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PC Pitstop Window's Accessory Usage Survey Results

The PC Pitstop July 2007 survey took a look at how people make use of the Windows accessory tools, services and applications. These accessories are generally included as part of the Windows operating system with each providing some specific functionality for PC users.

The Calculator ranked as the top Windows Accessory application that most respondents indicated they used frequently. The data also revealed that the frequent use of many of these applications correlated to the respondents level of PC expertise. Generally, folks that considered themselves advanced PC users were more likely to use the general Windows Accessory tools.

Narrator, a text-to-speech utility was identified as the application that most respondents indicated they never use. HyperTerminal, On Screen Keyboard, Remote Desktop Connection and Synchronize also made the list of top never-used applications.
Interestingly, over 83% of the respondents indicated that they had performed a system restore from a Windows restore point.

The Windows Event Log Service records application, security and system events in Event Viewer. Event logs can often be very useful in identifying and diagnosing system problems and issues. It is probably no surprise that advanced PC users are 2 to 3 times more likely to review the Windows Manager event log than intermediate and novice PC users. Approximately 73% of the PC experts indicated that they frequently or occasionally review their Windows event log while 74% of the novice users said they never review their event logs.

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Flying Caveman: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Thu, 06 Sep 2007 05:41:47 GMT)

A financial mode would be nice for the calculator, something better thain paint for editing pictures, and or course your going to use word pad or notepad because how else are you going to be able to read that text document.?

tito: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Wed, 05 Sep 2007 19:58:26 GMT)

QUOTE(Bruce @ 12:03pm Wed Sep 5 2007) [snapback]1419499[/snapback]

http://www.cinepaint.org/

Your point being?

Bruce: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Wed, 05 Sep 2007 18:03:01 GMT)

http://www.cinepaint.org/

tito: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Wed, 05 Sep 2007 17:50:48 GMT)

QUOTE(Bruce @ 8:30pm Mon Sep 3 2007) [snapback]1418974[/snapback]

Perhaps they should speak to people in Hollywood about studio quality graphics applications.

Right, they should speak to people from a different industry in a different field.

Bruce: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Tue, 04 Sep 2007 02:30:43 GMT)

Perhaps they should speak to people in Hollywood about studio quality graphics applications.

tito: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Mon, 03 Sep 2007 23:28:52 GMT)

I have spoken to a few professional printers, all of which have said that the GIMP is not up to scratch when it comes to (To name a few examples) reflective inks, counterfoils, watermarks, edge-to-edge printing, etc.

Bruce: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Mon, 03 Sep 2007 20:20:50 GMT)

Too funny, perhaps you should actually research the issue, and what Hollywoods biggest animated movies actually used to create them

You could of course start with a simple google search

http://www.google.com/search?q=Linux+Holly...lient=firefox-a

tito: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Sat, 01 Sep 2007 20:33:37 GMT)

QUOTE(Bruce @ 1:37am Fri Aug 31 2007) [snapback]1417391[/snapback]

I would argue you are wrong about Microsofts superiority to Linux due to availability of professional quality studio applications considering Hollywood atudio's are using Linux to create more and more of it's animated movies.

However you are correct about open source being the future, with countries like Germany having 40% of it's students using Linux and that number growing.

http://forums.pcpitstop.com/index.php?showtopic=146320

Blender is indeed making an appearance in many new 3D movies. But really, nothing on Linux rivals Photoshop or any of the big movie editors. The GIMP does not cut it for several professional printers I have spoken to.

Bruce: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Fri, 31 Aug 2007 07:37:32 GMT)

tito: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Fri, 31 Aug 2007 00:11:49 GMT)

QUOTE(arby @ 5:21pm Sat Aug 25 2007) [snapback]1414728[/snapback]

Literally all of the posts here I agree with, and after "thinking" about it, Microsoft has primarily glossed over its various Windows versions' GUI for years now, with some small improvements in networking . It's the hardware advances that have allowed more advanced applications to flourish. I hardly ever use their "freebee" Accessories, since they're so primitive. As for calculator's, I'd rather use my $9.95 calculator (don't usually need scientific functionality). So it's my humble opinion that the only thing that keeps Windows going is that application developers "still" keep it afloat by targeting M$'s OS before anything else. I must admit to not having much for experience with Linux or OSx, but am getting real close. I enjoy building new computers with the latest hardware technology, but after many years of experiencing application and device compatablity problems with the initial releases of Windows, I'm thinking that a plunge into one of the other OS's is on the near horizon. The question is, Linux or OSx?

Linux would be the obvious choice, because you can get it for free so it doesn't take an awful lot of investment.

As for Apple, while its products are currently (in some ways) superior to LInux and (in nearly all ways) superior to Windows, I believe it too will follow the same route as Microsoft, over time. Microsoft, again, is only superior to Linux due to availability of professional quality studio applications.

Open Source really will be the future, it is simply a far more practical and sensible approach. Once it starts to bite a significant piece of the market there really will be no hope for the old fashioned closed-source methods.

arby: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Sat, 25 Aug 2007 23:21:24 GMT)

QUOTE(tito @ 5:24am Tue Aug 21 2007) [snapback]1412335[/snapback]

No it isn't, the last thing Microsoft want to do is get their customers thinking.

Microsoft finds it increasingly difficult to argue from a technical angle, it's products are hard to compare against OS X and Linux.

So Microsoft is now clinging onto its Empire with FUD, slowly but surely their Empire will dissolve, but the best thing they can do right now is squeeze as much blood as possible out of their customers.

tito: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Tue, 21 Aug 2007 13:24:03 GMT)

QUOTE(duanester @ 7:30pm Sat Aug 18 2007) [snapback]1411048[/snapback]

This is what would slow the movement to open source ! its a practical way of securing the future .

duanester: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Sun, 19 Aug 2007 01:30:52 GMT)

This is what would slow the movement to open source ! its a practical way of securing the future .

tito: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Fri, 17 Aug 2007 23:17:02 GMT)

QUOTE(duanester @ 4:27pm Fri Aug 17 2007) [snapback]1410514[/snapback]

Good business practice brings more customers bb .

Not when you have a monopoly!

Then it is about squeezing every drip from your customers.

badbinary: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Fri, 17 Aug 2007 22:35:53 GMT)

i'm not sure it's possible for ms to bring in more customers. the computer manufacturers are their real customers. ms doesn't really have a true competitor for the mainstream, they don't have to be competitive.

i agree with what your saying, but the reality is that this is how the marketplace is.

duanester: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Fri, 17 Aug 2007 22:27:33 GMT)

Good business practice brings more customers bb .

badbinary: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:31:06 GMT)

QUOTE

the worse scientic mode

that jumble of words made absolutely no sense there, aaron.

aaronlewis89: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:56:59 GMT)

the worse scientic mode

brandon: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:23:12 GMT)

QUOTE(tito @ 5:43pm Thu Aug 16 2007) [snapback]1409875[/snapback]

For a start that calculator lacks a scientific mode.

Notepad is just about the worst text editor I have ever used, I would not even contemplate coding in it.

Character map is basic, badly laid out and could do with a font manager built in.

I can't remember any of the others, Windows seems so far away...

The calculator does have a scientific mode. Just click View > Scientific

badbinary: Windows Accessory Survey Results (Thu, 16 Aug 2007 23:50:26 GMT)

QUOTE(duanester @ 6:34pm Thu Aug 16 2007) [snapback]1409918[/snapback]

Bb its the right thing to do .

yes. i also demand that insurance be included when i buy a vehicle. it's the right thing to do.

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PC Pitstop Window's Accessory Usage Survey Results