Linux Marketshare 1%
 

This represents the Desktop/Laptop market share, not servers.

1 in 100 is a hell of a lot of Linux on the desktop!!:D

This graph tells it all... ;)
http://home.comcast.net/~linuxboy/market_1.png

Here is the source of my information:
http://www.berkeleylug.com/?p=43

Look here also:
http://marketshare.hitslink.com/report.aspx?qprid=8

The good news is it's on the up trend. That also means the other side (M$Win and other OSes) is sliding down :p

The numbers are based on what?
 

I would like to know how these percentages are compiled....in other words based on what information, statistics, whatever?

Can't find any reference on the site as to actual sources.

How'd they know if these Desktop/Laptop are using dual-boot or using Linux-in-Windows or purely Linux? I'm curious to see how they account for Desktop/Laptop with multiple OS.

No doubt Ubuntu holds the biggest share in Linux though, wonder how the other Linux distros and BSDs are doing.

This link from the same site will explain:
http://marketshare.hitslink.com/

Your OS and browser type are passed as a variable to the Web Server
when requesting a page
$_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT']

I came across http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_s...rating_systems when i was wondering the same thing awhile back, as for popularity of the different linux distros there's always distrowatch.com that lists the top 100 linux weekly downloads.

Awesome link littlefuzzy.

It offers a much better evaluation.

I am surprised Mac has a 5% market share. There does not seem to be much mac software available an what is available seems to have poor reviews.
I guess those mac commercials on TV are paying off.

Cheers
Wdhpr

This says it's more like 10%:http://marketshare.hitslink.com/appl...m=Mac&sample=5
Or am I missing something?
Either way, surprising indeed.

Looks like wiki split the 10.5 and 10.4 and the marketshare article mashed them together, I've found a lot of differing studies but most seem to include both of the osx10's and are also including the iphone as an os. Either way looks like apple is holding between 7-9%.:)

Sorry to rain on your parade, but the variations in the graph originally posted render it meaningless from a statistical analysis point of view.

Please don't take this to mean I'm anti-Linux, I'm not. I recently converted my Sony Vaio laptop from Vista Ultimate to Ubuntu. The installation was a breeze and, needless to say, I won't be going back!:)

I'm currently working on simple Linux distros for an article on TSA. What I've seen so far of the 'simple' ones have not impressed. The four I've tested so far all require you to boot the live CD and install from there. The installation process in each case assumes you are familiar with GParted and which file system (I've selected ext3 in all cases) to choose.

When I've worked through them all the results will follow!:)

Just to be clear
 

You're saying Ubuntu isn't a "simple" distribution, I think.
Could you just briefly list some (4, perhaps) that are.
I'm not quibbling, just struggling a bit with these "new" things.

Both Ubuntu and Kubuntu are simple distributions in my view. They allow you to install the OS to the hard drive without booting into Linux and also provide a simple mechanism for disk setup. You can partition the disk yourself if you are familiar with tools like GParted, or simply choose to let the installation routine use the whole drive.

The test PC I'm using is a Dell OptiPlex 170L, Pentium 4, single hard drive, CD writer, 2 Gb RAM (ok I know that's ott) and a wired Ethernet connection. Graphics card is an NVidia GeForce FX 5200. Flat panel display. Nothing too unusual.

The distros I've been asked to check out are:

Mepis
Freespire, as Xandros is not free and Linspire has been merged with it
PClinuxOS
Mandriva
Puppy
Sidux

Mepis and Sidux haven't impressed as they force you to boot to the Linux desktop and then run the local disk installation routine. Both require the user to understand how to use GParted to partition the system disk. Worse than that, Mepis expects you to guess the passwords for the 'demo' and 'root' accounts (they're demo and root, but that's hardly the point.)

Results will come in due course.

Not to be picky.

Until more new computers come preloaded with linux, things will remain as they are. Most people will continue to install linux as a dual boot setup up, or perhaps onto a second hard drive. Therefore the issues with partitioning will continue.

The point is, linux will continue to be a secondary OS choice. The vast majority of people will not give up windows. Me included. There remains to many hardware driver problems

As for booting to linux first to install. I would rather get a glimpse of what I am installing before I take the leap.

