How fast is Linux gaining a share in the market?

[ironfistchamp]

I am just curious as to how fast linux is gaining new users. Is there a large influx of users or are we all sitting around saying "yup any minute now everyone is gonna switch...any minute now"

It is only recently that I started thinking about other people starting to use linux. Before it was just "WHY WONT THIS WORK" I am over that stage now thankfully (mainly because of this community). :D

[Johnsie]

I don't really know for a fact how fast.... All I really know is from my personal experiences. My non-linux related site shows that Linux is somewhere between MacOS and Windows 98 when I comapre the visitor totals. Linux comes above MacOS but below Windows 98 on there. That's just one site though and those figure could very well be different on other sites. 2.24% of my visitors user Linux.

Personally, I've tried convincing people to use Linux. Many people seem to be happy with Windows or just don't want to change what they already know. A few people have given it a try which is good but it's not always easy to win people over. Maybe I'm a bad salesman, I dunno.


In the worldwide market, I have no idea how fast Linux is growing. It would be interesting if Ubuntu and other distros released their download/shippit statistics. I would also like it if big companies like Yahoo, Google etc. relased statisics on what OS their visitors were using.

[ironfistchamp]

I know what you mean about people not wanting to change. I suppose they see it as a "if it aint broke dont fix it" situation. They can't see the pitfalls of using Windows as they are not as technically minded as many Linux users.

What we need is for Microsoft to really balls things up. Like maybe force an internet connection or demand a monthly fee. If only.

[atrus123]

Well, Linux does have a firm grasp on the server market.

IBM uses Linux.
SUN Microsystems is starting to distribute servers with Ubuntu pre-installed.
etc.

Special effects studios, in large part, use Linux.

For example: Weta Digital of Lord of the Rings fame runs Maya on Red Hat boxes. They are hardly alone. (Fun-fact: Weta will be doing special effects for the Halo movie... this means Linux builds effects for a Microsoft movie).

Thanks to Ubuntu and SuSE (primarily), Linux is growing on the desktop market. I read just today that Levino will begin pre-installing SuSE on one of their high-powered laptops.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: until more companies begin releasing games for Linux, it will never claim the crown, but that doesn't stop the numbers from growing.

[ironfistchamp]

Ive just had another post from another thread saying we wont get linux games unitl we get more people using linux. Sounds a bit like a catch 22 here.

[aysiu]

You might be interested in reading this thread: Any ideas on Ubuntu's net growth? (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=125636)

[MaximB]

I know what you mean about people not wanting to change. I suppose they see it as a "if it aint broke dont fix it" situation. They can't see the pitfalls of using Windows as they are not as technically minded as many Linux users.

What we need is for Microsoft to really balls things up. Like maybe force an internet connection or demand a monthly fee. If only.

actually windows vista is going to demend internet connection
some of the program files will be downloaded from the internet
and don't forget the activisation that being used even in winxp (but in winxp you can get the code by phone).

[ironfistchamp]

Interesting thread there. Thanks aysiu for that.

MAXDDARK I thought Vista got rid of the connection thing. I heard they were going to use it but decided against it because it would hurt the numbers of people wanting Vista.

[lapsey]

actually windows vista is going to demend internet connection

typical, how many more ideas are they going to rip off from ubuntu

[23meg]

I am just curious as to how fast linux is gaining new users. I don't and can't know exactly but from what I can observe I deduct that it's happening faster than it ever has in the last two years.

[ironfistchamp]

I don't and can't know exactly but from what I can observe I deduct that it's happening faster than it ever has in the last two years.

Excellent I really hope it is and that it continues to grow and get faster. We will have world domination :p

[23meg]

We will have world domination :p
No we won't, and we shouldn't want to. No particular OS should "dominate", it's better if there's a multitude of choices for a multitude of needs, which will always exist.

[ironfistchamp]

It was a light hearted joke. It was not meant seriously.

[atrus123]

Ive just had another post from another thread saying we wont get linux games unitl we get more people using linux. Sounds a bit like a catch 22 here.

This is true, but I do think Microsoft makes a real go at preventing companies from releasing Linux games.

For example, Bioware released Neverwinter Nights for Linux. Brilliant move. Many Linux users purchased a license and installed the software (myself included); it's one of about three games I currently own.

With NWN 2, the company developing the software was actually prevented from using OpenGL and instead forced to build with DirectX. This means there will be no Linux port. Ever.

Did Microsoft have some hand in that? I don't know, but it seems strange that companies would go out of their way to avoid releasing their products for Linux. They're missing out on a large market. From what I understand, OpenGL is actually easier to program.

I may sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I really do wonder.

Of course, even if Microsoft were openly using unfair tactics to prevent games from being ported to Linux, the US government probably wouldn't care. Linux introduces a slew of licensing issues when it comes to users listening to, say, mp3s without paying the licensing fees. Right now, the government just pretends not to notice for the most part, but if Linux ever did become really popular, they'd be forced into taking some action.

I bet there are some lawmakers out there who think it'd be better if Linux just went away.

[ironfistchamp]

atrus123 some pretty interesting stuff there. Probably was a nasty little tactic by Microsoft there. I hate all these lisencing issues. It is a great way to make an interesting thing (computers and the suck like) complicated.

Interesting point about MP3 licensing there. What do you think would happen? Would we have to start paying to download the codecs. Or would people just download it anyway and hope nothing happens.

