Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 22nd Jan 2013 21:28 UTC, submitted by lemur2
"If you consider NetApplications' data set, then Linux owns only about 1 percent of the desktop OS market and Windows has almost 92 percent. But if you consider all computing platforms, including mobile, than Windows has only 20 percent and Linux has 42 percent - and that would be in the form of Google's Android alone." No more or less legitimate than claiming Windows owns 92% of the market. It's all a matter of perspective.
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Member since:2006-09-02
Nelson, galvanash:
But it isn't a mobile statistic... So why try to bend it into one? It is simply "marketshare across all device types" - the mix in each product category or the relative number of devices is not the point. Of course the high number is because of Android, but that doesn't invalidate anything.
I think this is exactly the case where Stallman's otherwise pretentious "GNU/Linux" wording is useful, as it shows the difference between your reasonings clearly.
GNU/Linux, the operating system, stands at 1% on the desktop. It is a context we are well aware of.
Linux, on the other hand, is the most widely used kernel with 42% market share. That is also a context, because it means that it won't go away easily, and we may even expect it to improve if every (mobile) HW vendor now has to write drivers for it. This wasn't, and perhaps still isn't, the case for regular PCs.
Member since:2007-05-05
I think this is exactly the case where Stallman's otherwise pretentious "GNU/Linux" wording is useful, as it shows the difference between your reasonings clearly.
GNU/Linux, the operating system, stands at 1% on the desktop. It is a context we are well aware of.
Linux, on the other hand, is the most widely used kernel with 42% market share. That is also a context, because it means that it won't go away easily, and we may even expect it to improve if every (mobile) HW vendor now has to write drivers for it. This wasn't, and perhaps still isn't, the case for regular PCs.
But no one says "Linux" referring to the kernel alone. The everyday use of the name refers to GNU/Linux.
Linux == GNU/Linux != Android or the vast majority of the embedded devices out there.
Edited 2013-01-23 09:22 UTC
Member since:2005-11-29
Linux, on the other hand, is the most widely used kernel with 42% market share. That is also a context, because it means that it won't go away easily, and we may even expect it to improve if every (mobile) HW vendor now has to write drivers for it. This wasn't, and perhaps still isn't, the case for regular PCs.
Well, it is exactly what I'm saying. That all this data says, is that Android is dominating, and mobile is growing. It does so in a less clear manner than just saying "Android is dominating" would do it.
When you frame it as you've framed it, yes, it makes a lot more sense, but let's be honest, this is lemur2. This isn't the point he was trying to make at all.
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Member since:
2006-01-25
Ok. Well that sounds a bit less insulting that way.
I still don't think it is twisting statistics - it is just a _different_ statistic...
You think Microsoft doesn't similarly act as a gatekeeper in the desktop market? The difference is Linux has no one to act on its behalf in that market...
I am not convinced that most people who try Linux on the desktop hate it or reject it on its merits, I think rather, it is a big problem with lack of vertical integration and corporate backing. Unfortunately, there is no one that has _really_ tried to address it, so it has never had a real chance to gain any footholds.
But it isn't a mobile statistic... So why try to bend it into one? It is simply "marketshare across all device types" - the mix in each product category or the relative number of devices is not the point. Of course the high number is because of Android, but that doesn't invalidate anything.
I would wager quite heavily that if the combination of Windows and Windows Phone ever crossed 50% in such an "across all categories" type of statistic they would be trumpeting it all over the place (and have in the past). I don't blame them...