, installed Ubuntu, and it's still running strong, and despite being manhandled, it's in great condition. On the other hand, this HP has been dropped once like two feet and from that point on, its been perpetually falling apart. Sometimes, you just need something that meets your needs.

 

[captaincranky]

I'm not even going to dignify that with a response. Move on.

That's really tantamount to saying "I'm right, and you're wrong". Which really is no answer, but in a different context than the one you intended..

Right now, Windows XP uses less system resources than Ubuntu. A least it appears so on my ancient 915 chip set.

Any stats M$ gives you about "security", are pretty much without any after market security products installed. And guess what? They still have a security, "install AV" nag, in the "much more secure Windows 7".

There seems to be a huge chasm between gamers, who think they're the coming of the "ujber mensch", and people who use their machines for much more practical reasons, and then the user bottom drops again, for people who think a smartphone is IBM's "Watson". They're they ones who need a more "secure OS", and they're the ones least likely to have after market security installed.

The M$ corporation has turned into a monumental piece of sh!t since Gates left, and the new CEO is creepy. As near as I can guess or observe, they got him cheap, (at least as CEO material goes), and all he's good for, is to copy Apple's entire business strategy.

So, even for the "yeah though I walk through the shadow of the valley of malware", I very often walk though, "I will fear no infection", for verily I have AV and "NoScript" installed.

When you come right down to it, these m0rons who are getting themselves infected with ransomware, have clicked on a bad email link. So, maybe one of you geniuses could tell me how secure is any OS, if it still allows active linking to the web? And "moving on" as you suggest, how can you live without active linking?

 

[bluto 2050]

Dual core, 4GB RAM and 1366x768 screams budget laptop to me. Not just old ones either, since new cheap laptops look exactly like that (though the RAM is now changing, but nothing else is). Hell, even high end laptops are often still dual core.

I find the fact that the majority have a 64bit OS but a 32bit browser interesting. Shows that Mozilla etc aren't doing a great job of pushing 64bit browsers to those who can benefit from it.

screams junk old azzzed or new junk to me by now ☺☺☺

 

[bluto 2050]

I must be a very uncommon Firefox user then... Win10 64, FX8350, 16gb ram.

I have it ( FFx64) in this 2016 W10x64 Core i5 -SSD test mule desktop I'm beating with Chrome right now

 

[bluto 2050]

One in 10 Firefox users are running Windows XP

"Mozilla has released a new Firefox Hardware Report tool designed to help developers determine what hardware they should be targeting to reach the widest possible audience."

Didn't XP's EOL already decide this? Why would any developer condone the use of XP beyond that? No wonder so many users are still using XP. People are afraid of change, but if you keep them on the [baby] bottle, you're doing more harm than good - to EVERYONE!

OMG, if you can't upgrade your hardware 15 years AFTER XP was released and get on a SECURE OS, then you shouldn't own a computer. PERIOD!

at least maybe XP users shouldn't be on the web now but a lotta fools play that Windows XP roulette now

Win 7 isn't all that secure anymore either..... I'm windows 10 x64 on all 4 PC here and never looked back but I have a 2015 Sony XBR 55" 4K HDR TV and Sony ES AVR and 5.1 speakers and this 2016 Haswell core i5 -SSD desktop in this bdrm- office that never works hard beyond transcoding some media rips now and then but at my point and retirement now all that ain't any money anyway and there is always something better out there

 

[bluto 2050]

.
I don't understand why 1080p isn't standard yet even for budget laptops.

Right

 

[bluto 2050]

So which windows OS is more secure than XP again noobs? I bet you will mention Win10 hence your name... or you are just paid by Microsoft and want more people on the data collection "secure" train.

I'm not even going to dignify that with a response. Move on.

'hahahanoobs'...hence the name. More clueless than most. Good that you have a 40hour plus per week job paying multiple minimum wage so you can afford to upgrade anytime you want. Sadly, the majority of Americans are making do with a full time job defined as 35 hours per week now.

