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Is Linux's "Overall Market Share" Statistic Meaningful?

Posted by Soulskill on from the either-that-or-it's-not dept.

ruphus13 writes "Linux recently achieved 1% market share of the overall operating system market. But, does that statistic really mean anything useful? This article makes the case that it doesn't. It states, 'Framed in the "overall market share" terminology, the information (or how it was gathered and calculated) isn't necessarily questionable, it's more that it's meaningless. It's nebulous, even when one looks at several months worth of data. [How] Linux is used in various business settings answers an actual question — and the answer can be used to ask further questions, form opinions — and maybe one day even explain to some degree what 1% of the market share really means. ... Operating systems aren't immortal beings, and by rights, there can't be (there shouldn't be) only one. ... No one system can be everything to everyone, and no one system (however powerful, or stable) can do everything perfectly that just one person might require of it in the course of a day. While observing trends and measuring market share are important, the results (good or bad) shouldn't be any platform's measure of self-worth or validation. It's a data point to build on (we're weak in this area, strong in this area, our platform is being used a lot more this quarter, where did all of our users go?) in order to improve and stay relevant.'"

9 of 300 comments (clear)

  1. Ridiculous. by iamdrscience · · Score: 5, Funny

    Operating systems aren't immortal beings, and by rights, there can't be (there shouldn't be) only one.

    What? This directly contradicts the widely-known fact that Linux is The Highlander of operating systems.

    1. Re:Ridiculous. by wisty · · Score: 3, Funny

      If Linux is The Highlander, then is Windows The Borg?

      Does that mean that OSX are vampires? And what is Solaris?

    2. Re:Ridiculous. by Jurily · · Score: 4, Funny

      Does that mean that OSX are vampires? And what is Solaris?

      The dodo bird.

    3. Re:Ridiculous. by techno-vampire · · Score: 5, Funny
      If Linux is The Highlander, then is Windows The Borg?

      No, they're not The Borg, they're Vogons. Much, much worse.

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    4. Re:Ridiculous. by NickFortune · · Score: 4, Funny

      No, they're not The Borg, they're Vogons. Much, much worse.

      Now there's a meme that deserves to be propagated!

      Vogon software: superficially slick and professional, but beneath the surface riddled with officiousness and petty self interest, and breathtaking contempt for the general public.

      That sounds about right to me.

      --
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    5. Re:Ridiculous. by cyphercell · · Score: 2, Funny

      So now that we have professional input, who's going to redo the joke?

      --
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  2. "Statistics are like mini skirts... by ark1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    both reveal some interesting things but may hide the essential."

  3. Re:Quick response: No by shvytejimas · · Score: 2, Funny

    Seriously. The day Linux is just like Windows is the day I boot OpenBSD.

    As the saying goes - Linux Is for People Who Hate Microsoft, BSD Is for People Who Love UNIX.

  4. Re:Quick response: No by cheftw · · Score: 2, Funny

    But if I had made an awesome distro, or windows manager, or whatever;

    It's been done - http://awesome.naquadah.org/

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