Linux and Mac neck-and-neck in popularity

[K.Mandla]

I was picking apart some CSS pages today and came across these tables. ...

http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

It didn't surprise me that IE, with all its quirks and shortcomings, was quailing in the ascendancy of Firefox, but what did grab me was the popularity rankings between Macintosh and Linux.


2006 WinXP W2000 Win98 WinNT W2003 Linux Mac
March 72.9% 11.9% 2.0% 0.3% 1.8% 3.4% 3.5%
Is it just me, late again to realize things, or has Linux always been as popular as Mac? I had it in my head that Mac users were much more prevalent.

Of course, I don't know where they get these numbers from, which is important. But it took me by surprise regardless.

[mstlyevil]

I was picking apart some CSS pages today and came across these tables. ...

http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

It didn't surprise me that IE, with all its quirks and shortcomings, was quailing in the ascendancy of Firefox, but what did grab me was the popularity rankings between Macintosh and Linux.


2006 WinXP W2000 Win98 WinNT W2003 Linux Mac
March 72.9% 11.9% 2.0% 0.3% 1.8% 3.4% 3.5%
Is it just me, late again to realize things, or has Linux always been as popular as Mac? I had it in my head that Mac users were much more prevalent.

Of course, I don't know where they get these numbers from, which is important. But it took me by surprise regardless.

I wonder if it is really possible to truly know how popular Linux is on the desktop. These statistics are usually based on the number of sales on preloaded computers. Since most Linux users get their copies for free and install it themselves, the number of actual Linux users may be quite a bit higher than the statistics allow for. I would not be surprised if the actual numbers were double of the statistics for this very reason.

[henriquemaia]

I wonder if it is really possible to truly know how popular Linux is on the desktop. These statistics are usually based on the number of sales on preloaded computers. Since most Linux users get their copies for free and install it themselves, the number of actual Linux users may be quite a bit higher than the statistics allow for. I would not be surprised if the actual numbers were double of the statistics for this very reason.

I agree with you. Does anyone know some credible statistic about linux on the desktop?

[stuporglue]

I agree with you. Does anyone know some credible statistic about linux on the desktop?

Not enough. (yet) :-)

[BoyOfDestiny]

I was picking apart some CSS pages today and came across these tables. ...

http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

It didn't surprise me that IE, with all its quirks and shortcomings, was quailing in the ascendancy of Firefox, but what did grab me was the popularity rankings between Macintosh and Linux.


2006 WinXP W2000 Win98 WinNT W2003 Linux Mac
March 72.9% 11.9% 2.0% 0.3% 1.8% 3.4% 3.5%
Is it just me, late again to realize things, or has Linux always been as popular as Mac? I had it in my head that Mac users were much more prevalent.

Of course, I don't know where they get these numbers from, which is important. But it took me by surprise regardless.

I'd love to know too. I'd figure [read as be delighted if] Linux was in the #2 spot.

I'm sure there is some overlap (windows users who have a linux box as well, same for mac).

It'd be a nice consequence if companies started taking notice and providing better specs or drivers (or even free drivers ;) ).

I've heard broadcom is going to start supporting Linux more (has to be more, since it was essentially... nm ;) )

[mostwanted]

Those stats are from W3schools' and a bunch of other sites' detected browser strings. They're pretty accurate I'd say when comparing Mac to Lin (not the Win stats, since Mac and Linux users usually have a higher visit percentage on tech sites/web design sites)

[K.Mandla]

They're pretty accurate I'd say when comparing Mac to Lin (not the Win stats, since Mac and Linux users usually have a higher visit percentage on tech sites/web design sites)
Agreed. What would be helpful is stats from a neutral ground -- such as Google, since it's not slanted toward one system or another.

[endersshadow]

Those stats are from W3schools' and a bunch of other sites' detected browser strings. They're pretty accurate I'd say when comparing Mac to Lin (not the Win stats, since Mac and Linux users usually have a higher visit percentage on tech sites/web design sites)

W3C also takes care to take into account other sites on the web, so they're logging from many different types of sites in order to ensure quality in their statistics.

Too bad they don't give the margin of error...

[nickle]

I would suggest the figure is on the high side for linux considering the number of people who still insist on dual boot systems for some strange reason....
I am certain most Mac users would not dual-boot even if they could easily...

