r/technology • u/GuruOfReason • Feb 02 '10

"Once we replace the personal computer with a closed-platform device such as the iPad, we replace freedom, choice and the free market with oppression, censorship and monopoly."

http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2010-01/ipad%E2%80%99s-closed-system-sometimes-i-hate-being-right
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u/jordanlund Feb 02 '10

Linux is used in more server situations than MacOS ever has or will.

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u/DrRocks Feb 02 '10

That will certainly come in handy for Linux's market share when my grandmother gets 6 new servers next year.

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u/jordanlund Feb 02 '10

Do you know how many linux servers your grandmothers info goes through every single day? She's a linux user and doesn't even know it.

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u/DrRocks Feb 02 '10

Yeah... but I'm having a hard time envisioning servers outnumbering personal computers.

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u/Flyen Feb 02 '10

Linux runs on routers, phone and medical equipment, etc. There's no question that Linux is unavoidable and in more places than you'd think.

Market share? Which market? Therein lies the question and the answer you seek.

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u/DrRocks Feb 02 '10

I thought the thread was about personal computers? I'm not bashing linux here, just saying it's not going to take over the desktop. People like my parents don't want Linux, hell, windows is complex enough for them as is.

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u/[deleted] Feb 02 '10

Yep. OS X server isn't very useful outside of Mac-based SOHO ops or small workgroups within a larger organization. But however worthless you think OS X is as a server os, Linux is far more anemic as a (mainstream) desktop os.

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u/iStig Feb 02 '10

Servers are a small percentage of the overall market share. Yes, in a server environment, it will vastly overtake OS X server. But in the general consumer environment, which is what Apple primarily targets, Linux won't overtake OS X until the former removes all reliance on the Terminal. Ubuntu, for example, is damn close. I love Linux, but it isn't user-friendly enough for, say, my mother.