Wednesday, July 12th 2023

Linux Breaks 3% PC Desktop Market Share After 30 Years

by
AleksandarK
 Discuss (120 Comments)
The PC market is dominated by the Windows operating system. There are alternatives, but most commercial applications run Windows OS, and the usage for the average user makes sense. However, Linux users often dream of the "year of Linux on desktop," where Linux starts dominating the PC market and mass adoption starts. In reality, this isn't the case as most people use the default or install the Windows OS. Today, we learn that Linux broke the 3% market share number after 30 years of presence. Being the highest market share it ever recorded, the OSes based on the Linux kernel now represent 3.07% of the entire market.

The survey data conducted by StatCounter shows that Windows holds 68.23%, OS X for macOS holds 21.32, ChromeOS has a 4.13% share, while unknown OSes hold 3.24%. This includes BSD-based alternatives and others. It is worth noting that Linux adoption could be a part of Steam Deck, which runs on a SteamOS 3.0 distribution based on Arch Linux. It also includes a Proton compatibility layer, which helps Windows games run on Linux, so users have an easier time running their favorite applications.
Source: StatCounter

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120 Comments on Linux Breaks 3% PC Desktop Market Share After 30 Years

#76
R-T-B
I switched to Gentoo x64 this last weekend.

Not missing much.
john_This is the BIGGEST negative of Linux. It's greatest power and at the same time it's curse.
I really don't view options as a curse provided they all work. Most of the mainline ones for me (gnome/kde) have worked painlessly.
EasoIt will likely never be year of Linux desktop. Server side, though? Yeah, it's good there.
P.S.
News such as these always draw out the Windows vs Linux holywars. Oh people...
I never understood this. Look, as a linux user at the moment I couldn't care less what all of you load on your rigs.
Posted on Reply
#77
trparky
R-T-BI really don't view options as a curse provided they all work. Most of the mainline ones for me (gnome/kde) have worked painlessly.
But it's that fragmentation that prevents Linux from becoming the dominant platform that Windows is today. Windows became the dominant platform because there was... unity. One core software platform upon which to build software and hardware support upon. There's no such unity in the Linux community; not by a long shot.
Posted on Reply
#78
R-T-B
trparkyBut it's that fragmentation that prevents Linux from becoming the dominant platform that Windows is today.
You say that but I remain unconvinced. Why would unity matter like, at all? It's not like one GUI app fails to run on another DE or something.

I don't think what you are saying even registers as a factor in windows dominance frankly.
Posted on Reply
#79
trparky
R-T-BYou say that but I remain unconvinced. Why would unity matter like, at all? It's not like one GUI app fails to run on another IDE or something.
Because Windows ultimately became a dominate force because there was one platform to build upon. One kernel, one API, one hardware driver platform. There's backwards compatibility out the wazoo.

You could write a program today and be safe in your assurance that it will (95% likely) work ten years from now. Hell, if were to have found me an ancient version of (what was Firefox called back in v1.0 days?), it would work even today on Windows 11. And no having to download source and compile it yourself because some library changed. It would just work.

That's not the case on any distro of Linux because someone somewhere had a tantrum and said that they didn't like something that the distro was doing and they'd fork the project creating yet another distro to have to support.
Posted on Reply
#80
R-T-B
trparkyBecause Windows ultimately became a dominate force because there was one platform to build upon. One kernel, one API, one hardware driver platform. There's backwards compatibility out the wazoo.
and OS/2 had all that and?
Posted on Reply
#81
trparky
I'm reminded of this XKCD comic.

Yep, applies to Linux too.
Posted on Reply
#82
R-T-B
trparkyThat's not the case on any distro of Linux because someone somewhere had a tantrum and said that they didn't like something that the distro was doing and they'd fork the project creating yet another distro to have to support.
Spoken like someone who never really looked into using Linux very long.

I literally ran a binary game more than a decade old on linux just the other day, X3. It works fine.
trparkyYep, applies to Linux too.
It applies to everything but you still have yet to establish how "unity" had anything to do with MS dominance vs say, preload agreements.
Posted on Reply
#83
trparky
R-T-BSpoken like someone who never really looked into using Linux very long.
Then you've not seen some of the arguments have I've often seen. Trust me when I say this, those arguments that I often read back in the days when USENET was still a thing that could peel the paint off walls. Some neckbeard would have some argument over some stupid little thing like something in some... whatever, and once again another distro was made.

And I can't imagine that things have matured since back then because why would they?
Posted on Reply
#84
R-T-B
trparkyThen you've not seen some of the arguments have I've often seen. Trust me when I say this, those arguments that I often read back in the days when USENET was still a thing that could peel the paint off walls. Some neckbeard would have some argument over some stupid little thing like something in some... whatever, and once again another distro was made.
Sounds like a personal problem frankly. Choice is choice and I fail to see it as a negative.

