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Desktop Linux Usage Statistics
Ahkorishaan writes "Desktoplinux.com has put up their December 2004 survey results. Debian has fallen from their top rank as preferred Linux distro, and newcomers Thunderbird and Firefox have an impressive showing in their respective genres."
This is in _desktop_ linux usage. Not server, workstation, render farm, etc.
Any old user can access the CD-ROM drive, and a masters degree in comp-sci isn't required to get a fucking printer to work. My wife is taking her shiny new Linux computer into the shop tomorrow to have Win-XP installed on it instead so she can actually print some stuff. Oh well. Subtract one Linux desktop user from that total.
Whatchu talking about Willis?
Their final stats indicate about 17% each for Mandrake and Suse, and 15% each for Red Hat and Debian. Basically,
As they point out though, Debian has suffered from creep to these Debian-based distros that are so popular these days. Basically, almost everyone is evenly divided between the big 4, with a strong minority using the source based distros, and everything else attracting dribs and drabs.
This is I think less interesting than some of the other results; 61% for KDE vs. only 21% for Gnome, Mozilla still holding 30% of the browser, the lack of any clear favourite e-mail client.
~~~~~ BigLig2? You mean there's another one of me?
New to linux?
Mandrake has been producing a linux distro since 1998.
While your criticisms are correct, this survey is much better than most. They freely admit how it was done, and that it isn't perfect. Most surveys don't go into nearly as much details, and practically state that they are useful and represent the broader people as a whole.
The numbers also seem reasonable when considering what I know of linux users in general. So I'm willing to believe them for my purposes, which are unscientific. If I needed real results I would hire a qualified independent survey firm to do it right, but that is far more expensive, and there is a reasonable chance that the results would be within the margin of error of this poll.
I've been personally seeing a lot of Gentoo boxes (specialized servers), but most people I know stick to Debian or Red Hat. I toyed a bit with Mandrake and wasn't very impressed with it, though it did look a bit purtier by default than the other distro's I tried. Interesting to see a good amount of XFCE showings though, I always thought very few people used that, and given that I don't see it default on any distro I am frankly very suprised.
Funny... I just booted up the Ubuntu install CD in live mode yesterday and the CD-ROM was right there on the desktop. I plugged in my USB key drive and it showed up on the desktop right next to the CD-ROM icon and I could access everything on it "Just like Windows (TM)." Even recognized the model and brand and everything. Unmounting it was even easier because I just right clicked to get "Unmount" on the drop down menu.
As for printers, I had my printer hooked up but didn't attempt to print. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that it wouldn't have taken much to get that going if it didn't work on the spot already.
YAWN.
No, it doesn't. That's a "page hit ranking" on DistroWatch. All that tallies is how many times that distribution's DW homepage is accessed.
Well, users visiting that site may be inherent of their distribution/Linux personality. Anyways, this site covers a larger swath of Linux users anyways (~ 140 000 people versus ~ 4 000): http://counter.li.org/reports/machines.php Heh, get counted! http://counter.li.org/
"Want a free iPod?"
Its completely useless because it's a self-selected survey, rather than a random sampling. Self-selected survey's are basically junk if you want any good data.
The results of this tell us nothing more than if it were nothing more than a large, well-written slashdot poll. Mostly because it is nothing more than a large, well-writen slashdot poll.
If you can't install Windows XP on a standard desktop computer, there isn't much hope for you when it comes to using Linux (or Windows, for that matter).
Perhaps what you fail to realize is that ANY statistic becomes MORE useful as it increases in randomness. It would be impossible to find (and survey) a completely random sample of the linux-using population.
Moreover, just because a website is benignly named speaks nothing of the validity of the study. These statistics cannot and should not be used for real empirical study of the linux population, as it contains a number of very MAJOR flaws in statistical sampling, the most egregious of which is: SELF-SELECTING AUDIENCE (as reflected in the Yoper debacle).
While it's fun to collect survey data, this IS pretty much useless.
I hate the argument that Linux isn't ready yet....... or until...... this or that.
Linux is never going to be perfect folks! Stop eluding yourself thinking that it has to be perfect to be accepted. Or that in 2 or 3 years it will be "just right" and Joe Average will slobber all over it.
The more users that get converted now, the more folks will sit up and take notice. The more that take notice, the more that flock to linux. The more that flock to linux, the more the developers take notice and eventually be forced to make software for that market.
But it will never happen with "in two or three year's time" attitude. I heard this attitude 2 or 3 years ago. And also 2 or 3 years before that. Ad infinitum. (Actually only 1998-ish.)
There will always be a learning curve.
With all the spyware/malware problems with Windows - now is the time to strike. Don't think Microsoft is resting on their laurels - maybe (probably) they won't fix the problem - but as the software they bought recently (last year?) and redubbed MS AntiSpyware it shows they will come up with a solution that's good enough for most users as to excuse them not to switch (Let's face it: people are lazy when it comes to change.)
Requiring a Comp.Sci. Degree for Linux just because you couldn't get the printer to run? Save the 200 or so dollar XP installation and buy a compatible computer!
You have to be kidding me with ease of use.
Windows users practically need a degree to get rid of all the spyware/bloat/malware on their computers now, let alone hack the mystical registry when a program doesn't play nice when removed.
Read this:
http://kmself.home.netcom.com/Rants/spyware.html
And then decide if you really want Windows.
"you can always fix it" LOL - assuming you've got a few spare days to fuck around with it, and/or some high-falutin' degree in them Com-poo-tor thingies.
I don't think it's that hilarious. I think that a lot of Linux users are willing to try new things, especially when it comes to a desktop environment where they know that they can switch over and back without really losing anything. So when they don't like some of Gnome's new defaults, it becomes a catalyst for giving KDE a shot. Maybe KDE, for whatever reason, sticks.
It probably wasn't too different from my switch from Thunderbird to mutt. Thunderbird was taking a long time to start and I didn't like its fonts. I read that there were fairly simple ways to improve the starting time, and fonts are easy to change. I also saw a page on the internet about mutt. I said, "I know I like my console font; maybe I should give mutt a try". And it stuck.
SuSE also ships windowmaker, that's the combo I run!