There has been an upsurge in the desktop Linux market share which has seen a rise to 3.37% in the latest statistics on Net Market Share for operating systems. Linux market share has witnessed a steady increase, especially in the last two summer months.
The stats show May 2017 with 1.99%, June with 2.36%, July had 2.53% and August showed Linux market share increasing to 3.37%.
Net Market Share is an analytical company that “collects data from the browsers of site visitors to our exclusive on-demand network of HitsLink Analytics and SharePost clients”. Their network includes over 40,000 websites across the globe.
Quite clearly this is not the real statistics on how many Linux desktops are in use and perhaps that is even not possible. But this is as close as we can get in collecting data on Linux market share.
Chromebooks help Linux Market Share?
The stats seem to take count Chrome OS as Linux since it is built on top of Linux kernel. Chromebooks, devices pre-installed with Chrome OS, have grown popular lately especially among college going students.
Chromebooks are usually lower end devices that have low prices and are lightweight. They come handy in carrying around and taking notes and saving them to cloud.
This might be a factor as students preparing to go to college may have boosted Chromebook sales.
However, this is my speculation and it may happen that more people are actually using desktop Linux. It is worthy to note that Linux distros dominate the market in servers and embedded devices. Not to forget that Linux simply rules super-computers with almost all of the top 500 supercomputers running on Linux.
Leave your comments below on what you think might have caused the increase in Linux market share for operating systems.
Please see the Linux Counter (linuxcounter.net) for a better statistic.
site is almost down!
While this is indeed an interesting topic, we Linux’ers have long since stopped looking for the YOTLD: “Y-ear O-f T-he L-inux D-esktop”. This was a mythical year that was SUPPOSED to happen in the early 2000’s….but never did…and EVERY year since then?…we’re heard people speak on Linux “taking the desktop market”. Well here’s a novel idea…..what if the YOTLD already CAME and has BEEN here?….underground…..and in the remote parts of the world. Would it matter? No. Does it matter? Yes.
See…..while having Linux on every desktop in America, or the UK…or Spain…or Germany might be great, the simple fact of the matter is that if that statement were true?….we would have the bullseye on our machines and not on Windows and Mac…so most Linux users are perfectly content to NOT be the No.1 desktop in the world….most of them are quite happy being their nerdy, geeky, dorky selves in a cafe somewhere typing away happily and getting work done, or making their lives easier by performing some task that would be hard to do without a computer. Let Windows HAVE the desktop market…..Linux has already “Won”…..by taking over the data center….the cloud…and any machine that can’t just “run Windows”…..(ATM’s…..Gas Station Pumps…….Ordering kiosks at the WaWa/Turkey Hill / Scottie’s etc…….Just about every home router…..the OS for most phones that aren’t iPhones….and oh by the way?: The Large Hadron Collider…..just about every PC at NASA…….the US Defense Department…..the OS behind most “Smart TV’s” and other devices….and a slew of other machines that are advanced and forward thinking. So yes….please “give” Windows the desktop market….as a consolation prize, because the REST of the computing industry?…belongs to LINUX! Hahahah! And before I forget to mention it….remember while the desktops in CORPORATIONS might have that horrible four colored “Windows” logo on most of their machines….the HOME USER Linux market is expanding exponentially DAILY!….as proven by the folks here who have testified that they’ve weaned themselves off of the “Windows Whiskey” that seems to plague so many others! So whether or not Linux has conquered the market regarding the desktop is not relevant anymore. What matters now is “us” getting the gospel of Linux out the door….down the block…..on the bus…..on the train…..at the grocery store……in the library…at church (well….maybe not AT church but AFTER church?…LoL! you can only spread one gospel at a time!…LoL!) and anywhere else that MS thinks they can “rule” with an iron IE!……LoL!
Year of Linux desktop will come.. some day…
*goes to corner and cries*
:P