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107 Comments
- whiteglove, on 04/10/2009, -10/+40It's the year of the Linux desktop!
- ktm9rick, on 04/10/2009, -4/+22 "it will be boosted as companies consolidate their technical infrastructure during this economic downturn."
See, the recession isn't all bad. - ThantiK, on 04/10/2009, -4/+19Linux also has 30% of the netbook market, the fastest growing market for computers. And Linux is on more servers than windows ever dreamed of being on.
- ThantiK, on 04/10/2009, -3/+16That's strange, I install software on my computer by doing System->Administration->Synaptic...
What command line? - enronias, on 04/10/2009, -7/+20It wouldn't take much to be the fastest growing OS market, when your starting market share is so low compared to the competition. . .
- badqat, on 04/10/2009, -7/+18It has been since, oh, 1998 or so. First it was '98, then '99, then '00, then '01, then '02, etc., etc., etc.
- ThantiK, on 04/10/2009, -3/+142008 was the year of linux on the desktop. A 30% netbook marketshare proves that.
- srg13, on 04/10/2009, -0/+11Linux is something like 60 - 70% of web servers, 40% of all servers, 90% of the top 500 fastest supercomputers and between 1 and 4% of desktops (I'm not sure about the numbers for phones and embedded systems, but it has a presence there as well)... But that's completely irrelevant - it's the growth that they're talking about.
- westyvw, on 04/10/2009, -1/+11Its the largest segment of the server and appliance market. RTFA.
- CyDharttha, on 04/10/2009, -2/+12http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Explorer#Mar ...
Firefox has taken significant market share from IE the past few years, I think they're doing something right. - pewpewarrows, on 04/10/2009, -4/+13As much as I love Linux and develop for it, it's just never going to be the "year of the Linux desktop" until they can overcome the Catch-22. Businesses won't develop for Linux because of its small market share, and that market share won't increase because software that people/businesses rely on don't work on Linux.
I might be going out on a limb here, but I'm going to safely say that the vast majority of users, personal and business alike, have some piece of Windows-only software that they rely on. While an OSS equivalent might exist, they definitely don't have the technical know-how to find or install it.
Take a look at the "browser wars." You have clear, blatant improvements over Internet Explorer, available free and on any platform imaginable, and yet MSIE still dominates the market share. That's how difficult it is to move up in this field. What's the answer? Hell if I know, but hopefully developers much smarter than myself come up with the solution. - FunnyBoyz, on 04/10/2009, -12/+21Every server online is running LINUX. Duh..
windows servers r awful - MonkeyFarts, on 04/10/2009, -0/+9I get the feeling that I ought to elaborate, as I've already been dugg down by one idiot who doesn't understand this basic concept.
Okay. Let's do math.
Let's pretend that in 2007, Linux had a 1% market share, OS X had a 9% market share, and windows had a 90% market share (I don't know if these numbers are accurate or not, but it really makes no difference).
In 2008, let's say that Linux grew to a 1.2% market share, OS X grew to 10% market share, and Windows fell to 88.8% market share. Now let's compute rate of growth! =D
Rate of growth for Linux: Linux went from 1% to 1.2% in one year. That's a change of +0.2%. 0.2 is 20% of 1.00. That means Linux's market share GREW by 20%!
Rate of growth for OS X: OS X went from 9% to 10% in one year. That's a change of +1%. 1 is 11.11% of 9. That means OS X's market share GREW by approximately 11%!
Rate of growth for Windows: Windows went from 90% to 88.8%. That's a change of -1.2%. 1.2 is 1.33% of 90%. That means Windows' market share SHRUNK by 1.33%!
Now let's compare numbers! The largest change was for windows, being 1.2% (taken as an absolute value, as change can positive or negative). Next was OS X, being a change of 1%. Finally, Linux, with a mere 0.2% change. HOWEVER, the RATE of change was the largest for LINUX, with a 20% change, followed by OS X, with an 11.11% change, and finally Windows, with a 1.33% change. So, as you can see, it's pretty darn easy for Linux to have the fastest growth in market share, seeing that it has such a small market share comparative to Windows and OS X (in terms of desktop usage, NOT server usage).
