I'm not sure how accurate StatCounter is, given that most Linux users use adblockers. However, according to it, Linux has almost a 14% desktop share in India.
That's because even a grey market Windows key costs US$20 nowadays and that's over ₹1,600. For comparison purposes, the largest Indian banknote is ₹500.
Do you have to pay for Windows still? I thought they made it free to download
While it is free to download it, the license still costs. Though they seem to let you use it unlicensed for an unlimited amount of time with some restrictions (like not being able to change the background image and an ever present watermark). At least this was true for windows 10. No telling if/when they will drop that feature though, especially if loads of people start using it unlicensed like that (though I doubt that has any effect on people using it that way or not).
Microsoft never gave a shit about private piracy barring some noteable examples from countries with very strict anti-piracy laws like germany. The tactic has always been to get everyonem on windows and then make the big bucks seeling the OS to enterprises, because everybody wants to use windows, since they're at least halfway competent at that
Now, it's my opinion that people, en masse, can't use computers to save their fucking lives anyways and whether they're too stupid to utilize windows or too stupid to utilize Linux doesn't make much of a difference, but boy do the people get angry when anyone suggests switching off windows
No largest note was ₹2000 but just recently it got banned maybe government likely going to launch new notes?
Was, but no longer is. It is officially discontinued, making the ₹500 note the largest for now. I would expect the Government to quickly launch a new large-denomination note. India is still a largely cash society and the largest note being worth 6 USD is surely going to be inconvenient for everyday citizens.
People activate windows? Most of the pcs that i have seen using windows are not activated
C is for Cognizant btw. But Cisco wouldn't be too far off.
It's a desi-fied version of WITCH, for those familiar with that term.
Just curious what you opinion of Zoho is vs the ones you listed. Do they treat staff better?
chatiya? chetiya? chitiya? chotiya? chutiya?
Why are you censoring yourself? I'm not sure that word means anything in English.
That may be, but most Hindi speakers are quite concentrated in one area of the world and IIRC make up less than 10% of fediverse or something.
I don't know much about this CHWTIA. But I do know someone who works at Capgemini, can you tell me why they are considered exploitative? Genuinly curious.
It's a little puzzling to me that Linux isn't popular in low-income countries. Why wouldn't it be the OS of choice there? Do we need to become linux missionaries? I imagine it would be easier to convince people who can't buy an iPhone to use FLOSS than those who can drive to an Apple Store and waddle over to get yet another one.
Probably because it has to compete with piracy there, not with Microsoft and Adobe and such.
ironically enough i think microsoft (at least until very recently) has had a very lenient stance on piracy exactly because of this
piracy is the key to the consumer market in developing countries, consumer market is the key to enterprise (where the actual money lies)
I remember switching to linux because windows was shit and because I was afraid of getting caught using pirated warez. Is there no fear of that there?
Puzzling? Windows comes preinstalled or can be pirated. Also, it's popular, Linux isn't. No puzzle on sight.
They know little about open source. Microsoft is exclusively in schools and government, and that is what they grow up with. They probably know more about pirating Windows, than using Linux legally. There is also a good kick-back in terms of MS license mark-ups for middle-men businesses. One would hope there is some mandatory education around different OSs as I'm sure kids would love to explore and modify software.
It feels like those kinds of countries are perfect targets for linux and FLOSS.
Linux and FLOSS unfortunately don't have budgets, and rely on logic and common sense. Microsoft has a big lobbying budget, gets in to see senior politicians and decision-makers, and then sponsors training, digital villages, etc. Yes, it costs a country overall much more than Linux, but it is easier for schools/gov depts and middle-men make some actual money in their pockets. That's what Linux and FLOSS end up against. What would turn it around is having strong local businesses driving training and making tender bids to install and support Linux and FLOSS. A government or school wants to have it done for them. That's the reality, unfortunately.
I don't think many people buy windows, laptops already comes with it and ones how can build a pc already know how to get windows for free, as far as iPhone goes, why would any one choose floss if they can't afford iPhone? They usually choose Google services
They don't choose. Choice is something to make when people have enough time and resource. Instead they use what they are familiar with and have little time to grab and learn a new thing.
Free software comes with an implicit cost while pirated Windows doesn't, ironically.
Also have no idea why Windows share dropped so low in April 2023. Perhaps some Windows update caused them to be recognized as unknown device
I do remember reading India declaring a switch for government computers a while back. So maybe that?
I'm not sure adblockers change the OS they report. Other tools I know for a fact do it.
Edit: However, as @aebletrae@hexbear.net mentions, adblockers don't have to change what OS is reported to change the overall statistics. They explain how in a comment below.
I think the assumption is not that adblockers alter the user agent info, but that they also block other resources, so StatCounter won't see those users at all, leading to under-reporting.
A lot of people are comparing windows to linux, but windows worldwide has only about 70% market share.
There are way less mac os and chrome os users than worldwide
I am contributing to this number by installing Ubuntu Linux on my relatives old laptops.
I feel like if you're techie enough to use Linux, then you'll figure out that ublock origin is a thing
You can identify OS without an adblocker it's usually in the user agent
