this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2024
82 points (80.6% liked)

Linux

48338 readers
400 users here now

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

Rules

Related Communities

Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Wild isn't it

Edit:

Ok I misread the data but I am leaving this post. I compared Linux desktop share to Firefox all platform share

all 32 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 51 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (3 children)

Statcounter does not say that. This post is straight up misinformation.

  • Firefox (all platforms): 2.74%

  • Linux (all platforms): 1.61%

  • Firefox (desktop): 6.64%

  • Linux (desktop): 4.45%

Firefox has 50-70% more users than Linux.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Is OP adding the Android share to Linux? That would certainly do it.

  • Android (all platforms): 45.19%

Only makes sense if you know their definition of 'Linux' though.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 months ago

True, that could be it.

Although then the "Wild isn't it" statement really isn't wild at all - Android is by far and away the most popular OS, not far off double Windows. Of course if you lump that in with Linux, Linux would be more popular than Firefox.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

Thank Gods! Anyone using Linux should be running some version of Firefox.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Right now statcounter shows:

Firefox: 2.74% Linux: 1.61%

[–] [email protected] 28 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Browsers are mostly identified by user-agent, or not? If so it isn't surprising because people like to fake that. In the least to shut down such silly messages like "please use chrome/edge"

[–] [email protected] 38 points 3 months ago

The number of people that do this is not going to even remotely shift the usage share percentage.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 months ago

OS is also identified by user agent, so it's no less vulnerable to fake agents. In any case, I'd wager the vast majority of users even on Linux use unaltered agents, though this isn't something that can be backed up one way or another because there are no numbers for fake agents.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago

If more than 0.1% of people do that I'd be flabbergasted

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I'd believe it. I've had hundreds of Linux servers that don't have any desktop Gui at all deployed on them.

Linux desktop users make up an absolutely tiny fraction of Linux installs.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

I don't think that's what 'market share' is trying to represent, but without any context - yeah. You can lump in android phones and set-top boxes and signage and industrial controllers while you're at it.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

In which country? For me the global stats and my country's (NL) stats show otherwise.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

From a very quick glance at Statcounter, I can only see India where OP's statement is true, with Linux having an extremely high desktop market share there relative to other markets.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

I never trust stat counters of any kind with linux. I often see stuff like that plastered on my whitelist firewall, like bumper insects on a high speed summer drive through Florida. There is usually some other stat of leet users. That's Linux too. Then there are those times when I change my browser agent just for fun.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

On a random note, I once talked about Firefox with a friend, and he texted me a few weeks later about trying it. More successful than my Linux spreading, although part of it was he used a Surface and having gone through the pain on my Surface Go myself, I wasn’t sure I could impart that suffering to someone else.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

Firefox is suffering if one use M365 online daily...

Only Google workspace great on Firefox ootb..