this post was submitted on 01 Apr 2025
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Seems like people just don't care.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 3 days ago (13 children)

Because hardware manufacturers don't care about 4% market share. They just don't. They can't survive by pandering to that 4%, and it costs them time and money to make decent hardware drivers for linux.

Sad truth of it.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Some do it's up to you to pick the ones that have open drivers.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I don't disagree, but at the same time, circle back to my original statement. Even if every single *nix user were to only use open source drivers, that's still not enough. 4% of the market share isn't going to change anyone's mind about *nix support.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

4% of US alone is 12 million people.

If even 25% of them decide hardware purchases based on driver support, 3 million sales isn't ignorable.

(The number of PCs sold globally per year is similarly 300,000,000, so even then theyd lose out on 12 million potential sales YEARLY)

The market is also pretty shit post-covid, so I'm sure every hardware company is dying for a way to boost sales metrics.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The market share is already there and there not doing open source drivers, so I guess you're empirically wrong. I dunno what else to tell ya.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Dunno what else to tell ya cause they are moving to open source, but hey googles free if you want to find out for yourself

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Nobody said they're not. Jesus. You get really upset when someone points out that you're wrong, don't you?

Fact of the matter is, is that *nix is less than 4% of the market, and they're not going to upset the market for that 4%. It will eventually get bigger, but until it does, there's not a lot of hope.

This is the year of the linux desktop.

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