1. Many clerical jobs are using web-based apps. It doesn't matter which platform you use.
2. Scientific jobs are still highly Mac-based
3. College professors use a higher percentage of Macs than the general population
4. Executive positions. Since you're doing memos, presentations, and spreadsheets much of the time, either platform works fine.
5. If you have a single Windows-based app you must use, it can easily be done on the Mac with Parallels or another VM. It can be set up so you never have to use Windows directly - just the app.
This "you MUST use Windows" mentality hasn't been true in most jobs for years.
That's a stretch. Please remember, my original comment was there are few if any industries beside graphic design where you can get by without Windows skills.
All of the occupations you listed are primarily done using Windows regardless of whether they could be done on Macs, they just aren't for some reason. If you want to put "I have no Windows experience" in your resume, go right ahead. It is fine with me.
That's a stretch. Please remember, my original comment was there are few if any industries beside graphic design where you can get by without Windows skills.
All of the occupations you listed are primarily done using Windows regardless of whether they could be done on Macs, they just aren't for some reason. If you want to put "I have no Windows experience" in your resume, go right ahead. It is fine with me.
Many professionals use Windows not because there is special "Windows skill". Many people still use Windows because the software they use are Windows only. Also, there licensing and budget issues when it comes to moving to a new platform. This is the same reason Windows XP is still 50%+ of OS market. Upgrading to Vista/7 or moving to Mac for most business and people involve buying new software and this cost lots of money. It is always cheaper to upgrade than to buy a new license for a new platform.
There is nothing superior about Windows and you don't need a special skill to use it. It is all about software availability and cost. Windows developer are slowly releasing Mac versions of their apps. Many Windows developers who released iOS apps realized that they already have the necessary knowledge and tools to release a Mac version of their apps.
Looks like 1.4% of Mac users still old systems, mostly G4s I guess.
No, the report is that Leopard has a 1.17% total desktop market share, i.e. still larger than Lion's 1.03%. It means around a fifth of Mac users are running Leopard and more than half are running Snow Leopard. Only about a sixth so far use Lion.
That's a stretch. Please remember, my original comment was there are few if any industries beside graphic design where you can get by without Windows skills.
All of the occupations you listed are primarily done using Windows regardless of whether they could be done on Macs, they just aren't for some reason. If you want to put "I have no Windows experience" in your resume, go right ahead. It is fine with me.
Wrong. Every one of the occupations I mentioned can be done without ever touching Windows - so you don't need Windows skills.
Wrong. Every one of the occupations I mentioned can be done without ever touching Windows - so you don't need Windows skills.
Face it - you were wrong.
OK I admit I was wrong to try to use words to communicate with you. You clearly do not understand what I am saying. But I'll give it one more try. Yes a Mac can do almost any business task but unless you own the business and decided to use ONLY Macs then there is a very high probability that as an employee at any of the professions you listed you will be required to use Windows computers. The only exception is in graphic arts. If your job is not graphic arts and you have never used a Windows computer before you will be at a distinct disadvantage and may even be let go due to unsuitable computer skills. If you have never used a Windows computer and don't intend to learn how to, you should stick with graphic arts unless you own your own business.
That's a stretch. Please remember, my original comment was there are few if any industries beside graphic design where you can get by without Windows skills.
Maybe proficiency would be a better word than skills. As you may know just about everything is different between the two platforms. There are of course some fundamental similarities, but in my example if you were a new employee with no Windows experience you would not be hitting the ground running and any question you asked about your computer would most likely make you look like an idiot.
OK I admit I was wrong to try to use words to communicate with you. You clearly do not understand what I am saying. But I'll give it one more try. Yes a Mac can do almost any business task but unless you own the business and decided to use ONLY Macs then there is a very high probability that as an employee at any of the professions you listed you will be required to use Windows computers. The only exception is in graphic arts. If your job is not graphic arts and you have never used a Windows computer before you will be at a distinct disadvantage and may even be let go due to unsuitable computer skills. If you have never used a Windows computer and don't intend to learn how to, you should stick with graphic arts unless you own your own business.
