Windows 11 finally overtakes Windows 10’s user share

27 Comments

1. 2025-07-07 5:30 pm

   Adurbe

   Compared to android, the latest version holds 4.4% of the market and unsupported versions cutlrrently active is 51.4%

   So microsoft is in line with the only other OS operating on an equivalent scale.

   Id be Very interested if anyone had any linux numbers? What % of servers are 1. Running the latest edition and 2. What % are out of support.

   It was only a few years ago I decommissioned a redhat 5 server. There are plenty around, but people are less open (for obvious reasons)

• 2025-07-07 5:52 pm

  LeFantome

  My guess for Linux servers is that the vast majority of them are running older versions vs newer ones. Using your RHEL example, I expect there are many more RHEL 8 and RHEL 9 servers than RHEL 10. However, I would expect most professionally maintained servers to be running close to the “latest” releases of those. There is likely a fair bit of RHEL 7 (and CentOS 7) out there. A couple percent likely even lingers on RHEL 6 as per an updated version of your anecdote.

  Finger in the wind, I expect RHEL 9 is around 50%, RHEL 8 around a third, RHEL 10 around 5%, and RHEL 7 most of the rest. I think I saw numbers like this somewhere not long ago.

  The same distribution is likely true of Debian of servers as well.

  However, I think that Linux desktops stay much more up-to-date, or at least what the distro considers to be up-to-date.

  Linux users are likley the most up-to-date, followed by macOS. Windows is probably the least up-to-date desktop OS in general. Most Windows users will be running whatever their hardware came with.

  While people certainly are migrating to Windows 11, I expect the biggest driver for Windows 11 adoption is new hardware sales.
• 2025-07-07 6:16 pm

  Adurbe

  As you say, id expect most linux desktop users to be running near enough latest versions. I think this is more of an indicator of the user base than anything else. People who have chosen linux, tend to be more tech savvy and in turn, appreciate things like updates!
  My professional experience, people tend to end up “stuck” on an old Server OS because of a breaking change somewhere in the stack. For example, that redhat server was manually configured and the application ran an old version of Perl. It demanded almost a full rewrite, considerable backwards engineering and quite a lot of investment for a service that was legacy service that no one touched for a decade. It only got flagged because I highlighted it as part of a security audit. I assure you, I wasn’t popular that day!!
• 2025-07-07 9:07 pm

  Alfman verbose=1

  Adurbe,

  For example, that redhat server was manually configured and the application ran an old version of Perl. It demanded almost a full rewrite, considerable backwards engineering and quite a lot of investment for a service that was legacy service that no one touched for a decade. It only got flagged because I highlighted it as part of a security audit. I assure you, I wasn’t popular that day!!

  Sometimes I bemoan upgrading languages that don’t maintain backwards compatibility. For me that tends to be python and php. In one project it really left us stuck between a rock and a hard place because we had two dependencies, one only supported the latest version of python, and another dependency that required an old version.

  I also dislike when projects are too eager to create hard dependencies on the newest cmake before they’re in the repos. Heck I wish tools like cmake would change much less often. What they do in principal shouldn’t need to change on a regular basis.

  Oh well, it is what it is…. I wish we had AI to take care of these version incompatibilities so we could just get on with work without having to deal with menial build errors. Now let me duck behind a corner to avoid the bomb shells 🙂
• 2025-07-08 3:37 pm

  LeFantome

  @Alfman

  I realize that it does not always work but, for me, containers have often been the solution to incompatible dependencies. In particular, you can use distrobox-enter to run scripts or utilities from the command-line that will execute in the container but pull input from and leave generated output on the host filesystem. That may allow you to use, for example, a different Python version than the one you have installed on the host or to use two different python versions within a single build process.

  We agree about cmake including how some projects insist on depending on very recent versions. Even Open Source projects do this. When I first started following SerenityOS, having a recent enough cmake was a hassle on some systems. Again, I generally reach for Arch on Distrobox to get around these kinds of issues. Let the host be the host and handle version requirements in Distrobox. I do the same for C library incompatibility.

  AI can make a mess of development but I would be lying if I said I did not use it to fix build errors. I used AI recently to port a heavily glibc/gcc dependent C++ codebase to musl/clang. I probably lack the skills to do it all myself and it would have certainly taken me WAY longer. Some of the build errors barely made sense to me but I understood all the changes the AI proposed. There were perhaps a couple of dozen build errors across as many files and I had the whole thing building and running in about 30 minutes. It still built fine on glibc/gcc of course. It is hard to argue with those results.
• 2025-07-08 4:38 pm

  Alfman verbose=1

  LeFantome,

  I realize that it does not always work but, for me, containers have often been the solution to incompatible dependencies.

  You’re right in some cases that works. I wish the languages would offer a larger backwards compatibility window to let us upgrade components of projects incrementally and make for a smoother transition.