[prizrak]

Those statistics aren't very reliable, they are based on browser recognition. As someone mentioned there are many dual booters who might be accessing the same site from different OS's. There is also the user agent switcher that makes sites think you are using IE even if you are not. Sales figures are inacurate as well, while 99% of Apple users wouldn't do anything to their system but run OS X, alot of people who get Windows machines will at the very least dual boot if not wipe the drive and use *nix on them.

[LinuxKid]

They're pretty accurate I'd say when comparing Mac to Lin (not the Win stats, since Mac and Linux users usually have a higher visit percentage on tech sites/web design sites)

anyone on the internet who claimed to be very techy or knows a lot about computers and is still using windows (let alone internet explorer ;) ) may as well be fooling himself

anyone who is technilogically advanced enough will see the short comings of windows (or at least internet explorer) and will use either mac or linux (or both), whichever meets their personal preference

[mostwanted]

anyone on the internet who claimed to be very techy or knows a lot about computers and is still using windows (let alone internet explorer ;) ) may as well be fooling himself

anyone who is technilogically advanced enough will see the short comings of windows (or at least internet explorer) and will use either mac or linux (or both), whichever meets their personal preference

Yes, precisely.

[Virogenesis]

W3C also takes care to take into account other sites on the web, so they're logging from many different types of sites in order to ensure quality in their statistics.

Too bad they don't give the margin of error...
Those stats are taken from w3c school stats and other sites........w3schools isn't connected to w3c.

(The statistics above are extracted from W3Schools' log-files, but we are also monitoring other sources around the Internet to assure the quality of these figures)


I would suggest the figure is on the high side for linux considering the number of people who still insist on dual boot systems for some strange reason....
I am certain most Mac users would not dual-boot even if they could easily...

sure people dual boot but your point is?.......
Just because people dual boot doesn't mean you shouldn't account for those s stats....

[bonzodog]

I believe the Linux Counter project has estimated that there may well be as many as 29 Million users of Linux in the world.

[Paulus]

horray, we've overtaken win98

[Virogenesis]

ermm on that certain site we have done but yeah don't trust those stats

[SeanTater]

Google once published it's stats, but I have not seen them in quite a while...

[Stealth]

MMmmm...this seems to be more on the usage side of thing, unlike what the title says "in Popularity". In popularity Linux has (unfortunately) nothing on Mac, as I know I can ask everyone I know and they'd know "oh yea, I know what a Mac is" but ask em what's Linux and 90% would be clueless, 5% think some server thing, and the other 5% I've actually talked to in-depth about Linux already :-P

[PatrickMay16]

anyone who is technilogically advanced enough will see the short comings of windows (or at least internet explorer) and will use either mac or linux (or both), whichever meets their personal preference

You forgot BeOS. A very clever tech programmer guy I've talked to prefers to use BeOS.

Ya know... If anyone's wondering.

Just FYI

[ComplexNumber]

Those statistics aren't very reliable, i agree. notice the web stats - firefox is more than double what it actually is (when multiple sources is used, firefox is 10%). its best to get stats from multiple sources to reduce the risk of bias because w3schools takes their figures from a specific type of user and so is not representative.

to answer the question about the difference between mac and llinux users, linux is more than twice as popular as mac and has a much higher rate of growth.

[BoyOfDestiny]

i agree. notice the web stats - firefox is more than double what it actually is (when multiple sources is used, firefox is 10%). its best to get stats from multiple sources to reduce the risk of bias because w3schools takes their figures from a specific type of user and so is not representative.

to answer the question about the difference between mac and llinux users, linux is more than twice as popular as mac and has a much higher rate of growth.

Source? :)

[ComplexNumber]

Source? :)
you can have 2 or more sources if you like :)
here (http://www.upsdell.com/BrowserNews/stat_trends.htm) is one. here (http://marketshare.hitslink.com/report.aspx?qprid=0) is another

[openmind]

If you read the site those figures come from hits to their site. They admit the figures will be skewed towards the 'Techie' community, hence the larger than usual Firefox figures. If anything, The Linux figures will likewise be skewed upwards, as Linux users are, generally speaking, more likely to visit tech oriented sites.


I believe the Linux Counter project has estimated that there may well be as many as 29 Million users of Linux in the world.

Which would put world-wide usage of Linux somewhere in the region of 3-5%.


Source? :)

Beat me to it.

[openmind]

you can have 2 or more sources if you like :)
here (http://www.upsdell.com/BrowserNews/stat_trends.htm) is one. here (http://marketshare.hitslink.com/report.aspx?qprid=0) is another

Sorry, I must have missed something, where on two sites on Browser Usage does it claim that Linux is 'Twice as popular as Mac'?