Understand this now? Congratulations, you've just performed third grade math. Don't you feel smart now? - HonestAbeinator, on 04/10/2009, -1/+10I think that applies to any new technology. I've seen a couple presentations where they talk about the adoption of technologies. At the start its just a few people using it in specialized applications and then there is a gap which a lot of new technologies never make it past and they just die. But if the technology makes it across that threshold it explodes and becomes mainstream. I think desktop Linux is right on the edge of that gap. There exists a point where it will start becoming relevant for software companies to start developing for linux, and it will snowball. But getting across that gap is the hardest part. Still, it seems like Linux is getting there, I see more people with Ubuntu on their laptops everyday. I say just keep making it better and it will catch on, its only a matter of time.
- wildgift, on 04/10/2009, -0/+8This is only partially true. Some expensive apps are sold on Linux.
The software market has been changing a lot since the days of off-the-shelf software sold by ISVs. - westyvw, on 04/10/2009, -0/+8Thats absolutely untrue. Many of the major enterprise application developers are embracing open source as a selling point. They realize that they can get a large amount of work done for them for free, while leveraging support and maintenance contracts just like they always did. Its a win-win situation. Several apps we use are actually open source projects packaged and delivered customized for us. What the business needs is a good price point and top notch service. There is nothing about open source that stops you from making money with it.
- MonkeyFarts, on 04/10/2009, -1/+9You might want to look up what a rate is. We're talking about a *rate* of growth. That is not the same thing as total market share...
- westyvw, on 04/10/2009, -0/+8Except one of those heros wants to defeat the other two, and then stop development and let the users suffer.
- westyvw, on 04/10/2009, -3/+11RTFA much?
- Smegzor, on 04/10/2009, -2/+9Just like the Spanish Inquisition!
- LostSoul83, on 04/10/2009, -1/+8I introduced someone to compiz-fusion today and they're going to give Linux a try. They had heard about it before I showed CF to them. I think one way to get people into Linux at retail stores is to set up a machine with a webcam and a rotating compiz cube that displays the video in real-time on the 3D cube. That would blow a lot of peoples' minds. It certainly did blow my mind the first time I saw it do things like that.
- sigmaman2, on 04/10/2009, -1/+8Using the command line to do something useful and straightforward is better than using a GUI to do something mundane and confusing, i.e.regedit.
- jcmyers, on 04/10/2009, -1/+7Wow, not only are you completely... dumb, you've even got the numbers wrong. I can't even believe this needs to be explained.
"The ""arguement"" of cost doesn't actually apply here since most businesses already have windows anyway."
Businesses, EVERY DAY, spend hundreds of thousands of dollars (at least) on new windows licenses all around the world. That's on a daily basis. Think about how many businesses there are in the world that use windows. The numbers are staggering! The money they're spending on new windows licenses doesn't have to be spent at all, or can be spent on other things if they just didn't have to buy all of those licenses. You have to buy 1 license for every computer you plan to put windows on! Do you know how much that costs? If they're are using linux, it doesn't cost anything at all. That's a major difference for a lot of companies right now, and for a lot of individuals as well.
"Also on a side note: If I made a ***** OS and got my mom to use it my OS grew by 200%!"
If you made a ***** OS (and I have no doubt that if you made one, it WOULD be *****), you would be 100% of its user base, and then if you got your mom to use it, you would thereby have increased its use by another 100%. Those two 100%'s together don't equal 200% growth, you wouldn't count. - jcmyers, on 04/10/2009, -0/+5Yes, BUT... it'll get their attention. If people are going to switch to linux, they WANT a reason to change their current patterns (sticking with what they're used to, i.e windows).
