Linux Market Share up 15% October to November

[Sealbhach]

Maybe it's the Intrepid effect?

http://fav.or.it/post/834120/apple-grabs-8-percent-of-online-market

http://cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/os-market-share.png



.

[I-75]

Thanks for the post.

This seems kind of related to this.

Windows market share drops to 15-year low

http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/40398/113/

[-grubby]

89% is a "15 year low"? I have a feeling Windows' market share isn't going anywhere, sorry.

[speedwell68]

89% is a "15 year low"? I have a feeling Windows' market share isn't going anywhere, sorry.

That is a massive drop in the number of units sold to get that low. Microsoft will be getting worried, I assure you.

[-grubby]

That is a massive drop in the number of units sold to get that low. Microsoft will be getting worried, I assure you.

If Window's market share went down 5% they might worry, but I can assure you they have enough money that it wouldn't matter too much anyways. A few less millions dollars, compared to hundreds of millions made, is nothing. Really

[TBOL3]

Well, if this is determined by purchases in the past month, that is a huge blow. That's millions of dollars MS isn't making, that they're used to making. Not to mention that the estimate of windows users is probably going to drop in the near future.

If that's the current guess of users of the OS, it's still a blow. Because, they are loosing their customers.

[Polygon]

nearly 1% in a month is a lot if you think about it.

[-grubby]

nearly 1% in a month is a lot if you think about it.

Nothing guarantees it will stay that way

[SunnyRabbiera]

Nothing guarantees it will stay that way

to me any dent in MS's market share is a good thing, no matter how small.

[bufsabre666]

of course the big winner is playstation

[mikewhatever]

89% is a "15 year low"? I have a feeling Windows' market share isn't going anywhere, sorry.

You are probably right, at least not in a day or two, but it's still refreshing to see their market share drop below 90%. It's worth noting, however, that Linux had been at 0.93 in August.

[wrtpeeps]

That is a massive drop in the number of units sold to get that low. Microsoft will be getting worried, I assure you.

I'm sure they're quaking at the thought of Linux with its less than 1% share taking over. :rolleyes:

[-grubby]

You are probably right, at least not in a day or two, but it's still refreshing to see their market share drop below 90%. It's worth noting, however, that Linux has been at 0.83 and higher before.

I don't get what this fight over market share is all about anyway. Linux has plenty of support, you can easily go out and build a PC or buy one that supports Linux (just do your research, not terribly difficult). They even sell pre-built Linux computers (and from a major vendor too [Dell]). In my opinion, Linux overstates it's ability to work with older hardware.

[tubezninja]

I'm sure they're quaking at the thought of Linux with its less than 1% share taking over. :rolleyes:

Oh yes. Utterly quaking.

Haven't we learned the effects of negative campaigning?I think the masses have grown tired of the Microsoft-bashing, and the linux community in general needs to quit with the attacks and focus on the strong points of their distros. Focus on gaining a statistically significant market share of at least more than a percent, rather than howling in delight that Microsoft's share dipped less than a percent.

[wrtpeeps]

I don't get what this fight over market share is all about anyway. Linux has plenty of support, you can easily go out and build a PC or buy one that supports Linux (just do your research, not terribly difficult). They even sell pre-built Linux computers (and from a major vendor too [Dell]).

Damn, you changed your post! But, for the bit you took out, I agree.

Linux does work on old hardware, but that's mainly because it's sort of built up on "layers". You can run a basic system on very old hardware, but to start running X and fancy window managers you need newish hardware.

To have the same effects as Windows has, you effectively need similar hardware as to what windows requires.

[-grubby]

Damn, you changed your post! But, for the bit you took out, I agree.

Linux does work on old hardware, but that's mainly because it's sort of built up on "layers". You can run a basic system on very old hardware, but to start running X and fancy window managers you need newish hardware.

To have the same effects as Windows has, you effectively need similar hardware as to what windows requires.

Added back :).

Also, yes, I agree. This hardware isn't used anymore for a reason. It's just too slow for what the average user expects in their desktop.

[wrtpeeps]

Added back :).

Also, yes, I agree. This hardware isn't used anymore for a reason. It's just too slow for what the average user expects in their desktop.

If you start saying to people "oh by the way, Linux will run on your 8 year old hardware" problems start occuring. When they install, they start saying things about how their wm looks "old", it runs slow, or how they cant have [insert fancy new feature here], or that transparency is crap, etc etc..

[mentallaxative]

Don't look at the percentage change, but the actual amount changed. It's a tiny difference and probably just as easily accountable by random fluctuation.