Edit; Or are you assuming that all mac users are using Safari?

Edit#2; Here's (http://marketshare.hitslink.com/report.aspx?qprid=2) another page from your second link which shows a different (and rather alarming!) story!

[Virogenesis]

I also believe the market share behind luinux is higher than that due to mac prices third world countries can not afford mac boxes so linux has a bigger base look at china and brazil.

[imagine]

From my experiences the market share of Apple in the USA is much higher than anywhere else. So it depends where you look.

And browser statistics aren't even worth the paper they are printed on...

[zubrug]

I wonder about those stats, I have copy of each of those windows versions except two, I only use ubuntu in reality, same with my brother in regards to Mac.

[egon spengler]

If you read the site those figures come from hits to their site. They admit the figures will be skewed towards the 'Techie' community, hence the larger than usual Firefox figures. If anything, The Linux figures will likewise be skewed upwards, as Linux users are, generally speaking, more likely to visit tech oriented sites.

Actually you could just as easily argue that being a web design site and Macs having a rep as being popular amongst designer-ish types the Mac figures are skewed.

[NeghVar]

You can make up statistics to proove anything, 28.917403759% of people know that.

What about things like routers that only show one ip to the world, I run Linux another guy runs windows, we both go to the same site, is it counted twice or do they just ignore the second one because its from the same ip. If they don't ignore it then what about people that visit a site regularly within a certain period of time?

[ComplexNumber]

You can make up statistics to proove anything, 28.917403759% of people know that. Lies, Damn lies, and Statistics :D

[openmind]

Actually you could just as easily argue that being a web design site and Macs having a rep as being popular amongst designer-ish types the Mac figures are skewed.

Yeah, got to agree there, I was thinking versus Windows, but yeah, both Linux and Macs are probably skewed in those figures.

[Master Shake]

How many times has ubuntu been downloaded, and how many CD's have been shipped?

[nickle]

Lies, Damn lies, and Statistics :D

and the majority who don't recognise dodgy statistics even when they get screwed silly...

"there's a sucker born every minute, you just happened to come along at the right time..."

PT Barnum

[poofyhairguy]

How many times has ubuntu been downloaded, and how many CD's have been shipped?

Far more than a million CDs have been shipped.

[DoubleClicker]

Does anyone know how to get the browser thats for google? That would show a better sampling of marketshare.

[NeghVar]

Far more than a million CDs have been shipped.

Even that though wouldn't be an accurate depiction. Im sure not everyone of those people continues to use it. Its like windows, I have a couple copies of windows here going from 95-xp, I don't use any of tyhem but they were all legally purchased.

[aysiu]

I got 10 CDs shipped to me when I ordered them. So it's not as if it's one disk per user.

[Bandit]

I wonder if it is really possible to truly know how popular Linux is on the desktop. These statistics are usually based on the number of sales on preloaded computers. Since most Linux users get their copies for free and install it themselves, the number of actual Linux users may be quite a bit higher than the statistics allow for. I would not be surprised if the actual numbers were double of the statistics for this very reason.
Very true.....8)

[henriquemaia]

I got 10 CDs shipped to me when I ordered them. So it's not as if it's one disk per user.

But most of us order more to share them. I got 10, gave 9.

[BoyOfDestiny]

I'm thinking it's a matter of time until Linux starts "overtaking".
Honestly, for us "greenhorns" (well almost 2 years on linux for me, I still feel I have a lot to learn, especially in terms of scripting),

Would you have been ready to switch just a few years ago? Consider the state Linux was in. I'm sure some would've been able to.
Things I "love" are project utopia with gnome (plug and play. auto mounting), out of the box 3d (radeon 9250), pretty much all of my hardware autodetected, or install with a few clicks (printer).

Going with the gnome stereotypes, I've learned a lot doing some thing manually. Whether it's mounting manually, editing grub settings, toying with fstab, or changing permission recursively (which I hope one day nautilus will put in). I'm no longer afraid of it, so in hindsite I may have been able to switch, but likely have problems with some of my hardware and settings...

I guess what it comes down to is Linux is not just improving in technical aspects, but with Ubuntu, things are just getting easier and easier. Dapper is the proof.

It's come to a point where before I was "putting up" with a few things I didn't like or weren't working as expected, but still better than windows. Now for me (yes opinion), it's better than windows in every respect. There is nothing I miss, at all.

As more time passes, considering MS's offerings, and the apple price tag. I see Linux gaining more and more ground. Best part, even if it does not, it will continue to "blossom".