After 30 Years, Linux Finally Hits 3% Market Share
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Linux enthusiasts rejoice! After a long journey, according to StatCounter's data, by June 2023, Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share.
  • Akari@lemmy.ml
    163·
    1 year ago

    The true year of linux is not any specific year or a userbase percentage but when linux is widely preinstalled on consumer hardware without nerds needing to recommend to people to install it themselves

    The steamdeck is the first step to that future

    • ForbiddenRoot@lemmy.ml
      34·
      1 year ago

      In my region (India), for a while, there seemed to be plenty of laptops available with Linux installed as an option. Then again in the last few years that seems to have withered down to almost none, sometimes even if the same model is available with Linux in some other regions. I am not sure what changed. Perhaps some deal with Microsoft. The good part is that the fact that they do support Linux elsewhere on the same laptop configuration generally means its easy to get it up and running yourself even if it does not come pre-installed.

      In any case, as an old-timer, it’s very impressive to me how much hardware Linux supports nowadays without any drama at all. Not to mention all the progress made in software especially in supporting Windows-only games, which is truly magical work by the Wine / Proton teams. As far as I am concerned the “Year of Linux Desktop” is here already since I can use it daily without missing absolutely anything at all from Windows.

      • Anarch157a@lemmy.worldOP
        23·
        1 year ago

        That was the same in Brazil, where I live. This scared the beejesus out of Microsoft, so they created special, cheaper version for developing countries to counter it.

    • flashgnash@lemm.ee
      11·
      1 year ago

      Honestly seeing the performance of the steam deck right now I’d probably buy a steam machine if a modern one came out

    • BaumGeist@lemmy.ml
      7·
      1 year ago

      The steamdeck is the first step to that future

      I’m sure people said the same about android

      I get that SteamOS is an actual desktop distro, and that’s closer to a daily driver than any android or bespoke *nix compatible SOC OS, but I doubt we’ll see this spread from steamdeck to daily drivers, unless…

      Unless linux can offer some feature windows/mac/ios do not, or at least market itself as doing so the way that Apple does, and get the overwhelming majority of tech consumers—who want nothing more than to keep up with the joneses and see the hardware specs numbers get bigger—to FOMO into it

      Unfortunately that would conflict with the most enticing features it does have that no one else does: a code of ethics that are inherently anti-capitalist and anti-authoritarian. And honestly, who wants every Linux community, online or off, flooded with consumers who only care about the newest Feature™ and have no care about maintaining software freedom?

      • vd1n@lemmy.ml
        11·
        1 year ago

        The only thing I see holding people back is software availability. If it could run adobe and games natively I don’t see why anyone would want to pay for windows.

        • moon_matter@kbin.social
          5·
          1 year ago

          Software is definitely at the top of the list in terms of reasons. But the UX/UI definitely leaves something to be desired. I sigh heavily every time an application asks me to edit a text-based config file instead of giving me a GUI. It’s an unnecessary, error-prone process and most importantly I have better things to do than read yet another page of documentation. That doesn’t mean I want the config file to go away, it’s still very useful for a variety of reasons. But I shouldn’t have to mess around with it just to remap keys or other common tasks. Editing a config file should be a last resort for an end user.

          You see similar problems when relying on the terminal. I don’t like this idea of the end user being allowed to mess around without a safety net or some sort of guidance.

          • mifan@feddit.dk
            1·
            1 year ago

            I think it’s more about trying to change particular industries. If all of Adobes software was available for Linux in a supported and stable versions, you could see changes in the OS used in lots of design and creativity industries, which again would change what OS people use at home.

            Also I think the force of being open source and spread over so many distros, is also a weakness in terms of getting the mainstream user to use it. My dad will call me or ask his friend about how you do this and that in Windows, but if our OS per default looks different from what others are using, he will not be able to get the same kind of help from his near community, and will have to rely on a more technical kind of support.

            And things have to work out of the box. If I hear “You CAN get it to work” - I won’t use it. I need things to just work, I don’t have time to (nor interrest in) spending a night mingeling with config files to have simple things do the things they’re supposed to.