And, once again, you are full of it.
Lots of academics do just fine without ever touching a Windows computer. The fact that OTHER people at the university use Windows is irrelevant.
I've spent my entire career using Macs in Windows- centric companies. Does that mean I can't do my work? Of course not. I've been able to function very well.
Face it - your statement that you need Windows skills is a blatant lie.
Lots of academics do just fine without ever touching a Windows computer. The fact that OTHER people at the university use Windows is irrelevant.
I've spent my entire career using Macs in Windows- centric companies. Does that mean I can't do my work? Of course not. I've been able to function very well.
Face it - your statement that you need Windows skills is a blatant lie.
Dude you just don't get it. It is not about you bucking the trend in an environment that is Windows centric. It is about the average guy or gal who thinks they know what business computing is all about based on using a Mac all their academic life. There is going to be a rude awakening when they accept a job and discover that none of their co-workers give a shit about Macs and think you are a dumb ass for not knowing your way around a Windows machine.
I'm pretty surprised at people suggesting you can get by completely without using Windows in academia. I guess if it is totally pure research not requiring much in the way of software, you could, ironically using Microsoft Office - trying to submit journal article materials using iWork would be a fun experience I'm sure. "Why do your tables have so many line breaks after them?"
Perhaps that's why they get you to send things in so piecemeal for many journals, separate files for tables and figures - I always did wonder, seems so primitive.
But when you get into maths/stats stuff, requiring SAS or similar software, there just isn't the choice. SPSS is just nasty on Mac and R can't handle large data sets; I think Stata have some semblance of a Mac version but not sure on that one. But SAS hasn't had a Mac version in over 10 years, mainly because so much of their code is more like 40 years old. I run SAS via a server on RDP but it's still using Windows.
On the topic directly, it's pretty surprising to me, but good to hear the majority of it is still down to SL, early adopters are a much smaller percentage based on this than I thought! And I bet those PPC Leopard users are still loving their Dock stacks with nested sorting - lucky buggers!
Most people are creatures of habit. This is shown by the number of people still using Windows XP that never upgraded. We can also see from the numbers that a great majority of IPHONE and IPAD users are also using Windows. This may change now that LION is available,however the majority will always stick to Windows as this is the system used by most in the workplace.
Updating from XP to windows & was not an easy process for most people (much more difficult that the Vista to Win 7 upgrade). Most people are not technical minded and there are many MS users who will not update an OS on existing hardware. And some of the more technical users bought Vista, hated it and rolled it back to XP. Unlikely to shell out for another update on the same hardware.
Desktop operating system market share by platform, August 2011
Lion adoption has significantly improved when compared with the Snow Leopard upgrade, Apple?s previous major Mac OS release. The latter claimed just 0.78% share after its first month and passed 1% only during its second month of sales, despite being priced, like Lion, at $29.99.
Desktop operating system market share by version, August 2011
The phenomenon may be explained by the new distribution system that Apple implemented for Lion. The operating system has been sold exclusively through the Mac App Store, a move that may have convinced more customers to upgrade earlier, as compared to Snow Leopard, whose default distribution method was via physical DVDs.
This story doesnt add up somehow. Theres something dodgy about those figures OR the conclusions drawn!
As i understand it you cant install lion without the appstore then all the customers who bought the lion had to purchace the snow leo?!? 1+1=2!
But if you dont have snow leo and install lion? How could they?!? That means that they had to sell much machines now with lion to account for the figures?!? Thats the only option I can come up with.
Lots of academics do just fine without ever touching a Windows computer. The fact that OTHER people at the university use Windows is irrelevant.
I've spent my entire career using Macs in Windows- centric companies. Does that mean I can't do my work? Of course not. I've been able to function very well.
Face it - your statement that you need Windows skills is a blatant lie.
