this post was submitted on 06 Mar 2024
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We see the nearly 33-year-old OS’s market share growing 31.3 percent from June 2023, when we last reported on Linux market share, to February. Since June, Linux usage has mostly increased gradually. Overall, there's been a big leap in usage compared to five years ago. In February 2019, Linux was reportedly on 1.58 percent of desktops globally.

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[–] anlumo@lemmy.world 115 points 6 months ago (12 children)

Well, Microsoft is doing everything they can to get people to switch to Linux right now...

[–] cestvrai@lemm.ee 41 points 6 months ago

They are succeeding!

I’ve used Linux for years, certainly for all servers, but preferred the Windows desktop environment until last year.

So many shitty, slow updates. Hassle me to give MS my data or switch to Edge half the times I boot up…

I have fully embraced Gnome Shell and love my Debian setup. Feels great to be in control again!

Also, baseline CPU load is way lower and it’s much more rare to have my fans throttle up.

[–] jol@discuss.tchncs.de 40 points 6 months ago

Valve and Microsoft working together to get people to switch to Linux and make 2024 the Year of Linux on the desktop.

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Like for real. Ad ridden OS 11 with no support for a ton of processors that are still in use. My system I built in 2015 still runs fantastic, but my AMD 1600x processor didn't make the cut. No loss there. As soon as OS 10 support stops it'll just be a Linux PC.

Valve has also been a huge help with the constant push for Linux gaming and the Steam Deck.

[–] SeaJ@lemm.ee 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)

The increase in Linux is actually from Apple. Both Linux and Windows usage increased while MacOS decreased.

[–] swordsmanluke@programming.dev 11 points 6 months ago

To be horribly pedantic... Not necessarily!

It could be Apple users -> Windows users -> Linux users -- with larger numbers of Apple -> Windows conversions than Windows -> Linux conversions...

You know.

Maybe.

[–] werefreeatlast@lemmy.world 6 points 6 months ago

Let me show you how with this PowerPoint! The new Windows11 PowerPoint, while shared in teams is both readable....the ant reading needs DLP fast eyes to shake its head at 130FPS so that the 4 available pixels can be translated into full 4K for the ant. That's when the magic happens that some people are not aware, because if you got an ant farm, it will sometimes arrange the top sand into the current 4k frame. Yes, there's a little loss of you use builder's sand vs playground sand. Also there's only one color...sand. and it freezes a lot!... but do you know how hard it is to translate 4k pixel by pixel? The good news is that if everyone is sharing their cameras you get an absolute awesome view of their faces!... everyone squinting trying to see if that little squiggly thing is the updated bracket you're working on or if it's an ant.

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[–] NeoNachtwaechter@lemmy.world 73 points 6 months ago (3 children)

LOL this is not the market share of Linux.

This is the share of Linux in one certain market of web surfers.

[–] ilmagico@lemmy.world 21 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Yeah, misleading headline. They're talking about the linux desktop, and based just on browser stats. Marked share of linux as a whole, including all datacenters, servers, cloud infrastructure, and heck, throw in IOT devices, android, routers, etc, I'm pretty sure it's the dominant OS already.

[–] YIj54yALOJxEsY20eU@lemm.ee 4 points 6 months ago

No doubt it's the most widely run OS, I think the significance is akin to the difference between ios and android. Android dominates smart phones as a whole but ios still generates far more revenue, giving them arguably more power. So while linux is more widely used, microsoft still dictates computing for the majority of people.

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[–] qjkxbmwvz@startrek.website 7 points 6 months ago

Yeah, "increasing market share" would be something like Netflix ditching FreeBSD for Linux.

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[–] roofuskit@lemmy.world 50 points 6 months ago (1 children)

2% more and they have to let it into the presidential debates.

[–] key@lemmy.keychat.org 20 points 6 months ago

Mint 2024: Make America Minty Fresh!

[–] AtmaJnana@lemmy.world 40 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

You heard it here first.

2024: Year of the Linux Desktop

[–] NotAtWork@startrek.website 33 points 6 months ago (1 children)

~~1991~~: Year of the Linux Desktop

~~1992~~

~~1993~~

~~1994~~

...

~~2019~~

~~2020~~

~~2021~~

~~2022~~

~~2023~~

2024

[–] BombOmOm@lemmy.world 8 points 6 months ago (2 children)

2023 was officially the year of the Linux laptop for me. The year of the linux desktop for myself may or may not be this year.

[–] sailingbythelee@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago

Same here. After several false starts over the last 30 years, 2023 was the year of the Linux laptop and server cluster for me. I've put in the work now and I am 100% sure that I'm never going back to Windows for those machines. I still have a fancy new Windows gaming machine though. I don't want to switch it to Linux because it's an Intel/Nvidia machine with three screens and a bunch of peripherals. Whoops!

[–] Dudewitbow@lemmy.zip 4 points 6 months ago

id reckon youd have to wait for steam machines to have a modern reboot, and I dont think valve wants to push that yet till the majority of popular online miltiplayer games run on linux (the major hurdle linux has for gaming) as a home console replacement user is far more likely to also delve into online multiplayer over the handheld on the go player.

