Bonum Certa Men Certa

GNU/Linux Popularity Surging, So Why Did MakeUseOf Quit Covering It About 10 Days Ago?

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Dec 04, 2023,
updated Dec 04, 2023

Welcome back to Windows and Microsoft webspam

makeuseof on traceroute

THE sad news is, MakeUseOf is no longer covering GNU/Linux. Why? We don't know. But this change was abrupt, not gradual.

It's particularly sad because some of the best articles about GNU/Linux came from that site, both technical articles and advocacy-centric pieces (not provocateurs, saboteurs and concern trolls).

Why did that stop? We can only make guesses.

That's not to say no other site covers the subject matter and, either way, MakeUseOf was not perfect (habitual .NET, WSL or other Microsoftism*). The site used to cover "Linux" EVERY DAY. After less than a week before Thanksgiving it just stopped quite suddenly. The site itself is not dead just the Linux area/section/category.

So it seems like a policy change, as there are many writers involved in that section/"domain", it's not a case of one person leaving, rendering this "domain" vacant all of a sudden.

Just days ago they covered Traceroute like it's a Windows thing (see screenshot at the top) and they still publish Microsoft stuff, including promotional Microsoft spam like "5 Microsoft Student Discounts You Shouldn’t Miss" (it doesn't even sound like a real article).

Who's paying and what for?

Notice in the above how they hide the articles. I didn't see that overlay/paywall before, which leads to suspicions of tactical overhaul and maybe management/strategy changes. No?

They just quickly moved from lots of GNU/Linux average (frequency of once per day, on average) to absolutely nothing. It hasn't reversed or reverted back to the previous rhythm in about 10 days already. The closest one gets to "Linux" is this:

This is about proprietary stuff remotely controlled by a spying company. It's hardly "Linux".

Notice in the above screenshot the menu bar. Microsoft is dominant there, Linux isn't even named.

That's a real shame. If it's anything like Softpedia used to be, the Linux articles got them the most traffic. In the case of Softpedia, Microsofters just put an end to that. It was intentional. It was sabotage.

Maybe there's fear of the growth of GNU/Linux. Suffocating brand awareness would help Microsoft (Windows) the most.

Referencing our article about GNU/Linux growth, one reader said: "Small numbers but good news anyway. However, more important than the numbers themselves is the fact that the market share has been gained without any OEM pre-installed systems being available to the general public. Yes, Tuxedo, System76, EmperorLinux, and so on do exist, but it is exclusively Vista on the hardware sold off the shelf at the stores. So that small percentage is both knowledgeable and initiative-taking, and growing." The sister site has just mentioned trends in India.

If people aren't told (or reminded) about GNU/Linux, then they might simply not explore it. Awareness is very important.

Don't let MakeUseOf become the next Softpedia.

________

* WSL is an attack on GNU/Linux. Do not use it or mention it. It's a distraction from VMs, dual boot, or proper GNU/Linux installations that aren't beholden to Microsoft's whims.

Other Recent Techrights' Posts

When It Comes to Encryption, The Web (as in World Wide Web) Isn't Secure and Uses Weak Ciphers About as Often as Every Day, Even in 2024
Gemini Protocol does not
[Video] Thórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir (Iceland, SOC) Explains That Julian Assange Was Punished for Exposing Crimes (Instead of the Criminals Getting Published)
Thórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir speaks out...
Links 04/10/2024: Health, Asia, and Censorship
Links for the day
 
The Danger of Outsourcing Your Platform to Social Control Media and Getting "Information" There
Stella is probably not aware of what she has just done
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, October 04, 2024
IRC logs for Friday, October 04, 2024
Links 05/10/2024: Shift to ARM, Microsoft XBox Crisis
Links for the day
[Meme] Who to Trust on Privacy... (Not Someone Who Boasts About Breaking Into Devices Without Authorisation)
You're not even a computer scientist...
The GPL Does Not Prohibit Use of Code for Death
Windows kills even more people, but in other ways
Journalism in Europe on Life Support
Assange articulated some of the ordeals he went through
[Video] Stella Assange and Thórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir on Protecting Journalists Who Expose Injustice
Stella (the wife) says her husband received an invitation from the committee (PACE) while he still undergoes recovery
Links 04/10/2024: Ingrid's Back and Creative Mornings
Links for the day
[Video] The Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly on Julian Assange
The Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly has voted to confirm that Julian Assange was held as a political prisoner
Links 04/10/2024: Telegram Issues Deepen, Texas Sues TikTok
Links for the day
"The Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly has voted to confirm that Julian Assange was held as a political prisoner."
This stuff should not have been in Twitter (X)
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) Do Not Run Windows
The projects that deal with ICBMs are extremely unlikely to involve Microsoft
"Microsoft is asking for a handout... yet again"
Just over a month after the last bailout fell through the cracks
One Step Closer to the End of Microsoft's XBox
XBox sales are down over 50% in the past year
GNU/Linux Flaring Up in ASEAN
We said we'd not post statCounter for a few months
Gemini Links 04/10/2024: Asteroid City and Retro Gaming
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, October 03, 2024
IRC logs for Thursday, October 03, 2024
Resting Time
we deserve a short break - even if only for tomorrow
Wikileaks Revelations About the History of IBM and Its Role in the Cold War
IBM is still an ICBM company (to this very date)
Revisiting Julian Assange's Excellent Talk, His First Talk Since 2019 (Tactful and Almost Invulnerable to 'Cheap Shots')
Assange need not be politically-correct or self-censor
Windows Kills More Than Most Wars (But the Media Casually Ignores the Death Toll of Microsoft)
The bottom line is, many people are dying, they die due to Microsoft, and the media fails us by not informing us and failing to even name the principal culprit
Mozilla is GAFAM, HTTPS is Monopolies
Firefox used to boast that it would make the Web more accessible. Today's Mozilla is rowing in the opposite direction.
Gemini Links 03/10/2024: RetroChallenge and Change of Online Habits
Links for the day
Links 03/10/2024: Quantum Computer Vapourware (as Usual) and Samsung Layoffs
Links for the day
Links 03/10/2024: "Hey Hi" Scandals and Copyright/Trademark Disputes
Links for the day
Invidious Seems to be Nearing 'End of Life' After Repeated Crackdowns by Google/Alphabet/YouTube
To Free software users, YouTube ought to become a "no-no"
Links 03/10/2024: Climate Issues and Tensions in East Asia
Links for the day
Like a Marketing Department of Microsoft, Canonical Sells Back Doors and Surveillance as "Confidential" and "Hey Hi" (AI)
Notice how Canonical has made no statement critical of Microsoft for years
Gemini Links 03/10/2024: Frozen Tofu and SGI O2
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, October 02, 2024
IRC logs for Wednesday, October 02, 2024