I would agree you can get through life without ever knowing how to use Windows.
It seems kind of pointless though.
Work place training makes your resume look better and the cost is minimal.
Dude you just don't get it. It is not about you bucking the trend in an environment that is Windows centric. It is about the average guy or gal who thinks they know what business computing is all about based on using a Mac all their academic life. There is going to be a rude awakening when they accept a job and discover that none of their co-workers give a shit about Macs and think you are a dumb ass for not knowing your way around a Windows machine.
No, the problem is that you are a dumb ass for not being able to have a rational debate.
You said that you needed Windows skills in order to succeed at anything other than flipping burgers or doing graphics arts (and you even waffled on that one). The fact is that you are just plain wrong. Many, many people succeed in all sorts of fields without having any Windows skills - or ever touching a Windows computer at all.
The fact that you want to keep revising your argument is one sign of how weak your argument is. The fact is that you do not NEED Windows skills to succeed in most fields.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Firefly7475
I would agree you can get through life without ever knowing how to use Windows.
It seems kind of pointless though.
Work place training makes your resume look better and the cost is minimal.
Of course. Most Mac users I know have used Windows - which only makes them more thankful when they get back to their Mac.
But mstone keeps insisting that you can't possibly succeed at anything other than flipping burgers or graphics arts unless you have 'windows skills' - and he's absolutely wrong.
This story doesnt add up somehow. Theres something dodgy about those figures OR the conclusions drawn!
As i understand it you cant install lion without the appstore then all the customers who bought the lion had to purchace the snow leo?!? 1+1=2!
But if you dont have snow leo and install lion? How could they?!? That means that they had to sell much machines now with lion to account for the figures?!? Thats the only option I can come up with.
No, the problem is that they're still using 'market share' to describe the conclusions of this study. This study actually measures something closer to installed base than market share. That is, the study tells what is on the computer TODAY, not what OS came with the computer or what OS was on it yesterday. If the sample were representative, then the results would be the installed base of the various operating systems, not the market share.
However, the sample is not representative. Someone with a brand new computer running Lion or Windows 7 might well use their computer differently - and access the web differently than someone with a 4 year old computer running OS X 10.3 or Windows XP. So, it's really only accurate to state that the results of this survey measure 'web share' - or the percentage of web access from each OS.
Of course, even that's not completely accurate - since they are surveying a subset of the entire web and we don't have any guarantees that the sites they surveyed are representative of the entire Internet.
Because of that, it's best not to read too much into the study at all and take the numbers with a huge grain of salt. Rather, the more important information from surveys like this one are the trends that are observed. Clearly, OS X is growing. Windows 7 is growing. Looking at the rate of change, it would be interesting to see if Windows 7 is growing faster than Vista did. Or if Windows 7 is gaining share mostly from former Vista users or from former XP users. And so on.
No, the problem is that you are a dumb ass for not being able to have a rational debate.
You said that you needed Windows skills in order to succeed at anything other than flipping burgers or doing graphics arts (and you even waffled on that one). The fact is that you are just plain wrong. Many, many people succeed in all sorts of fields without having any Windows skills - or ever touching a Windows computer at all.
The fact that you want to keep revising your argument is one sign of how weak your argument is. The fact is that you do not NEED Windows skills to succeed in most fields.
I don't think my position has changed whatsoever. I have nothing to prove and would never try to convince anyone to choose Windows over Mac since I'm a Mac guy from way back. The fact of the matter is that you are right in one respect; that nothing is impossible, a very talented individual could force their way through what is traditionally a Windows centric profession using only a Mac. That said it is highly unusual for someone to start a job where everyone else is using a company issued Windows computer and come in saying that they want a Mac instead or they want to bring their own Mac instead. It just rarely happens. You would have to be a pretty special individual to be able make that demand on day one.