        • BaumGeist@lemmy.ml
          1·
          1 year ago

          run adobe and games natively

          1. adobe sucks for the same reasons I alluded to in my last paragraph. Money-grubbing corporation company hurts developers by patenting, trademarking, and copyrighting every minor feature in their programs to the point where FOSS alternatives have to bend over backwards to find ways to implement some of the same functionality. The problem isn’t linux, the problem is adobe, the problem is profit-motive, the problem is capitalism.

          2. IDK what distro you use, but I’m using Debian, and it does run games natively–nearly half of the ones I own on steam. Not all of them, but that’s not Linux’s fault, that’s not Gnu’s fault, that’s not Debian’s fault: they already offer compatibility layers and yet that’s not good enough for everyone, and there’s not much they can do beyond that outside of building a windows clone (or at least a partial clone) that would probably get them sued. To run natively, the devs would have to compile it to run on Linux and the ones that don’t are making the choice to not do so–consciously or not, because of profits or not; it’s hard to say why, even indie devs who make free games as a hobby sometimes choose not to, so it’s not as easily dismissed with “because capitalism”

          That all being said, the “software availability” criticism can cut both ways. I’ve found so many tools and utilities and apps and FOSS programs that are only made available for linux (unless one is willing to port them oneself), and there isn’t an app or program I use everyday that I haven’t found a linux-compatible alternative for. The glaring exception being games; to me that wasn’t a huge deal, I’ll bite that bullet because I’d rather go without kernel-privileged spyware for an OS–and the same for an anti-cheat engine–than play a triple-A on maximum graphics, play online multiplayers that require microsecond reaction time, or other such use cases where Proton actively hinders UX. Like I said, I’d rather have anti-authoritarian computers than worry about keeping up with the performance spec joneses

        • BaumGeist@lemmy.ml
          1·
          1 year ago

          True, but Apple has already pivoted to being the “privacy-friendly” OS/devices. Whether or not that’s true–I don’t know for certain (I have a hunch, though)–they have much more visibility and influence and marketing, and therefore will cement themselves in people’s minds that way.

          Besides, I like the idea of Linux existing outside the capitalist paradigm; instead of competing with the big names in the market, it’s on the outskirts playing its own game and absolutely crushing it. It has survived decades based almost entirely on word of mouth between computer nerds instead of vying for attention in the mainstream. As a technology it has achieved the platonic ideal: it is so good at what it does that it doesn’t need marketing, it survives solely on reputation and quality and user upkeep.

        • TheEntity@kbin.social
          6·
          1 year ago

          Some would say desktops are not really consumer hardware anymore. Unfortunately. Sent from my useless black rectangle.

            • Trainguyrom@reddthat.com
              2·
              1 year ago

              Honestly whatever Linux Distro takes over will almost certainly be an Android or ChormeOS style bastardization where you can certainly see the lineage but it’s so locked down and so far removed from the userland and tooling we expect that the whole point of “year of the Linux desktop” is lost

              • FunkyClown@lemmy.fail
                2·
                1 year ago

                Yes and no. MacOS is basically the year of the Unix desktop for a while now and it’s still powerful and user friendly. Just fire up a terminal and it’s Unix. The benefit they have is hardware control so stuff just works and no driver hardware issues etc…

                • const void*@lemmy.world
                  2·
                  1 year ago

                  I agree. Linux is great when one has the time but not the money.

                  However for a system that just works - MacOS is one of the best bsd distros of all time esp on arm.

                  Sadly MacOS also comes with the downfalls of a closed and proprietary ecosystem.

    • Botree@lemmy.world
      6·
      1 year ago

      Steam Deck is the first taste I get of Linux. I’ve always had this fear of not being able to fully utilize a Linux OS due to my lack of skills in coding, but I find myself looking into it more ever since I got a Steam Deck. It may just be the right excuse I need to git gud in coding.

      Edit: Thanks for the clarification and encouragement guys. I’m going to make it a mission to move to Linux ASAP since it feels like Windows has been really pushing the limits of privacy these days.

