Bonum Certa Men Certa

GNU/Linux is Taking Over Everything and the Code is Freely Shared

The operating system part of the stack is growingly free, like an open book

Audit book



Summary: How Linux (often with GNU as a core system) is taking root in everything, from micro to macro

LITTLE by little, Linux spreads all over Earth and beyond. It is constantly growing on the desktop (even in space [1]) and on the 'cloud' (server). Mr. Pogson takes note of the growth of GNU/Linux at Microsoft's expense [3,4], demonstrating with numbers that "Linux Did Well In 2013" (as in previous years). Android plays a significant role here.



Consider some of the latest claims from Linux foes Gartner and IDC. Gartner cannot deny Android's growth [5] and neither can IDC, which reported on it through IDG [6] (conflict of interest) and other venues [7,8]. It is good not just for Google because Android can be forked and it is already being forked by at least three notable efforts (2 of which are freedom-oriented). CyanogenMod is the most notable alternative/branch/fork, which even Google Play Store is willing to foster [9,10] as a new version, Android 4.4 KitKat, comes out [11-14].

Apple's co-founder (the one who is still alive) suggests that Apple should turn to Android [15], which is better for developers [16,17] and for users that receive more and more features, as well as cutting-edge software [18,19]. Android is rapidly going upwards (ascending from 80% market share and perhaps reaching 90%), but this doesn't mean that there are no Linux-powered challengers (Android independent, but sharing some code like Linux), as we shall show in a moment. This will be the subject of our next post.

Related/contextual items from the news:



  1. In space, no one can hear you scream at Windows XP (anymore)
    I’m a little late in my reporting, but this year, in May, the International Space Station (ISS) dumped the last of its laptop installations of the Windows XP operating system to go all Linux.

    Furthermore, it dropped Red Hat Linux in favour of Debian 6, according to the Linux Foundation, which provided two training courses geared specifically for the USA/NASA team’s needs.


  2. Why the Linux mainframe is the cloud datacentre
    Linux on the server has been respected and regarded in technology circles for many years now.

    One of the main reasons for this is that Linux is argued to be especially competent at handling "many processes at once", something Windows has traditionally not done quite so well.


  3. */Linux Did Well In 2013
    Even StatCounter, which undercounts */Linux severely, shows the trends...


  4. M$’s House Is Afire
    The leader of the CEO hopefuls wants to port M$’s office suite to other platforms to sell more. There goes lock-in for the client OS. He also wants to shutdown/sell Xbox and Bing to get back to core businesses and shed employees. Two zero-day flaws are being exploited in the wild and M$ can’t do anything about it… M$ can’t add and doesn’t even try (more on this). M$ is still losing share in client OS even on legacy PCs.


  5. Gartner: 456M Phones Sold In Q3, 55% Of Them Smartphones; Android At 82% Share, Samsung A Flat Leader


  6. Android market share moves past 80%


  7. Android Blows Past 80 Percent Market Share


  8. Android Pushes Past 80% Market Share
    Google's Android operating system reached a new milestone during the third quarter of 2013 (3Q13), according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. With a total base of 211.6 million smartphone units shipped during the quarter, Android accounted for 81.0% of all smartphone shipments, marking the first time that Android topped 80% in its short history. Despite high saturation rates in a number of mature markets, the overall smartphone space grew 39.9% year-over-year in the third quarter.


  9. CyanogenMod installer now available on Google Play Store


  10. CyanogenMod publishes new Installer app on Google Play
    Cyanogen Inc., the newly created company that produces the popular custom Android ROM CyanogenMod, published a new app called CyanogenMod Installer which will unlock the user’s boot loader, root their device, and flash CyanogenMod to their phone with minimal extra effort. The free app is available over Google Play, and when it's paired with equally free desktop software, this can replace a phone's operating system with Cyanogen Inc.'s highly customizable version of Android.


  11. Download The Android 4.4 KitKat Quick Start Guide for Free
    Google’s latest mobile operating system, Android 4.4 KitKat, is out and it comes pre-installed on Nexus 5. Android enthusiasts and developers were very excited for this new smartphone as well as the new operating system. But now that KitKat is available for Nexus 5, we can get our hands on this new OS. If you’ve got any Nexus or Google Play edition devices, then you too may be getting Android 4.4 KitKat in the near future. Unfortunately, Galaxy Nexus users won’t get this new update.


  12. Android 4.4 KitKat, thoroughly reviewed
    After three Jelly Bean releases in a row, Google has unleashed a major revision to the world's most widely used operating system. With the Nexus 5 comes Android 4.4 "KitKat." KitKat brings a ton of enhancements: support for hidden system and status bars, printer support, and lower memory usage. It also has a number of user-level improvements, including a new dialer, a Google-infused home screen, and a whole pile of UI refinements.


  13. Android KitKat aims at a broader range of devices


  14. Steve Wozniak: Apple Should Work With Google and Samsung
    Wozniak told the BBC that Apple would be more powerful if it had a good professional relationship with Google. Apple would be able to improve services such as voice-assistant software Siri (thanks to Google's search-engine ties) and even develop better wearable tech, such as smartwatches and augmented-reality glasses, Wozniak said.


  15. Google’s App Translation Service now live for all developers
    Heads up, Android devs: it’s now easier than ever to localize your app, thanks to the newly launched App Translation Service from Google.


