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Linux market share approaching 4.5% for first time, could hit 5% by 1Q25

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Re: Linux market share approaching 4.5% for first time, could hit 5% by 1Q25

#51

Post by moondev »

BikeShuester wrote: post #14

Linux distros should collaborate on a unified feedback initiative to boost adoption. The major distributions (Ubuntu, Fedora, OpenSUSE, etc.) could create a joint survey site targeting Windows users who have tried Linux but reverted back. This would provide invaluable data on pain points preventing wider Linux adoption.Questions like: What Windows-specific software or functionality did you miss most on Linux? If you…

What would the purpose of that be? Why so much effort to increase "market share" of something that is not for sale. The entire concept of "switching" is weird because you don't have to legally declare your operating system. You can choose to use all of them.

Re: Linux market share approaching 4.5% for first time, could hit 5% by 1Q25

#53

Post by udev4096 »

Andrex wrote: post #27
ClassyJacket wrote: post #16

I truly believe that once Linux solves its app packaging problem it could go mainstream for casual use on home laptops. (Office machines obviously are a different beast, needing Microsoft Office\365 support, etc). We're 99% of the way to being able to hand an everyday person a laptop with Linux on it and have them have a decent experience - but they need to be able to go to a website and download a program without sc…

Flatpak is winning and will ultimately win. Flathub is really good and has momentum behind it.

https://flatkill.org

Re: Linux market share approaching 4.5% for first time, could hit 5% by 1Q25

#54

Post by bydo »

sergiotapia wrote: post #30
ThrowawayR2 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

WSL does count. The average Linux user doesn't know squat about how the kernel, drivers, or services work; they just like the CLI. If MS can give them enough of the Linux CLI and functioning packages to do their job, it's game over.

Can confirm. I've been working with a VMWare Linux Mint machine for two years, and very recently installed Windows 11, and decided to try WSL2. It's seamless, and literally Linux. I installed asdf and all the stuff I would normally do with zero headaches. No more vms for me.

WSL2 is literally a VM.

Re: Linux market share approaching 4.5% for first time, could hit 5% by 1Q25

#55

Post by pjmlp »

monero-xmr wrote: post #10
cebert wrote: post #4

Microsoft seems determined to push people away from Windows with its user-hostile tactics—built-in ads, constant nagging about Edge, and forced OneDrive backups. It's really soured my experience. I’m done with Windows personally. While I have to use Win11 at work, I won't use it anywhere I have a choice.

For people who never use anything except macOS / Linux, I challenge you to install Windows and experience it for yourself. The entire OS is like surfing the internet without ad block on. The nags, the pop ups, the malware you can’t remove. It’s truly incredible how awful Windows is. They are just milking the aging demographic who still uses Windows and squeezing as many clicks out of them as they can before Windows i…

I use UNIX systems since 1993, Linux since 1995, subscribed to Linux journal during its lifetime, do devops stuff, yet I gave up on the Linux Desktop other than Android and WebOS, which is debatable how Linux kernel matters in a managed OS userspace.

Windows in all private laptops, at work we also do macOS, with GNU/Linux on VMs when required.

There is always that one little thing that makes one spend a couple of weekends, last being a NUC whose EUFI couldn't get to read any distribution installed on the internal NVMe, only when used from external devices. Windows, no biggie, works both ways.

Re: Linux market share approaching 4.5% for first time, could hit 5% by 1Q25

#56

Post by BikeShuester »

moondev wrote: post #51
BikeShuester wrote: post #14

Linux distros should collaborate on a unified feedback initiative to boost adoption. The major distributions (Ubuntu, Fedora, OpenSUSE, etc.) could create a joint survey site targeting Windows users who have tried Linux but reverted back. This would provide invaluable data on pain points preventing wider Linux adoption.Questions like: What Windows-specific software or functionality did you miss most on Linux? If you…

What would the purpose of that be? Why so much effort to increase "market share" of something that is not for sale. The entire concept of "switching" is weird because you don't have to legally declare your operating system. You can choose to use all of them.

I see your point, but I think a collaborative feedback initiative could really help improve the Linux ecosystem. While each distro has its own identity, gathering insights on why users revert to Windows could highlight common pain points that many distros face. This isn’t about pushing for uniformity; it’s about sharing knowledge that could help each distro enhance its offerings. Plus, collaboration could attract more developers and showcase the strengths of Linux as a whole. Ultimately, it’s about making Linux more appealing and accessible, benefiting everyone in the community—whether they’re new users or seasoned veterans.

Re: Linux market share approaching 4.5% for first time, could hit 5% by 1Q25

#57

Post by boomboomsubban »

hansvm wrote: post #49
boomboomsubban wrote: post #43

Statcounter's data is based off hits to a certain websites. Not unique hits but hits. It's really hard to see their data as worthwhile from my perspective. This is already desktop stats, a market that isn't really growing. Then figure they're unlikely to be partnered with anyone like Facebook, Tiktok, or Discord, the sites that 90% of users spend most of their time on. Think of the remaining internet they might have…

> filtering out bots For all but the most advanced of bots, the only such filtering comes from something as simple as a user-agent or other maybe some other header fingerprinting. What percentage of bots even bother to switch from the default of "python-requests/2.25.0" so that they might be detectable as Linux?

If it's 1% of bots that switch, it could still be fairly meaningful when tracking hits.

Re: Linux market share approaching 4.5% for first time, could hit 5% by 1Q25

#58

Post by pjmlp »

mostlyRice wrote: post #37

Maybe this 4.5% is just the technical crowd? Now that windows UX is getting shittier, if there's a linux distro usuable without ever pulling up a terminal, maybe linux has some chance with non technical people.

That space is already taken by Android, ChromeOS, and WebOS, where the Linux kernel is an implementation detail, not directly exposed to userspace.

Re: Linux market share approaching 4.5% for first time, could hit 5% by 1Q25

#59

Post by pjmlp »

littlestymaar wrote: post #25
ThrowawayR2 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

WSL does count. The average Linux user doesn't know squat about how the kernel, drivers, or services work; they just like the CLI. If MS can give them enough of the Linux CLI and functioning packages to do their job, it's game over.

Looks like the upward trend shows that it is not in fact “game over”. Steam making sure than the vast majority of games run fine on Linux at the first try is much more impactful than WSL in the grand scheme of things.

[flagged]

Re: Linux market share approaching 4.5% for first time, could hit 5% by 1Q25

#60

Post by pjmlp »

jdlyga wrote: post #13

It comes down to the fact that Linux is just so damn easy nowadays.

Until one gets to install into a NUC with an UEFI that doesn't get Linux, despite all magic incantations on hard disk setup, or a wlan router whose connections keep being dropped.

My latest fun.

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