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ZDNet: Linux 'Takes The World' While Windows Dominates The Desktop (zdnet.com)
ZDNet editor-in-chief Steve Ranger writes that desktop dominance is less important with today's cloud-based apps running independent of operating system, arguing that the desktop is now "just one computing platform among many." An anonymous reader quotes his report:
Linux on the desktop has about a 2% market share today and is viewed by many as complicated and obscure. Meanwhile, Windows sails on serenely, currently running on 90% of PCs in use... That's probably OK because Linux won the smartphone war and is doing pretty well on the cloud and Internet of Things battlefields too.
There's a four-in-five chance that there's a Linux-powered smartphone in your pocket (Android is based on the Linux kernel) and plenty of IoT devices are Linux-powered too, even if you don't necessarily notice it. Devices like the Raspberry Pi, running a vast array of different flavours of Linux, are creating an enthusiastic community of makers and giving startups a low-cost way to power new types of devices. Much of the public cloud is running on Linux in one form or another, too; even Microsoft has warmed up to open-source software.
There's a four-in-five chance that there's a Linux-powered smartphone in your pocket (Android is based on the Linux kernel) and plenty of IoT devices are Linux-powered too, even if you don't necessarily notice it. Devices like the Raspberry Pi, running a vast array of different flavours of Linux, are creating an enthusiastic community of makers and giving startups a low-cost way to power new types of devices. Much of the public cloud is running on Linux in one form or another, too; even Microsoft has warmed up to open-source software.
When they merge android and chrome os into, fuschia isn't it?
I use Linux on the desktop for everything other than gaming. I dual-boot to Windows for that, and only because games developers still don't do Linux versions. The moment that changes it will be goodbye windows partition.
https://chromeunboxed.com/chro...
Here http://store.steampowered.com/... let me fix that for you and http://store.steampowered.com/.... Yeah not so much any more and if you check you steam library you will find out exactly which Mac OS and Linux games you already own, just waiting to be downloaded and installed.
The desktop is a dying market except for power users, hobbyists, scientist. Business is making the shift to smart terminals and for less secure communication purposes simple disposable notebooks (no windows in site lust secure locked doors, nobody wants the employees wide open to the prying eyes of potential competitors who pay for M$ for access).
It could have been a shrinking market with windows but M$ killed that, so the desktop will become a shrinking market with Linux and of all companies, Apple, still a good solid professional market, pretty much back to its main professional market prior to consumer PCs which in reality when technology caught up is smart phones (fitted VR micro glasses for gaming), smart TVs, tablets for the smart TVs and disposable notebooks for communications (not gaming).
Whoops no gaming console, yep, pretty much no gaming console.
Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
He only just made his Slashdot account on Monday. He hasn't yet learned the value of calm, objective commentary the way you and I have.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Because if Google's proprietary OSes that are more locked down than Windows ever was (say what you want about Windows but I can grab a windows laptop and inside of 10 minutes be booting into anything from BSD to Zorin OS, just try that on a Chromebook) now counts as "Linux" because it uses the kernel, which even the community acknowledges that "the kernel is not Linux"? Well sheeit, by that metric you could claim Linux "won" half a decade ago since all those cheapo locked down routers used by millions are using the Linux kernel as part of the embedded OS.
It certainly doesn't come anywhere close to being open or supporting the four freedoms so if this is what it takes to "win" I'd say "well what exactly did you "win" other than replacing one corporate master for another?
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-104-percent-smartphone-industry-profits-q3-2016-bmo-capital-markets-samsung-2016-11
There are three classes of companies making smartphones: those making no money, those losing money, and Apple.
It is complicated and obscure. But, so is Windows.
People just go with the devil they know. Compatibility and familiarity often trump better technology.
Table-ized A.I.
I thought Android is *not* Linux? At least that's what one of my Android text books says. It uses the Linux kernel, but is not the same operating system that is commonly referred to as "Linux" i.e. GNU-Linux. Android has major differences with Linux. This is not a value judgement but just an observation/fact.
Am in a similar boat. Linux is my desktop. No looking back. I use Wine for quite a number of apps that I need, and it does take some wrangling occasionally, but it's no comparison to Windows. I have a dual boot option for when I something such as to edit an image in Photoshop.
I wonder how the desktop market share data are obtained. From browser data? This is naive as many linux users change or randomize their user agent. It must be that since counting OS sales does not work. I use linux as my major operating system since 20 years. But there are still things I can only do on a commercial OS like Mac OS X: For example solid video editing, screen recording, Keynote, garage band, and serious gaming. But for most day to day operations, there is very little difference between OS X (when used as a Unix workstation) and linux. My desktops and workflows look almost identical. I guess, also windows could be configured today to behave like a unix workstation. But the loss of control which the the user over the OS (basic things like when and how to upgrade, or the look over the shoulder of the user) which happens today in windows makes it unfit for serious work. What would really be nice if virtualization would exist which allowed to run any OS X software on a linux box. It seems that installing OSX on a virtual box has not yet worked well. The few who have got it to work claim slow graphics, sound failures. I have not heard for example of a successful and solid Final cut run virtualized under linux. Parallels does a good job virtualizing windows on OSX.
