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Re: [LUG] stats on Linux market share

 

2009/1/16 Tom Potts <tompotts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
> Its a tricky one to answer - I've 6 machines here with Linux on and one was
> paid for. I know of several machines with paid for Vista that now run XP or
> linux.

If you're basing your stats on boxes sold then yes, Linux may well not
show up significantly on any of these lists. However that's not the
only way stats are compiled. Software downloads and business surveys
are often taken into account which is more representative of the real
state of affairs.

> That would come up in the stats as 1 linux, several vista.
> Linux may only have 1% market share but 99% of pc's may be running it and
> Vista may have 90% market share but only 1% of pc's trying to run it.

Indeed, it is difficult to gauge, especially when Linux can be freely
copied, and there is nothing "phoning home" to show a successful
install/download.

> Market share is meaningless to anyone but bean counters.

I disagree. If we want to show software vendors that Linux is a viable
platform for them, we need to be able to indicate how many potential
customers are out there. Shrugging our shoulders at them and say "I
dunno" isn't helping. Similarly hardware vendors need to invest time
and effort making their products Linux compatible. If they think Linux
represents near-zero market-share then there is no motivation for them
to make their products Linux-friendly.

It's not just about graphs & charts and willy-waving competitions,
this stuff is actually important.

Cheers,
Al.

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