this post was submitted on 09 Apr 2024
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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To be clear, you're arguing that (considering the increase in population) desktop computer ownership per capita may be falling?
If the amount of windows users decreases and linux stays the same, linux market share increases. Meaning, linux use is not rising, just windows is falling. Slight but important difference.
5 linux and 5 windows users. 50% market share. If one windows user drops, linux has 56% market share although the amount of users didn't change.
But yes, desktop per capita is probably decreasing as well.
Yeah but do you think people just drop windows and don't move to any OS afterwards?
Yes. Generation Z rarely uses computers and knows nothing about them, compared to other generations. Many don't even know what a file hirarchy is because their device doesn't have a proper file system for users.
The old users die and no new user is replacing them.
I disagree. In Gen Z, there are those that use computers regularly and those that don't. There is a larger gap between clueless and tech-savvy. But the one's that do use a computer are genrally more tech-savvy than other generations, while the majority of other generations' computer users are just getting by with minimal knowledge (how files are organized, some specific software like office and not much more).
Start asking people about PC components or programming (don't count those that learned it university or at their jobs) and you will quickly realize that your best bet is gen Z.
If they're moving to smartphones, that's still (mostly) Linux.
But it doesn't count as linux. Usually you mean GNU/Linux if you talk about linux. Chromeos may be considered linux for the sake but android?
Android uses the Linux kernel, so it is Linux (but not GNU/Linux). This isn't just semantics - Android has a UNIX-style filesystem, shell scripts, etc.
It's not semantics. People refer to GNU/Linux as Linux. Anything that isn't GNU isn't meant by the people. It's not my fault this is fucked up. We both know that it is linux and that it isn't what people understand if someone talks about linux.
But I'm that case if Linux gets 1 new user and windows gets 10 then proportionally Linux usage would decrease despite the absolute number increasing.
I would argue the absolute number is meaningless because without context that number has no value. If I tell you there are 3.4 million Linux desktop users does that number actually tell you anything? Not really. You don't even know if it's a lot or not because you have no frame of reference. 4% already has that frame built in and gives you an indication how Linux stacks up to other desktop OSs.