Judging solely on my own experience going from business to business, to City Hall, to the airport, medical office, etc., I do not see any workers using Macs. If I go to the coffee shop I see lots of customers using Macs, but somehow I doubt that they are company issued. That is why the statistics bear out the numbers they do. Business is 90% Windows and Windows proficiency is required. A person will need to be very selective as to what type of career field they will be able to enter lacking those skills.
It is sort of like trying to be an international business person without being able to speak any English.
I apologize if my use of the phrase 'dumb ass' was misinterpreted as a reference to you, it was not. I was describing a scene where other co-workers might think that about an unskilled employee. Your usage however did seem like a personal attack which makes your argument much weaker and rather ironic that you used it in describing your rational debate.
No doubt. With only 92% of the market they should be in a total panic.
If I were Balmer, I'd be more concerned that the total number of XP users is still higher than that of Windows 7. October 22, 2011 is the 2 year anniversary. I wouldn't be too excited that their best OS ever is still behind their "Old Best OS Ever" by 20%...
Well I didn't consider flipping hamburgers as a real world job. Sure that doesn't require knowledge of Windows. Seriously, what industry segment aside from graphic design would you not need to know how to work with Windows computers?
Actually, less and less by the day. 10 years ago I'd agree 100% with your statement. That's changing daily. As more and more applications move to the cloud, and become even more Web-centric, the need for a PC, or more specifically a "Windows" PC will be moot. That's why OS X Lion, and soon Windows 8, are moving toward their respective mobile siblings, in terms of look/feel/functionality.
Within 2 - 3 years, Windows, and yes even OS X, systems will be the exception, not the rule in business. That isn't to say they'll be completely eradicated; far from it. However, the trend is starting. Larger company's rarely issues "PC's" any more. They give new staff a stipend, and let them get what they want. The users then connect to a Citrix, or VDI environment for applications, or directly to the web.
Server admins, etc. will still be needed, and they'll definitely need "Windows" skills. However, they'll be more suited to get a good working knowledge of security, Web Servers, and understand thin provisioning [ala VMWare, etc.]. Those with MCSE's can use them for wallpaper
Comments
Any number of jobs.
1. Many clerical jobs are using web-based apps. It doesn't matter which platform you use.
2. Scientific jobs are still highly Mac-based
3. College professors use a higher percentage of Macs than the general population
4. Executive positions. Since you're doing memos, presentations, and spreadsheets much of the time, either platform works fine.
5. If you have a single Windows-based app you must use, it can easily be done on the Mac with Parallels or another VM. It can be set up so you never have to use Windows directly - just the app.
This "you MUST use Windows" mentality hasn't been true in most jobs for years.
That's a stretch. Please remember, my original comment was there are few if any industries beside graphic design where you can get by without Windows skills.
All of the occupations you listed are primarily done using Windows regardless of whether they could be done on Macs, they just aren't for some reason. If you want to put "I have no Windows experience" in your resume, go right ahead. It is fine with me.
That's a stretch. Please remember, my original comment was there are few if any industries beside graphic design where you can get by without Windows skills.
All of the occupations you listed are primarily done using Windows regardless of whether they could be done on Macs, they just aren't for some reason. If you want to put "I have no Windows experience" in your resume, go right ahead. It is fine with me.
Many professionals use Windows not because there is special "Windows skill". Many people still use Windows because the software they use are Windows only. Also, there licensing and budget issues when it comes to moving to a new platform. This is the same reason Windows XP is still 50%+ of OS market. Upgrading to Vista/7 or moving to Mac for most business and people involve buying new software and this cost lots of money. It is always cheaper to upgrade than to buy a new license for a new platform.
There is nothing superior about Windows and you don't need a special skill to use it. It is all about software availability and cost. Windows developer are slowly releasing Mac versions of their apps. Many Windows developers who released iOS apps realized that they already have the necessary knowledge and tools to release a Mac version of their apps.
Looks like 1.4% of Mac users still old systems, mostly G4s I guess.