  AI can make a mess of development but I would be lying if I said I did not use it to fix build errors. I used AI recently to port a heavily glibc/gcc dependent C++ codebase to musl/clang. I probably lack the skills to do it all myself and it would have certainly taken me WAY longer.

  I’ve dealt with my share of API/ABI breakages. I do it because it needs to be done, but over time I feel it’s more nuisance work than productive work and we should have a way to solve it permanently. It’s just as bad with open source packages like openssl and libav/ffmpeg. Sometimes the docs are useless and I have to go to the source code. IMHO I shouldn’t have to read the source code to summarize details like memory ownership semantics (whether you need to free objects passed into functions). All the better if an example is provided. Yet so much code just gets dumped into code repos with no context and we’re left to reverse engineer it.

  I think that an AI specialized in this kind of work could work wonders gluing together pieces of code. That would be a real game changer.

  People often dismiss using AI for trivial things “humans don’t need AI to do that”, which is true, but on the other hand I think it could be really nice to have a AI to handle trivial things like compiler errors/warnings/abi breakages/things that are a nuisance. Delegating lower level work to an AI assistant can improve human productivity. The problems we delegate don’t have to be difficult for the AI to be genuinely useful at solving nuisance problems.
• 2025-07-07 5:56 pm

  Large_Whale

  for linux estimates are: outside rolling, ~5-20% run the latest ver; average adoption 3+ years down is ~40-60%; around 33% run eol/unsupported;
• 2025-07-07 9:49 pm

  NaGERST

  Security goes both ways. I have laughed a lot of times when people that berated me for not updating out system yet and then getting the problems WHY, Yeah there is plenty of updates in history that break the norm. microsoft ones are about the worst ones.
• 2025-07-08 4:51 am

  a_very_dumb_nickname

  It’s not the same for Android. You can buy a Google Pixel and get fresh updates for the next 5-7 years, or you can buy Xiaomi/Samsung/whatever “premium” phone and neither will have fresh nor long updates. It’s your choice.
• 2025-07-08 1:02 pm

  Alfman verbose=1

  a_very_dumb_nickname,

  It’s not the same for Android. You can buy a Google Pixel and get fresh updates for the next 5-7 years, or you can buy Xiaomi/Samsung/whatever “premium” phone and neither will have fresh nor long updates. It’s your choice.

  I’ve come to accept that manufactures aren’t going to fix this. The only real solution would be to take manufacturers out of the loop with updates – like they are on PCs. PC users get to take this for granted, even going so far as to criticize vendor bloatware over a vanilla install. This could solve so many android problems and users would be better off adding distance between the OS and the manufacturer’s planned obsolescence agenda. It would be so nice to be able to buy any phone and install the distro of my choosing on it. Unfortunately android & ARM have never been friendly targets because they don’t support mainline linux. IMHO this is the main barrier to better support. Once again, manufacturers don’t care because they prefer it be difficult for consumers to get support from elsewhere.

  So, I am convinced this status quo will continue for the long term. PCs and x86, having been grandfathered into norms that favor owners, will remain outliers. But the tech industry has decided to go in other directions with new platforms.
• 2025-07-08 4:00 pm

  LeFantome

  @Alfman

  I agree, the solution is to separate the operating system from the hardware vendor. Critically, this means it must be easy to install a third-party operating system to begin with.

  Apple has succeeded in completely locking us out of iPhones and iPads. I am surprised they have not closed down M-series laptops as completely.

  All this TPM stuff in Windows 11 is one more step to taking away our ability to install third-party operating systems even on x86. I am not sure we will ever get there but it is clearly the plan.
• 2025-07-08 4:54 pm

  Alfman verbose=1

  LeFantome,

  All this TPM stuff in Windows 11 is one more step to taking away our ability to install third-party operating systems even on x86. I am not sure we will ever get there but it is clearly the plan.

  TPM is more useful for things like DRM, its presence doesn’t impede alt-os. The same can’t be said of secure-boot though. Fortunately most BIOS vendors still allow us to turn off secure boot. I encountered an x86 system where I could not turn off secure boot and as a result I could only boot linux distros signed by microsoft. It is very dangerous for FOSS to rely on MS as the gatekeeper who gets to decide what runs on our hardware.

  Linux users are lucky to the extent that our backlash over secure boot has weakened manufacturer enforcement of secure boot several years back, but I don’t feel so confident that no executives will ever try this again. Mandatory secure boot enforcement would be a disaster for FOSS/alt-os.

2025-07-07 6:25 pm

ssokolow (Hey, OSNews, U2F/WebAuthn is broken on Firefox!)

*chuckle*

A couple of days ago, I had one family member tell me me’s planning to switch to Linux, and another e-mail me asking when would be a good time to call to ask for advice on switching.

2025-07-07 7:00 pm

iskios

I think that many many windows users just don’t like the changes that come with new versions. Plus corporations are not willing to switch every time Microsoft has a need for more licensing fees.