      • jaykstah@waveform.social
        11·
        1 year ago

        You don’t gotta know how to code to use Linux. Maybe some basic skills in scripting will be useful as a tool but other than that it’s more about learning how the system is laid out and where to go to do things. Just becoming familiar with doing things in a Linux environment

      • salarua@sopuli.xyzEnglish
        6·
        1 year ago

        you don’t have to know coding to enjoy Linux! it’s got a reputation of being techie-oriented thanks to users of Arch Linux (a very techie distribution of Linux) dominating the Linux community, but there are plenty of distributions for everyday users, like Zorin OS and Elementary

      • mrmanagerA
        5·
        1 year ago

        You don’t need coding, don’t worry. :) It’s useful to start learning the Linux command line however.

  • wiggles@programming.dev
    62·
    1 year ago

    The reddit API debacle sent me down a Lemmy, FOSS, Linux, privacy, hacker rabbit hole that I will hopefully and happily never have to leave. My eyes are opened to a better future. I’ll probably be duel booting windows for awhile still to keep up for my job, but I have been able to start transitioning away pretty easily thanks to the hard work of linux desktop devs. I am so grateful for the FOSS community and hope to contribute myself someday.

    • Trainguyrom@reddthat.com
      8·
      1 year ago

      The nasty truth is, most folks don’t have a computer at home anymore. They do everything on their phone. The desktop is reserved for the office worker, which is itself a double-edged sword as the average office worker is so clueless about the computer they’re sitting in front of that it could be replaced with a Linux desktop without them knowing anything other than “IT changed this and I don’t like it” but the flip side of that is that there’s a generation of IT people who learned their craft during the Ballmer era and are now in positions where they run the IT departments (and those who learned before and Linux kinda sucked back then). If they aren’t too jaded to try something new they’re too tired or too scared of the long term ramifications of trying something so radically different

      As someone in the initial “hop around and pick up as many skills and resume line items as possible” phase of my IT career, I’ve already heard the exact reasons why Windows is still so prevelent “our company’s client base is largely farmers. Sure you might have the skills to be a Linux admin but who would replace you whenever you move on? Good luck finding a good Linux admin around here at a rate we can pay!” “Windows Server is so much easier to deploy and troubleshoot without having to remember the commands, why would I bother learning Linux which is much harder to learn when employers around here aren’t even looking for Linux experience” and even my friends who appreciate the geekiness and will openly lab out ideas in their free time for fun have to stay realistic about how stable or how janky every part of the given software solution is, plus the value of a support contract where you can answer the “why is this not fixed” questions with “I have a ticket in with the vendor”

      • Gork@lemmy.ml
        1·
        1 year ago

        Perhaps. But by then it certainly would be the year of the Linux desktop by then. What other operating system can handle years that long, starting from Jan 1, 1970 to Jan 1, 6.460263446E+5814. Linux, that’s what.

    • bump@lemmy.world
      1·
      1 year ago

      Well what if I install Linux on my “free school Chromebook/Windows laptop/MacBook”?

        • Trainguyrom@reddthat.com
          8·
          1 year ago

          The crazy thing is more and more is purely being done through a web browser as time goes on, so it’s becoming more and more possible to switch at the drop of a dime for people

          • toasteranimation@lemmy.world
            2·
            1 year ago

            so true. I use very few native applications and do 90% of everything in a browser. Notable exceptions: Libreoffice, FileZilla, Thunderbird and an image editor

  • Ziro@lemmy.world
    35·
    1 year ago

    I know it’s not a very Linuxy distro, but Linux Mint (Cinnamon) is so easy to use, especially for Windows users. I’ve completely replaced Windows (and with better software), aside from using Windows for a few games that require it. I used Ubuntu, Suse, and Fedora long ago, but for me, Mint takes the proverbial cake.