  16. How Configure an Android Development Environment on Linux
  17. Google Debuts Nexus 5, KitKat Combo


  18. Android Candy: Flickr Uploader


  19. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft to hit Android in 2014


Recent Techrights' Posts

Microsoft Bankruptcy
"Microsoft unit in Russia to file for bankruptcy, database shows"
Techrights Does Not Compete With LLM Slop, It Exposes the Bastards, Plagiarists and Scammers Who Do That
People like Scam Altman, still facing a lawsuit from his own sister for sexual abuse against her
 
Google Bribes EFF. EFF Promotes LLM Slop as 'Fair Use'. To GAFAM It's a Low-Cost Lobby Hedge.
So the bribes pay off ("slush fund") and the word spreads
Slopwatch: Fake Text and Images, Financial Bubbles, and Scams in "Intelligent" Clothing
Sometimes what they mean by "AI" is just cheap labour somewhere else, as we discussed in IRC a few hours ago
Why Microsoft is Collapsing (Similar to What's Happening at IBM), As Insiders See It
IBM seems like one heck of a mess
Reliable Computing Means Free (Libre) Computing
Sites that want to promote security ought to deal with the biggest issues
Links 31/05/2025: US Court Orders Sides With RFE/RL, War Updates From Ukraine
Links for the day
Gemini Links 31/05/2025: ARM Server and power_supply Subsystem
Links for the day
Links 31/05/2025: Slop Stigmatised as Disinformation, Catalyst/Driver of "Death of Communication"
Links for the day
Common Sense 101: Do Not Write Blog Posts Saying You Want to Murder Colleagues (or Yourself)
Only crazy people would think stabbings are a joke
Links 31/05/2025: Microsoft-Connected Builder.ai is a Fraud and US is Purging Students Based on Race/Nationality
Links for the day
Gemini Links 30/05/2025: Limmat, Doomscrollers, and Arguments Parsing
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, May 30, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, May 30, 2025
The "AI" (Slop) Bubble Already Popped, But It's Not an Overnight Collapse
where Microsoft put its money
No More Steven Astorino at IBM, Chatter About Weekly/Nonstop Layoffs at IBM
What happened? Good luck guessing.
Looking at Corruption in Europe, Going Beyond the EPO
Expect a new series to kick off very soon
Slopwatch: Security SPAM and LLM Slop for SEO and FUD Purposes, Perpetually Tarnishing the Perception of Linux and (Open)SSH Security
A lot of this Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt (FUD) comes from Microsoft and its LLMs
Links 30/05/2025: Google's LLM Slop Pushers Are Killing Journalism and Shira Perlmutter Fails to Stop Bribed Regime From Legalising Plagiarism (in "AI" Clothing)
Links for the day
Links 30/05/2025: Offline Arts and "Threshold of Patience"
Links for the day
Signing Off Serious Lies With a Statement of Truth is No Joking Matter
It's not hard to see what's happening here
Links 30/05/2025: LLM Slop Already Ingests and Vomits Its Own Garbage, Facebook Exec Admits Copyrights a Concern Too
Links for the day
Mass Layoffs at Microsoft Result in More Whistleblowers From Microsoft
Microsoft's predatory pricing is further
Slopwatch: Planet Ubuntu Became LLM Slop and Some People Fail to See the Immorality of Plagiarism
it lessens the incentive for people to publish real articles
EPO Poll: 68% Dissatisfied With Quality of Slop (Wrongly Framed as "AI") for Patent Classification
Slop does not work, it's just falsely advertised with extra hype (funded by slop pushers that sponsor the major media)
Big Crowds Gather to Learn About Software Freedom From the Man Who Started GNU/Linux in 1983
"It was a great success"
Microsoft Layoffs Again in Bay Area
Microsoft relies on people's false belief that being "in LinkedIn" will get you a job; well, seems like even working inside LinkedIn really sucks and you lose the job
Gemini Links 30/05/2025: Fighting Against the Bad News, and Slop is Dehumanisation Disguised as "Intelligence"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, May 29, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, May 29, 2025
Links 29/05/2025: Chinese Cracking Against EU Institutions (Prague), More Assaults on Media and Its Funding Sources
Links for the day
EPO Workers Caution That the Officials Are Still Illegally Trying to Replace Staff With Slop (to Lower Quality and Validity of European Patents)
Nobody in Europe voted for any of this
Links 29/05/2025: US Health Deficit and Malware Disguised as Slop Generator
Links for the day
Links 29/05/2025: Turtle Roadkill, Modern 'Tech' as a Sting
Links for the day
Thanks for All the Fish, Linux Format
people who once wrote for it (or for other magazines) comment on the importance of this news
People's Understanding of the History of GNU/Linux is Changing
RMS is not a radical, he's just clever enough to see and foresee what's going on
Microsofters Were Scheming to Take Over This Entire Web Site (in Their Own Words!)
Money gets spent censoring/deplatforming people who speak about real issues; no money gets spent actually tackling those underlying issues
Bicycles for the Minds and the Story Harrison Bergeron
"The goal of having people in charge of the tools they use and that the tools should amplify ability" has long been abandoned
Links 29/05/2025: YouTube Problem and Giant Privacy Hole in Microsoft OneDrive
Links for the day
[Video] Cory Doctorow Explains DMCA: DRM in the Browser (or Webapp) Will "Make It a Felony to Protect Your Privacy While You Use It."
Pycon US Keynote Speaker Cory Doctorow
United States Courts With Sworn Testimonies Are on Our Side, We'll Present the Same Here
Chronicling what happened is a moral imperative
Serial Sloppers Ruin and Lessen the Incentive to Cover "Linux"
The Serial Sloppers (SSs) ought to be named and shamed, but almost nobody does this
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, May 28, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, May 28, 2025