[Luffield]

In September Linux had 0.91%. I'm quite skeptical about the netapplications.com numbers, the changes from one month to the next seem to dramatic to be true IMO.

[handy]

Maybe MS know that when they loose a windows user they usually don't come back.

I wonder if Steve understands why?

[Paqman]

Don't look at the percentage change, but the actual amount changed. It's a tiny difference and probably just as easily accountable by random fluctuation.

^^This, unfortunately.

We're a long way off gathering any kind of real momentum. We keep getting excited about minute changes. Personally I think i'll hold off on popping the champagne until there's widespread agreement that we've hit 5% (which may never happen)

Having said that, I think the mass migration of Linux users to Ubuntu has been a good thing. Linux needs a recognisable brand name, even if it's a ridiculous one that nobody even knows how to pronounce :)

[Giant Speck]

Here's something interesting:

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk122/SpecKtacle/marketshare.png

I really don't see just one migration from Windows to any operating system.

What I see is smaller migrations among operating systems.

There's a migration from XP to Vista, from Windows to Mac, from Windows to Linux and from Linux to Mac.

That, and the Linux market share is actually down 12% since August.

[jomiolto]

Here's something interesting:

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk122/SpecKtacle/marketshare.png

[...]

That, and the Linux market share is actually down 12% since August.

Really makes me wonder what happened in September and October to make Linux drop that much. If you look at the stats from 2007, you'll see that Linux has been slowly, but quite steadily growing through 2007 and to the autumn 2008, until there's a sudden drop from 0.91% to 0.71% between September and October.

[smoker]

a percentage point difference here or there, now and again, doesn't matter so much. the slow and steady, but sure, increase in linux use is what counts more. a generation of windows users, who pay for their os, and pay through the nose to protect it, aren't going to change to something new. familiarity is what they want, even if it costs them dearly.

as time passes though, and more and more computer users come through not being reared on windows, then that's when linux will start to make the big leaps. any loss in revenue is bound to worry ms, or at least their shareholders, and the fact that they have no longer got the oem market clamped down, and more and more government and education authorities are turning to open source, means they are pinning more and more of their financial hope for the future on windows 7. what will happen if that turns out to be yet another ME?

[toupeiro]

I always thought it was a neat statistic to look at, but ultimately I dont care how much marketshare linux gains, or windows loses... As long as Linux remains more versatile and scalable than windows, Linux will always be a better OS, no matter how many people don't use it. Apple and Microsoft have millions of dollars in advertising campaigns every year to hold the marketshares they do. Linux growth is done mainly by word of mouth and proof of concept. While that may take longer to build up a userbase, people usually only choose to use linux because they recognize a benefit in doing so. Very few people chose windows. It was chosen for them, and thats what they've come to know because they were never presented with a relative choice.

Time will eventually show that its extremely hard to fight against Free, powerful, and efficient. To that, I have few doubts.

[Sealbhach]

Really makes me wonder what happened in September and October to make Linux drop that much.

It may well be actual numbers didn't drop, but a surge in some other OS, possibly Vista might have squeezed the Linux percentage in those months.


.

[I-75]

Linux is 2.09 %

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

Click View archived reports October 2008

Linux is 2.09 % ....up from 1.99 % in September 2008

In May 2007 Linux had a 1.26 % share.

[TBOL3]

Yes, but that's the type of website that a linux user would go to. I believe that number is inflated.

[wrtpeeps]

Maybe MS know that when they loose a windows user they usually don't come back.

I wonder if Steve understands why?

Actually, I'd say for most cases the opposite is true.

[Handyman Felting]

HAHAHA finally evidence that Linux is going to soon overtake Windows. I'd like to see how a Windows user would argue that Microsoft isn't screwed.

[perce]

Linux needs a recognisable brand name, even if it's a ridiculous one that nobody even knows how to pronounce :)


It's pronounced as it is written.

[Polygon]

also, i believe ubuntu incorrectly identified themselfs in the browser string so these sites didnt pick it up as linux, maybe that has something to do with it.

but every website is going to give different numbers, its hard to give an exact answer since they are all just based on web hits

[jomiolto]

I always thought it was a neat statistic to look at, but ultimately I dont care how much marketshare linux gains, or windows loses... As long as Linux remains more versatile and scalable than windows, Linux will always be a better OS, no matter how many people don't use it. Apple and Microsoft have millions of dollars in advertising campaigns every year to hold the marketshares they do. Linux growth is done mainly by word of mouth and proof of concept. While that may take longer to build up a userbase, people usually only choose to use linux because they recognize a benefit in doing so. Very few people chose windows. It was chosen for them, and thats what they've come to know because they were never presented with a relative choice.