    • pruneaue@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      28·
      1 year ago

      Being a beginner distro doesnt make mint any less linuxy. Its probably the gest recommendation to convert people over from windows

      • Ziro@lemmy.world
        7·
        1 year ago

        Thank you. I appreciate your perspective. Using Linux again has been like a breath of fresh air, honestly. I just love how fast everything is. (Both my Windows and Mint boots live on their own M.2 drives, but Mint is so, so much faster.) And, unlike Windows, I don’t feel like I have to jerry rig it to get things to work. I’m sure there are instances where that is the case, but I haven’t run into them yet.

    • PurpleGreen@lemmy.world
      3·
      1 year ago

      I’m a linux user in the past 20years, and used to work with high maintenance / cutting edge distros like arch but grew tired and now use exclusively mint. Very stable, quiet, beautiful ux (tho cinnamon can look more modern).

      • quat@lemmy.sdfeu.org
        2·
        1 year ago

        I think many linux users go through a similar journey. In the beginning you feel a need to tweak everything manually, you take pride in it being difficult and you polish your dotfiles. Modifying the OS itself is 90% of what you use the computer for. You have strong opinions on tiling window managers. But then that becomes kind of old when you need your computer for actual tasks and work. You want to work on your actual projects, not configure irssi or ncmpcpp. The joy of tinkering with the OS itself transforms into seeing it as a tool to do interesting things with. Still, now you have an idea of how to fix things, where to look, but configuring Xorg is not the fun part of using a computer.

    • Cevedale@feddit.de
      3·
      1 year ago

      The nice thing is that you can test out what you like about linux on mint cinnamon.

      I installed it to get to know Linux “the soft way” and now love to use the terminal and got to know a buch of underlying concepts and whatnot. And I still use and love mint cinnamon.

      A friend installed it and hasn’t configured anything, just uses its GUI and is very happy that way.

      So I think the creators really hit the balance of ease of use and possibility to tinker, while ensuring great stability (“it just works”). Big props btw.

    • vd1n@lemmy.ml
      2·
      1 year ago

      My favorite is fedora. Ubuntu second. It’s alright but it’s bloated. I have a thing for gnome.

      Kde plasma and other kde stuff seems promising too.

      Eventually id like to use arch.

  • Coeus@coeus.sbs
    32·
    1 year ago

    I just wiped Windows from my main PC the other day and put Linux Mint on there. Feels good man.

    • mrmanagerA
      12·
      1 year ago

      I remember in the beginning when leaving windows how quiet everything was. No notifications from windows about all kinds of shit, no ads and no interruptions. Have you noticed how calm it feels?

      • Coeus@coeus.sbs
        2·
        1 year ago

        I’ve been trying to distance myself from large corporations. It’s a slow process but I’m on the way.

    • itsJoelleScott@lemmy.world
      1·
      1 year ago

      Good on you mate, and welcome aboard!

      Assuming it isn’t you first time: there’s a slight learning curve, but once you’re passed a few months and you’ve resolved a few issues on your own you won’t look back!

      Look into KDE extensions to customize your desktop just the way you want it! My windows wobble around or fizzle out of existence when I close them. :)

      • Coeus@coeus.sbs
        2·
        1 year ago

        My first introduction to Linux was back in College in 2005. I ended up doing it off college but I’ve messed with Linux on and off over the years. A few months back I put GalliumOS on my Chromebook and I’ve done all sorts of stuff with the Raspberry pi. I wouldn’t say I’m proficient in the slightest and I know very few terminal commands but I think I can manage.

        • itsJoelleScott@lemmy.world
          1·
          1 year ago

          Oh, you’ll be fine then. Haven’t used Mint personally, but I’ve heard good things about it! Always reach out for help.

          • Coeus@coeus.sbs
            2·
            1 year ago

            I’ve federated my server with a lot of Linux content so I’m pretty much surrounded on Lemmy.

    • myxi@feddit.nl
      1·
      1 year ago

      Hello, I want you to know that Linux Mint has some issues:

      • Their site was hacked twice and a malware-infected ISO was being distributed.
      • They have a mixture of repositories where they get certain crucial things from Ubuntu’s repositories; this can cause trouble.