2025-07-08 12:39 am

smashIt

I swear, it wasn’t me!
The new PC I build last weekend runs 10!

• 2025-07-08 12:54 am

  torp

  Haha I specifically bought a beige box that was windows 11 compatible like 3 years ago. For a while it only ran Linux, but at some point (it was after the win 10 eol announcements) I added a second ssd and put windows on it.

  After careful consideration I installed windows 10 on my windows 11 ready hardware.

  IMO what this announcement really means is that MS finally managed to trick a good bunch of users into installing win 11 with that nag screen you get at boot on win 10…

2025-07-08 2:55 am

cpcf

A lot of people would have upgraded if they could do so easily, without replacing perfectly good hardware.

Even worse, when the quantum singularity arrives, all that new hardware will be just as worthless as the old Win 10 kit. Money wasted.
Of course it’s not just MS that has that problem.

• 2025-07-08 4:56 am

  a_very_dumb_nickname

  I have a Windows PC that I assembled in 2016 for PUBG, and nine years later, without any modifications, it runs Windows 11. I’m not a fan of Windows, but let’s face it: good hardware runs Windows 11.
• 2025-07-08 5:45 am

  Shiunbird

  Yes –

  A 32GB RAM ThinkPad W530
  Even the very stupid generation of Surface Pro that has TPM 2 but heeeeeeeeeeeeey no dice. I owned it.
  A 128GB RAM, 4xNVME, 2x 6 cores Xeon workstation, traaaaaaaaaaash

  I have zero plans to replace any of them. But I must say the ThinkPad W530 runs 11 perfectly after an unsupported install and a bit of driver hunting.

  And even the machine I have that supports it, I ran Windows 11 (it dual boots freebsd), but reversed it because the interface and the nagging irritate me too much.
• 2025-07-08 3:54 pm

  LeFantome

  @Shiunbird

  The frustration with Windows 11 is precisely that, from a performance and resource point of view, it would run on anything that will run Windows 10. This is what makes the number of machines that are not supported by Windows 11 such a potential tragedy.

2025-07-08 6:34 am

NaGERST

Still can not install windows 11 legally on my 44 core/88 thread xeon 256gb ram machine. Technically i COULD buy the TPM module from my mainboard manufacturer, but they prefer i buy a new amd machine instead and does not provide them in large numbers, so i have to buy one from shady chinese suppliers instead. No thanks, ill just stay with Haiku, Linux and surprisingly enough Windows 7 works just fine after some mods to the install via an external computer. Windows 10 works, but it was removed since it had no purpose for me.

• 2025-07-08 3:51 pm

  LeFantome

  @NaGERST

  Are you running Haiku on a “44 core/88 thread xeon 256gb ram machine”? I would love to see that.

  None of my Linux stuff even approaches that. Jealous.
• 2025-07-08 5:58 pm

  NaGERST

  I could send you some screenshots, or if you prefer, i could stream with a camera… but the 44core machine is the lowest in the rack so it would be a right kerfuffle to do.. but yeah. Ill take some photos for you, but it is just a basic dual 22 core intel xeon mb from asus with a resoldered p transistor. You can see images of the mod all over the internet. the PCEI slots are all filled of course, one is the gpu as the server board does not have one so i hav esettled for a thin rx6750 that only uses one slot. All other slots are of course not open to the 1u riser, so i just slapped sofr risers and nvme boards wherever they would fit. The original storage device SDA0 runs Haiku and linux. the extra nvme devices are used for linux in XFS, you dont realize how little space you actually need until you tried BeOS/haiku yeah i can and do live and work on the usb stick sometimes from the haiku project.
• 2025-07-08 6:01 pm

  NaGERST

  I might be wrong, the GPU that is in the machine is a RX6k seried, but perhaps a lower number. Still a good Haiku Machine though.

2025-07-08 4:17 pm

josehill

I’d guess that a significant portion of the issue is due to older machines that are perfectly usable with Windows 10 but aren’t compatible with Windows 11.

For example, I have an eight year old Dell with an i7-6700 CPU, 16 GB RAM, and an SSD in the home office. It doesn’t have TPM 2.0, so it doesn’t support Windows 11, but it performs quite well with routine tasks on Windows 10. Obviously, it’s not suitable for modern gaming, but I would be fine using it all day for normal productivity purposes. I have no doubt that it would run Windows 11 comparably with the appropriate settings to reduce animations, transparencies, and other eye candy, if Microsoft allowed it. Barring a hardware failure, I see no reason to replace it before the end of the Extended Security Update program in October 2026.

2025-07-08 5:46 pm

NaGERST

Press X to doubt..

2025-07-09 1:14 pm

Pokaia2

I have traditionally skipped every other windows release. So I have been waiting for windows 12. May have to upgrade a couple of machines to 11. Others will go linux.

Windows 3.11 -> Windows 95 -> Windows 2000 -> Windows XP -> Windows 7 -> Windows 10