this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2024
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Linux

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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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[–] [email protected] 117 points 3 months ago (3 children)

1 out of the 3 total norwegian changed the OS after creating a lemmy account.

[–] [email protected] 45 points 3 months ago (6 children)

We’re quite stupid and easy to influence.

Proof in point: I’ve gone from 0 to 3 Linux machines since joining Lemmy.

Someone send help, please??

[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 months ago

I can send you an ISO file with more Tux.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 months ago (4 children)

Buy Raspberry Pis in bulk and make pointless SBC projects. It's the only thing that will fulfill you.

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[–] [email protected] 111 points 3 months ago

I especially appreciate that the graph is designed as "Linux" and "Other" instead of "Windows", maybe "MacOS" and "Other".

[–] [email protected] 80 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

Norwegian here. I quit reddit and joined Lemmy after the API debacle. Installed mint because of W11. (A big factor was how Steam and proton enables me to play games)

Can't say either Lemmy or Linux has gotten any media attention in the big news sources as far as I can see.

I am the only one in my circle of friends that quit Reddit (most follow the various 40k reddits, and they have no replacement in federated options)

[–] [email protected] 25 points 3 months ago (6 children)

Also Norwegian. I installed Debian linux inspired by my brother who uses a version of Gentoo before systemd, and trying to hack an annoying neighbour's bluetooth speaker. I quickly became invested in Linux. However, as far as I know, I might be the only one among my friends to make the switch. I joined Lemmy after discovering Voyager on F-Droid on my rooted, degoogled android phone

[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Did he ever hack the speaker?

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 months ago

The only way to have those communities is to create them. That's what I did.

[–] [email protected] 67 points 3 months ago (2 children)

They just started counting all my computers and virtual machines on which I run Arch and Nixos btw!

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[–] [email protected] 62 points 3 months ago (9 children)

As a Dane i can say that maybe its because Scandinavians are generally pretty tech savvy and good with digitalisation. Also Scandinavians has a low tolerance for bullshit.

[–] [email protected] 36 points 3 months ago

Also, a lot of Scandinavian libraries are switching their public desktop PCs to Linux.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 months ago

You reset their screensaver settings twice, you don't get to do it a third time

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[–] [email protected] 53 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Is that where all the government computers run Ubuntu?

[–] [email protected] 77 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I'm a Norwegian Linux enthusiast and have never heard anything about the government using Ubuntu or Linux. Seems unlikely, from what I know. I know that within healthcare Windows is still widely used, even on the server side...

On the other hand, a lot of software for official services is being developed as open source now, so that's at least a good step in the right direction. Example: https://github.com/navikt

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[–] [email protected] 44 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You're thinking of Switzerland

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 months ago

Ah, thanks! I knew it was somewhere.

[–] [email protected] 50 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Linux on all their electric cars, and they're watching porn while driving ;)

[–] [email protected] 24 points 3 months ago (3 children)
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[–] [email protected] 45 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (3 children)

In India, the share of Linux desktop became double just within one year (from 8% to 16%). I only hope this data is right.

https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/india/#monthly-202301-202407

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[–] [email protected] 41 points 3 months ago (2 children)

European governments will do this thing where they pass some law that says they have to take bids from local vendors for systems, olafs computer service will put in a bid with some free software system, the government will take them up on it, spend a bunch of money trying to integrate it into their existing systems with varying degrees of success then parlay abandoning it for their majority provider in exchange for avoiding cost increases or some free support/equipment.

I think Germany’s done it twice now.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I think Germany’s done it twice now.

It was Munich and they switched back to Windows after M$ moved their German headquarters to Munich.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago (2 children)

The EU requires government acquisitions to be publicly announced so that private companies can make offers that the government then must choose from (not freely, mind you, but following some "objective" metrics).

Even though this might sound great to some, it has the downside of promoting commercial services and vendor lock-in up to the point that even if a free and open source alternative exists, it cannot be used unless there also exists some commercial entity behind it that can sell the software and support for it in accordance with the established metrics.

This might be one of the biggest hurdles in the way for Linux adoption, since anyone can claim to do lots of great stuff with SUPERproprietarySOFTWARE^TM^ and then hold critical services, like healthcare mentioned elsewhere, hostage to their failure to deliver on promises and future bad support.

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[–] [email protected] 40 points 3 months ago (2 children)

ironically half my team at work is in Norway and they use windows. My team in the US uses linux.

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 3 months ago (1 children)

One extra Norwegian user in Statcounter's biased and unrepresentative dataset started to use Linux, probably.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I don't think it's that biased and unrepresentative, as Pornhub's usage statistics show about the same numbers for global Linux usage

[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Pornhub is legitimately one of the best sites for internet statistics around. It's very widely visited and they actually put out the numbers. (Although, sadly, in my state of Virginia, they comply with identification requirements, so I only visit it with my VPN active, which then fucks up the stats.)

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[–] [email protected] 32 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Northern European pride!

Being that Linus is from Finland & all.

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Nothing is happening in Norway. Source: I live in Norway.

I've met only a handful people that use Linux on their desktop, plus some developers that use it at work.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 months ago (4 children)
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[–] [email protected] 28 points 3 months ago

Strong social nets that allow people breathing room to allow more interest in how their computers work?

[–] [email protected] 26 points 3 months ago (13 children)

Serious question for you all. I too wish to see Linux use increase. I also want to see corporate social media die. I am thinking of requiring my students to create Lemmy accounts for a Lemmy group i create.

Do you think this might move folks away from essy corporate os and social media? How do You see it giving wrong?

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

I like the idea, but a lot of people resent being made to create accounts on random services. We know that Lemmy is good because we're here, but it might put them off the idea.

Depending on the age of your students, you might have to be careful about the fact that NSFW content is freely available here, and check the terms of your instance to see if they're allowed to make accounts in the first place e.g. on most social media and forums you have to be 13 or over.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 3 months ago

requiring my students to create Lemmy accounts

No. Nobody likes registering accounts for random services because an authority figure told them they had to, I feel like if it were me I would do the bare minimum of interacting that I was required to and never look at the service again out of resentment.

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 3 months ago (1 children)

What's the source for this image?

[–] [email protected] 24 points 3 months ago (2 children)
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[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 months ago

Cuba, Germany, Greece and Albania have good %

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 months ago

Demand the government implement Linux to increase the funds available for social services

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 months ago

This reminds me of Meetup.com dying almost everywhere except Chicago where the HQ is and everyone uses it.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 months ago

I don't really know about the uptick, but the general trend upward over a longer period of time I kind of wonder if it's due to things like the steam deck. I played around with gaming in Linux with wine back in the early 2010s and was woefully unimpressed with how little I could do, especially with the amount of work involved. I didn't really give it a second look at all, but after the deck released I was blown away by how much has improved, and it's motivated me to see how much I can get away with without windows. I wonder how many people have had a similar experience.

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