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:2008-09-21
See, Linux isn't only a Kernel but also a set of API's provided by the Kernel. The term Linux refers to both AND to construction kits on top. That is your common base.
You can add, combined, exchange the Kernel itself (compile features in/out, modules, patches). You can add, combine, exchange the stack on top up to the applications. Linux is by no means static on this like Windows is. Linux is highly dynamic and there exist 1001^1002 possible combinations.
You will not find a single distribution shipping exact the same like another (even if you leave apps out). This is a key-point of Linux.
That's why its all "one Linux" since it describes a construction kit. Android is one implementation but even there different Android versions utilize the Kernel very different (eg Android 4.2 includes SELinux). This is VERY different from Windows.
So, if you like to break that numbers in pieces then what criteria would you use to cut when even Android 4.1 and 4.2 have so different kernels?
Your suggestion seems to be to cut into the smallest pieces possible. Why? To make your point that the largest smallest piece is smaller then all the pieces of Windows together (and I am not only talking here about CE-based WP7 and NT-based WP8, or SP's, or home/pro/enterprise but also drivers/localization/etc which are NEVER separate counted)?
Edited 2013-01-23 15:53 UTC
RE[3]: Linux is a kernel
by Valhalla on Wed 23rd Jan 2013 21:00
in reply to "RE[2]: Linux is a kernel"
Member since:2006-01-24
When someone says Linux they're implying it is a Operating System which it is not.
Says who? You?
It's clearly inaccurate, Linux is just the kernel. So when we say a Linux based system all that means is that it uses the Linux kernel.
Android uses the Linux kernel but it is NOT a Linux "distribution" or what is really an Operating System.
Android is an operating system which uses the Linux kernel. What is 'really an operating system' in your world?
Browser marketshare is measured for each browser as in Chrome / Safari, etc. not WebKit even though they're all using WebKit.
But this article didn't measure web browser market share, nor did it measure operating systems, it measured the market share which uses the Linux kernel.
The title should probably have been Linux now has double the marketshare of Windows NT
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 17:26 UTC
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:38 UTC
At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 11:29 UTC
The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.More Features »
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Member since:
2007-05-05
Unless you are trying to measure the marketshare of Linux... Which as you quite clearly pointed out, is a kernel and not an Operating System. So how do you measure the marketshare of a kernel? You count all the Operating Systems using it...
Do you consider statistics of marketshare by browser engine "ludicrous"? Knowing the total number of browsers using WebKit is far from useless information... Same exact thing.
But that is comparing marketshare of an OS vs a kernel. Apples vs oranges. Doesn't make any sense.
When someone says Linux they're implying it is a Operating System which it is not. Android uses the Linux kernel but it is NOT a Linux "distribution" or what is really an Operating System.
No, I don't consider it ludicrous. But when measuring marketshare like that it is quite clear that they're referring to the engine or the browser and not spinning the numbers to mean something they're not. Browser marketshare is measured for each browser as in Chrome / Safari, etc. not WebKit even though they're all using WebKit.