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The Secret Lives of Ubuntu and Debian Users

Posted by kdawson on from the self-selected-statistics dept.

jammag points out a look at statistics from the Popularity Contest projects on Debian and Ubuntu. These projects track the download and upgrade habits of their respective distributions' users, revealing — no surprise here — that Ubuntu users are more likely to be newbies than Debian users. The numbers reveal, for instance, that 86 percent of Ubuntu machines use the proprietary NVidia driver, where only a mere sliver of Debian machines do. Likewise, Debian users are far more eclectic in their software choice, less likely to use any default options. The article concludes with a look at the limits of what conclusions can be drawn from statistics like these. "In general, Debian users seem more eclectic in their use of software than Ubuntu users, and less likely to use an application simply because it is included by default. Debian users also seem more likely to be concerned to maintain a free installation than Ubuntu users — a conclusion that is hardly surprising when you consider Debian's reputation for freedom, but is still interesting to see being supported by statistics. ... To what extent last week's figures are typical is uncertain. Very likely, studying the figures over a longer period would produce different results. Possibly, too, those who participate in the Popularity Contests are not typical users of either Ubuntu or Debian. "

2 of 501 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I've been using linux since the mid nineties. by InlawBiker · · Score: 0, Troll

    Agree! I'm a former Solaris & Red Hat admin and a network engineer. I've fiddled with computers and Unix for every day of my adult life.

    I tried various editions of Red Hat and then Fedora at home and it was always a bit of a hassle. I stared using Ubuntu at around 7.04 and stuck with it because it requires almost no extra effort. If I want to compile my own apps or tune my kernel I'm free to do so - but why would I?

  2. Re:Debian HAS default options? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    You might want to try that in the new Debian, you know. You clearly describe something from 5 years ago.

    Although there is no way Debian will offer to install nVidia drivers for you, it *will* autodetect the standard crap in a standard PC quite easily.