Things linux needs to overcome to become a desktop distro I can think of includes shedding the insane learning curve, but some distros already do that. Install them, not gentoo like me. See? Choice good.
Posted on Reply
#86
trparky
R-T-BChoice is choice and I fail to see it as a negative.
And that right there is why Linux will never take over the desktop. The average person on the street couldn't give a rat's ass about choice. They want and need their hands held. All they want to do is sit down, turn the blasted thing on, and get to work or play a game. Not be bombarded with half a dozen ways to skin a cat.
Super Firm TofuAnd they Linux people are raving lunatics....
That too.
Posted on Reply
#88
trparky
Then you weren't around back in the 1990s when Linux was first coming on the scene. Holy shit man, those arguments could rival the arguments between Catholicism and Protestantism.
Posted on Reply
#89
R-T-B
trparkyThen you weren't around back in the 1990s when Linux was first coming on the scene. Holy shit man, those arguments could rival the arguments between Catholicism and Protestantism.
The 90s were a mess in general man. Got anything more relevant?
trparkyThe average person on the street couldn't give a rat's ass about choice. They want and need their hands held.
So install Ubuntu and call it a day.
Posted on Reply
#90
trparky
I can't imagine that it's gotten any better. Why? Because most geeks (let's face it) aren't the most well-adjusted and socially stable people on the planet.

You have to have a non-geek be the manager to control the herd.
Posted on Reply
#91
Super Firm Tofu
trparkyThen you weren't around back in the 1990s when Linux was first coming on the scene. Holy shit man, those arguments could rival the arguments between Catholicism and Protestantism.
I'm not sure why you're so triggered by this. Use what you want. You do you, and I'll do me.
trparkyI can't imagine that it's gotten any better. Why? Because most geeks (let's face it) aren't the most well-adjusted and socially stable people on the planet.
You don't say.
Posted on Reply
#92
trparky
R-T-BSo install Ubuntu and call it a day.
But there's six different distros based upon Ubuntu. For instance, there's Linux Mint and there's three different versions of that. There's Cinnamon, MATE, and Xfce. Nevermind the fact that there's current and long-term support versions that might have two or three versions of that. And getting back to Ubuntu there's 22.04.2 LTS, 23.04, and 23.04 legacy. (Did I get them all?)

And then there's all the various package managers too. APT and YUM are two of them off the top of my head.

Just how the hell is a software developer supposed to make sure that their software works on all of those various versions? We can't even make sure that a piece of software will run on Windows 11 21H2 and 22H2 without any issues let alone eight different versions of Linux Mint and the various versions of Ubuntu that came about.
Posted on Reply
#93
JordonAM
Well, I don't know if Steam Deck helped with that, but
Steam Deck quite literally helped with that. Let's be so ffr. The release of Steam Deck gave the Linux Gaming scene a good kick in the pants and a spotlight. Sure we can use other factors to add on why Linux share has been growing, but to say Steam Deck didn't help is just straight up wrong.
Posted on Reply
#94
trparky
I swear to God that Steam might be the only guys on planet that might be able to bring about a single distro of Linux for the masses.

Every time I look at the Linux community it feels like the inmates are running the asylum.
Posted on Reply
#95
R-T-B
trparkyBut there's six different distros based upon Ubuntu.
You want simple? Quit overcomplicating it. I said Ubuntu not whatever you want-tu
trparkyEvery time I look at the Linux community it feels like the inmates are running the asylum.
Then keep using Windows. See? Choice good.
Posted on Reply
#96
trparky
R-T-BThen keep using Windows. See? Choice good.
You misunderstand me. I want Linux to succeed. I want it to be so successful that it essentially kills Windows and Microsoft stone fucking dead leaving them nothing more than a minor footnote in the annals of history. But that won't happen until the Linux community decides to pull their collective heads out of the equally collective asses and work together towards one common goal. World domination with a side of open source.

So far, Steam has been the only one to come close to achieving that goal and they have a whole lot more work to do to make that possible.
Posted on Reply
#97
R-T-B
trparkyYou misunderstand me. I want Linux to succeed. I want it to be so successful that it essentially kills Windows and Microsoft stone fucking dead leaving them nothing more than a minor footnote in the annals of history. But that won't happen until the Linux community decides to pull their collective heads out of the equally collective asses and work together towards one common goal. World domination with a side of open source.

So far, Steam has been the only one to come close to achieving that goal and they have a whole lot more work to do to make that possible.
And you misunderstand me... if we have to sacrifice choice for world domination, then world domination is overrated.
Posted on Reply
#98
trparky
R-T-BAnd you misunderstand me... if we have to sacrifice choice for world domination, then world domination is overrated.
It would still be a hell of a lot better than what we have right now, namely a company that repeatedly abuses their customers.
Posted on Reply
#99
R-T-B
trparkyIt would still be a hell of a lot better than what we have right now, namely a company that repeatedly abuses their customers.
Choose something else if it bothers you. What's market share got to do with it?
Posted on Reply
#100
trparky
R-T-BWhat's market share got to do with it?
It tends to sway the direction in which the industry moves. If you can't see that, I don't know how to convince you.

I have to wonder how many projects started and died or didn't even get off the ground because of Microsoft. Yes, it's a hypothetical question but when you have a two-ton gorilla of a monopoly, there's always room for wonder.
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