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Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

linuxiac.com

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Re: Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

#331

Post by DeathArrow »

Gordonjcp wrote: post #312
DeathArrow wrote: post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>However, make the next Minecraft, Fortnite or Roblox work only (or considerably better) on Linux desktop And lose lots of money in that process. :) And what Linux OS should you target? Ubuntu, Fedora, Linux Mint, Arch, Android? Target KDE or Gnome? Or maybe XFCE? X Windows or Wayland? Use ALSA, Pipewire or Pulse Audio? Bionic or glibc?

> And what Linux OS should you target? Linux is an OS. It doesn't matter which distro you pick, because they're all the same.

Linux is a kernel. Debian is an OS.

Re: Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

#333

Post by NexRebular »

borissk wrote: post #77
bruce511 wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Operating systems have a really high degree of lock-in. Such that while you -can- change OS, there's simply no incentive to do so. That's why you're still running the same OS you always have. [1] You accumulate software yes, but you also accumulate habits and knowledge. Changing OS means discarding all the accumulated knowledge, which 0% of "normal users" want to do. Throw in the change in software, ending up with at…

A lot of people are locked-in Windows, but as Microsoft more and more ruins the OS by pushing advertisement, telemetry, slow cloud services, new versions of apps optimized for those who don't know how to use a computer, rather than experts - there will be plenty of users switching to Linux.

A lot of people are also locked-in linux if they have to use e.g. docker or kubernetes, not to mention FOSS hooked to systemd or other linux-specific technologies. Say goodbye to compatibility and portability to other systems.

Re: Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

#334

Post by snvzz »

Linux desktop adoption being bad might be a good thing. UNIX-like systems are very obsolete and something to move away from.

I'd rather it be the next system that takes off. Hopefully a properly engineered system based on a microkernel (such as seL4) multiserver architecture, preferably with capabilities.

I do of course use Linux, as a stopgap until such a thing is here.

Re: Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

#335

Post by mdhen »

ChatGTP wrote: post #50
jacknews wrote: post #45

The problem is the desktop situation is such a mess. Do you go with a gtk or qt desktop and which one? And then X11 which is ancient and creaky, or wayland which is fatally nerfed in design (if not it's entire development philosophy) even when it does do what you need which is far from always? OTOH windows is becoming adware/spyware and macos is becoming big brother lockdown-wear, so maybe it is time for linux to shi…

Been using for 15 years, I've never sat there and worried about gtk or qt, Maybe wayland or X11, but I've just naturally moved to wayland? Just install something like Fedora, and you won't worry about it, it will just work. I personally hate Ubuntu btw Canonical is just not for me. I have no idea how it's so popular. Personally Fedora or NixOS are just so superior I don't know why anyone bothers with anything else.

> Personally Fedora or NixOS are just so superior I don't know why anyone bothers with anything else.

The AUR.

Re: Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

#337

Post by WesolyKubeczek »

On one hand, yay, on the other:

* The share of desktops themselves is shrinking towards mobile

* The other desktop OSes are steadily turning into shite, so there are fewer compelling reasons to stay on them

* Everything is in the browser anyway, so as long at it can run Chrome, no one bats an eyelash

Re: Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

#338

Post by Gareth321 »

bruce511 wrote: post #58
laserbeam wrote: post #34

Every once in a while I'm tempted to switch back to Linux (I used to have that as my desktop between 10 and 15 years ago), but then I remember: - My DJ software (which I pay for) is not supported at all on Linux (likewise true for most common music production software). - The Affinity suite (which I paid for) is not supported on Linux. - The best debugger I can find (remedybg, which I paid for) doesn't work there. -…

Operating systems have a really high degree of lock-in. Such that while you -can- change OS, there's simply no incentive to do so. That's why you're still running the same OS you always have. [1] You accumulate software yes, but you also accumulate habits and knowledge. Changing OS means discarding all the accumulated knowledge, which 0% of "normal users" want to do. Throw in the change in software, ending up with at…

> You accumulate software yes, but you also accumulate habits and knowledge. Changing OS means discarding all the accumulated knowledge, which 0% of "normal users" want to do.

I only ever hear Linux users make this argument. Mac users are confident enough in MacOS UX that they know it’s not a significant barrier to transition. The same is not true of Linux. So many solutions to problems require opening the CLI, and that’s just an automatic fail for the vast majority of consumers.

Honestly, I would like Linux fans to just accept Linux for what it is: an amazing kernel with incredible GUIs built by and for developers. App developers just do not care about (or do not have the resources for) making simple and intuitive software. Valve is a welcome and notable exception with the Steam Deck. Linus Torvalds explains it perfectly: https://youtu.be/Pzl1B7nB9Kc

Re: Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

#339

Post by wiz21c »

boudin wrote: post #273
wheels wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of the time those packages, or the build files for them, are contributed by the distributions themselves, or avid users of those distros. (Reference: I have multiple software projects I've created that are a part of every Linux distribution. I've never packaged any of them myself.) Even big enterprise companies usually work directly with the distros under NDA, and the distros produce the packages. That works for…

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

dunno but for example you got more than one audio stack on linux so they should at least test both, with different hardwares, etc. Not sure flatpak would help here...

Re: Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share

#340

Post by Kye »

juujian wrote: post #322
hnlmorg wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. I will use the OS I like and others will use the OS they prefer. It’s called choice. 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. If there is one good thing about web apps, it’s that browsers are now the application run time and browsers are more cross platform than any software libraries that have come before it…

Oh, the lock in still exists. In many fields. You need a certain software to be competitive, so you have to use whatever os supports it. I know people who have switched from Mac os to windows because office is slightly janky on Mac os. Lock ins happen all the time.

There's also a thing where software supports Mac and Windows, but really needs a lot of memory and storage, so the absurd markups Apple went back to charging in the Apple silicon era make it unviable for all but the most profitable workloads. I looked into Apple when laptop shopping recently, but couldn't justify or afford the markup to get the storage and memory I can put in the laptop I went with for a fraction of the cost.
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