Good thing you own a business employing hundreds of people across multiple state lines and can afford to develop new database and spreadsheet applications and then pay millions to train those hundreds of people in the random changes Microsoft makes in their o/s and software that breaks your custom business and accounting solutions every time they decide an update is in order. Sadly, no good businessman or woman wants to spend those dollars to retrain their people every time MS gets an itch. They'd rather keep the poople employed.

Good thing you can visit all the ABSOLUTELY SAFE! javascript powered pages using offsite scripting calls from non-designated hard IP cloud addresses that can't possibly be compromised with your new equipment because XP visiting those same sites would be TOTALLY unsafe, especially since no one with XP ever heard of MBAM, Antivirus, or passwords. That's obvious, they use XP.

Probably a good thing you don't remotely understand that Firefox is used worldwide (while you've never left your gramma's basement) and for some of the rest of the world, the homeless and poor of the US are rich in comparison to them. Having a computer, any computer, for your child or your use or shared in a dirt floor classroom is a transition to and view of a more hopeful future, whether it runs XP or anything else. Probably good, also, you don't know anything about the tons of free teaching software available for XP.

Yeah..you're probably better off not knowing that the fact that 10% of the PC population still runs it is a testament to the strength and durability of XP and that you're opinion is really not applicable to a world outside your grandmother's basement.

yea but guys and girls ........ we still run COBOL in rickety Nuclear ICBM SILO HDWE on 5.25 floppy in HDWE from 1961 or so but does that all mean should we still be doing all that in 2016 ?

Most COBOL de buggers (that they can still find ) for all that are geriatric now anyway COBOL was never part of cool in school but those old geezers are geting PAID now

..........Maybe it' 8" floppy's or both

 

[hahahanoobs]

'hahahanoobs'...hence the name. More clueless than most. Good that you have a 40hour plus per week job paying multiple minimum wage so you can afford to upgrade anytime you want. Sadly, the majority of Americans are making do with a full time job defined as 35 hours per week now.

Good thing you own a business employing hundreds of people across multiple state lines and can afford to develop new database and spreadsheet applications and then pay millions to train those hundreds of people in the random changes Microsoft makes in their o/s and software that breaks your custom business and accounting solutions every time they decide an update is in order. Sadly, no good businessman or woman wants to spend those dollars to retrain their people every time MS gets an itch. They'd rather keep the poople employed.

Good thing you can visit all the ABSOLUTELY SAFE! javascript powered pages using offsite scripting calls from non-designated hard IP cloud addresses that can't possibly be compromised with your new equipment because XP visiting those same sites would be TOTALLY unsafe, especially since no one with XP ever heard of MBAM, Antivirus, or passwords. That's obvious, they use XP.

Probably a good thing you don't remotely understand that Firefox is used worldwide (while you've never left your gramma's basement) and for some of the rest of the world, the homeless and poor of the US are rich in comparison to them. Having a computer, any computer, for your child or your use or shared in a dirt floor classroom is a transition to and view of a more hopeful future, whether it runs XP or anything else. Probably good, also, you don't know anything about the tons of free teaching software available for XP.

Yeah..you're probably better off not knowing that the fact that 10% of the PC population still runs it is a testament to the strength and durability of XP and that you're opinion is really not applicable to a world outside your grandmother's basement.

LMAO. Thanks for the laugh. I was feeling a little down and this was the last place I expected to find joy.

"Yeah..you're probably better off not knowing that the fact that 10% of the PC population still runs it is a testament to the strength and durability of XP and that you're opinion is really not applicable to a world outside your grandmother's basement."

That logic was the icing on the cake. I mean, people are still using it, so it must be good. The paragraph where you bragged about much more the average american makes REALLY goes against your argument to hold onto an aging and infectious operating system.

Now excuse me while I tuck my Nanna into bed before I retire to my cot in her basement next to the hot water heater. I have to be up early to perform my crossing guard duties.

Thanks again for the laugh!