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submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by Cricket@lemmy.zip to c/linux@lemmy.ml

Clickbaity title on the original article, but I think this is the most important point to consider from it:

After getting to 1% in approximately 2011, it took about a decade to double that to 2%. The jump from 2% to 3% took just over two years, and 3% to 4% took less than a year.

Get the picture? The Linux desktop is growing, and it's growing fast.

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[-] rottingleaf@lemmy.world 1 points 17 minutes ago

OK, so now it's important to create collegial democratic project government for Linux, and freeze Linus in carbonite as a memorial. Before Linux has become too important, and before Linus lost his marbles to become a geriatric dictator.

Actually in the age of Android I think it's already too late, but this should be done regardless.

[-] Teppichbrand@feddit.org 3 points 48 minutes ago
[-] rottingleaf@lemmy.world 1 points 13 minutes ago

It makes perfect sense, the resistance of having Windows legacy software etc becomes smaller the more of that goes out of use, the resistance of everyone only knowing Windows becomes smaller with nobody even knowing Windows, and the resistance of corporate interests becomes smaller because it's all in the Web, and the Web has been corrupted and Chrome works on Linux.

So. Listen to me carefully. If Linux domination happens without FreeBSD and Haiku normalization, then things are bad.

[-] JOMusic@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 hours ago
[-] bob_lemon@feddit.org 1 points 26 minutes ago

Literally switched to Linux on my desktop yesterday.

[-] Naz@sh.itjust.works 9 points 3 hours ago

KDE Plasma is genuinely good

Kubuntu is a drop-in replacement for Windows 10

[-] misteloct@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 26 minutes ago

I wonder what percentage of people given a Kubuntu laptop, when asked what OS they're using, would say "Windows?". I'm going to guess 20%

[-] DJDarren@sopuli.xyz 13 points 8 hours ago

Does it count that I have four computers running Linux because I can't help myself?

[-] fluxion@lemmy.world 4 points 7 hours ago

These stats are actually just tracking the number of linux desktops you have

[-] InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world 1 points 7 hours ago

At a few work computers I once changed the user agent to say Firefox and Linux some years ago.

[-] squid64@lemmy.ca 1 points 5 hours ago

That's good, I don't care much about the OS people use but yeah as long as they use something that they like and that doesn't exploit them that's great.

I use Guix System as my distro and it's great, just goes to show the power of free software, you won't get something like that anywhere else.

[-] comfy@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 hour ago

I don’t care much about the OS people use

On a surface level, same. On the other hand, I do believe that more users, if combined with certain design and documentation choices, can enable more contributions and fixes and software support, and I believe this has already been a huge factor in recent improvements to the Linux experience like Proton.

[-] KingThrillgore@lemmy.ml 52 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

Chaotic Good Billionaire does a solid for Linux, Windows users devastated

[-] IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 8 points 12 hours ago
[-] Sina@beehaw.org 12 points 12 hours ago

Statcounter considers me a Win user due to the Win user agent I'm using, this is not a rare behavior in the Linux space..

[-] Cricket@lemmy.zip 4 points 12 hours ago

Out of genuine curiosity, what is the reasoning for using the Win user agent?

[-] primalmotion@lemmy.ml 8 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

it also obfuscates fingerprinting

[-] Cricket@lemmy.zip 2 points 10 hours ago

I thought this may be one of the considerations.

[-] isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca 4 points 11 hours ago

Some sites provide a different behaviour depending on the reported OS

[-] PhilMcGraw@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

The only thing I can think of is default download links based on your reported OS. What other functionality would be OS gated?

[-] Cricket@lemmy.zip 3 points 10 hours ago

I thought this may be a consideration too, but I would expect it to be a minority of websites that would do this, no?

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[-] webghost0101@sopuli.xyz 24 points 14 hours ago

A king once summoned a wise man who had done him a great service and said, “Name your reward.” The wise man replied, “Your Majesty, I ask for a simple thing. Give me one percent Linux desktop market share for the first square of the chessboard, two percent for the second square, four percent for the third square, and so on, doubling the amount for each of the 64 squares.” The king, thinking this was a modest request, said, “Surely you jest! Such a small reward for such a great service? Ask for gold, land, or jewels instead.” But the wise man insisted, and the king agreed. The king ordered his treasurer to calculate the total. Starting with 1% for the first square, 2% for the second, 4% for the third, 8% for the fourth… by the time they reached the tenth square, they needed 512% of the desktop market. The treasurer, pale with realization, informed the king that by the 64th square, they would need more market share than could possibly exist in the entire universe of computing devices. The king then understood that what seemed like a humble request was actually impossible to fulfill, and he gained a new respect for the power of exponential growth.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

[-] xthexder@l.sw0.com 3 points 9 hours ago

It already goes over 100% market share after only 8 squares. 512% seems like a weird place to stop? How can you have more than 100% market share?

[-] misteloct@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 22 minutes ago

Better start populating some more planets. See you on Manjaro Delta Prime.

[-] webghost0101@sopuli.xyz 4 points 8 hours ago

In the original it also supposedly amounts to more grain then there is in the kingdom.

[-] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 3 points 4 hours ago

Not supposedly, but mathematically. Even if the grateful king ruled the entire planet and the great warrior willing to settle for grains the size of a single atom, the king would be unable to pay in full; the total of grains on the whole chessboard would be 2^64 grains, but there are only 2^50 atoms on Earth.

[-] Zink@programming.dev 2 points 3 hours ago

Ooh, so I am thinking we make a black hole seeded with nothing but rice.

[-] Tinidril@midwest.social 1 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

Theoretically you could make a black hole with a single grain of rice. You just have to figure out how to crush it down enough.

[-] xthexder@l.sw0.com 1 points 7 hours ago

Yeah, I appreciate the reference, it's just that my brain got stuck on the comparison breaking due to using percentage instead of some absolute count.

[-] geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml 27 points 16 hours ago
[-] Cricket@lemmy.zip 16 points 14 hours ago

They used a different data source for this one and mentioned why they preferred this one over the one from the day before.

[-] blind3rdeye@aussie.zone 6 points 7 hours ago

So what you're saying is that if we just keep switching to different data sources, we could get above 50% in less than two months!

[-] Bronstein_Tardigrade@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 7 hours ago

And even at 50%, Nvidia still won't release Linux drivers.

[-] NoXPhasma@lemmy.world 1 points 7 hours ago

Invest now!

[-] BunScientist@lemmy.zip 22 points 15 hours ago

at this point linux will have more than 100% market share by next week!!!!!!!!

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this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2025
598 points (98.4% liked)

Linux

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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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