Here is as close as I could find to the source data. Unfortunately, everything is listed in terms of “market share” which is great for “back slaps for the boys”, but less great for generating hypotheses for actual causes. What I would like is the raw numbers - what were the total devices for each OS?
My bets for what are driving this change, from least to most likely:
- Least likely: the average user, who is a lazy dumbass and knows nothing about OS’s, has educated themselves on open source operating systems and has decided to throw off the shackles of their corporate, closed-source overlords, and installed a complicated operating system they’ve never used before onto their home desktop/laptop (which they never use) using a flash drive (which is hidden in the junk drawer where they haven’t seen it for 7 years).
- Some small tech-based businesses switched from windows to unix-based systems for their desktops. Mostly, this means now everyone is using MacBooks, but they gave in to a few developers who wanted linux-based machines.
- Existing Linux users are finding the platform more stable for a daily driver, and are letting their windows machines go dark as the need to use them diminishes.
- Steam deck (caveat - does this count as a desktop OS? I kinda doubt it.)
- This has nothing to do with Linux. Windows users aren’t switching to open source operating systems. They are switching to mobile devices. The average user is simply leaving their windows home laptop in the closet somewhere, and without even noticing, has transitioned to using phones and tablets as their sole devices for day to day computing. Windows isn’t really losing market share to Linux - it is losing market share to Android and iOS. Usage of windows machines drops off because windows is an operating system for average users, who don’t care about computers that much. Linux users, on the other hand, are much more likely to be “computer people” who like to do things like develop software - a task which can only really be accomplished in a desktop environment. So the total number of Linux desktops stays stable, while the number of windows machines drops off -> “increased” Linux market share.
Here is a different (in my opinion probably better) source: https://analytics.usa.gov/
It also shows Linux above 5%. I agree that most people are switching to phone and/or tablet, but: the total devices are increasing AND the total number of phone/tablet devices are increasing AND the linux share is increasing
I would expect that as the denominator (all devices which includes an ever increasing number of phone/tablet) increases that Windows, mac and linux would decrease. I am surprised (and happy) that Linux is increasing!
Hmmm… Interesting! Maybe I’m mistaken
Regardless of right and wrong you made interesting content for Lemmy!
Can we also have an open source surge against Android, with valid providers in all countries?
I think android would be a better base to build on. don’t look at their messy kernel, but the userspace. rip out the brainded, user-hostile limitations that google added in recent years, or reimplement them better, and it’s pretty good.
sure continue pmos development, and plasma mobile and other components, but don’t just ditch out a system that has worked well for so many time and been developed by lots of people by a company who has poured in lots of money
No, because the “surge” in market share is almost certainly driven not by the average user’s love of open source software, but by the average user simply letting their laptop die as they switch to phones and tablets as their sole computing devices. Windows users aren’t becoming Linux users. They are becoming Android users.
I think a big part of this is PC builders choosing an OS. There is so much content on YouTube about switching to Linux, and people have experience with the Steam Deck as well, which also factors in.
Okay Linux users, no snark about this distro is better than that one. We’re all just one happy family.
It really could be more if the linux user community could agree on things and stop gatekeeping - which seems to be the only thing most online active linux users can agree on “ermagerd eternal september” 🙄
Anti Commercial-AI license
You know they steal books by the library right? How is this line supposed to do anything? It reminds me of the Facebook copy and paste spam like “Don’t make my photos publicly available” after the person already uploaded a million photos on their page
It’s a little badge they like to wear.
Used to be a lot longer and more annoying.
You know they steal books by the library right?
That’s me now! Yayyy!
Is it… dare I say it… the year of the Linux desktop?
🌎👨🚀🔫👨🚀
Well it’s fucked now, I thought we all agreed not to say it and see if it made any difference
Shhhhhh! You’ll jinx it!
The year of the linux desktop will only happen if no one said that year is the year of the linux desktop
It’s the geek version of The Game. Also, I just lost.
Half Life 3 confirmed!
We’ll see at the end of the year. Don’t celebrate too soon.
