Linux Desktop Market Share Surpasses 10% in North America

(insert Ron Paul It's Happening meme here)

I work in the refurb department of an ewaste recycling company. Because we don't have a Windows OEM license, we officially can't install Windows on any of the PCs we sell. (I'll direct people to download the Windows install media if asked.[0]) On the systems I sell[1], Linux Mint has a nice OEM install option that after installation, there's a 'ship to customer' script[2] that starts an OOBE after the next boot, so I don't have to make up a login, and hope it doesn't get lost anywhere.

I'm not sure how many people keep the Linux install after they buy it, but it's cool to think we're helping move the needle on this! FWIW, I've had several people directed to me specifically for Linux systems, so I know it's more than 3.

Yes, I run Linux everywhere at work (it's the wild west without a Windows domain), and at home.

[0] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11 (ewww)

[1] https://www.ebay.com/str/evolutionecycling

[2] https://linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io/en/lates...

From one recycler to another, thanks for the work you do!

Personally, I typically use gray market Windows keys. I have a hard time moving machines with Linux on them.

But I think you are doing a really good thing!

He literally used the n-word in a stream, slip of tongue. It was such a big deal back then that even my Bloomberg Terminal thought it was worth mentioning for some reason.

We developed Linux with 1st class support for our desktop app. It was extremely painful due to missing some Webview functionality that is available for both MacOS and Windows, so we're maintaining an entire 2nd branch of UI code to run CEF instead. One of our developers is 24/7 on Linux and basically just fixes Linux bugs, and even they need a couple VMs to try out random (especially old) distros and DEs to make sure it all works.

Anyways, I'm saying this because we expected ~1% Linux users, but we needed something to stand out against our competitors. I just pulled our latest data, and 7.5% of our paying users are on Linux.

> you'd often deal with people who were trying to show how smart they are and rather than answering your questions they demand to know "what are you really trying to do?"

In over 30 years of using the Internet I have seen this question form countless times, and I have posed it myself countless times.

I have never had it in mind to "show how smart I am", and cannot recall ever walking away with the impression that someone else was doing so.

The goal is to solve the other person's problem; the rationale is a genuine belief that the other person has an https://xyproblem.info/ . This belief is, often, motivated by confusion over the description of what's happened so far, or by the OP taking actions that seem inconsistent or needlessly convoluted.

Getting help from other people, as a beginner in a field (any field) requires accepting that you might not yet know the right question to ask, or how to ask it. That's just how knowledge works.

The worst thing about forums in my experience, by far, is people who pose as wanting help but who really just want to rant. Specifically for Linux forums, rant about Linux because it doesn't work like Windows.