
Windows dips below 50% of web traffic to US govt websites - umeshunni
https://analytics.usa.gov/
======
dade_
I am visiting elderly relatives this week, so I get my anecdotal updates. The
Windows machine was under a towel (for dust) which basically means it isn't
being used anymore. The story: after clicking no every time, his Windows 7
machine auto-upgraded to Windows 10. He has figured out how load Internet
Explorer to find his links, but is baffled by the rest of Windows. So he went
out and upgraded his phone to a new Samsung smartphone and uses it for all of
his email and web searches. He still needs a bigger device and is planning to
buy an Android tablet because he thinks it will be similar to his phone and
easier than figuring out Windows 10. He also wanted to know if he can still
get viruses on Windows 10, which is his other reason to switch to Android. I
showed him how he can use voice to interact with his device because his
eyesight keeps him from using his devices for long periods of time. Saying "Ok
Google" is really un-intuitive, he actually wrote it down. Also, he found new
games to replace the ones he played on Windows.

So this Windows 10 auto-update could very well be pushing people to abandon
their desktop/laptop altogether if they don't have a use case forcing them to
keep Windows.

~~~
ralfd
Similar story here, but with iPad (good accessibility for old people eye
sight). Only Apple iCloud is still baffling (my cloud storage is full? I think
I forgot my password?), but many things like TouchID make it easy to use and
the simplicity of the system is unkaputtbar/secure compared to a "real"
computer.

~~~
glial
iCloud storage is baffling to me too, and I work in tech!

~~~
thesmok
I just don't use it for iCloud backups. Plug my iDevices to iTunes for local
backup once a month and it's all peace.

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executesorder66
Wow, these are really good stats. I wish my government had something like
this.

Was this created by the United States Digital Service[0]? I've heard great
things about them.

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Digital_Service](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Digital_Service)

~~~
raarts
Close. It's 18F Digital Services Delivery. The website says the code is on
github [1]

[1]
[https://github.com/18F/analytics.usa.gov](https://github.com/18F/analytics.usa.gov)

~~~
konklone
It's both. 18F hosts the code and led the development, but there were major
contributions from USDS (such as the visual design). And the program itself is
owned and directed by the Digital Analytics Program, another team in the GSA.
It was a team effort.

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maheshs
Mobile keep growing which is the result of the dip in traffic from windows. As
a desktop, windows still strong.

~~~
deviate_X
Unless you can show absolute numbers, you can't call it a "dip".

Like many in various industries there has been a huge push to support mobile,
and thus the effect the larger % of the population who use mobiles vs pc's
comes into effect

~~~
cptskippy
Why is that? He's just pointing out that the dwindling numbers are not
necessarily because of a desktop market share decline but because of the
growth of mobile. We're seeing this everywhere.

~~~
pdpi
The point is, as a _share_ the numbers are dwindling, but we can't tell from
the share numbers whether the _absolute numbers_ are dwindling, stagnant, or
still growing (albeit slower than mobile growth).

------
TorKlingberg
Interesting that Windows 7 is still twice as common as Windows 10.

~~~
dogma1138
Don't know about the US government specifically however it's not uncommon for
the government to be the biggest single user of it's websites, followed
usually by business/corporate users. If this is the case in the US also then a
lot of business users have not upgraded to Windows 10 yet.

~~~
AnAfrican
The US Postal Services' websites are by far the most visited.

Followed by things like the Weather services and then things related to health
or social security.

Those are "costumer"-oriented sites. But then again, some of them could be
browsing from their work computers.

~~~
dogma1138
That doesn't necessarily mean much, every time I went to the post office here
in the UK and asked for something specific they went on their website and
printed a page for me (not the most efficient use of resources but hey it
works), there's also the case of terminals at public government offices where
the public can go to use online resources (home office, and job center are a
good example of that), this could be not that different from 30% of the site
hits for HSBC in the UK which are from within the internet banking terminals
in the branches.

But as tdlowden said apparently only 4% actually comes from US government
networks so I guess it's not the case, tho I don't know if it's only federal
or also local government since the US has a very tiered form of government.

------
zeveb
Kinda funny how the NASA & NSF sites see a lot of Linux usage (because their
visitors are geekier) but less Android usage (because they are more upper-
class, and Apple devices are a status signal).

~~~
JustSomeNobody
Are Apple devices really seen as a status device?

Maybe I don't see it because I don't need validation.

~~~
zeveb
> Are Apple devices really seen as a status device?

By the sort of person who'd rather pay extra for a Mac than just use Linux,
sure. I remember seeing an acquaintance wax eloquent to another acquaintance
about how perfectly designed the iPhone is (it's not: it's a plain black box)
— it was really just a way of showing to his acquaintance how wise and clever
he is to appreciate the emperor's new clothes.

> Maybe I don't see it because I don't need validation.

Me neither, which is why I haven't bought an Apple computer in this
millennium.

~~~
Roboprog
In fairness, I have 2 phones. My personal phone is an Android, because I'm
cheap. My work phone is an iPhone, and it has MUCH better battery life.

Most features might be quite similar, but as far as I know, using [Objective]
C on custom hardware is more efficient than pseudo-Java, resulting in less
battery usage, and better audio latency for stuff like Garbage Band on my
iPad.

... At least until the Android JIT catches up. When that happens, Android code
might well become better/faster, due to there being less of it to glean the
intent from. But we're not there, yet. And I'm definitely on a tangent now :-)

(and, I have all 3 major OSs on various home computers)

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forgotAgain
Wow, that's a US government page. Good job!

------
behnamoh
No wonder, given the post-PC era began a few years ago, shifting the focus to
portable devices. Although I believe we're entering a post-post-PC era, w/ IoT
and VR/AR on the horizon (both of which consume orders of magnitude more
internet than ordinary mobile phones.)

------
JohnnyConatus
Confirmed: Russian hackers use Linux.

------
benologist
I think Windows has become obsolete. For most people it's now something you
choose to install in increasingly annoying update windows vs automatically
installed on new PCs that used to sell like hotcakes. Everyone was
automatically opted out of Windows 10 as they kept using old computers with no
compelling reasons to buy a new PC again (probably 'ever' for most people).
Phones usurped a lot of tasks that are more convenient that way and that will
only continue.

I think Google will do some damage to Windows next year through Surface clones
and Chromebooks. Chrome OS is getting pretty competent with support rolling
out for the full Play Store... and through that people have already installed
the Windows version of Steam and playable games. The full desktop browser is
also very empowering. Overall it's becoming directly equivalent at all the
good stuff, it's even Linux under the hood and can co-install full Ubuntu.
What it leaves behind allows for mindless security, no upkeep, and
performance.

Apple like to think their iPad Pro is the next generation of PCs too -

[http://www.macrumors.com/2016/08/01/apple-new-ipad-pro-
compu...](http://www.macrumors.com/2016/08/01/apple-new-ipad-pro-computer-
replacement-ad/)

~~~
nommm-nommm
I'm not sure there's a single task that I've found more convenient to do on a
phone than a desktop.

~~~
marcosdumay
Taking photos :)

But seriously, the small screen and accelerometers viabilize different kinds
of interactions. Some games manage to be fun on mobile, while they would
obviously be very dull on desktops. I would not be surprised if there were
serious applications exploiting those features too.

And there is the "taking photos" category, where I was only half joking.
There's a set of tasks that the desktop can't even handle.

~~~
WayneBro
My 8 inch Windows tablet which is not much larger than many phablets and runs
a full desktop OS works better and gives me way more control.

Tell me, what category of tasks could it not handle?