PS Your average user just expect things to work.
Cheers
Wdhpr

You're being constructive, not picky, so thanks for the feedback.

With Ubuntu and Kubuntu you can still boot the live CD if you want to, to get a look at what you are thinking of installing. Your point was valid, I just wanted to make it clear that these distros include that option.

I agree that dual boot is the way many people will go unless they are just trying to make use of an old PC, or, as in my case, simply get fed up of trying to achieve decent performance from a PC that is supposed to be 'Vista Ready.'

From an evaluation point of view, the aim is to look at a number of distros and, if possible, find one or more that, as you correctly point out, just work. If the consensus is that the products should be evaluated as live CDs and also as dual boot with say XP, I am happy to do that but the process will simply take longer. Throw Vista into the equation and the whole thing becomes even more complex and time consuming.

I'm open to suggestions.:)

Yes sir

I believe there are millions of novice computer users out there that want to know what all the chatter is about. Curiosity is compelling people to try linux. I believe the same is true about blogs and websites. I include myself.

I installed Mepis along side my winxp. I have to say it was a struggle. If I was to make a guess, half of those installing linux will stop at the partitioning step during the install. This is the area the linux distro's should focus on. Hardware drivers should be the next, or how about both at the same time. Of course manufacture's of these devices have to cooperate more.

As far as evaluating various distro's the above issues will need to be addressed.
Your commitment to do these grueling tasks is also very commendable. Thanks

Cheers
Wdhpr

Hi rikmayell,
It's ironic that your study is on simple installations :(
because (as a linux user), the installation is meaningless.

How many partitions did you create? and why?
Did you define the mount points for each?
Why did you choose ext3?

Why is it such a bad thing to know some of this information?
If you could answer a few of these questions correctly, the system
you create will perform better and most likely be faster.
Multiple partitions have their advantages and disadvantages.

Ext3 is a journaling filesystem, if you set it up correctly and
don't exceed about 85% usage, you will probably never have to defrag!! ;)
I find that more interesting then having to answer a question during a
15 minute installation.

If you understand how user and permission structures work in Linux,
you will understand why Linux is inherently safer and much more immune to viruses.
I find that very interesting and so should some of those people running
these expensive bloated anti-virus, anti-malware, anti-spyware applications
that bring their systems down to a crawl, not to mention altering their
DNS and hoping others will block the "BAD" sites.
How about re-booting only once or twice a year... isn't that interesting :cool:

How easy is it to install, it's harder than buying Windows pre-installed.
Which is the easiest to install, I don't care, it's meaningless.

At different times, I've installed:
Red Hat,
Fedora,
Slackware,
Debian,
openSUSE,
Ubuntu,
etc...

I had different reasons for each,
but ease of installation never even crossed my mind.

Good luck on your (meaningless) article.

Stick with Linux, and by next year, you'll be writing meaningful articles.

Installing from the LiveCD ain't that bad, you can get a glimpse of the OS to see if it suits you, check for compatibility issues, make sure everything works and etc before installing, but I doubt that most people will even bother with that part. It's one of the important points I would consider due to the 'fun' in Linux. Whereas installing it straight away is quite risky, not to mention you have to uninstall it if things didn't go according to plan.

The partitioning part of installation drives new users away, I can agree with that but that happens whenever you install an OS. Though there is always the choice of using the whole hard disk that most people ignore mainly because they want to go the dual-boot route.

I have to agree with debtboy, installation really is quite pointless to Linux users, to those who have never installed an OS before (those who have always used a pre-installed OS like Windows) will find the installation process to be a bit problematic. Yes, the installation process is quite important for new user. To Linux users (I mean, to me), the important thing is about the OS itself like hardware compatibility, command lines, the flexibility of the OS, what the OS can or can't do and etc.

One important point to note is the steepness of the learning curve. You should also note how different distros connect to the internet, I'm talking about dial-ups, wireless connections and 'Sony Ericsson mobile broadband modems' (ask MC), not those direct internet access, it's one of the things that drives new user away from using Linux (it's also one of the things I had trouble with).

