The Steam Hardware Survey for August 2016 shows Linux has grown again

I got the request on an old Toshiba laptop running Ubuntu 16.04. I just opened the client to look for new releases and manage my wishlist... Bam! Must have lowered the average system setup on my own. :)

Mac really isn't a viable gaming platform anymore and Apple doesn't seem to be interested in changing that. It doesn't surprise me that they are losing ground. Which in all honesty is good for us, because it makes Metal irrelevant and Vulkan a more viable alternative for developers interested in cross-platform development.

Mac really isn't a viable gaming platform anymore and Apple doesn't seem to be interested in changing that. It doesn't surprise me that they are losing ground. Which in all honesty is good for us, because it makes Metal irrelevant and Vulkan a more viable alternative for developers interested in cross-platform development.

Still, we would be really happy if Linux could get to the 3% mark, like Mac...

Don't want to be harsh and don't take it personal, but I have to disagree on the fact that this "certainly something now". If it's -0.2% it's the fault of statistics. If it's +0.2% it's good news? That aside, for me personally, as long as it stays or increases periodically I'm pleased.

Don't want to be harsh and don't take it personal, but I have to disagree on the fact that this "certainly something now". If it's -0.2% it's the fault of statistics. If it's +0.2% it's good news? That aside, for me personally, as long as it stays or increases periodically I'm pleased.

You're reading my words in the wrong way.

"certainly something now" in the context I am using it, means it's better than nothing.

Also, who doesn't like to see a positive exactly?

Don't want to be harsh and don't take it personal, but I have to disagree on the fact that this "certainly something now". If it's -0.2% it's the fault of statistics. If it's +0.2% it's good news? That aside, for me personally, as long as it stays or increases periodically I'm pleased.

We have to remember that, when added together, these statistic "anomalies" sent us from 1.3% to .83%, during the "Windows10 rush", so there must be something. :)

It would be interesting to see what sales figures the likes of Feral et al are getting from this .83%...

Unfortunately Linux will stay as is with a few + or -

For Gamers
-------------
A couple of my friends who tried Linux(Manjaro) I can say that they liked the OS and Plasma 5 features,they use it only for games and browsing,windows was just an annoying launcher but due to the new AAA games releasing only for Windows they went back to Windows. :|

For Companies
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We made a test in one company to switch to Linux just for testing purposes since they have most of their software on cloud.
Only 2 users just for testing purposes ( age 50-55)
It was simply impossible to switch them to Linux because of MS Office and especially for outlook they just couldnt get used to Thunderbird and Libreoffice.

New Generation age (8-15)
----------------
As I see it from my relatives daughters and sons....
They dont care what OS they are using as long as facebook,facebook games,youtube + more social media web pages are working.
For gaming for some reason they prefer their tablets or their smartphones :O

Oh well... :(

What? Nobody is decrying the inaccuracy of these "irrelevant" surveys? I guess that only happens when the number goes down...

That's what the stats last time showed too, that it seems it's a shift from Mac, and not Windows, to Linux. But it can of course be totally unrelated, and probably is.

Still, it's interesting!


Last edited by Beamboom on 2 September 2016 at 5:47 pm UTC

What? Nobody is decrying the inaccuracy of these "irrelevant" surveys? I guess that only happens when the number goes down...

Well, duh, people like to see positive things in a positive light, go figure.

For Companies
----------------
We made a test in one company to switch to Linux just for testing purposes since they have most of their software on cloud.
Only 2 users just for testing purposes ( age 50-55)
It was simply impossible to switch them to Linux because of MS Office and especially for outlook they just couldnt get used to Thunderbird and Libreoffice.

(

Lack of a competitive e-mail client is truly the bane of Linux for business. If it wasn't for that, Linux would have a much easier time competing in the business space.

There are business alternatives to Outlook. Where I work we decided to drop Outlook altogether and went with Zimbra Collaboration suite. It's all running on Ubuntu server 14.04, in a VM. It's an awesome tool that does everything that Outlook does, minus the bugs.

https://www.zimbra.com/

I got a visionary boss that hates M$ as much as I do. :)

For MSoffice, it's another matter...

Edit: Added the link to Zimbra


Last edited by Mohandevir on 2 September 2016 at 7:04 pm UTC

I converted another person this week to Linux, the expansion continues.

I also bought a RX 480, I'm doing tests on it right now to see if it can suit my gaming and work needs. Hopefully.

Lack of a competitive e-mail client is truly the bane of Linux for business. If it wasn't for that, Linux would have a much easier time competing in the business space.

Sure, Evolution isn't a dream, but neither is Outlook. And Thunderbird does everything a small business needs and more. It certainly has served us well all these years.

Sure, users are resistant to change, especially when is comes with a learning curve, but that tells very little of the quality of the software in question.

EDIT: Oh, forgot Zimbra, but Mohandevir's got it covered.


Last edited by tuubi on 2 September 2016 at 7:19 pm UTC

we are using Zoho for most of our activities...
(accounting,crm,support and many other things)

www.zoho.com

Lack of a competitive e-mail client is truly the bane of Linux for business. If it wasn't for that, Linux would have a much easier time competing in the business space.

I think Thunderbird would hold up very well with its capacity for multiple identities and multiple accounts.

At my workplace, however, we are still using XP or 2000 and Lotus Notes... :-(

Mac really isn't a viable gaming platform anymore and Apple doesn't seem to be interested in changing that. It doesn't surprise me that they are losing ground. Which in all honesty is good for us, because it makes Metal irrelevant and Vulkan a more viable alternative for developers interested in cross-platform development.

You also have to take into account that Metal is also on iOS which is the largest mobile gaming platform in terms of revenue (not install base but you revenue is what keeps the lights on). Metal is far from irrelevant right now, you could easily argue it's a much bigger API than Vulkan is right now as it has thousands of games using it, this will likely change over time but I would not make generalisations yet :)

As a long term Mac & Linux user I think what you have to accept is one platform doesn't have to do badly for the other to do well. Both platforms are minor players even if Mac is a lot larger than Linux they are both small compared to Windows. If Windows loses 10 % over the next decade to Mac and Linux combined that would be a massive impact to the viability of both markets. I would say Mac and Linux combined eating into Windows is a better result (and more likely) than Linux overtaking Mac.

Linux being a slightly bigger niche and Mac's a slight smaller niche but Windows still being 95% of the install base doesn't change anything. Mac & Linux both getting bigger and Windows shrinking to 85% starts to change the game as the potential install base is that little bit bigger making more games that little bit more viable.

This is just my personal view as a long term Mac and Linux user (not Feral's official position).


Last edited by edddeduck_feral on 3 September 2016 at 12:03 am UTC

Lack of a competitive e-mail client is truly the bane of Linux for business. If it wasn't for that, Linux would have a much easier time competing in the business space.

There is always Office 365. Can't install the client though.

as long as Linux keeps trending on marketshare like has the last couple of months it may not be that long before Linux is at least on par with OSX. honestly I'd just be happy to see Windows start to drop considerably and OSX/iOS and Linux/Android drive the future of business, industry and gaming. it's a pipedream, but one can dream :)

i didnt get the survey for this month. actually since i switched back to ubuntu i just joined survey 1 time before. since then i havent got any survey again.