Who Uses Windows 3.11?

I've been studying my server logs for usage and just general information this morning, and I have to say that I'm just stunned of the amount of outdated software that is still in use.  As you can tell from the subject, I noticed, in the month of January, that there were 46 visits by people using Windows 3.11.  Why in the world would anyone still be using this, let alone a developer.  What's even more suprising, is that it beat out Linux by 20 visits.

Another thing to note, is the use of outdated browsers.  While the top still stands at IE 6, IE 4 comes in a whopping second place, then Netscape 4, then IE 5.0, then 5.5x.  Why? I just don't understand it.  Although the real older browsers didn't make the top 5, it is interesting to note that Netscape 3 and 2 were in use during last month, maybe by those 46 users using Windows 3.11.  How do these people expect to get the best internet usage or experience using this software, it just baffles me.

Have you run across anyone still using outdated (and unsupported) operating systems or browsers recently?

24 Comments

  • I used to have a fairly regular visitor who used HotJava 1.0...on which nothing at all worked not surprisingly...

  • I know for a fact that Netscape 4 doesn't even work...it doesn't like the amount of CSS that I use.



    BTW - I just checked out HotJava, the pages work but it looks like crap, however none of the controls work.

  • Well Matt on Scoilnet site the stats show a lot of interesting users including Mosaic, Netscape 2 and Internet Explorer...1 !

    And don't forget the exotic Unix kind of browsers you can have on stats. Yes strange !

  • some people are so bored they put win 3.11 in their user agent? ;)

  • I guess thats possible, but they'd have to be a rather big geek to do that. I wonder how you do it... ;)

  • I've got a hit from IE 1

    Internet Explorer 1 1 2/2/2004 12:41:00 AM



    I didn't know there was an IE 1!!



    as well as the following

    reqs pages os

    27 0 HP-UX

    5 0 AIX

    6 238 11 WebTV

    7 27 0 OS/2

  • Talk about having browser compat issues!



    I had to do a double take when I saw your post!



    Did that really say Windows 3.11!

  • Maybe these people have the right idea. You don't hear about new daily security exploits being discovered for NS 2 and 3 now do you? :)



  • Crawlers will sometimes use odd user agent info.

  • I usually put Commodore64 in my UserAgent.

  • Some of the "terminal" machines at my old university used Windows 3.1. Basically they had a bunch of outdated boxes setup as dumb terminals allowing quick surf or check email. The boxes were setup in hallways, etc in the student union, allowing people to quick jump online while walking to class.

  • You should talk to the guy i have been working for....

    windows 95 and netscape 4





    had to do some major stuff just to get him from win95 and office 97 to win 2k pro and office 2k pro.



    at least now when he sends me a powerpoint deck his checkmarks stay the same... he likes check marks as bullet point items.... used to be due to the font differences he checks came to me as funny blocks.

  • You want to know old? I'll give you old...



    I know of several radio stations that are still using TRS-80 Model 4's running Zenix for their accounting systems (written in a version of BASCOM)...



    Bear in mind, these radio stations are located outside of the U.S. and they have an extremely limited budget to work with; but still...

  • Hehe... I'm in the process of resurrecting an old Gateway2000 ColorBook laptop [486DX2-50, 20MB RAM (Maxed out), 1.4 GB HDD]...

    Windows98 is not even an option with this old hardware.

    Tried Windows95 OSR-2 w/ IE 3.02, and it ran like molasses in January. :P So, I loaded DOS 6.22 and WFWG 3.11 and Netscape Communicator 4.07... At least it's somewhat useable now. ;)



    The older OSes do have their uses...



    - Tursiops_G.

  • Well, I'm using Windows 3.11 on a Pentium II. We were still teaching it because the Comp/TIA A+ exam still covered it up to last year along with DOS 6.22. And guess what!! I'm running WinXP on a Pentium 133MHz with 128 Megs of RAM. It runs pretty smoothly too.



    Abe

  • A browser is not outdated till the one uses thinks it is. There are lot of older computers and use and some 3.11 is a must.

  • I still use Windows 3.11 Windows for Workgroups on my 386 Zenith Laptop... Some old 286,386, and even some 486 and First Generation Pentium's run Windows 95 and above too slowly... sadly, a lot of older computers also have problems with old Linux Distro's as well, so the Windows 3.11 option isn't that bad of idea... My favorite thing to do with this old laptop, is connect to the a 16 bit client of Inter Relay Chat.. and also a 16 bit verison of ICQ, thru my network.

    I am really surprised, seeing how there are so many older computers out there.. that there hasn't been a company, be it Microsoft or one of the Linux companies, that haven't marketed a Operating System, just for Legacy computers. Thier is Linux, but mainly console based... Image a low cost operating system that would work flawlessly on older systems? A goldmine !

    Happy - ghostrelay@yahoo.com

  • I have Windows 2.03 installed on a 586 I have. I use it to play old DOS games mostly.

  • dem folks dat use dem out dated 'puters be liking 3.11

  • I use it at work and at home, alternatively with Linux.

    It is perfect virus-proof system :-)

    Well, there are some problems with unicode, but that may be solved in newer Linux.

  • For cheap-ass computing, nothing beats DOS/3x. I just bought a 486 laptop for a friend on Ebay for $35. It is running WfW 3.1l with IE 3. Most websites display fine. I wouldn't use it to buy anything with a credit card though.



    Also, lots of 3x commercial software is free these days.



  • don't forget nostalgia! i have set up win 3.11 on vmware. It's quite funny to see it's "outdated" gui again!

  • I am now using Windows 98 SE but I also installed a Windows 3.1 version on the same disk to use it when I've got problems with the 98 version or when I want to run 16bit Windows applications without waiting for Win98 to load. Is there a page for downloading Windows 3.11? I'm very interested in it!

  • Can any body get me Windows 3.11 Free through the Internet

    Please email me at:

    abedoss@yahoo.com

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