Good luck with your article, we're all open to give out suggestions if you need any!

The article is not intended for people who are familiar with operating systems in general, and/or Linux in particular.

Linux has generated considerable interest amongst those who simply want to be able to play with it (live CD), or install it, probably dual boot, as pointed out. We want to try and encourage people to give Linux a go, but have to accept that the average die hard Windows users isn't interested in GParted, guessing user passwords (Mepis) or bash. They simply want something that is easy to install, if that is the route they decide to take, and 'just works.'

To meet the 'just works' requirement they will want to be able to easily setup their internet connection, have common packages like Open Office and Firefox installed, and setup printing. There are probably other core requirements, so feel free to point them out.

@debtboy: I have not, do not, and will not, write useless articles. I hope we are 100% clear on that point.:rolleyes:

If your not at least somewhat familiar with how an OS works in general,
then you shouldn't be messing around with installing a new one.
If you play with fire, you might get burned.

Then they want Windows, and should save us all a lot of grief.
They will probably tell everyone they know, how aweful this new "LINUX"
thing is, because it didn't automatically set up networking
(it didn't recognize the network card) and thank god they were able to
immediately re-install Windows.

Ha! Ha! Ha! :D
I'm just making my point, which if you haven't figured it out yet is...
Your coming to Linux from a Windows point of view.
(Windows = easy install, simple to use, familiarity)
Your article will judge particular Linux distros by the first Windows standard,
(how easy is it install).
Part 2 of the article will probably be...
How simple is Linux to use ;)

What I'm saying is, Linux isn't Windows and should be judged by Windows standards.
It's a different animal, and takes a different point of view.
With almost unlimited configurability and flexability,
I would expect to have to know something about it and at the very least
answer some install questions.
"With power comes responsibility"

I never said your article will be useless, just meaningless.

Lets say I'm going on a deep sea fishing trip and arrive at the boat
where my friends are and instead of talking about fishing line, tackle
and bait, my friends want to know what kind of car I drove to get there.
The car I drove to get there is very important, but when it comes to fishing
it's meaningless. ;)

IMHO, Linux is about fishing, not the car you drove to get there...

So we decide now who uses what software?

As stated, I have been asked to write an article aimed at beginners. Any distro recommended would hopefully minimise the risk of hardware not being identified. I concur though, that this is an issue, perhaps this is where you, in the forums, could help out.

I am not coming to Linux from a Windows point of view. Yes I have over 20 years of PC experience but I've also done system support/systems programming under MVS, VME, Ultrix, VMS, Unix, OS/2, Linux, ergo, I have no axe to grind. An operating system is just a piece of technology. Learn one, you can learn another. From the user's perspective it is ease of installation and use that makes the difference.

Finally, if I had an axe to grind I wouldn't have switched my laptop from Vista Ultimate to Ubuntu, I'd have moved it to Windows 7. The laptop 'lives' in our front room, so anyone who wants to use a PC while there are here uses that. I've had nothing but positive feedback from people who have used it. 'Fast', 'easy to use', etc, etc.

And finally, finally (:)), if you would like to contribute to how the testing is done, or the article itself, you are more than welcome to do so. Now, I can't say fairer than that, can I?

Remember, ease of use should be Part 2 of the article. (Ha! Ha! Ha!)

Actually "from a USER'S perspective", what it can do is what makes the difference.

Maybe, from a "newbe wanting to try something different" ease of installation and
use makes all the difference.

As for contributing...
Not this time, but I'll think about posting "HOW" Linux can be USED as a
print server, file server, web/ftp server, DNS sever, DHCP server, domain controller,
vnc server, media server, database server, proxy, router, etc...
all while being a GUI desktop computer!!

It's how you use it, not how easy it installs...

Don't get me wrong, the more Linux information out there the better,
but more Linux "bad press" over "it didn't recognize my webcam or monitor"
is not what is needed.

I would say "from a USER'S perspective", what it can do and how easily it can do it, is what makes the difference. But isn't that true of any operating system and application software?

Our readers aren't generally looking for information on how to setup Linux as a server but you never now when the information might come in handy.:)

BTW, you forgot to mention using Samba on a Linux box to act as a WINS server. Now that is useful.