[aysiu]

Or would people just download it anyway and hope nothing happens. I believe that's what a lot of Linux users do right now with w32codecs and libdvdcss2, which are both illegal in the US and probably in some other countries as well.

[ironfistchamp]

I am meaning if Linux did become popular and the Governments started paying attention. Do you think this would continue? Could someone legally convert all their MP3s to an Open media type or am I just talking out of my **** here?

[aysiu]

If Linux became more popular, you would get more commercial support. In addition to the regular free repositories, you'd have a commmercial repository with the ability to pay for the rights to use certain codecs--something similar to Linspire's CNR, probably.

Right now, Ubuntu already has a commercial repository with Skype and Opera in it. You don't have to pay money for those, though.

[ironfistchamp]

Ok that makes sense. Thank you for clearing that up. aysiu to the rescue again.

This thread is pretty interesting. I have never had a discussion about linux other than technical ones.

[weatherman]

does anybody know why google isn't making its os stats public anymore?

[atrus123]

I am meaning if Linux did become popular and the Governments started paying attention. Do you think this would continue? Could someone legally convert all their MP3s to an Open media type or am I just talking out of my **** here?

Well, the idea would be for users to cease using closed source formats (like mp3) and begin using open source formats (like flac).

In a perfect, Ubuntu-modeled world, things would work like that.

DVDs and what have you would still, of course, be an issue.

To stay legal, I think users would have to start actually buying Linux in forms like Mepis and SuSE.

What would really concern me is what would happen to projects like Ubuntu, which has been, and always shall be, completely free. In order to stay viable, would they, too, have to start actually selling their product, if, say, mp3 (and related closed-source crap) remained the standard?

On top of that, take a look at this:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004864.php

Right now, that law just affects US citizens, but what if other countries started passing similar laws? If the US government deems projects like Gentoo illegal (because mp3 support exists in the official Gentoo repositories), would US law force, say, Swiss law to close down Swiss repositories as well?

Really, we just have to hope that open source becomes the standard or there will be problems for many completely free (as in free-speech) distros.

Anyway, I'm getting carried away and I need to go pick up my wife from work. I discuss stuff like this on my blog (http://www.animewine.com) sometimes as well, if interested.

[ironfistchamp]

How likely is it that the new standard will become an open souce format?

[Johnsie]

Here's some statistics from W3c

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

The O/S area shows a gradual gowth of Linux users over the years suggesting that 3.4% of the visitors there used Linux this June....

2006 was a little bit of an improvment on 2005 but there were several months in 2005 which got Linux got 3.5% of the visitors.

I find this slow growth quite frustrating..... If we keep growing at the current rate then it may be many years before Linux has a decent share in the market.I guess it's up to each and every one of us to do more to get people using Linux.

[darkhatter]

I believe the Chinese government is trying to push Linux, so if that works then there is going to be a huge jump

[Compucore]

Well the one way of doing it and its an idea that may happen to me over here. One of the local newspaper had a small article on converting games over to mac as an example. I had emailed the original writier about linux/ubuntu. as an alternative. Now he wants to write up on it at a later date and wants to have an interview with me about it. Since he had heard about it and had seen on the net some smaple video of Ubuntu. When he email me back for a get together. I'll be bringing my laptop with ubuntu on it to the guys place and some CD's of ubuntu for him to try out. And it'll be published in the local paper over here. under business tech news. Maybe we could all do that for ubuntu. And get everything rolling. :) We allmight have out 15 minutes of fame even in the news print. Would be nice no?

Compucore



I am just curious as to how fast linux is gaining new users. Is there a large influx of users or are we all sitting around saying "yup any minute now everyone is gonna switch...any minute now"

It is only recently that I started thinking about other people starting to use linux. Before it was just "WHY WONT THIS WORK" I am over that stage now thankfully (mainly because of this community). :D

[Quillz]

I am just curious as to how fast linux is gaining new users. Is there a large influx of users or are we all sitting around saying "yup any minute now everyone is gonna switch...any minute now"

It is only recently that I started thinking about other people starting to use linux. Before it was just "WHY WONT THIS WORK" I am over that stage now thankfully (mainly because of this community). :DI think Linux has become vastly more popular in the last year or so as distros such as Ubuntu and SuSE made the desktop capabilities of Linux much more desireable. I think as of now, very few people, even new users, wouldn't find much of a difference in desktop versions of Linux when compared to WinXP or Mac OS X. While some parts of Linux are still admitedly more difficult than they should be, such as installing software, for example, I think Linux has greatly grown in overall user usability, and that in turn will make Linux even better and easier to use. :)

[grte]

Well, it's completely anecdotal, but for the first time I'm seeing references to Linux on non-computer related forums that I frequent, and in significant numbers.

[Bezmotivnik]

The O/S area shows a gradual gowth of Linux users over the years suggesting that 3.4% of the visitors there used Linux this June....

From their description of the site, I should expect that it would have several times more Linux users than a more general site, such as Google or Yahoo.

It was interesting to see that in 2006 Linux only had about a tenth of a percent more of the pie than last year. The rate of increase is probably more significant.

As another poster mentioned, Google is not publishing OS stats any more. Their figures might be meaningful.

I've read that overall, desktop Linux is being used by around 1% of the total computers browsing the internet. True? I dunno. I seriously doubt that it's more than that.