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Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

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Re: Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

#471

Post by Gordonjcp »

jacknews wrote: post #323
Gordonjcp wrote: post #308

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lasermoon for me, which was a slight fork of SLS. Before that, whatever Linux it was it came on about half a dozen 1.44MB floppies. I remember it used a Linux 0.9 kernel, but not much else - except it was a Real Proper Unix System like I had at university, except *on my very own desktop PC*! With a compiler and everything! And SLIP!

Oh that brings back memories, yes I'm sure I tried that one too. One of them came on a bunch of floppies in sets, for the main system, X, and whetever, I think there were more like 12-13 of them in total; took a whole day to copy them and install IIRC. Not quite as bad as installing AIX from 5 1/4" on a 6150 I snagged somehow.

Let's see, I think Lasermoon and Zipslack were on the cover CD with Computer Shopper in about what, 1993? Pink and yellow CD. I think I only binned it a couple of years ago - stupid of me!

Re: Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

#472

Post by sitzkrieg »

hparadiz wrote: post #352
trelane wrote: post #342

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I mean, https://www.phoronix.com/review/amd-ryzen7-7840u So, they took a cutting edge Windows PC, slapped Linux on it, and it didn't work well. How well did OSX do when they tried it? Clearly, OSX isn't ready for the desktop! No wonder nobody runs it! Modern computers are complex enough that they can work well with Windows, OSX, or Linux, but they don't work well with more than one of them (unless the designers wor…

So true. If you get a System76 laptop you can get some really amazing hardware and make sure to never pay the Windows license fee.

i dunno. i work on completely cross platform things and use a system76 laptop and the experience is still pretty garbage. the real problem is the linux userspace. its a huge arbitrary mess that is made worse by the insane number of packages that have to work together for a remotely usable desktop experience.

it's possible of course, but invariably breaks, especially if you need to install any single third party thing.

i hate flatpak etc but it really makes u think about why people are putting effort into fat packages for desktop stuff

Re: Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

#473

Post by Gordonjcp »

moffkalast wrote: post #344
Gordonjcp wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't really matter which desktop you pick, they're all the same. If you went to buy a car, would you be fatally paralysed by indecision at seeing two different makes that looked ever so slightly different parked side-by-side? Of course not. That would be idiotic.

Well if your use case is say, off-roading, and you decide all cars are the same and end up with a minivan in a ditch you kind of did that shit to yourself.

So what's the equivalent for choosing a distro?

99.999% of people don't need to go off road, and only need a bog standard desktop distro.

Re: Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

#474

Post by Ancapistani »

zirgs wrote: post #245
76SlashDolphin wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But other than through unofficial modding how many of those expose an open BSD environment? The Steam Deck has a desktop mode as a selling point which functions exactly like a Linux desktop.

That desktop mode is very inconvenient to use in handheld mode so the vast majority of users use it only to apply fixes to specific games, install emulators and the like and then switch back to the Steam GUI asap.

It's very inconvenient at first.

I've had mine for about a week now, and am using it more than I use my laptop. The "desktop" mode works more than well enough for web browsing and such.

The biggest thing that changed for me was learning that you can use both trackpads on the keyboard at the same time, and use the trigger buttons to "press" a key - or to press shift if you use the opposite trigger from the side your finger is moving.

Re: Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

#475

Post by lizardking »

haunter wrote: post #106
electricduck wrote: post #10

I'm kinda surprised this entirely forgot to mention the SteamDeck. I'd love to know how much of an impact that had, considering apparently 3 million units have been sold (according to Valve). Alas, how many of those users know they are running Linux is another question.

By that logic these articles should be about FreeBSD/NetBSD not Linux cause they have more presence by running on every PS3/PS4/PS5. Roughly ~250m compared to the 3m

They don't boot into desktop linux though.

Re: Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

#476

Post by boudin »

wheels wrote: post #376
boudin wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about distributing via Flatpak? (honest question, I'm curious to see if it actually help lowering the cost of distributing apps for Linux)

Doesn't work for things that are, or use plugins, which is typical in pro-audio. (Our software is primarily used as a plugin.)

That's a good point, flatpak is not a good fit for that.

Re: Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

#477

Post by jacquesm »

Luctct wrote: post #445
jacquesm wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What stung before was that people were forced to use Windows because of lock-ins, software compatibility, etc. That doesn’t really exist any more. That's a funny conclusion to make. In the business world that still exists and even my kids are forced into the Microsoft eco-system by their school because the software they insist you run (for which perfectly good web alternatives exist) only runs on windows.

