Bonum Certa Men Certa

Why GNU/Linux is Growing

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Apr 20, 2025,
updated Apr 20, 2025

bad boys

Last month: Expect GNU/Linux to Rise Sharply in China

2019: The Eric Lundgren Case and Similar High-Profile Plea 'Bargains' (Aaron Swartz and Marcus Hutchins)

So far this month GNU/Linux is measured about 0.3% higher than last month on desktops and laptops, according to this survey. It sort of makes sense if one considers "old" PCs and the Chinese market. When GNU/Linux was measured near 5% last year it was mostly because of estimates from India (saying that about 1 in 5 laptops/desktops ran GNU/Linux).

In most countries GNU/Linux continues to grow.

Linking to this weeks-old article, Slashdot has just brought up the dilemma faced by "PC Charities" (their term). To quote: "With Microsoft ending free security updates for Windows 10 in October, millions of PCs that don't meet Windows 11's hardware requirements face an uncertain fate... Charities that refurbish and distribute computers to low-income individuals must choose between providing soon-to-be-insecure Windows 10 machines, transitioning to Linux -- despite usability challenges for non-tech-savvy users -- or recycling the hardware, contributing to ewaste."

Combining this factor with several others, we can - and should - expect GNU/Linux adoption to grow. Look what's happening in Greece, where GNU/Linux adoption grew a lot since Vista 11 and about 4 out of 5 Windows users are still on Vista 10:

Desktop Windows Version Market Share Greece, Vista 10 focus

There's growing interest in GNU/Linux right now because people do not fancy buying a new PC just to 'upgrade' (more spying) Windows. █

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