Windows Vista made its biggest leap yet in November — the operating system was in use on nearly one out of 10 Internet-connected computers last month, according to a research firm.

Vista’s exact share rose about one percentage point to 9.19% in November, up from 7.94% in October, according to Net Applications. In contrast, Vista’s predecessor, Windows XP, fell by about one percentage point from 79.41% of all Internet-connected computers in October to 78.37% in November, according to Net Applications. Meanwhile, the Mac platform’s share continued to grow, reaching nearly 7%.

Windows’ overall share continues to exceed 92%, according to the Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based research firm.

Linux was in use on 0.6% of PCs worldwide, according to Net Applications. Despite its small share, Linux’s slice of the market has nearly doubled since the beginning of the year.

Vista’s share has grown from 0.2% to 9.2% since the beginning of the year. XP’s share, meanwhile, has fallen from to 78.4% from 85% at the beginning of the year.

Internet Explorer 7’s share continued to grow, reaching nearly 37%. It is poised to eclipse its predecessor, IE6, which has fallen more than 14 percentage points since the beginning of the year, to 40.2%. Altogether, IE was

Windows XP is a Microsoft designed operating system for use on computers, including media centers, home and business desktops. The letters ‘XP’ in the acronym stand for ‘experience’. Windows XP has predecessors like Windows 2000 Professional and Windows Me.

Windows XP enjoys greater efficiency and permanence over the Windows in the 9x series. As a Windows operating system, Windows XP has presented itself as a robust file system and shown improved performance (provided the user has enough RAM), thereby standing for a worthwhile upgrade from the 9x series.

Outlined below is the match up between Windows XP and 9x Series in the following areas:

Security Features: The advanced security features in Windows XP provide excellent protection for most sensitive files from virus attacks, Internet hackers, unauthorized use, and data loss. Such exclusive features are not present in any of Windows 9x versions.

Stability: A task based design of Windows XP helps in an effective management of files, folders, and other applications. On the other hand, 9x series do not offer ease-of-use features. Windows XP is based on the industrial-strength NT operating system, which became Windows 2000. It has ‘Remote Assistance’ which allows another user to log into computer and take its control to