4th most widely used operating system in the world?

[saxgeek]

During the installation of Linux Mint, it says that Linux Mint is the 4th most widely used operating system in the world. I know for a fact that this is not true. Windows 7, 8, XP, Vista, Mac OS X, iOS, Android, and Ubuntu all surpass Linux Mint in terms of usage share. Even if we just count desktop operating systems, Windows 7, XP, 8, Vista, OS X 10.8, and W 8.1 all surpass Linux (combined). Ubuntu is still more popular than Mint. Linux Mint is in no way the fourth most popular operating system in the world. I only know of one person besides myself who uses Linux, and he uses Ubuntu. I know lots of people with Vista, 7, 8, XP, and OS X. Why does Linux Mint display this information if it's just plain not true?

[tdockery97]

First of all, Vista/7/8/XP are all different versions of the same OS: Windows. So if you want to count the top 4 operating systems they are 1) Windows, 2) OSX, 3) Ubuntu, and 4) Linux Mint.

[MALsPa]

First of all, Vista/7/8/XP are all different versions of the same OS: Windows. So if you want to count the top 4 operating systems they are 1) Windows, 2) OSX, 3) Ubuntu, and 4) Linux Mint.

I'd say that, as well, Ubuntu and Linux Mint are different versions of the same OS (Linux).

[monkeyboy]

First I thought the OP had too much time on its hands because it posted such a trivial piece then I realized I had way, way, way too much time on my hands because I was responding. Oh well.

[mintEme]

The ones that use Windows, Mac, are the same people that only browse the web read email and only know how to use a computer the way the company they work for has shown them how to. Linux users be it unbuntu or mint use a computer to enhance there life and get real work done. I use mint because Ubuntu tried to copy Mac OS with the unity desktop. Being in IT 22 years I have yet to find any reason to go back to Windows MInt does everything I need it to do.

[Bolle1961]

The ones that use Windows, Mac, are the same people that only browse the web read email and only know how to use a computer the way the company they work for has shown them how to. Linux users be it unbuntu or mint use a computer to enhance there life and get real work done..

That's just bullshit.

[saxgeek]

First of all, I'm a college student, so I don't have too much time on my hands. I just saw that piece information when installing Linux Mint and questioned it. Alright, I now see how they say that Mint is the fourth most widely used operating system, but in my view, if you group all Windows operating systems together, then you should group all Linux operating systems together. Linux is not an operating system; it's a kernel. Windows NT is not an operating system; it is a kernel. However, we classify operating systems based on their kernels, so Linux is a class of operating systems that includes Ubuntu, Fedora, Mint etc., and Windows is a class of operating systems that includes XP, Vista, Windows 7, etc. So Linux Mint should be classified as a version of Linux. I know that the Linux Mint developers are trying to say that there is a very large support base for Linux Mint, (which there really is), but it doesn't seem correct in my opinion to say that Linux Mint is the fourth most widely used operating system in the world. But this is for the developers to decide, not me.

[ninomrki]

The way I see it, Microsoft makes Windows and Apple makes Mac OS. Linux operating systems are not made by one company. That is why there are 300+ different versions of Linux operating systems and that is why they are all considered to be different operating systems. If you are going to classify operating systems by kernels, then you can say that Android is also Linux since they use a Linux kernel. Sure, it's a "modified Linux kernel", but it's still a Linux kernel.

[xenopeek]

As per the website; "Started in 2006, Linux Mint is now the 4th most widely used home operating system behind Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS and Canonical's Ubuntu." It's the 4th most widely used home operating system, counted like that. If you count it a different way, then yes, it will be in a different place

[js3915]

I can see where the OP is coming from

Linux as a whole would be 3rd maybe 2nd even if you include android breaking it out by distribution of linux it would be 4th behind win, mac and ubuntu.

I think linux as a whole should be considered all as one to encompass all distros as linux is the core Ubuntu Mint etc is more or less an application stack built on top the the kernel but thats me

[saxgeek]

Also, we must not forget Chrome OS. I'm pretty sure there are more people out there with Chromebooks than there are with Linux Mint. Hmmm... This would actually make Mint the 4th most popular Linux distro behind Android, Chrome OS, and Ubuntu.

[dee.]

First of all, Vista/7/8/XP are all different versions of the same OS: Windows. So if you want to count the top 4 operating systems they are 1) Windows, 2) OSX, 3) Ubuntu, and 4) Linux Mint.

I'd say that, as well, Ubuntu and Linux Mint are different versions of the same OS (Linux).

There's one problem with that: Technically, there's no such OS as "Linux", there are OS's that are based on the Linux kernel.

Furthermore, if we consider Linux to be an OS, and any OS that uses the Linux kernel to be included as a "Linux OS", then "Linux" is by far the most popular OS in the world. There are more installations of "Linux" than all other operating systems combined. That is, if you count all operating systems, and not just ones on a very limited hardware type (desktop computers).

