Linux has long been considered one functional outsider as many believe that it is a very difficult operating system used by hackers.
Many do not mention that it does not support gamea, while others claim that no matter how much it improves, Linux will never replace Windows simply because it is not familiar to the end user, who only knows Microsoft's operating system.
However, the latest statistics show that Linux adoption is improving very rapidly. Of course it will not overtake Windows, but the numbers we will see below suggest that sooner or later, choosing an operating system will not only play between Microsoft and Apple.
Linux has gradually improved its market share in recent years, but we saw a more remarkable growth in 2020. In fact, May brought a new record.
In the last month, for example, Linux has reached a market share of 3,17 percent. It may be a long way from Windows (86,69 percent) and macOS (9,68 percent), but it is the largest adoption ever recorded.
A closer look at these numbers shows that the wider adoption of Linux is mainly based on Ubuntu. In May, Ubuntu accounted for 64,98 percent of all Linux installations, while a generic entry with the term “Linux” accounted for more than 33 percent, according to data of NetMarketShare.
Other popular Linux distributions include Fedora, Linux Mint, Slackware and Debian, all with a relatively small market share.
What has changed and why is the adoption of Linux growing so fast? There seem to be two reasons.
First of all, the ending supportof Windows 7, ανάγκασε πολλούς χρήστες να αναζητήσουν ένα εναλλακτικό λειτουργικό σύστημα. Τα Windows 7 όπως γνωρίζετε δεν λαμβάνουν πλέον ενημερώσεις ασφαλείας κάτι που σημαίνει ότι οι συσκευές που εξακολουθούν να λειτουργούν δεν είναι και τόσο ασφαλείς. Αν αναβαθμιστούν θα πρέπει να πάνε στο Windows 10 ή σε κάποιο άλλο λειτουργικό που δεν είναι Windows.
Some Windows 7 users want to continue to have a traditional desktop, and believe that Windows 10 does not offer it, as there are a lot of new features (see Windows Store, Cortana and others). So some people try Linux.
Second, Linux is in a new phase and is now one more user friendly operating system. For users coming from the world of Windows, a familiar desktop on Linux is a very big challenge, and it seems that the open source operating system has won it.
The Linux ecosystem has grown with new distributions that look like Windows, and include everything. From a Start Menu to a Microsoft-inspired UI.
The Ubuntu may remain in the first place, but there are a lot of distributions that try to make the transition from one operating system to another very smooth.
Linux is undoubtedly ready to continue its development and there is a possibility that macOS will come even closer in the coming months. Of course, we do not expect Windows to pass.
But the numbers are very encouraging and show that there are people who dare to try something new.
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