I do care about the marketshare, because of hardware support and availability. If there was no one using Linux, then there would be no reason for hardware manufacturers to write drivers for Linux. I also hate paying for Windows everytime I buy a new computer, because computers without Windows are not available around here, as the market for anything else is so small (well, there are Macs, of course, but those are even worse, because they are quite expensive).

The netbooks have been a really welcome change, though, because most of them are available with Linux and they are even advertised...

[laurielegit]

HAHAHA finally evidence that Linux is going to soon overtake Windows. I'd like to see how a Windows user would argue that Microsoft isn't screwed.

Well, soon is a bit of an overstatement. For me, "overtaking" Microsoft would be achieved if they hit below 70% or if we (Linux) go over 7%. I think it'll be easier for them to achieve that target than for us to achieve ours.

[wrtpeeps]

Well, soon is a bit of an overstatement. For me, "overtaking" Microsoft would be achieved if they hit below 70% or if we (Linux) go over 7%. I think it'll be easier for them to achieve that target than for us to achieve ours.

You know what overtaking means, right? ;)

[mikewhatever]

I don't get what this fight over market share is all about anyway. Linux has plenty of support, you can easily go out and build a PC or buy one that supports Linux (just do your research, not terribly difficult). They even sell pre-built Linux computers (and from a major vendor too [Dell]). In my opinion, Linux overstates it's ability to work with older hardware.

You are wildly exaggerating, to put it mildly. There isn't a fight, not even a quarrel, personally, I prefer calling it statistics. Now, obviously, the title of the thread tries making an elephant out of a mouse. It's retarded, but what can you do, those 12 year olds are all over the internet.

Your description of Linux support is probably accurate for the USA, but the world does not end on the borders of that country. As for your info, good Linux support is a luxury outside of USA and several other countries.

[zmjjmz]

This really doesn't affect MS at all.
Their revenue doesn't just come from Windows, it comes from their office suite, their console, their website services, their advertising, their keyboards/mice, their music store, etc.
So Microsoft is _not_ going to fall anytime soon. Less than a percent of their OS marketshare means nothing to them.

[Paqman]

It's pronounced as it is written.

Actually, I think you'll find it's best pronounced in an exaggerated deep booming voice.

[deep booming voice]
UBUNTU!!!
[/deep booming voice]

Anything else just sounds weird.

[ade234uk]

Microsoft, certain individuals calling Linux a cancer, calling Google every name under the sun. Saying if you use Linux you are breaking the law. You know this man.

Everything that has been said, all the lies, all the years of locking users and businesses down, It's slowly coming back to bite Microsoft firmly on the ****, and don't we all just love it?

[josephellengar]

Thanks for the post.

This seems kind of related to this.

Windows market share drops to 15-year low

http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/40398/113/

It's the Vista and I'm a mac commercials, IMO. I think that Windows seven, if advertised well, will cut off all of the gains that Apple has made and MS will have 92%+ market share.

[mikewhatever]

This really doesn't affect MS at all.
Their revenue doesn't just come from Windows, it comes from their office suite, their console, their website services, their advertising, their keyboards/mice, their music store, etc.
So Microsoft is _not_ going to fall anytime soon. Less than a percent of their OS marketshare means nothing to them.

Very true. MS is still a very very strong company with ridiculous amounts of cash at it's disposal. It strikes me as odd that much of that cash comes from Vista, which people seem to hate, yet keep buying nevertheless.
The fact that Windows market share is below 90% may be unimportant, yet it's a milestone, however insignificant it may be.


Microsoft, certain individuals calling Linux a cancer, calling Google every name under the sun. Saying if you use Linux you are breaking the law. You know this man.

Everything that has been said, all the lies, all the years of locking users and businesses down, It's slowly coming back to bite Microsoft firmly on the ****, and don't we all just love it?

If you thought it's an MS haters' club here, it isn't.

[richg]

The total for Linux is still only .82 percent. Nothing to brag about.
Linux is great for helping spread Spam. Many, many email servers are going to Linux. Much better. Well over 50 percent of email is Spam.

Rich

[wrtpeeps]

Microsoft, certain individuals calling Linux a cancer, calling Google every name under the sun. Saying if you use Linux you are breaking the law. You know this man.

Everything that has been said, all the lies, all the years of locking users and businesses down, It's slowly coming back to bite Microsoft firmly on the ****, and don't we all just love it?

Er, ok.

[wrtpeeps]

Very true. MS is still a very very strong company with ridiculous amounts of cash at it's disposal. It strikes me as odd that much of that cash comes from Vista, which people seem to hate, yet keep buying nevertheless.
The fact that Windows market share is below 90% may be unimportant, yet it's a milestone, however insignificant it may be.