People are amazed and distracted by new things they haven't seen before, like pretty pictures and good special effects.
And after having used linux myself now (after being enticed by how nice it looked), I'm hooked. I'm not going to drop ubuntu as my OS of choice, I'm waiting for it to be complete enough to replace windows.
It's close. - oobuntu, on 04/10/2009, -0/+5#1
Windows7 comes with Office now?
#2
Windows Server is expensive. And you only get 5 CALs. The licensing is very restrictive - Licurgo, on 04/10/2009, -6/+11i try it, and is pretty good
- Myztry, on 04/10/2009, -1/+6Can you imagine if Microsoft Windows powered the Internet.
Every new authenticating Internet connection would require a Windows Server CAL to be purchased... - mobling, on 04/10/2009, -1/+6I have been using Linux from Slackware 2.0 days and I have to say that it has come a long way. Compiling, and linking against constantly missing libraries was a total nightmare. One thing Microsoft had going for it was a fairly standard UI. Installing a new Linux application often meant compiling with a library of widgets and classes that the author wrote as well. It sure has smoothed out now. I never thought I would see the day when I could install something like Apache with a couple of mouse clicks. You lose some flexibility, but wow, the ease is amazing.
As a user above mentioned, look how far Firefox, Thunderbird, K3B, and many other great applications. Now if I could only get my Epson scanner to work for two distro upgrades, I will have all joy. It is getting so much better. - plaguepony, on 04/10/2009, -28/+32in imaginationland
- TrancePhreak, on 04/10/2009, -14/+18I hear they doubled their market share... It was at 1 and now it is at 2.
- westyvw, on 04/10/2009, -2/+6Oh great here comes the WinDoze fanbois to make up statistics while not bothering to RTFA.
:) - Leviathan433, on 04/10/2009, -4/+8and yet Linux is the only thing on that list that is free to the user...
- westyvw, on 04/10/2009, -3/+6No you got that confused with Microsoft products: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mivM7vrQKmc
- anawnymoose, on 04/10/2009, -0/+31: You must be an incredibly boring person if a stock install of windows is the only thing you need to put on your system. Office? Codecs? Games? Utilities?
2: People who don't have a few hundred bucks to spend on a new OS right now care would be my guess.
3: The cotton gin revolutionized american industry but people still improved on it and moved to better ways. "Microsoft made home computers popular" isn't really relevant here, that doesn't mean if people start using other software we'll all sink back into the stone ages.
4: Neither does linux if you turn a few things off. Remember that thing everyone had to do with Vista?
5: Most distributions by default launch into a nice pretty GUI, and you do need a console prompt in windows to do anything too complicated. It's a great shortcut and kind of why microsoft has included it all these years despite not actually being built on DOS since Windows 98. They're even developing a console-only server edition of Windows.
6: Great for you, was never a problem in linux so there you go. EDIT: Wait, the modified version of RedHat that VMWare ESX server runs on has a purple screen of death that I saw once when a raid controller died. So never mind on that point.
Your turn! - 2uantuM, on 04/10/2009, -0/+3Two of them actually. Apple is a business just like Microsoft
- adml_shake, on 04/10/2009, -12/+15Well when your dead last in market share do you really have any where else to go but up?
- LostSoul83, on 04/10/2009, -0/+3I don't think GPUs from ten years ago could draw textures at 4096x2048. As far as Compiz slowing you down, have you played with the settings manager? You can literally tweak EVERYTHING. This includes speeding up the effects, and disabling the ones you dislike. I personally would love to have this cube if I were using an EEE pc, or something else with extremely limited space.
- anarchist101, on 04/11/2009, -1/+4Your understanding of math is correct (this would be a doubling of market share), so I dug you up.
Far more people use Linux than you would believe.
I use Ubuntu Intrepid full time, but I do have a dual boot of Windows XP to play two games which I enjoy (which WINE doesn't play perfectly last I checked) and I use Windows for nothing else.
