As always, such statistics should be treated with caution.
What methodology is used to calculate Statcounter Global Stats? Statcounter is a web analytics service. Our tracking code is installed on more than 1.5 million sites globally.
It is assumed that there are more than one billion websites worldwide. It is therefore not exactly unlikely that a Linux user will not access any of these 1.5 million websites.
Source: https://gs.statcounter.com/faq#methodology
Furthermore, it is quite common for Linux users to use tools such as Pi-Hole that simply block such statistics scripts. This means that these users would not be counted even if they accessed one of these 1.5 million websites. For my part, I also use computers with Linux that I don’t use to access websites. Some of these computers don’t even have access to the Internet. They are therefore not counted either.
Finally, let’s come to the most important point. Percentage values say not much if you don’t know the actual number of users behind them. Let’s assume, for example, that 3.5 per cent Linux users were detected in December and only 3 per cent in January. However, if the total number of users was higher in January, it is therefore possible that more users were detected in January.
I think someone had estimated recently that Linux has about 50 mil desktop users. I think that sounds like a lot… I’d personally put that number to about 10 mil tops. I think the higher number we’re seeing these days is related to Steam OS.
50M desktop users does not sound so high tbh
Yeah, people are bad with big numbers. 50M sounds huge to us, but there’s 8.1B people in the world right now. 50M is a blip in comparison to that.
It sounds like a lot of users
It does not sound like a large percentage of users
Wait wait, have we been lied to… Does linux actually collect telemetry?
Ubuntu does
Good guy Ubuntu puts us on the radar.
It’s browser data, not telemetry.
Too lazy to click, but it’s probably browser data. By default pretty much all browsers report OS info while browsing.
The intent is to ensure compatibility with the sites, and it’s also used to push relevant info to the front, e.g., going to the “download” page and having the first download link be a .deb instead of .exe.
It’s unfortunately also used as part of the data collected for browser “fingerprinting” so it can be a touchy subject and may get spoofed by some users, leading to erroneous data, but in aggregate it can be used to give a general sense of OS and browser market share for studies like this.
They detect this from browsers, it’s not really accurate. For example, if you’re using LibreWolf, they’ll detect you as Windows 10.
Thats what i thought, you can easily modify useragents
Which just means the real number is likely higher since Windows browsers are almost certainly not getting counted as Linux
Probably not. The majority of users use chrome or whatever their os comes with. There are edge cases but it would be the minority that think about privacy and such.
I’m to lazy to worry about tracking so I install ublock, enable do not track in the settings of Firefox, and call it a day.
It is probably more likely that a Linux users is detected incorrectly, but the percentage of users doing something to cause this is almost certainly small enough to ignore.
cough steam deck cough
I think since the stats are based on web statistics, the steam deck probably won’t be counted unless the user switches to desktop mode and browses the web.
Though it’s possible the steam client accessing the steam store might count.
cough android
cough on desktop cough?
Ew
I don’t think they have produced enough Decks to change the statistics much. Deck is more of a prestige win: a major mainstream corp investing in Linux for consumers. Not to mention all work that Valve has put into dxvk and other libraries.
Wasn’t there a post earlier detailing country wide metrics? I think India had quite a lot in there with nearly 15% market share in the country. I wonder what is the most used distro for desktop users.
Since Distrowatch only tracks clicks for that page, it creates a positive feedback loop for MX Linux(which was top of the list last time I saw), I think. Hardly I have ran into anyone online who uses that. Meanwhile, I know dozens of people IRL who almost correlate Ubuntu with coding and have it installed but this is purely anecdotal.
Here we go? https://lemmy.ml/post/11490248
Same in Turkey: Linux usage is much higher than global average and climbing.
I wonder what is the most used distro for desktop users.
Most likely Ubuntu. We use Ubuntu at work because it’s the most commonly supported Linux platform for many development tools
No wonder. Ubuntu was also my first nix distro though I later moved to it’s ‘parent’ Debian and dual booted it back in the day with Cent OS before the latter was discontinued.
The corpo I work for also uses Ubuntu on the developer workstations. Everyone I know in real life who uses Linux uses Ubuntu.
Press X to doubt
And soon… it will be 4.1%!
If it has gone from 3% to 4% that would mean there are 33% more linux users and just don’t see that as being true. That’s the kind of increase you would definitely notice if you’re the kind of person who hangs around linux haunts on the internet.
“why don’t people switch to linux !?” People switch to linux “nah that’s fake.”
I installed Manjaro on my parents laptop. That probably helped :)
I installed Manjaro on my parents laptop. That probably helped :)
So, it’s YOUR fault! /shakesfist
If it helped significantly then either there are a lot fewer computer users that I thought, or your parents visit a LOT if websites.
Increase is probably all Steam Deck
Hey, that counts in my book!
To be fair my suspicious is steam deck users likely make up a larger chunk of recent desktop Linux growth and aren’t (as) likely to go to typical linux spaces online. Though since this is based on browser data, I also wonder how many steam deck users are actually browsing the web on them, so perhaps that my be a bad assumption on my part
Steam’s store is basically just a web browser built into the Steam app isn’t it?
I dont think extra traffic to one website would be that significant and I dont think there are enough Steam Decks out there
This new push might be from a new source of users that don’t fit the pattern of the 3 percenters.
The increase is probably mostly India, and it’s possible you don’t hang on online in the same places as Indians.
Every year since 1999 has been declared the year of the Linux desktop. My grandmother still does not use Linux.
That’s your mistake. I’m currently preparing a laptop with Linux for mine.
My mother asked me to switch her over to Linux about a year ago. Never had an issue since. It wouldn’t have been possible without the work wine and steam have done to make playing games on Linux possible.
I’ve long made using Linux a condition for free IT support. I assist with switching for the willing. It reduces the amount of support I have to do which allows me to support a lot more people. ☺️
It’s like smoking, they gotta decide to quit on their own. I had my reasons for staying on Windows for as long as I have.
Well looks like you outta do something bout that
Why not?
Linux has already won the server and mobile. Desktop will follow.
Server was won pretty quickly as Linux became the only remaining Unix.
Mobile was won because Google picked it as a kernel, however it’s at best a pyrrhic victory because the userspace has nothing to do with other Linux.
Desktop also needs a specific event to be won, it won’t just grow up progressively for no reason.
To be clear, while Linux has won much of the mobile market - FreeBSD still has roughly a third of the market worldwide, and more than half in the US for an example.
BLASPHEMER!
insert Monty Python pic
If we keep saying it’s the year of the Linux desktop, one day… It will be.
Does your grandmother use computers at all?
No, she passed away awhile ago.