I’m just bitching, but I had to put windows on one of my machines for the first time in just over 10 years (since I was a kid) and I absolutely fucking hate it. slow ass, bloated, clunky ass OS. garbage software.
Just a tip: If you installed Pro or better you can use Group Policies (gpedit.msc) to strip the OS bloat down slightly more than the Home versions. Education and Enterprise also have the telemetry spyware completely removed. But they have a few extra things you’ll probably never use and you’ll want to disable (like their terrible Remote Desktop stuff, Work Folders, etc.)
(I dual boot for gaming. So I know the pain.)
as soon as I’m done taking the cysa+ exam I’m going back to arch. I can not stand this. but thank you for the info! I’ll dig around and see what more I can do to make it a bit more bearable.
Oh, in that case, I assume they have you running Pro or Enterprise? If so, ignore what I said about disabling the Remote Desktop and Work Folder stuff. Work Folders especially though, they’re a complete pain (or were) and used pretty frequently. So you’ll probably be working with them a bit.
nah I don’t think so. like literally as soon as I get done with the exam, it’s so over for windows.
Linux Mint runs so fast on my laptop that was struggling to boot Windows 11.
Also, no driver issues yet! Whew.E: I spoke too soon, the wifi turns off for reasons.
Use the IoT LTSC version and install it using Rufus. Zero bloat, very fast, no clunk.
Looking forward, analysts predict Linux could hit 7% by 2027 if trends continue, driven by AI integrations in distributions like those from Canonical
Or rather, by their optionality. Some people want those tools, some don’t want to touch them with a 3m pole; Linux can appease to both, unlike Windows is doing.
This is really market share against Microsoft, not Mac. For good reason too, Microsoft is working very hard to ruin their company. They’re losing a lot of ground to Mac as well, especially in the small business sector where many things are web based now anyways. Run an MSP and we’ve had quite a few clients get fed up with inconsistent updates and repeated dumb problems… looking at you WSD and printing.
Oh don’t worry. Apple has been working very hard on enshitifyjng their OS. They just don’t get reported on as much as Microsoft.
Yup! Just installed it on my laptop after several tries running into bugs during install. My desktop is next, but I’m not ready for the headaches of figuring out a dual-boot yet. I’m mentally preparing for it, though, so fingers crossed.
So I might as well ask beforehand: Does anyone have a preferred tutorial for it? I prefer a recommendation to going in blind.
I don’t think it needs a tutorial, it’s automatic. but some advice:
- don’t delete any partitions, shrink them if you need space. who knows if windows needs it to boot
- either have 2 ESP partitions (requires motherboard support), or use a different disk for linux. if windows and linux share an ESP, windows updates can somehow fuck up the linux boot chain, which is wonderful because everything is placed in per-OS directories. you don’t have to order from amazon
- disable fast startup in windows (control panel, energy settings, what does the power button do menu), because it’s hibernation every time
- disable hibernation, or handle with care. you shouldn’t boot linux while windows is hibernated: changes the ESP and windows filesystems might haven’t been written completely, also windows will do unpredictable things if these get changed while it’s hibernated. linux kernel updates and efibootmgr changes could also make windows to drop its hibernated state and not load it
- if you use multiple disks, consider creating a linux filesystem there. ext4, btrfs, whatever, former is fine if you don’t know the difference. ntfs filesystems can be accessed well (except symbolic links?), but it’s slow, cpu-heavy because of an implementation detail that makes it maintainable
Hello. Not really a tutorial but a bit of advice: get a new internal SSD from Amazon and install it on that, leaving your Windows drive alone. It is a lot less of a headache if Linux is on a dedicated drive.
I wonder if SteamDeck counts toward desktop share here? It kinda is a desktop OS, even though it’s mainly used on a handheld device. Either way, I think that contributes a lot to normalization and stability of the ecosystem, if not device count.
The big factor though is probably just a shrinking market. For people that aren’t computer nerds or businesses, it’s getting less likely they own a laptop or desktop, and more likely they think their phone is good enough.
Only if Steam Decks are being counted by StatCounter
I was wondering if Linux would break 5% in global stats. Can I expect that? I am still not sure.
Thanks Microsoft!
