If that, and their claim that a third of PC users are still on XP are true, the so called “1% - 2%” Linux market penetration figure is about to see a marked jump
The thing I find funny is that XP users are under the impression that they’re still safe to use it because the AV industry will have their backs … they obviously don’t understand what security patching is all about :
The real problem is that sticking with XP puts everyone else at risk too … not just them … I’d be happy for Microsoft to not only terminate support, but to put out a final update that terminates XP full stop, or at least cripples its ability to network and write to removable media.
I’d tried Linux a couple of times (years ago) in the past and though I thought the installed item had promise, installing was a f*ckin nightmare so I gave it a wide birth for a while.
I’d been fed up of Windows for quite some time (think pretty much everything ater NT 4.0) and Linux crossed my radar again (can’t remember why) around Ubuntu Karmic Koala (9.10) so I figured “what the hell” and gave it another shot … I was amazed at the difference.
Took me about 6 months to pluck up the courage to drop Windows altogether and I don’t miss it one bit … of course there are thing Windows can do that Linux can’t and vice versa … but Linux tends to win out on the things that I care about.
There’s nothing left (for me) that I need Windows for … I still like ImgBurn over anything Linux has to offer, but
a) It runs perfectly under WINE
and
b) Optical disks are quicckly becoming defunct anyway
ImgBurn aside, I’ve been 100% Linux (on my personal PC’s) since Ubuntu 10.04 … not for ages, but long enough to get to where I am now
I had XP dual booted with Peppermint 4 for 6-8 months until finally having the confidence to dump XP completely and just go over to Peppermint 4. Being retired I do not need Windows for work etc and find things like Libre Office totally suitable for my needs. Some of the software has (for me) quite long learning curves but if I really knuckle down I usually manage to cope ok.
I am certainly impressed with the speed that Pep 4 runs at compared to switching on and then going making a brew while XP booted up, that is a thing of the past, and, of course there is the terrific back up available to all on this forum>
Sadly for me I won’t be one of the 11% but if Linux adoption does increase it may encourage software vendors like intuit to port their software over to Linux making it possible for me to move at a later date .
When I first started using Linux on my home PC there was a learning curve and sometimes it was quite frustrating but I enjoyed the challenge and now although I still need help now and then I find it easier to use than Windows and a lot more fun to boot, but although I accept we need more adoption,I sometimes fear that increased adoption could be a double edged sword that could do Linux and especially the philosophy behind Linux more harm than good because it would be taken over by all these software & hardware vendors that have shunned us all these years because there’s not enough money in it for them ultimately musceling out all those fantastic open source projects we choose to use because they’re open source and libre.
I do hope Linux does gain more adoption and the end of Windows XP could facilitate that to some extent but like so many things in life too much could destroy it
I actually think XP was one of the better versions of Windoze. Hardly ever use it now on my dual boot system. Used only for Photoshop and RAW conversion.
I get what you’re saying … but there’s also the chance that greater adoption would inject much needed funds/talent into already existing projects such as the GIMP, or startup FOSS replacements
The big software houses haven’t really killed the smaller Android software projects…
Fact is on Windows the smaller developers don’t stand a chance against the big boys … Linux could be seen as an opportunity for NEW developers, as Android has become … where the big boys don’t already have a lead.
It’s an interesting article, be nice if the ‘facts’ were backed up by something more than 1 survey by the sounds of it :
Companies I would assume, would be harder to convince that the general public and that’s saying something ! Unless there’s suddenly a load of companies sprung up that I’ve not noticed with very convincing staff that can turn people around in a flash, I’m not convince that figures remotely real, unfortunately.
I find people go to linux because they want to, and most are the types that don’t mind having a go at things themselves, and don’t need to run off to pc world at every little thing that goes wrong. Companies. . . . . . . well, unless a lot of heads of industries have been discussing vast savings on software with each other and there’s a swathe of windows defectors silently plotting to jump ship. . . . . . I dunno, I just think businesses would take a lot more convincing, in reality for a lot of them, they could probably do it quite happily, unless they’re running windows specific/bespoke software, but as things become more web-centric, MS’s grip has to lessen.
With the difficulty/resistance I’ve encountered convincing people to switch, it’s become clearer to me at least, that when people see it working you get a far better reaction than when you just explain it to them, much like the way androids crept in, by sheer persistence of it being out there, it’s now working for them, this is what linux needs IMO to get a foot in the door, but for that, I’m convinced you’d need 1 distro alone, and as much as I liked ubuntu when I started, it’s not that.
I reckon mint would be a better, or more familiar choice, but there would need to be some cohesion and real time backup in place to really establish it as a ‘brand name’ and maybe some forward thinking company with a few quid to burn and a penchant for taking chances (maybe like system 76 in the states?) might be able to pull it off, nice thought anyway … . . . . .
I’m still of the opinion that Microsoft will pull out of the OS business sooner rather than later.
Linux has the server room and embedded sectors (Microsoft displaced)
Android/Linux the Smartphone/Tablet (Microsoft never made it to the party)
and the traditional “Desktop/Workstation” is a shrinking market (that at some point won’t be a large enough to support a company Microsofts size, and the MASSIVE cost of OS development by a single company).
Then the only viable OS (for the much shrunken desktop/workstation market) is liable to be Linux … maybe not Linux as it is now though … we’ll have to wait and see.
Nah, MS will not take it laying down. They will lobby, twist arms and generally become an annoyance until they get their way (again).
According to a recent blog post Microsoft intimates that the UK government switch to open source will cause “dissatisfaction”