No, the report is that Leopard has a 1.17% total desktop market share, i.e. still larger than Lion's 1.03%. It means around a fifth of Mac users are running Leopard and more than half are running Snow Leopard. Only about a sixth so far use Lion.
That's a stretch. Please remember, my original comment was there are few if any industries beside graphic design where you can get by without Windows skills.
All of the occupations you listed are primarily done using Windows regardless of whether they could be done on Macs, they just aren't for some reason. If you want to put "I have no Windows experience" in your resume, go right ahead. It is fine with me.
Wrong. Every one of the occupations I mentioned can be done without ever touching Windows - so you don't need Windows skills.
Face it - you were wrong.
Wrong. Every one of the occupations I mentioned can be done without ever touching Windows - so you don't need Windows skills.
Face it - you were wrong.
OK I admit I was wrong to try to use words to communicate with you. You clearly do not understand what I am saying. But I'll give it one more try. Yes a Mac can do almost any business task but unless you own the business and decided to use ONLY Macs then there is a very high probability that as an employee at any of the professions you listed you will be required to use Windows computers. The only exception is in graphic arts. If your job is not graphic arts and you have never used a Windows computer before you will be at a distinct disadvantage and may even be let go due to unsuitable computer skills. If you have never used a Windows computer and don't intend to learn how to, you should stick with graphic arts unless you own your own business.
That's a stretch. Please remember, my original comment was there are few if any industries beside graphic design where you can get by without Windows skills.
What exactly are "Windows skills"?
What exactly are "Windows skills"?
Maybe proficiency would be a better word than skills. As you may know just about everything is different between the two platforms. There are of course some fundamental similarities, but in my example if you were a new employee with no Windows experience you would not be hitting the ground running and any question you asked about your computer would most likely make you look like an idiot.
OK I admit I was wrong to try to use words to communicate with you. You clearly do not understand what I am saying. But I'll give it one more try. Yes a Mac can do almost any business task but unless you own the business and decided to use ONLY Macs then there is a very high probability that as an employee at any of the professions you listed you will be required to use Windows computers. The only exception is in graphic arts. If your job is not graphic arts and you have never used a Windows computer before you will be at a distinct disadvantage and may even be let go due to unsuitable computer skills. If you have never used a Windows computer and don't intend to learn how to, you should stick with graphic arts unless you own your own business.
And, once again, you are full of it.
Lots of academics do just fine without ever touching a Windows computer. The fact that OTHER people at the university use Windows is irrelevant.
I've spent my entire career using Macs in Windows- centric companies. Does that mean I can't do my work? Of course not. I've been able to function very well.
Face it - your statement that you need Windows skills is a blatant lie.
And, once again, you are full of it.
Lots of academics do just fine without ever touching a Windows computer. The fact that OTHER people at the university use Windows is irrelevant.
I've spent my entire career using Macs in Windows- centric companies. Does that mean I can't do my work? Of course not. I've been able to function very well.
Face it - your statement that you need Windows skills is a blatant lie.
Dude you just don't get it. It is not about you bucking the trend in an environment that is Windows centric. It is about the average guy or gal who thinks they know what business computing is all about based on using a Mac all their academic life. There is going to be a rude awakening when they accept a job and discover that none of their co-workers give a shit about Macs and think you are a dumb ass for not knowing your way around a Windows machine.
Perhaps that's why they get you to send things in so piecemeal for many journals, separate files for tables and figures - I always did wonder, seems so primitive.
But when you get into maths/stats stuff, requiring SAS or similar software, there just isn't the choice. SPSS is just nasty on Mac and R can't handle large data sets; I think Stata have some semblance of a Mac version but not sure on that one. But SAS hasn't had a Mac version in over 10 years, mainly because so much of their code is more like 40 years old. I run SAS via a server on RDP but it's still using Windows.
On the topic directly, it's pretty surprising to me, but good to hear the majority of it is still down to SL, early adopters are a much smaller percentage based on this than I thought! And I bet those PPC Leopard users are still loving their Dock stacks with nested sorting - lucky buggers!