People aren't forced, they choose it. They are clueless about technology and don't trust anything that may look like a dark horse. They want reassurance. It's not just the "enterprise" or corporate world. Home users have that mentality. Mac computers cost an arm and a leg and people still pay for it because the advertising machine has hammered it into the heads that "it just works." Most people only trust big brands.…

> People aren't forced, they choose it.

No they don't. There aren't any schools nearby that do not force Windows on the students and I can have my whole house on Linux it doesn't matter: if you want to participate in highschool around here then Windows it is. My personal views of MS, their crimes past and present are worth absolutely nothing. I would not be surprised if you dig deep enough that you'll find some level of corruption but even that doesn't help me, it would just lead to a long and drawn out court case the outcome of which will likely be resolved long after my kids are out of school.

So, I have no choice other than to take my kids out of school and that too - rightly so - isn't an option.

It's more than a little bit ridiculous too because there isn't anything in the highschool curriculum that per-se would require access to a windows computer. But they make it so that it just simply doesn't work otherwise, starting from windows native applications for the agenda and messaging system and ending with sending documents in proprietary formats.

Re: Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

#478

Post by ASalazarMX »

bruce511 wrote: post #68
DiabloD3 wrote: post #49

I wonder why they keep making these articles. Linux is on more computers both today and all of the computers ever made put together than any other OS. It is on virtually all servers on the Internet, the majority OS on phones, its in many TVs and STBs and streaming sticks, its one of the few OSes ever in space, its one of the few OSes ever on Mars, and it is also the OS behind ChromeOS (which that article mistakenly b…

And yet not having a presence on the desktop stings a bit doesn't it :). You can conquer the world, dominate every space and yet there's thus little voice inside saying "but you're not good enough. See over there, in that one space, you're a weakling. " Welcome to the human condition.

> And yet not having a presence on the desktop stings a bit doesn't it :).

NOO IT DOESN'T!!

Love the can of worms you opened with that comment. It does sting, because the desktop market is optimized for proprietary software. Open source, even if superior, is always behind on a hill that is upwards both ways. Proprietary firmware, drivers, patents, vendor lock-in, etc., have become very high walls.

Re: Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

#479

Post by fennecfoxy »

bruce511 wrote: post #68
DiabloD3 wrote: post #49

I wonder why they keep making these articles. Linux is on more computers both today and all of the computers ever made put together than any other OS. It is on virtually all servers on the Internet, the majority OS on phones, its in many TVs and STBs and streaming sticks, its one of the few OSes ever in space, its one of the few OSes ever on Mars, and it is also the OS behind ChromeOS (which that article mistakenly b…

And yet not having a presence on the desktop stings a bit doesn't it :). You can conquer the world, dominate every space and yet there's thus little voice inside saying "but you're not good enough. See over there, in that one space, you're a weakling. " Welcome to the human condition.

Linux's culture abhors everything required to be a great desktop OS and I don't think that will change any time soon.

For the average person, they don't care what a window manager is or pulse/alsa/jack or whatever. They just want a singular consistent experience that "just works", whatever software they install, whatever hardware they plug in. And the Linux community is obsessed with the complete opposite of this.

Apparently a lot of the systemd pushback was because it was making everything "too similar and compatible with each other". Now isn't that just laughable; that's what most people want!

Re: Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

#480

Post by n6h6 »

lproven wrote: post #394
danpalmer wrote: post #391

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Technically, but not usefully. It depends what you're trying to communicate. ChromeOS is based on Linux but most Linux enthusiasts aren't going to consider it Desktop Linux. The website is clearly catering to a Linux enthusiast market so the numbers communicate the right thing for its readers.

This just quickly descends into a "no true Scotsman" argument. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman It's a Linux kernel and a Linux userland on top of `glibc`. It's not a weird libc, like Bionic in Android. You can run a Debian container and Debian apps; my own ChromeOS Flex machine runs Firefox and DOSemu. It's a Linux. It's the most successful desktop Linux there is, and so of course all the advocates dec…

There are valid reasons to consider ChromeOS "not real Linux" or "not real Desktop Linux". In my opinion, you are being needlessly reductive (mainly in your final paragraph).
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