If you thought it's an MS haters' club here, it isn't.

See, you would get that impression from reading THESE forums, but I assure you that Vista is not hated. ;)

[josephellengar]

It's pronounced as it is written.

Well, I've heard Lie-nix Lin-uhx (how i say it) Lie-nooks Lin-ooks, Leenooks, Leen-uhx- and all of them are how it's writen.

[Valok]

I think this is, at least partially, due to the fact that people nowadays know more about computers and more people know about the other options that are out there. Most people that I've talked with about Linux more or less didn't know that it existed. Either that or never considered it an option for one reason or another.

But now that people are becoming more educated about computers, and there is more support every day for linux people are more apt to try it.

That and maybe the economic crunch has something to do with it. Maybe people are more motivated (mainly large companies) to turn to alternative and free operating systems to save some bucks.

[Abras]

I think the real news in these statistics is not Linux but Mac. There can be no doubt that Macs are making a steady climb in market share. I know that free software users are usually ambivalent about Apple, but I say at least it's nice to see Windows have a little competition. Now when the average computer users goes to buy a new computer they actually have a choice. And yes most of us on this forum, including myself, will just keep right on using Linux.

[phrostbyte]

I think the real news in these statistics is not Linux but Mac. There can be no doubt that Macs are making a steady climb in market share. I know that free software users are usually ambivalent about Apple, but I say at least it's nice to see Windows have a little competition. Now when the average computer users goes to buy a new computer they actually have a choice. And yes most of us on this forum, including myself, will just keep right on using Linux.

If Apple marketshare is growing it does help Linux users indirectly. More uptake of alternative browsers means more respect for web standards. Apple also uses OpenGL, so it means more games written for OS X, and easier porting of games to Linux.

[Dr Small]

The total for Linux is still only .82 percent. Nothing to brag about.
Linux is great for helping spread Spam. Many, many email servers are going to Linux. Much better. Well over 50 percent of email is Spam.

Rich
If they would take the time to secure their mailservers, we could eliminate alot of this spam going on. We should create a "Secure Mailserver Activist Group" to help stop spam... I don't think it will help :(

[grotto]

As market share is the total sales of a given type of product or service that are attributable to a given company, how does a free product get factored?

Did they just assume Ubuntu equals Linux and call it a day? I'm sure it has a diminutive share, but how they gathered these numbers are highly suspect.

As of 2006 there were about 1 billion computers users. 0.8% would equal about 8 million Linux users; what Ubuntu has alone. So Ubuntu has to have every Linux user there and Red Hat, Suse, Arch, Gentoo, etc total users are statistically irrelevant or these numbers aren't accurate. According to this article (http://www.internetnews.com/software/article.php/3780651) Fedora has 1.2 million users.

And how do they factor users that multi-boot? Own the computer? Pirate? I don't see how any of these numbers can be accurate.

[Giant Speck]

I think the real news in these statistics is not Linux but Mac. There can be no doubt that Macs are making a steady climb in market share. I know that free software users are usually ambivalent about Apple, but I say at least it's nice to see Windows have a little competition. Now when the average computer users goes to buy a new computer they actually have a choice. And yes most of us on this forum, including myself, will just keep right on using Linux.

You're right. If you click on the link in the original post, it takes to a Digg-style website, which then takes you to the "Cult of Mac" website, which then takes you to a CNN Money page with the following title:

Mac Internet share hits record 8.87%; Windows drops below 90%
http://apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2008/12/01/mac-internet-share-hits-record-882-windows-drops-below-90/

[laurielegit]

You know what overtaking means, right? ;)

I put it in "" for a reson. We might never overtake them with numbers, but we've all ready overtaken them with pride. I think this is clear when you read the book of Tux, "The End Of Linux"

As we stand united behind Tux, in his many forms, the masses shall cry: "THIS IS LINUX" and so onwards the windows fanboys may fall but we shall stay strong, down to the last 300. And when we reach that point, we shall ask ourselves a question. Time for vista yet? But alas no, we cannot accept that fate, so we shall battle on, even compiling from source when the getdeb servers go down, but never, I repeat, never, paying for one piece of software. There may come a time when our processors become weary, and our memory lacking, but in this time we shall turn to ebay, for we shall not support the corporate greed of Microsoft. And some people may make money, and might defect to apple. And we will bear no grudge, just spit in their faces and subscribe them to pornographic magazines. As thus, at the end of our life as the Linux community, we shall have one last great flamewar between the Getoo "1337" and the Ubuntu "n00bs". Then the great mod Spartacus shall break it up, and as a bonding exercise degree that the time has come for the great migration. And so, for a final time we shall journey as one penguin to the great windows developer convention, were we shall stick it to the man one final time before turning our Python coding Sk1lzz on ourselves as the final sacrifice to show our hate for windows.

