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Multiple statistics have shown Linux market-share doing better than ever

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Good news for Linux fans, as multiple big websites showing off statistics have shown Linux is on the rise!

Note: These should always been taken with a pinch of salt. Even with that said, multiple places are reporting a rise in Linux market-share, which is a good sign when put together.

Netmarketshare statistics reports that Linux has seen a marketshare of over 2% for 7 months in a row now. This means that Linux in the space of a year jumped 0.55%. This may not sound like much, but that can represent a lot of people. This is pretty damn good, since for years we were stuck well below 2%.

The site w3counter has seen something similar, as Linux didn't even register in their top 10 operating systems in September 2016, but suddenly in October 2016 it number 10 with 2.72%, then in November 2016 3.14% and December 2016 3.80%.

The case with w3schools stats is a bit different, but still trending towards something good for us. In 2003 Linux was just hitting 2.6%, but fast forward to 2016 and Linux is hitting around 5.6%.

Finally, pornhub (NSFW obviously), a popular porn website has seen a 14% increase in traffic from Linux in the space of a year.

Looks like things are going pretty nicely for Linux in general right now. This is good news for us, as more people using Linux means more people are likely to look into gaming on Linux too.

Keep it going Linux users and gamers! Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Editorial
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About the author -
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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46 comments
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neowiz73 Jan 7, 2017
Quoting: KeyrockObviously, the Pornhub numbers are the hardest evidence yet for Linux growth. Hopefully Linux usage keeps thrusting forward and we reach a big climax in the future.
how titillating it is.
MaCroX95 Jan 8, 2017
2016 was the year of Linux desktop!

Just kidding of course :D The "big boom" is not happening but I truly believe that Linux will indeed keep growing to the point where developers cannot just ignore us anymore. And when that happens, a whole bunch of new users should come to us as well.

Linux these days reminds me of what Windows used to be 10 years ago, just better... It is also starting to change rapidly in all departments (Wine windows compatibility, driver compatibility, new native software, stability, Vulkan, Wayland...) There is just so much going on that we are actually only beginning to see big changes in linux itself and yet we're already gaining some marketshare, I really hope that 2017 will show even bigger growths in the marketshare and that more companies will consider making linux preinstalled PCs.

Nonetheless Linux on desktop in my honest opinion looks healthier than ever before!


Last edited by MaCroX95 on 8 January 2017 at 12:25 am UTC
Just for the record, on January 1st of this year I had the Steam HW survey pop up on my Steam Linux account,...
I suppose I was lucky...
tmtvl Jan 8, 2017
Quoting: LeopardWe need AAA titles badly at this point.

Not so much AAA titles as platform sellers. Biggest ones ATM are prolly (not sure, but my nearest guess) Skyrim, COD, FF:XV, Overwatch, Dishonoured 2, and DOOM.

Quoting: Purple Library GuySo either there's something odd about Steam statistics, or Linux is used more for everything else but gaming.

Linux may be more prolific among both 'casual computer users' (seniors and 'normies') and professionals; people who don't really do gaming per say.
TheRiddick Jan 8, 2017
Quoting: Segata SanshiroA lot of single Linux users out there :P.

Humans are quite promiscuous, even when in relationships. Why do you think most marriages fail? PORNHUB and related feed that desire (a bit) without the risk.
Cybolic Jan 8, 2017
People really need to stop even referring to the Steam Hardware Survey as any sort of statistic. It's a survey, and an optional and non-voluntary one at that, about hardware, not operating systems.

Since Pornhub is the only non-tech site listed here, that's obviously the one that most accurately reflects the general public and the one I'll be quoting in the future ;P
omer666 Jan 8, 2017
Quoting: Segata SanshiroIs ChromeOS counted as Linux? Might explain why.

QuoteFinally, pornhub (NSFW obviously), a popular porn website has seen a 14% increase in traffic from Linux in the space of a year.

A lot of single Linux users out there :P.
That's what we call "single user mode"
Janne Jan 8, 2017
Quoting: Purple Library GuySo either there's something odd about Steam statistics, or Linux is used more for everything else but gaming.

The Steam survey is indeed inaccurate. But I also suspect the user base is very different and less inclined to game on their machines. You have a very high proportion of very technical users - IT professionals, researchers and so on - and if they game at all they're more likely to do so on a separate home machine; or doing console or mobile gaming.


Last edited by Janne on 8 January 2017 at 4:24 am UTC
[email protected] Jan 8, 2017
Quoting: Janne
Quoting: Purple Library GuySo either there's something odd about Steam statistics, or Linux is used more for everything else but gaming.

The Steam survey is indeed inaccurate. But I also suspect the user base is very different and less inclined to game on their machines. You have a very high proportion of very technical users - IT professionals, researchers and so on - and if they game at all they're more likely to do so on a separate home machine; or doing console or mobile gaming.

Myth.
wojtek88 Jan 8, 2017
Quoting: [email protected]Steam survey has been proven to be inaccurate.

It has never popped for me and a user on reddit recently reported that it picked up his OpenGL version wrongly (ver 3.0 instead of 4.3) and it even got his disk statistics completely wrong.

The only thing it's good for is for Meraco to quote.
What's more Steam survey can occur on Wine and count you as Windows user (while you actually use Linux OS, but Steam has no information about it because Wine "emulates" Windows under the hood).

So if there would be 5% of Linux gamers but half of it would play for example DOOM on Wine and each user on Steam would see a survey at the same time, we would be 2.5%. That's something that is worth to keep in mind while talking about Steam survey.
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