Most people are creatures of habit. This is shown by the number of people still using Windows XP that never upgraded. We can also see from the numbers that a great majority of IPHONE and IPAD users are also using Windows. This may change now that LION is available,however the majority will always stick to Windows as this is the system used by most in the workplace.
Updating from XP to windows & was not an easy process for most people (much more difficult that the Vista to Win 7 upgrade). Most people are not technical minded and there are many MS users who will not update an OS on existing hardware. And some of the more technical users bought Vista, hated it and rolled it back to XP. Unlikely to shell out for another update on the same hardware.
Desktop operating system market share by platform, August 2011
Lion adoption has significantly improved when compared with the Snow Leopard upgrade, Apple?s previous major Mac OS release. The latter claimed just 0.78% share after its first month and passed 1% only during its second month of sales, despite being priced, like Lion, at $29.99.
Desktop operating system market share by version, August 2011
The phenomenon may be explained by the new distribution system that Apple implemented for Lion. The operating system has been sold exclusively through the Mac App Store, a move that may have convinced more customers to upgrade earlier, as compared to Snow Leopard, whose default distribution method was via physical DVDs.
This story doesnt add up somehow. Theres something dodgy about those figures OR the conclusions drawn!
As i understand it you cant install lion without the appstore then all the customers who bought the lion had to purchace the snow leo?!? 1+1=2!
But if you dont have snow leo and install lion? How could they?!? That means that they had to sell much machines now with lion to account for the figures?!? Thats the only option I can come up with.
I'd prefer to know the installed base.
Lots of academics do just fine without ever touching a Windows computer. The fact that OTHER people at the university use Windows is irrelevant.
I've spent my entire career using Macs in Windows- centric companies. Does that mean I can't do my work? Of course not. I've been able to function very well.
Face it - your statement that you need Windows skills is a blatant lie.
I would agree you can get through life without ever knowing how to use Windows.
It seems kind of pointless though.
Work place training makes your resume look better and the cost is minimal.
Dude you just don't get it. It is not about you bucking the trend in an environment that is Windows centric. It is about the average guy or gal who thinks they know what business computing is all about based on using a Mac all their academic life. There is going to be a rude awakening when they accept a job and discover that none of their co-workers give a shit about Macs and think you are a dumb ass for not knowing your way around a Windows machine.
No, the problem is that you are a dumb ass for not being able to have a rational debate.
You said that you needed Windows skills in order to succeed at anything other than flipping burgers or doing graphics arts (and you even waffled on that one). The fact is that you are just plain wrong. Many, many people succeed in all sorts of fields without having any Windows skills - or ever touching a Windows computer at all.
The fact that you want to keep revising your argument is one sign of how weak your argument is. The fact is that you do not NEED Windows skills to succeed in most fields.
I would agree you can get through life without ever knowing how to use Windows.
It seems kind of pointless though.
Work place training makes your resume look better and the cost is minimal.
Of course. Most Mac users I know have used Windows - which only makes them more thankful when they get back to their Mac.
But mstone keeps insisting that you can't possibly succeed at anything other than flipping burgers or graphics arts unless you have 'windows skills' - and he's absolutely wrong.
This story doesnt add up somehow. Theres something dodgy about those figures OR the conclusions drawn!
As i understand it you cant install lion without the appstore then all the customers who bought the lion had to purchace the snow leo?!? 1+1=2!
But if you dont have snow leo and install lion? How could they?!? That means that they had to sell much machines now with lion to account for the figures?!? Thats the only option I can come up with.
No, the problem is that they're still using 'market share' to describe the conclusions of this study. This study actually measures something closer to installed base than market share. That is, the study tells what is on the computer TODAY, not what OS came with the computer or what OS was on it yesterday. If the sample were representative, then the results would be the installed base of the various operating systems, not the market share.