The book of Tux, Chapter 4, Verse 12

[zmjjmz]

Linux is great for helping spread Spam. Many, many email servers are going to Linux. Much better. Well over 50 percent of email is Spam.

Rich
Not sure what that has to do with this, but the botnets that actually send the spam are made up entirely of Windows computers.

[Sealbhach]

Now, obviously, the title of the thread tries making an elephant out of a mouse. It's retarded, but what can you do, those 12 year olds are all over the internet.


What's retarded about it? It refers to the content. Keep it polite please.


.

[waapwoop1]

Iphones are almost beating Linux already

[Paqman]

As market share is the total sales of a given type of product or service that are attributable to a given company, how does a free product get factored?

Did they just assume Ubuntu equals Linux and call it a day? I'm sure it has a diminutive share, but how they gathered these numbers are highly suspect.


It's done the way all these OS market share estimates are. From the article:

Net Applications’ monthly surveys are conducted by sampling browser data from some 160 million visits to Web sites operated by firm’s clients. Although the company describes the results as “market shares,” Net Applications does not actually measure share of market in the traditional sense of sales revenue or unit sales. It does, however, provide a consistent methodology by which to measure browser and operating system trends.

[conehead77]

Not sure what that has to do with this, but the botnets that actually send the spam are made up entirely of Windows computers.

http://lwn.net/Articles/222153/

[josephellengar]

I put it in "" for a reson. We might never overtake them with numbers, but we've all ready overtaken them with pride. I think this is clear when you read the book of Tux, "The End Of Linux"

As we stand united behind Tux, in his many forms, the masses shall cry: "THIS IS LINUX" and so onwards the windows fanboys may fall but we shall stay strong, down to the last 300. And when we reach that point, we shall ask ourselves a question. Time for vista yet? But alas no, we cannot accept that fate, so we shall battle on, even compiling from source when the getdeb servers go down, but never, I repeat, never, paying for one piece of software. There may come a time when our processors become weary, and our memory lacking, but in this time we shall turn to ebay, for we shall not support the corporate greed of Microsoft. And some people may make money, and might defect to apple. And we will bear no grudge, just spit in their faces and subscribe them to pornographic magazines. As thus, at the end of our life as the Linux community, we shall have one last great flamewar between the Getoo "1337" and the Ubuntu "n00bs". Then the great mod Spartacus shall break it up, and as a bonding exercise degree that the time has come for the great migration. And so, for a final time we shall journey as one penguin to the great windows developer convention, were we shall stick it to the man one final time before turning our Python coding Sk1lzz on ourselves as the final sacrifice to show our hate for windows.

The book of Tux, Chapter 4, Verse 12

This can't possibly be a real book, right?

[grotto]

It's done the way all these OS market share estimates are. From the article:

Ah, thanks for posting that. I didn't see it when looking over the articles. Not a very scientific way of gathering this data. I wouldn't get worked up over these numbers, one way or the other. Bad data in, bad data out.

[automaton26]

A 10-year history of stats would be useful.

But projecting that single snapshot forwards means 5% Linux by next Xmas..!

[laurielegit]

This can't possibly be a real book, right?

Well it will be when I get it published. :lolflag: When is the important word in that sentance.

[Johnsie]

I'd say this is probably down to forced sales on the cheap netbooks. I've seen alot of them in the shops recently. The problem is that alot of noobs are buying these things and don't know how to work them. They expect everything to be the same as in Windows.

Last week one of my work colleagues bought one and couldn't get technical support installing her broadband because her netbook had Linux. Luckily I was there to help, but alot of people are going to be frustrated when they have to learn new ways of doing things and can't use the software they want.

Another problem is that alot of the Linux netbooks being sold is that they come with bad flavours of Linux. The version of Xandros that came with my eeepc was complete junk and I had to install Ubuntu. Ubuntu doesn't easily install on some netbooks and it's certainly not a task that a non-IT literate person would be able to do.

So right from the beginning the user may have a bad experience of Linux.

[mikewhatever]

See, you would get that impression from reading THESE forums, but I assure you that Vista is not hated. ;)

I mostly read Ubuntu related post and avoid all Vista bashing junk, however, you don't have to browse here to read about people's displeasure with Vista. If you haven't noticed any, perhaps the two of us live on different planets.