Doom 3 runs faster and better in Linux than it does in Windows, and I wish there were more like it. An excellent game.
BTW I have tried Vista and I just don't like it. I feel it is an improvement over the security offered by XP but the hardware requirements are ridiculous compared to a Linux system. - Twinnie, on 04/10/2009, -0/+21. Fair enough Office, but OpenOffice is Windows as well.
2. I wasn't talking about servers. If I was gonna host my own ***** I'd use Linux as well. - LostSoul83, on 04/10/2009, -1/+3I've actually been using Linux since late 2005, when Compiz was probably only an idea. I switched because I got tired of the "windows mentality". Compiz is not just "useless eye-candy", because it provides a nice full-screen magnifier. Compare this to the Windows Magnifier, which still can't work in full-screen ten years later.
- bhalo05, on 04/11/2009, -1/+3Compiz is not just useless eye candy, that's right. It's one of the last miracles that were supposed to bring Linux to the masses. There were many before 2005, and there will be many more to come, with similar results: all of them forgotten in the mist of time.
BTW, I'm using Windows 7 and the magnifier works perfectly full screen. In fact, compositing effects work perfeclty in Windows since 2006, while the same cannot be said for Compiz, which people turn off to get work done. It's nice to post "wow" videos to youtube though. - battlenix, on 04/13/2009, -0/+2There isn't a virus on Linux because... no one is using Linux! It's not worth the virus maker's time to even consider making it on Linux.
And if there's one, and if you don't know the file you're running, prompting password won't help (like Vista's UAC) - ozweego5, on 04/10/2009, -2/+4Great Job Linux! I mean come on people, You cant tell me you did not see this coming.Give Wine a couple of more years and there will be no need for windows....... Live, Love, Linux!!!
- iiiears, on 04/11/2009, -0/+2Linux servers more flexible and secure because the source code is available.
Desktop users Source code, Why?
Please just make $Favorite install and work with a single click.
Servers aren't Desktops. - ozweego5, on 04/10/2009, -0/+2also with alot of Virtualization software thats available for FREE, You can emulate windows if you "Really" needed too!
- inactive, on 04/10/2009, -14/+16Isnt there a sexual fetish involving linux? Like the furries, but worse.
- anawnymoose, on 04/10/2009, -0/+2You guys can complain about desktop linux all you want (My PCI sound card and graphics that won't run any game made after 2004 under ubuntu/wine will agree) but in my industry I am seeing linux use on servers rise a lot. Once set up and configured they're way more stable than Server 2k3/2k8 in my experience, and we eventually decided that it wasn't worth all the extra cash for microsoft software/licensing just because it was comfortable and perceived to be more stable for production use.
I do think windows is better for certain uses in a production environment but honestly, pound for pound linux requires less maintenance and less time spent fixing random crap for me. And I don't even know it that well, I bet I'd have to look up a cheat sheet if I wanted to compile a new kernel right now. - jcmyers, on 04/10/2009, -2/+4which is a pain the ASS if you've never done it before. at least there's a lot of forums to search on the internet to find an answer to most of the questions you may have about fixing a problem.
if you've never used linux before, it can be confusing at first, and at this point, everyone isn't going to get it, but like so many people here have said, it's getting much better than it used to be. - ozweego5, on 04/10/2009, -0/+2Don't get me wrong, Windows 7 is better than vista, I have been trying it out for a couple of months.
But the whole windows doesn't ask for passwords every five seconds, I don't really see your point there, DON'T BE SO LAZY! I mean surly that makes Linux much less prone to attacks and break-ins. I have used Linux (ubuntu) for 3 years and windows since Win95'....I have never gotten a virus in Linux.........but on the other hand I cant tell you how many viruses and Trojans I have piled up in windows!!! - tmatyt95, on 04/10/2009, -1/+3Well said jcmyers
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