Mar 06, 2024 23:00:00

Five circumstances that may have led to the increase in Linux users

Linux's desktop OS share has exceeded 4% . Considering that Windows accounts for 70% of the total, 4% is only a small number, but as of June 2023, the share of Linux, which has a history of more than 30 years, has reached the 3% level for the first time. Considering this, it can be said that this is a big step forward. However, there have not been many major changes to Linux in the recent past, so it is not clear what is supporting the numbers. Under such circumstances, Stephen Vaughn-Nichols, a journalist who is familiar with business and technology, has picked up five things that are thought to have led to the increase in Linux users.

5 reasons why desktop Linux is finally growing in popularity | ZDNET
https://www.zdnet.com/article/5-reasons-why-desktop-linux-is-finally-growing-in-popularity/

◆1: Microsoft is not that interested in Windows
The first thing Mr. Vaughn-Nichols mentioned was the situation with Windows, which continues to occupy the majority of the desktop OS market share.

The reason why Vaughn-Nichols says he is 'not interested' despite having 70% of the market share is the position of Windows in Microsoft's business. Looking at Microsoft's sales in the second quarter of 2024 (October to December 2023), the Intelligent Cloud division, which handles Azure and servers, had the highest sales, followed by Office, LinkedIn, etc. The business process sector is in third place, and the game sector has surpassed Windows.

Microsoft announces financial results for the second quarter of 2024, with sales increasing 18% year-on-year to 9.15 trillion yen, and with the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, game department sales will surpass Windows and become the third largest business - GIGAZINE

For this reason, Vaughan-Nichols said that rather than having people purchase Windows, Microsoft would rather people subscribe to

Windows 365 , a cloud PC service that can run on Macs, Chromebooks, Android, iOS, and even Linux. I am expressing my opinion that you must be thinking that.

2: Development of games through Steam
According to Vaughan-Nichols, ``For a long time, games were not an important element for Linux.''

However, Valve, the developer of the game platform Steam, collaborated with software development company CodeWeavers to develop ``Proton'', which allows Windows software to run natively on UNIX-based OSes. Thanks to this, the option of ``playing games on Linux'' has come to the fore.

The number of titles that can be played on ``Proton'', which was developed so that Steam users can enjoy games without any inconvenience even if they switch to Linux, has exceeded 12,000 - GIGAZINE

In 2023, Linux will overtake macOS and emerge as the second-largest OS for gamers playing on Steam.

Linux finally overtakes macOS in OS share of Steam gamers, possibility of ``Steam Deck'' having an impact - GIGAZINE

3: The ease of use of some distributions has finally reached users
'Linux is said to be difficult to use, but that's not the case; there are many distributions that are suitable for both work and play,' Vaughan-Nichols explained.

In particular, I recommend 'Linux Mint' as an excellent OS that is easy to use for everyone.

Home - Linux Mint

https://linuxmint.com/

4: Searching and installing Linux software has become easier
According to Vaughan-Nichols, some Linux purists dislike installation programs that containerize applications, such as Flatpak , Snap , and AppImage .

However, developers like it because they don't have to adjust their software to suit different distributions, and users like it because they can choose the programs they want without having to worry about detailed installation steps. It seems that it is now helping.

5: Growing popularity in India
Linux is gaining popularity in India, which has the largest population in the world and is rapidly growing as an 'IT superpower.' The number one OS share in India is of course Windows (70.37%), but the second place is Linux with a share of 15.23%. OS X (macOS), which ranks second globally, ranks fourth in India (3.11%).

For these reasons, Vaughn-Nichols says that if Microsoft does not change its policy and school PCs continue to be dominated by Chromebooks, 2024 could become the year of Linux. He sums up the situation.

The reason why Linux's market share has not increased despite its potential is that it is divided into over 200 distributions, and major Linux distributors such as Canonical, Red Hat, and SUSE are focusing on servers, clouds, containers, IoT The reason seems to be that they are making a profit on Linux desktops and are not prioritizing Linux desktops.