Microsoft makes money of Open Source software by shaking down companies that deploy it. I.e. they weaponize their software patent portfolio.
That's how they make money from Android.
Recently, they received good press for their Azure patents protection offer, but it is not what it seems at first glance, their is nothing benign about it. It's just a dressed up protection racket.
And while moving their Quantum Computing software to github, gave them press that they "Open Sourced" it, nothing could be further from the truth.
They will try to get a stranglehold on the future of computing, just as they had it in the PC market. They just switched strategy, but this tiger won't change its stripes.
I'm a Steam player. Point is that once you go into Steam and pick a game, chances are that the Windows version of it is more fully featured than the Linux version. In the case of Civ VI, the Windows version is out (albeit new) but the Linux one is almost out. Other games, like Civ V - the Windows version is more fully featured than the Linux one. So right now, I play on my Windows laptop.
I'm using TrueOS (PC-BSD) and it has something called playonbsd, which is essentially running wine, and then running steam on top of it. So far, I've been unsuccessful in upgrading to the version that runs that, but once I can, then your scenario would be partly true. I'd really have loved it has Steam developed front ends for not just Windows and Mac, but also Linux and BSD.
The linux kernel is linux.
Gnu/linux was the second attempt by Richard Stallman to raise awareness of GNU on the coat-tails of linux after people didn't take his first suggestion of LiGnuX seriously. Linux is not a GNU project. Their OS is called HURD.
So your "fact" does not appear to actually be one despite it coming out of a book.
Linux is a kernel, not an OS although we think of it that way. This has been RMS's point for quite some time. The kernel is Linux, most of the rest of a "Linux system" is GNU.
I thought Android is *not* Linux?
That's right. Android is *not* Linux. Linux is for neckbeards, and Android is for girls. Neckbeards and girls don't mix.
In Google's OSs, the kernel is Linux: it's the userland that is something like busybox or some other BSD licensed shell. But I think an argument would be that if you bought a netbook or laptop w/ ChromeOS already on it, then you already have Linux, so why would you want to replace it w/ another distro. Whereas someone who bought a wintel box would likely be someone who received Windows by default, and may prefer to replace it w/ something else, like TrueOS ( or PC-BSD, which I did) to one of the Linuxes.
On the 4 freedoms thing, once something is complicated enough that only tech savvy users can use it, then as these things are made more convenient to use, freedom is one of the potential things that can go out the window. Either that, or money or personal data or a combination of them: if you have all the freedoms on your toy, then it includes the freedom to completely screw it up and make it unusable, which vendors like to avoid, since chances are that the customer will go back to them to get it fixed, rather than accept that they took their own risk
As far as I can see, the desktop is the only place to run Windows.
And only for people who enjoy being anally raped by malware.
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
What is referred to today as "Linux" is an operating system that has a lot more components than just a kernel. It handles system initialization/state management, hardware resources and events, optional graphical management, etc. When someone says "I installed Linux" or "I use Linux" they mean an operating system, not a kernel. While there are variations among various Linux operating systems, they are still fundamentally similar in many ways and are different than Android in many ways.
"When someone says "I installed Linux" or "I use Linux" they mean an operating system"...
The often do, and they are often wrong. Which is why you have people always pointing out that actually it's GNU/Linux that they are running. Technically 'Linux' only refers to the kernel, people should really just state what distro they are running, that would be more accurate.
We don't believe in radical loony monotheistic religions from the middle east -- we're Christians.
Only market droids and technodunces buy the bullshit that the userspace skin is the OS. Anybody with a slilght clue understands that an operating system does scheduling, virtual memory, manages devices, etc etc. And has a user space that can easy be mischaracterized by marketdroids.
You can get console on Android and poke around. Its Linux. Some top level dirs moved around for completely bogus reasons, but it's Linux. It runs Linux binaries.
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
By, "for the same price" do you mean that he can turn in his old tv for this superior new one? or do you mean that he can pay all over again to the tv companies?
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
Aren't Windows people getting tired of constantly babysitting their OS? One of my computers is a dedicated gaming box, and yes, running Windows. I'm constantly upgrading packages and rebooting. Sometimes it just feels slow and and rebooting seems to fix it for whatever voodoo reason. And what's the crap with having to re-install one per year? If I don't re-install everything, the system gets slower and slower until I'm pulling my hair out. And then when I re-install, it's like I have a new fast system. I've been running a gnome desktop since the 90s as my dedicated desktop and never had that issue.
But, we're almost there. And what I mean by that is more and more popular games are coming out for linux via steam these days. It won't be long until Windows is no longer needed and I can finally kick it to the curb.
BSD is the name of a family of operating systems. The term "BSD kernel" refers to any kernel used in a BSD operating system.