If Linux is to succeed it has to accept 'bad press' as a fact of life. The driver issue isn't going to go away, Linux has a long way to go to catch up with Windows; there were over 30000 third party drivers available for Windows XP in 2005. The risk here of course is to put quantity ahead of quality. That's not something I would like to see happen, but while the driver gap remains the critics will continue.

Yes the targeted audience must be taken into account.

As for Samba as a WINS server... :confused:
You can see from my post, that
I list DNS Server, Domain Controller and File Server
which all use Samba, (smb protocol), I didn't mention WINS
as it was replaced by DNS on the Windows side starting
with Windows 2000, and if you live in the Windows world
you HAVE to upgrade ($$) from time to time.


rikmayell, I have enjoyed this thread and look forward to your findings.

Installation and ease of use are real issues, that "new users" (compromise)
want and need to know about. You deserve to be commended for taking the time
to inform Future Linux Users of the possible installation pitfalls and comparisons
between distros.
Keep spreading the word, even if it's not so good :)

Good to see some activity...
The Linux section of this forum gets very quite for days at a time. :(

I'll keep spreading the word, and I have every hope that it will be good:)

Best regards,

Rik

I just want my lexmark x1185 printer to work on linux :p

Portable Ubuntu
 

Franco posted this link: Portable Ubuntu

Here you can get to know linux within windows. You can also run it off you usb stick. Installs easly. Like franco mentioned get a cup of coffee and let it do its thing.

I'm using it right now as I type this post. Still wont work with my lexmark printer though....lol

PS.. How would this apply to the Market Share?

Cheers
Wdhpr

I've downloaded a printer driver (HPLIP) from Ubuntu Software Center. After installation in Ubuntu, it works well with the HP laser printer.

If one likes Linux and uses it with a printer, better check out the supplier supports driver for Linux.

With the 32% Netbook market share, I'd think that more hardware suppliers are looking more seriously at their pockets now. :D

I'm glad this post resurfaced as it gives me the opportunity to review some of my
previous statements with a slightly different perspective.

It appears, I had quite a sharp tongue as seen from from my first response here:
http://www.techsupportalert.com/free....html#post7490

I no longer feel so strongly on these matters and believe that everyone will make their own OS decisions.
I do advocate using Linux, but only for those who are ready to deal with the possible challenges that arise
and for those taking the plunge, I'd be more than happy to help, if I can
but my knowledge is limited and the technical side of Linux is vast.

I've previously told the members and mods on the forum, that I'm an awful writer and that hasn't changed :D,
but I'd be more than happy to attempt any Linux related reviews they wish me to do.
I can't believe, I spouted out my opinionated views without ever formally contributing to the forum. :o

Well then there you have it. You haven't written anything directly for the site yet and many wish you would, I on the other hand write a lot and many wish I'd shut up :D Life is all about balance and I'm sure yours would be most welcome here :) Just let me know if you have anything specific in mind. You can already see from the signatures who's working on what stuff both here and on the main site.

A while back I made my own first tentative steps into Linux by dual booting Ubuntu 9.04 with x 64 Vista. I got on like a house on fire until I tried to update online to 9.10 which is when my problems started. I'm assessing my current Linux knowledge at competent beginner but I'm still not happy with much of what needs doing outside of a GUI environment. Since my problems started I've discovered that a conflict between the ATI chipset and the new linux kernel is causing unstable network connections for at least anyone running a SonyEricsson MD300 mobile broadband modem with either Ubuntu 9.10 or Fedora 12. My tech has suggested I wait because he thinks a fix will soon be forthcoming as Linix has a big following here in Brazil and Claro is the biggest supplier of 3G services using (amongst others) this modem.

I'm led to believe that Ubuntu Ultimate might have enough extra guts to run it but for a 3G file download that's a bit too big for my 256 speed account :)
In the meantime my tech has given me W7 Ultimate to keep me quiet so all is not lost. The distro I would really like to get sorted is Fedora so I guess I'll just have to wait for the eventual fix.

thanks, pm sent

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