      That being said, you may want to give Ubuntu officials a try instead.

  • puffy@lemmy.ml
    31·
    1 year ago

    I’d just like to interject for a moment. What you’re refering to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I’ve recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux. Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX.

    Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is often called Linux, and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project.

    There really is a Linux, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use. Linux is the kernel: the program in the system that allocates the machine’s resources to the other programs that you run. The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. Linux is normally used in combination with the GNU operating system: the whole system is basically GNU with Linux added, or GNU/Linux. All the so-called Linux distributions are really distributions of GNU/Linux!

    • DarkenLM@kbin.social
      67·
      1 year ago

      “I use Linux as my operating system,” I state proudly to the unkempt, bearded man. He swivels around in his desk chair with a devilish gleam in his eyes, ready to mansplain with extreme precision. “Actually”, he says with a grin, "Linux is just the kernel. You use GNU+Linux!’ I don’t miss a beat and reply with a smirk, “I use Alpine, a distro that doesn’t include the GNU Coreutils, or any other GNU code. It’s Linux, but it’s not GNU+Linux.”

      ​

      The smile quickly drops from the man’s face. His body begins convulsing and he foams at the mouth and drops to the floor with a sickly thud. As he writhes around he screams “I-IT WAS COMPILED WITH GCC! THAT MEANS IT’S STILL GNU!” Coolly, I reply “If windows were compiled with GCC, would that make it GNU?” I interrupt his response with “-and work is being made on the kernel to make it more compiler-agnostic. Even if you were correct, you won’t be for long.”

      ​

      With a sickly wheeze, the last of the man’s life is ejected from his body. He lies on the floor, cold and limp. I’ve womansplained him to death.

    • huojtkeg@lemmy.world
      5·
      1 year ago

      There are some OS like Alipine Linux that relay on the Linux kernel but don’t use GNU userland.

  • ShustOne@lemmy.one
    24·
    1 year ago

    I love Linux but I’ve been hearing this song since 2002. I’d love for it to grow bigger but we should stop framing it as the year of Linux.

    • Victron@lemmy.world
      9·
      1 year ago

      I’ve been hearing this song since 2002

      That’s the joke, my guy. THIS TIME IS REAL!

      • lol@lemm.ee
        2·
        1 year ago

        I met the linux kernel on the bus station on my way home yesterday, and asked him about this and he answered with a simple “yes” and left.

  • niva@discuss.tchncs.de
    20·
    1 year ago

    Is this with or without the steam deck?

    Not that I don’t like the steam deck, I think it is really great for linux adaption. I am just curious.

    • teawrecks@sopuli.xyz
      11·
      1 year ago

      This is in the StatCounter FAQ:

      Are laptops included in the desktop platform?

      Yes. Laptops and desktop machines are included in the desktop platform together. We use the browser useragent to determine the platform and there is not enough information contained in the useragent to distinguish between laptops and desktops. That is why we do not have a separate laptop platform.

      So it sounds like they’re using the useragent to distinguish between mobile and desktop. So most likely, yes, steam decks would be counted as desktops, but only to the degree that they are used to browse the internet. I suspect most steam deck users don’t do that, but I don’t know, I don’t have a steam deck.

    • psycho_driver@lemmy.world
      2·
      1 year ago

      Android sits on top of linux so linux is already by far the most widely used operating system in the world in consumer devices.

  • totallynotfbi@lemmy.fmhy.ml
    12·
    1 year ago

    So, these statistics apparently come from StatCounter, a web analytics company. I know that this is probably the best way of collecting usage metrics for the entire Internet, but I think this is less efficient for counting Linux users - after all, I would say that the proportion of Linux users who also use content blockers is pretty high. Even if it weren’t the case, most distributions ship with Firefox pre-installed, which automatically blocks trackers out-of-the-box.

    Also, wouldn’t this also count an embedded device with a WebView as a “Linux user”? For example, smart TVs have a web browser, and typically identify themselves with a “Generic Linux” user-agent.