[–] LazaroFilm@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago
[–] krippix@feddit.de 31 points 6 months ago

I always look forward to the penguin images on articles about Linux

[–] moon@lemmy.cafe 27 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Year of the Linux desktop babyyyy

[–] Synnr@sopuli.xyz 9 points 6 months ago

Year of the Linux Desktop! 1999-2035!

[–] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Year of the Linux portable gaming handheld?

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[–] nexguy@lemmy.world 24 points 6 months ago (3 children)

It looks like it's because macos lost a lot for some reason over the last couple of years with Windows and Linux picking up that share. Anyone know why?

[–] superduperenigma@lemmy.world 12 points 6 months ago (1 children)

My company was pushing MacBooks and iMacs on developers for years, now they're reversing course. I'm guessing it's a combination of the upfront cost and the hassle of enterprise administration, tech support, and security having to officially handle 2 different OS's. It's much easier to have everyone on similar setups, and Windows is basically the "default" OS for corporate users.

[–] mesamunefire@lemmy.world 6 points 6 months ago (1 children)

The new arch continues to mess up brew, which is by far what people use for development on the platform. In addition, docker and other custom tools are paid on Mac but free on Linux. With companies tightening their belts, Linux is starting to make financial sense.

[–] LeonenTheDK@lemmy.ca 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

What's this about Docker not being free on MacOS? I have it installed and use it for dev work and it didn't cost anything.

[–] darkevilmac@lemmy.zip 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Docker desktop has a license that restricts commercial use depending on the size of your company/employer.

Use Colima to be on the safe side.

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[–] Shyfer@ttrpg.network 8 points 6 months ago

I'm going to guess that everything else became so expensive, like food and rent, that people have less money to spend on a computer, and there's is particularly expensive. But that's just my guess.

[–] TORFdot0@lemmy.world 6 points 6 months ago

People migrating to iPads maybe? I figured that Mac and Linux both would be making gains. Especially with apple silicon being 3 generations in and windows 11 sucking so much.

Wonder if iPads are cutting into that all. Considering they are cheaper than a MacBook which basically requires you to drop at least a grand for entry level devices

[–] chemicalwonka@discuss.tchncs.de 20 points 6 months ago

to the moon 🚀

[–] baseless_discourse@mander.xyz 14 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Why do I see this link every day on my feed with different thumbnails?

[–] olafurp@lemmy.world 17 points 6 months ago

I upvote it every time, sorry

[–] mindlight@lemm.ee 9 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (11 children)

I've been a regular user of Debian and Ubuntu for the last 20 years and even though I love the idea of Linux taking market share from Windows the article doesn't in any way analyze the reliability of the statistics.

Statcounter says it gets its desktop operating system (OS) usage stats from tracking code installed on over 1.5 million global websites generating over 5 billion monthly page views.

So... How reliable is this actually? There are a millions reasons for me to fake which is and web browser in using. Some sites actively sabotage the user experience and usability if the OS is not identified as Windows or the web browser is not Chrome/Edge.

I've been working IT since the 90's and there's not a 4% market share of Linux when I look at my friends and colleagues that works IT. The ones I know that doesn't work IT definitively don't use Linux. Att least not in other things than Steam Deck and Android (Linux as in "modified kernel") and maybe some premade img for RPi

[–] mkwt@lemmy.world 23 points 6 months ago

How reliable is this actually? There are a millions reasons for me to fake which is and web browser in using.

Shouldn't this effect cause Linux use to be under reported? That is, the real percentage would be higher than 4%?

I would pretty strongly expect significant correlation between people who spoof their user agent and Linux users.

[–] RainfallSonata@lemmy.world 22 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Idk, I'm a woman approaching my senior years who had to have someone else install it. My whole household is on Linux. None of us are in IT.

[–] Diplomjodler@feddit.de 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)

That's the point. As long as you can't buy a laptop with Linux on it at your local computer store, the average user will stick with Windows. And MS will do everything they can to keep it that way.

[–] GreatDong3000@lemm.ee 9 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Down here in Brazil desktops/laptops with Linux are a thing on most mainstream electronics stores. Have been for at least two decades b/cs I remember seeing those as a kid in the 2000s. Because poverty so the stores always have the cheaper options and the ones with Linux are cheaper than windows. Sometimes you can find the exact same configuration but the Linux version is like 200-400 BRL cheaper.

But what most people would do here is buy the Linux desktop to then install pirated versions of windows.

[–] Diplomjodler@feddit.de 6 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Damn! You really gave me hope there and then smashed it with your last sentence.

[–] uis@lemm.ee 6 points 6 months ago

My grandparents had someone else to install Linux too. It was me btw.

[–] troed@fedia.io 4 points 6 months ago (2 children)

A lot of software developers use Linux on their work computers. That's a lot of page views done during work days.

[–] GreatDong3000@lemm.ee 3 points 6 months ago

But also many Linux users at home may have to use windows at work so it balances out I guess?

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