OS Statistics

This time the post is more serious, it's about data and statistics. What is striking is the reliability of the data.

At the beginning several images with links.

OS Statistics incl. Desktop, Mobile, Tablet, Console.

Worldwide:

"https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share#monthly-202201-202210"

Europe:

"https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/all/europe/#monthly-202201-202210"

Germany:

"https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/all/germany/#monthly-202201-202210"

Poland:

"https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/all/poland/#monthly-202201-202210"

OS Statistics incl. Desktop.

Worldwide:

"https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/worldwide/#monthly-202201-202210"

Europe:

"https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/europe/#monthly-202201-202210"

Germany:

"https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/germany/#monthly-202201-202210"

Poland:

"https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/poland/#monthly-202201-202210"

When we read such data, are we able to verify it in any way? It seems that it is not possible. Assuming that all devices are connected to the Internet and all download patches and updates compiling such stats would be easier - it would be enough to identify by operating system identification data.

On the other hand, not all are connected and many devices have such identifiers blocked by default. A few months ago I wrote that by the end of this year 2022 the number of Linux users on desktops should exceed 3%. Whether it will exceed is hard to say, because statistics do not confirm it. Or the statistics do not reflect the state of reality. In my opinion, many people have moved to Linux just in 2022, and this should be shown in the statistics and it seems that it is not.

Another but timely question is: since the statistic gives the operating system, it also lacks information about where such a system is installed. Ok - it is stated that desktops, mobile, tablet and console.

From my own experience I know that these statistics do not include: TV, Router/Firewalls, Switches, Automobiles and Internet control systems and any system used in container technology.

It's not even about individuals but many companies have completely abandoned the dominant operating system and opted for open source or open source-based solutions with technical support. Do such system migrations - on exactly the same devices - hardware - find a place in the statistics? Probably not.

My subjective opinion doesn't matter much here, but many people have given a second life to older devices, installed Linux and continue to use devices that are 3-4-5 years old. Officially, these are still devices with a commercial operating system.

Many years ago there was a special project that counted the number of official Linux users (Linux Counter) - today it no longer exists. Many companies supporting open source are seeing user growth and have their own systems for determining the number of active users, but this data is unfortunately not shared.

I tried to find confirmation of this data on the websites of statistical offices in Germany and Poland - but it seems to be insignificant data - hard to find in the form of clear graphs. Perhaps the dynamics of the market does not allow to collect such data.

Maybe I should look at data of the computing device manufacturers? But again - these data needs to be aggregated.

And it seemed that obtaining such information in IT:

• how many devices there are and
• what operating system they have

should be trivial. And it isn't.

And I was just looking for confirmation that Linux on Desktops will exceed 3% in 2022! I think it's slightly more than 3% but ... can't confirm that.

Comment or give me a hint where to find reliable and confirmed data on the share of operating systems for the year 2022!

#Linux