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Linux Reaches 5% Desktop Market Share in USA

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Re: Linux Reaches 5% Desktop Market Share in USA

#31

Post by Nab443 »

andyferris wrote: post #10

I have to ask - what OS do AI-training web scrapers tend to report? (A mixture? One with > 5% linux market share? Sorry, being a sceptic, otherwise I think this is fantastic news if accurately measured).

I tend to think that they mostly should be using their own user agent, and if not be desguised as the most common ones to avoid being detected too easily. Web scaping probably has been mostly running under Linux before the age of AI anyway. I'm not in the field, so if anyone more trustworthy info on that...

Re: Linux Reaches 5% Desktop Market Share in USA

#32

Post by aquova »

shaunpud wrote: post #25
theandrewbailey wrote: post #3

I work in the refurb division of an e-waste recycling company. Due to licensing costs and our certifications, we can't sell anything with Windows. My coworkers install Ubuntu, but I install Linux Mint. We don't have any clue if people keep using Linux or install Windows, but it's cool to think we're helping to move this needle. Edit: might as well link to the merch: https://www.ebay.com/str/evolutionecycling

I thought the Windows license was burned into the BIOS, so a reinstall would pick it up automatically?

That might be even worse then, you'd be reselling a machine which was licensed under the previous owner's Windows key

Re: Linux Reaches 5% Desktop Market Share in USA

#33

Post by ergsef »

shaunpud wrote: post #25
theandrewbailey wrote: post #3

I work in the refurb division of an e-waste recycling company. Due to licensing costs and our certifications, we can't sell anything with Windows. My coworkers install Ubuntu, but I install Linux Mint. We don't have any clue if people keep using Linux or install Windows, but it's cool to think we're helping to move this needle. Edit: might as well link to the merch: https://www.ebay.com/str/evolutionecycling

I thought the Windows license was burned into the BIOS, so a reinstall would pick it up automatically?

I worked selling refurb computers and this wasn't the case from Windows 95 - XP. The rise of TPMs and EFI is after that time so it's possible some newer system provides a way of tying licenses to computers, but it's not BIOS.

Re: Linux Reaches 5% Desktop Market Share in USA

#34

Post by bboygravity »

ryandv wrote: post #22

Based on the history of the tech industry, Linux adoption should be kept at this level and advanced no further. This is already the sweet spot for the "year of the Linux desktop," which should be celebrated by experts, technical users, and the sufficiently motivated. Once the unwashed masses start coming in, the software and its interaction patterns pander to the lowest common denominator and the quality of the mediu…

So is this the reasoning to keep Linux as hard to use as possible?

* just open the terminal and type this magic spell to make x work *

Re: Linux Reaches 5% Desktop Market Share in USA

#35

Post by viraptor »

andyferris wrote: post #10

I have to ask - what OS do AI-training web scrapers tend to report? (A mixture? One with > 5% linux market share? Sorry, being a sceptic, otherwise I think this is fantastic news if accurately measured).

None https://platform.openai.com/docs/bots There's no reason for those bots to report any specific OS

Re: Linux Reaches 5% Desktop Market Share in USA

#38

Post by ahartmetz »

dosinga wrote: post #11

If you zoom out to say the last 10 years you can see that those graphs go up and down like crazy. The error bars on these numbers must be huge.

Yeah. A critical mass is needed and we seem to be there, but keeping it a system for "power users and up" (and for total laypeople but managed by others) is also desirable.

Re: Linux Reaches 5% Desktop Market Share in USA

#39

Post by fsflover »

ryandv wrote: post #22

Based on the history of the tech industry, Linux adoption should be kept at this level and advanced no further. This is already the sweet spot for the "year of the Linux desktop," which should be celebrated by experts, technical users, and the sufficiently motivated. Once the unwashed masses start coming in, the software and its interaction patterns pander to the lowest common denominator and the quality of the mediu…

You're probably talking about enshittification [0], which typically affects centralized for-profit entities, not community-based free software projects.

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41277484

Re: Linux Reaches 5% Desktop Market Share in USA

#40

Post by fghjl »

Symmetry wrote: post #14

That's twice the number Valve reports for Steam users which includes a lot of Steam Decks that come with Linux installed, so it seems high, I would have guessed somewhere in the 1 to 2 percent range. In some countries you have mass Linux deployments to schools or government IT systems that could give you a number like this but I'm not sure what could be driving it in the US.

I assume the problems still are that (1) no Desktop Linux is at the level of macOS or Windows, and (2) the only one close is still RedHat, but most want Debian-based or something else.

MacOS is the best model for a successful desktop Linux to use. Trim down the kernel/drivers to just what runs on that spec hardware, only support that spec hardware, focus effort on the OS and ecosystem, keep it stable, make upgrades trivial, and give it freedom to run other software, terminal apps, etc. And most of all- focus resources on these efforts and charge a lot of money for it!

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