GNU/Linux Up to 4.4%, But Let's Think Beyond the Numbers
THIS MORNING'S latest numbers (as shown above, courtesy of statCounter) really show yet another increase - this time from 4.3% to 4.4% for GNU/Linux "proper".
No doubt Linux gets used a lot, not only in servers and mobile devices but also many new laptops, including Chromebooks (which aren't counted above). But in mobile, as we last said this morning, the users are not enjoying freedom; they're subjected to mass surveillance. When it comes to servers, what many call "Linux" is just some outsourced "clown computing" with a proprietary (remote access) terminal or Web UI. Yesterday we mentioned this in relation to Australia. "These Amazon data centers being built in Australia are avoiding scrutiny," an associate opines, "perhaps in violation of transparency laws (I dunno, [redacted] would be able to say better) but the key problem to be alert to is that Amazon does not host commodity Linux but a proprietary variant. Perhaps there are some in IRC familiar with the details of Amazon's Linux derivatives."
Amazon or AWS has had several of them. The key issue isn't the distro but GAFAM controlling the whole thing (at every level, even the data). Just because many people use it doesn't mean that it must be OK or benign. Groklaw used to caution about the whole thing, citing the EULA in particular.
So, in short, GNU/Linux growing is a good thing, but we need to look beyond the brand if not dogma. Using some "clown computing" distros (abstracted away) would be for freedom what Android means to freedom. Android is a lot more like a beacon that follows you everywhere you get, watching everything you do and recording whereabouts, voice etc. It also emits many "notifications" to steal attention and impact behaviour.
The concept of freedom evades many people, especially those who equate social control media with a true social life. █