If we're only counting desktop computers, then Windows-based OS's are first place, then comes OS X, which is based partially on FreeBSD, then various OS's based on the Linux kernel, ie. Linux-based operating systems. Of those, Ubuntu is probably the most popular, while Mint is probably the second most popular, however there are no accurate statistics available so it's impossible to say for sure. So it's probably not inaccurate per se to say Mint is the 4th most popular (on the desktop). It's wildly inaccurate to say it's 4th most popular on all computers, but that's probably irrelevant since Mint is a pure desktop OS and doesn't exist outside the desktop.

[passerby]

Also, we must not forget Chrome OS. I'm pretty sure there are more people out there with Chromebooks than there are with Linux Mint. Hmmm... This would actually make Mint the 4th most popular Linux distro behind Android, Chrome OS, and Ubuntu.

If you're including Android (the mobile market), then I bet Debian, CentOS and RHEL (kings of the server world) each trump Chrome OS.
Though this is about home desktop OS's, so I think mobile and server stats should be left out. In which case, Chrome OS would be an interesting comparison.

[Brahim Salem]

If real counting was ever made Linux Mint will be the 3rd and ubuntu the second most used OS in the world. Why is that??? pretty simply! Mac OS machine are very expensive and not everyon,e can afford. Take my country, Tunisia, for instance, I know many people who run ubuntu and Linux Mint but I've seen quite a few who own a Mac OS machine or have ever USED an OS x. Plus, Linux is always kept out of mainstream media and no one really knows how many people are running Linux. And FYI, most servers are Linux servers, even in Microsoft controlled countries like my country. Mind you, Last time, I was forced BY THE MINISTRY OF FLIPPING EDUCATION to replace Linux with Windblows at my school!

[saxgeek]

Linux seems to be pretty unknown to the general U.S. population. Few people I talk to even know what Linux is! At my school, I'd estimate that about 70% of the students use Mac OS X, about 20% use Windows 8.x and the remaining 10% use Windows 7 on their laptops. The school's computers consist mainly of Windows 7, with a few Macs and XPs. I only know two people personally who use Linux (excluding Android). one has a Chromebook and the other uses Ubuntu. People don't know what they're missing!

[shengchieh]

Personally I would change the quote and avoid the debate. Something like

As of [date] Linux Mint is # 1 on distrowatch

or some other slogan promoting LM.

Sheng-Chieh

[MALsPa]

Anyway, I believe the OP to be correct:

Linux Mint is in no way the fourth most popular operating system in the world.

dee. makes a good point:

Technically, there's no such OS as "Linux", there are OS's that are based on the Linux kernel.

However, Linux (or "GNU/Linux") IS commonly referred to as an "operating system." On the other hand, a Linux distribution can be considered to be a type of GNU/Linux operating system. I guess both ways of looking at it are valid.

I'm not sure if The Linux Information Project (http://linfo.org/) can be considered to be an authority on the terminology, but in their list of "The Most Popular Operating Systems" (http://www.linfo.org/operating_systems_list.html), they put it like this:

Linux - a high performance, yet completely free, Unix-like operating system launched by Linus Torvalds in 1991. GNU/Linux, as it is also called (because it makes extensive use of utilities and other software developed by the GNU project) is suitable for use on a wide range of platforms and is compatible with both 32 bit and 64 bit processors. More than 200 distributions (i.e., versions) of Linux have been introduced, among the most popular of which are Red Hat, SuSE, Mandrake, Debian and Ubuntu. Although its overall market share is still small, Linux is the most rapidly growing of any major operating system.

But I'm with monkeyboy:

I realized I had way, way, way too much time on my hands because I was responding.

Later.

[ben2talk]

The ones that use Windows, Mac, are the same people that only browse the web read email and only know how to use a computer the way the company they work for has shown them how to. Linux users be it unbuntu or mint use a computer to enhance there life and get real work done. I use mint because Ubuntu tried to copy Mac OS with the unity desktop. Being in IT 22 years I have yet to find any reason to go back to Windows MInt does everything I need it to do.

ROFL - many professionals are tied to OSX or Windows because of the software environment.

Gamers certainly use Windows.
Photographers love Lightroom.


Lets not mention how many people who can not spell their 'there's' use Linux!!!!!

[The-Wizard]

if we take a different stance and split operating systems [microsoft,osx,linux] from application managers [win 7/8 , mac, ubuntu,mint,redhat etc] then linux must be the main os in the world for it not only drives the known linux based desktops [android mint,ubuntu,debian etc] it is also the main driving force behind such as smart t/v,satellite and terrestrial decoders, smart washing machines,microwaves,cookers, even many cars computer systems,

so i prefer to think of linux as the os that helps control our daily lives, and chose mint as my main application manager with android on my mobile devices, yes linux and mint can be a pain at times getting the right application to work but in 4 yrs i haven't had one crash/bluescreen or fail to boot

wizard