If you count Android and Chrome OS as Linux, which I do, the Linux desktop accounts for 44.98 percent of the end user market.
I don’t. Simply because Android or ChromeOS apps are not compatible with GNU/Linux, thus they can’t be treated as one platform that developers can’t target directly all of it at once. Same the other way around - Linux apps can run on Android, but it requires containers and some way to display stuff (like a xserver or Wayland compositor running on top of Android).
Honestly a big part of why I run Linux is because I could not give a removed about the OS. I don’t want or need the OS to dictate how I launch applications (the Win11 Start Menu sucks), or how I access the file system (try using explorer.exe alternatives).
And I definitely don’t want to have to call a support line just to activate their product after replacing a faulty motherboard just so I can change my desktop background again.
The OS should be as transparent as possible, and Linux gives me that freedom. X or Wayland, dmenu, rofi, lf, ranger, Thunar. I can interact with my PC however the removed I want. I tried Win 11 for 2 weeks and was just outraged that they felt the need to cripple the start menu and revamp the explorer right click behavior.
This is actually a really great point. If I have to treat them as different platforms as a developer, since for example my code isn’t platform agnostic/cross-platform for whatever reason, why should these market share studies do it any different? In the end it’s the software or rather the developers/companies deciding if it’s worth their time and money investment these market shares matter for.
I don’t. Simply because Android or ChromeOS apps are not compatible with GNU/Linux, thus they can’t be treated as one platform that developers can’t target directly all of it at once. Same the other way around - Linux apps can run on Android, but it requires containers and some way to display stuff (like a xserver or Wayland compositor running on top of Android).
Even if Android and ChromeOS count as Linux, it’s a stretch to say they’re Linux desktop distributions. ChromeOS is closer to it than Android.
Honestly a big part of why I run Linux is because I could not give a removed about the OS. I don’t want or need the OS to dictate how I launch applications (the Win11 Start Menu sucks), or how I access the file system (try using explorer.exe alternatives).
And I definitely don’t want to have to call a support line just to activate their product after replacing a faulty motherboard just so I can change my desktop background again.
The OS should be as transparent as possible, and Linux gives me that freedom. X or Wayland, dmenu, rofi, lf, ranger, Thunar. I can interact with my PC however the removed I want. I tried Win 11 for 2 weeks and was just outraged that they felt the need to cripple the start menu and revamp the explorer right click behavior.
This is actually a really great point. If I have to treat them as different platforms as a developer, since for example my code isn’t platform agnostic/cross-platform for whatever reason, why should these market share studies do it any different? In the end it’s the software or rather the developers/companies deciding if it’s worth their time and money investment these market shares matter for.