Linux is the name of an operating system kernel. The term "Linux operating system" refers to any operating system that uses Linux for a kernel.
Debian/BSD is neither a BSD nor a Linux operating system. Conversely, Android is as much a Linux operating system as any other.
That is at best a description of some operating systems.
Some operating systems control some computer resources. Some share the resources that they control.
To quote Hamlet:
I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
I thought Android is *not* Linux? At least that's what one of my Android text books says.
Just because someone wrote something in a book doesn't automatically make it true. Books are not necessarily authoritative sources and I can provide you lots of examples of books getting "facts" very, very wrong. This evidently is one of them.
It uses the Linux kernel...
Then it is linux in addition to whatever else it is. The kernel above all else defines which operating system you are using.
but is not the same operating system that is commonly referred to as "Linux" i.e. GNU-Linux.
It's a variant of linux but not the only one. GNU/Linux is really not a single system but rather a marketing attempt by Richard Stallman to use work he and some others did to take credit for work they didn't do. There is no single one-true-linux. Any system that uses the linux kernal as its base is some variant of linux.
Android has major differences with Linux.
Android is linux as long as it uses the linux kernel. Change the kernel and you can call it something else.
Am in a similar boat. Linux is my desktop. No looking back. I use Wine for quite a number of apps that I need, and it does take some wrangling occasionally, but it's no comparison to Windows. I have a dual boot option for when I something such as to edit an image in Photoshop.
Linux is my desktop, and has been since 1998. My kids have windows PCs, and I have an old one that has been sitting around for a while. I still haven't had to boot it up for anything.
The only time I have needed windows for anything was recently to join a webex for work. I can work from home on my linux machine, I just run a container that has openconnect and xfreerdp on it, it launches and connects me to the VPN at work, then rdp's into my machine there. But on this particular occasion, I needed to have a webex and use the video. I used to be able to do this no problem, but I couldn't get it to work on my linux machine. It was really an issue with webex. It detected that I wasn't using an "approved" OS/Browser. I could even join their "test meeting" no problem, but couldn't get it to work with the one I was trying to join. So after a frantic 30 minutes, I just joined via phone. It was clearly due to some 'upgrade' on webex and not something on my side. So if I have to do that again, I will likely fire up that old windows machine just for that purpose.
I have more games than time to play... I have Emulation Station installed, so I have MAME, Gameboy, Atari, and Super Nintendo to play. And quite a few games from Humble Bundles and Steam.
And I understand that some people may have some apps that they need Windows for, but unless you are a professional, I don't think Photoshop is one of them. Give GIMP a try. I understand if you spent the cash and are comfortable with Photoshop, but imagine not being tied to it.
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
Linux certainly did NOT win the smartphone war. Firstly, Android is built to use the Linux kernel because hooking deep into the kernel is easier than it should be (hence bugs like stagefright) and because Google doesn't have to pay for Linux. The Linux / GNU stack is vaguely available but mostly unusable on Android. Android could be ported to any other kernel that is similarly hackable / easy to kneecap security and kernel / HAL / userspace partitioning as Linux. As for iOS, it co-opts the BSD Mach kernel in a similar manner.
> I have not noticed any differences. You will need to provide proof/examples.
As much as it pains me to say it, Linux has nowhere near the support of Windows and to claim otheriwise is just ridiculous.
Other than Civ6 can you name me any other big game at all from 2016 that is also out on Linux?
No mans Sky? Fallout4? World of Tanks? Elite dangerous? Overwatch? The Witcher 3? Dark Souls 3? Battlefield 1? Xcom2? Tomb Raider? Forza3? literally anything for my HTC Vive?
To naively ASSUME it would be SUPER EASY to PORT Android to another KERNEL stack is just STUPID. IT would take YEARS to be able to support the HUNDREDS of different HARDWARE PLATFORMS .
Linux still isn't even there all the way with vendor hardware support, you think vendors are just going to jump and support your new OS kernel, I think not.
Google's Fuchsia OS is heading for failure for this exact reason, just because it is microkernel is not a good enough reason to switch from Linux.
So Yes, Linux is WINNING smartphone battle right now and for a long time in the future.
Other than Civ6 can you name me any other big game at all from 2016 that is also out on Linux? (...) Xcom2?
Yes, PC/Mac/Linux from day one. So it's not strong on FPS games but if you're into turn based strategy it was a pretty good year.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
Linux is too popular and destroying openess. Let me tell you about the virtues of FreeBSD the free as in beer OS. Yes you heard Free Beer! We got that. It's time to free yourselves to an OS that respects beer. Linux was great growing up in your youth of mountain dew at college after using your Windows training wheels. Now it's time to graduate to free beer Freebsd like a real middle aged man.
Plus no one uses it so you can impress chicks too on being Uber hip. No Google, SystemD, or any other interests other than DARPA giving you TCP/IP which that and ipf make BSD the still defacto network operating system
http://saveie6.com/