However, the sample is not representative. Someone with a brand new computer running Lion or Windows 7 might well use their computer differently - and access the web differently than someone with a 4 year old computer running OS X 10.3 or Windows XP. So, it's really only accurate to state that the results of this survey measure 'web share' - or the percentage of web access from each OS.
Of course, even that's not completely accurate - since they are surveying a subset of the entire web and we don't have any guarantees that the sites they surveyed are representative of the entire Internet.
Because of that, it's best not to read too much into the study at all and take the numbers with a huge grain of salt. Rather, the more important information from surveys like this one are the trends that are observed. Clearly, OS X is growing. Windows 7 is growing. Looking at the rate of change, it would be interesting to see if Windows 7 is growing faster than Vista did. Or if Windows 7 is gaining share mostly from former Vista users or from former XP users. And so on.
No, the problem is that you are a dumb ass for not being able to have a rational debate.
You said that you needed Windows skills in order to succeed at anything other than flipping burgers or doing graphics arts (and you even waffled on that one). The fact is that you are just plain wrong. Many, many people succeed in all sorts of fields without having any Windows skills - or ever touching a Windows computer at all.
The fact that you want to keep revising your argument is one sign of how weak your argument is. The fact is that you do not NEED Windows skills to succeed in most fields.
I don't think my position has changed whatsoever. I have nothing to prove and would never try to convince anyone to choose Windows over Mac since I'm a Mac guy from way back. The fact of the matter is that you are right in one respect; that nothing is impossible, a very talented individual could force their way through what is traditionally a Windows centric profession using only a Mac. That said it is highly unusual for someone to start a job where everyone else is using a company issued Windows computer and come in saying that they want a Mac instead or they want to bring their own Mac instead. It just rarely happens. You would have to be a pretty special individual to be able make that demand on day one.
Judging solely on my own experience going from business to business, to City Hall, to the airport, medical office, etc., I do not see any workers using Macs. If I go to the coffee shop I see lots of customers using Macs, but somehow I doubt that they are company issued. That is why the statistics bear out the numbers they do. Business is 90% Windows and Windows proficiency is required. A person will need to be very selective as to what type of career field they will be able to enter lacking those skills.
It is sort of like trying to be an international business person without being able to speak any English.
I apologize if my use of the phrase 'dumb ass' was misinterpreted as a reference to you, it was not. I was describing a scene where other co-workers might think that about an unskilled employee. Your usage however did seem like a personal attack which makes your argument much weaker and rather ironic that you used it in describing your rational debate.
No doubt. With only 92% of the market they should be in a total panic.
If I were Balmer, I'd be more concerned that the total number of XP users is still higher than that of Windows 7. October 22, 2011 is the 2 year anniversary. I wouldn't be too excited that their best OS ever is still behind their "Old Best OS Ever" by 20%...
Well I didn't consider flipping hamburgers as a real world job. Sure that doesn't require knowledge of Windows. Seriously, what industry segment aside from graphic design would you not need to know how to work with Windows computers?
Actually, less and less by the day. 10 years ago I'd agree 100% with your statement. That's changing daily. As more and more applications move to the cloud, and become even more Web-centric, the need for a PC, or more specifically a "Windows" PC will be moot. That's why OS X Lion, and soon Windows 8, are moving toward their respective mobile siblings, in terms of look/feel/functionality.
Within 2 - 3 years, Windows, and yes even OS X, systems will be the exception, not the rule in business. That isn't to say they'll be completely eradicated; far from it. However, the trend is starting. Larger company's rarely issues "PC's" any more. They give new staff a stipend, and let them get what they want. The users then connect to a Citrix, or VDI environment for applications, or directly to the web.
Server admins, etc. will still be needed, and they'll definitely need "Windows" skills. However, they'll be more suited to get a good working knowledge of security, Web Servers, and understand thin provisioning [ala VMWare, etc.]. Those with MCSE's can use them for wallpaper