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Ask Nicholas Petreley About Linux Usage Statistics

Posted by Roblimo on from the lies-damned-lies-and-statistics dept.

This Slashdot discusssion, about a story Nick wrote, is already going (and heated). I did a NewsForge interview with a SuSE rep who quotes an IDC study that says Linux desktop use will double by 2004. Sounds nice, but how reliable are all these statistics? Nick's been studying Linux use in depth lately, so let's ask him directly what all of these numbers mean, if anything, and how IDC, Evans Data, and other analysts get and massage them. We'll post Nick's answers to 10 of the highest-moderated questions as soon as he gets them back to us.

22 of 223 comments (clear)

  1. FP by silvakow · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Dammit, I had to. Sorry.

    -1, Troll

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    1. Re:FP by MooseGuy529 · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      It's okay, I tried to get it but missed--now my post has less of a chance of being modded down. You should have done what I did and come up with a blazingly obvious question along with a subject of "First Post"--none of this "FP" wussiness!

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  2. fp by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    fp

  3. WTF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Why can I read this? I'm no subscriber.

  4. fucksticks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    'nuff said, eh, wot? btw, fp!

  5. First dupe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    n/t

  6. OK by Textbook+Error · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    What do all these numbers mean, if anything?

    --

    Nae bother
  7. dupe, morons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    How hard is it to check what's already on your own site?

  8. Re:First Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    stability, of course.


    N.P.

  9. Re:KDE wins by intermodal · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I agree with you personally, GNOME is was crap last time I tried it. Confusing and an all around pain in the ass. However, I will grant that that was in Red Hat 7.1. It may have improved since then. However, now that my distro would require me to download and compile it to try it, i don't care to try it since I am quite pleased with KDE (and i am on a modem). It just goes to show how first impressions count.

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    In SOVIET RUSSIA... erm...NSA AMERICA, the Internet logs onto YOU!
  10. Mandrake 9.1... by joestar · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    is very likely to extend the adoption of Linux on the desktop. I tested the latest Cooker snapshot (it's frozen now), and it's an incredibly great Linux distribution: slick (new theme designed by Everaldo Coelho...), fast, full-featured and... extremely debugged. It seems they have learned much from the quality issues they got in Mandrake 9.0. Believe: this new Mandrake release is going to become famous.

  11. Get some priorities! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    America is about to start invading countries to start building a global oil empire and you are talking about linux statistics?!?!

    WAR IS UPON THE WORLD!

    THE GREED CRAZED AMERICANS ARE ABOUT TO START AN INVASION OF THE ARAB WORLD!!

    How can you sit around talking about linux stastics!?!

    When the Europeans built a global empire it resulted in two world wars! You think the American empire of the 21st century will be different?!?!

  12. Re:KDE wins by intermodal · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    ah. sounds like it has barely changed, in which case of course I back this man to the hilt in his opinion. I couldn't do a thing in GNOME. I know there are those who will cry out, 'RTFM!' but if i can use KDE and get my stuff done without trouble, I see no reason to RTFM for something else if I am happy where I am.

    --
    In SOVIET RUSSIA... erm...NSA AMERICA, the Internet logs onto YOU!
  13. Fucking retard for parent...mod +1 funny! by intermodal · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    that was some of the dumbest shit i have heard in a long time. Thanks for the laughs.

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    In SOVIET RUSSIA... erm...NSA AMERICA, the Internet logs onto YOU!
  14. First Post Well In Advance by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    This post submitted at 14:03 EST5EDT on 3/17/2002

  15. Re:KDE wins by intermodal · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    i agree. simple is good, but functional is more important. Now if only KDE had left the hardware info in the control center...i like having that one convenient button on my button panel rather than two

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    In SOVIET RUSSIA... erm...NSA AMERICA, the Internet logs onto YOU!
  16. freedom fries by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Freedom Fries == Victory Gin

  17. Re:Your Legacy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    info world was a really cool read in the day ya know?

  18. Re:Slightly offtopic by delorean · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    Yessss-- that would be interesting to know for several reasons-- interpret as you may:
    1. Are yours sucking as bad as mine
    2. Are you putting your money where your mouth is
    3. Are you promoting where your money is?
    4. ???
    5. profit
    6. har de har har

    Ok... seriously, though. I would like to know.

    --
    "You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas"
     Sen. Davy Crocket to US Congress, Nov. 1, 1835
  19. Re:Your Bias by The+Bungi · · Score: 1, Offtopic
    Mod me down boyz! C'mon, buuuurrrnnn those points and validate what I'm saying.

    And mod this down, too!

  20. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  21. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Comment removed based on user account deletion