Linux Distribution Popularity Trends Plotted

DeviceGuru writes "In order to get a sense of the popularity of various Linux distributions over the past several years, LinuxTrends entered their names into Google's search insights tool and grabbed images of the resulting graphs. The graphs display some fascinating trends and bode well for the future of Linux, particularly its ability to adapt to changing requirements and opportunities. What's especially noteworthy is that Android is the first Linux spin to take on a life of its own within consumer devices. It's certainly not the first use of Linux as an OS for devices; what's unique, however, is that it's the first branded Linux-based OS to be widely marketed to consumers."

Comments

Not very accurate measurement IMHO

[Superken7]

Not a very accurate measurement IMHO, although its just "popularity" after all:

From TFA:

Bear in mind that the graphs do not represent distribution sales, downloads, or installed base; rather, the data is based entirely on the number of Google searches containing each distribution’s name per unit time as reported by Google’s search insights tool.

Re:Is Android really a Linux Distro?

[betterunixthanunix]

Why? Perhaps it should not be counted as GNU/Linux, but it certainly uses the Linux kernel.

This is why I prefer to use distro names like "Ubuntu" or "Fedora" when describing Linux use on the desktop: it alleviates the confusion.

Re:Where's the justification?

[je ne sais quoi]

So, in what sense does it bode well for Linux?

I don't think it does bode well for Linux. If you look at statcounter's usage stats, while Linux has finally made it above the "other" category, growth has essentially stalled. Worldwide, linux has gone from about 0.7% in 2009 to 0.8% in 2010. That's going in the right direction, it's still not terribly encouraging, at that rate Linux will never become a mainstream OS.