Why is there so much software available for linux when so few people use it?
- Thread starter Vimmer
- Start date
Condobloke
Well-Known Member
`how did you arrive at that conclusion ?....do you have numbers ? I would be most interested to see them
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
as there is no creditable way of accurately measuring how many people worldwide use some form of Linux, I always think this is a non-starter for an argument.
Not everyone is the same shape, so why should they have to put up with an ill-fitting suite, the same with computer systems, why put up with something that doesn't fit when you can Taylor make it to fit your own circumstances, variety gives you that opportunity
Current users of computers worldwide
Current users of Linux indicate that we have reached the 4% mark of the market.
That could mean 214 million LInux users. The population of the UK, Germany and France.
Not an insignificant number, I would suggest.
If your question were
How many components in a car?
We could not answer, either.
If the question on automobiles was worded
How many components in a car contribute to
then you are starting to get somewhere, and there will still be a kazillion answers.
You could ask the car manufacturers, and similarly, the Linux Developers and then cross-reference it against Windows and MacOS figures.
Good luck on that one.
Wizard
Current users of Linux indicate that we have reached the 4% mark of the market.
That could mean 214 million LInux users. The population of the UK, Germany and France.
Not an insignificant number, I would suggest.
If your question were
How many components in a car?
We could not answer, either.
If the question on automobiles was worded
How many components in a car contribute to
- safety
- quick performance
- efficiency
- appealing looks
then you are starting to get somewhere, and there will still be a kazillion answers.
You could ask the car manufacturers, and similarly, the Linux Developers and then cross-reference it against Windows and MacOS figures.
Good luck on that one.
Wizard
That has nothing to do with my question.
But the whole "there are a lot of people" the trick.
I do appreciate that nobody trusts statistics, but it doesn't appear you have discovered google's conflicting info.
sofasurfer
Active Member
From https://truelist.co/blog/linux-statistics/
Linux powers 39.2% of websites whose operating system is known.
Linux powers 85% of smartphones.
The world’s top 500 fastest supercomputers all run on Linux.
96.3% of the top one million web servers are running Linux.
Linux powers 39.2% of websites whose operating system is known.
Linux powers 85% of smartphones.
The world’s top 500 fastest supercomputers all run on Linux.
96.3% of the top one million web servers are running Linux.
Condobloke
Well-Known Member
That basically is because everybody is re-inventing the same wheel, in this world this is known as "distro"
And that divides the number of users extremely.
In addition, Linux still isn't sold with hardware, which will be their downfall if they don't realize this.
One Distro at least is, and it's big in the corporate world. It may not be the "best" Distro (who's to judge ?), but it will exist in 20 years, which we can't say from others.
Just a reminder, ALL Unix OS'es (which could technically be described as some kind of Linux distro), still exist, and that is because they understand how the world used to work. You wouldn't realize how many servers still run Unix. And technically there are less good as Linux (well, in 2024 that is, but not in 1984), but the discussion is not about quality.
Doesn't seem to be a problem so far: open source licenses are structured in such a way that anyone could do it.
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
Take out crystal ball, give it a good rub and look into the abiss..
I can see that with Microsoft's in house use of Linux for programming and running their cloud operation, and the appearance of WSL a couple of years back, that Microsoft may turn into just another Linux distribution, at which point manufacturers will be more acceptable to supplying GNU licenced software. The windows' operation can be slimmed down to a Bere minimum to cut cost, then they will be able to concentrate on the more profitable side of the industry
I can see that with Microsoft's in house use of Linux for programming and running their cloud operation, and the appearance of WSL a couple of years back, that Microsoft may turn into just another Linux distribution, at which point manufacturers will be more acceptable to supplying GNU licenced software. The windows' operation can be slimmed down to a Bere minimum to cut cost, then they will be able to concentrate on the more profitable side of the industry
charlie.corder
Well-Known Member
Greetings Diputs,
Please do yourself a favor and read the history of Linux. Unix preceded Linux by several years and could not possibly be a Linux distro. Eric Raymond has an interesting book about some of it.
Old Geezer
Tango Charlie
Technically, that's the wrong way round. Charlie's got the right of it; Unix existed long before Linux did, so your statement that Unix OSes are all forms of Linux makes no sense whatsoever, I'm afraid!
(I'm in "nit-picking" mode today. Sorry, guys....)
Mike.
charlie.corder
Well-Known Member
Hello Vimmer,
A little history might help here.
Almost everything done in Linux is because someone had an itch they had to scratch - in other words, Linux programs are created for personal reasons. The creators all had different 'itches'.
One thing most people coming to Linux for the first time is that "There's too much choice in Linux."
That is exactly what makes Linux so valuable to those who want the freedom to choose what they want to do with their computer.
Believe it or not {your choice}, Linux does not care if I use it or not. Linux does not owe me anything. If I find some program that I can use, I have complete freedom to download and use it - no strings attached.
One other thing; Linux does not care if the desktop takes off or not. Linux is not in competition with anyone else for "market share" or any other reason.
I hope this helps you understand Linux a little better.
Old Geezer
Tango Charlie
It would be a very dull world if everyone drove a Ford.
It would be a very dull world if everyone used Ubuntu.
It's not the same wheel at all. There are different colors, different tires, different sizes, different engines, different trim packages, different options and accessories... providing a great deal of variety and choice.
I wouldn't want it any other way.
Do you think we have too much? What would you eliminate?
Or do you think we should have more Linux users? In that case, I agree.
How it happened.
www.redhat.com
Unix vs Linux: The history of how Unix started and influenced Linux
Many of the commands in 1972's Unix 2nd edition are still used in today's Linux. Learn how Unix started and how it's changed over time.
Kenneth Thompson & Dennis Ritchie Develop UNIX, Making Open Systems Possible : History of Information
Kenneth Thompson & Dennis Ritchie Develop UNIX, Making Open Systems Possible
www.historyofinformation.com
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To me, this section from
Linux is NOT Windows (a.k.a "One & one is two...")
...pretty much sums it up in a nutshell:-
That's the world of computer users, to a tee...
Mike.
Linux is NOT Windows (a.k.a "One & one is two...")
...pretty much sums it up in a nutshell:-
That's the world of computer users, to a tee...
Mike.
Have a look here - https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/worldwide
course I do not know how accurate this is but seems relatively close to me for your average desktop user
I've seen that one yet it seems a little unreliable since it just says "linux". But i guess you go with FreeBSD if you want to go even deeper into the cave...
