this post was submitted on 07 Oct 2023
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Linux

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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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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.

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[–] [email protected] 119 points 10 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (27 children)
[–] [email protected] 26 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Come over to team Guix System, we have cookies 🍪

[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (3 children)
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[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

We use TCS and Accenture at my work and I'm aware of us using Cognizant and HCL as well. You're bang on fuck all those companies and also "first world" compankes for fucking the local employment market and fucking overseas workers.

Race to the bottom. Nothing matters but the bottom line.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Just curious what you opinion of Zoho is vs the ones you listed. Do they treat staff better?

[–] [email protected] 23 points 10 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)
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[–] [email protected] 97 points 10 months ago (7 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 10 months ago (6 children)
[–] [email protected] 52 points 10 months ago (8 children)

...but not legal. Being poor doesn't necessarily mean you're inclined to break the law. Besides, Linux is useful if you perhaps want to later get a job in the tech field.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

You're not breaking the law, you're breaking a software license agreement. That does not automatically make it a crime, at least, that would depend on your exact local laws, and the lawyer's interpretation of it - in many cases the actual wording around this is ambiguous and could be argued both ways. A better term for it would be a "legal grey area", which means if you're a company then don't f*** around with it, and if you're just a random user then no one gives a f***.

In any case, if those scripts were truly illegal, then the Microsoft-owned Github wouldn't host them in the first place. Clearly Microsoft themselves don't have an issue with it, so why should anyone else care about it?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Yes, you are breaking a law. Copyright infringement in this manner is an offence under the Copyright Act 1957 punishable with up to three years imprisonment and a fine.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago

But you're not infringing on any copyright. You're downloading a copy of Windows directly from Microsoft legally, and then activating it using a free and open-source script hosted on Microsoft's own servers. You aren't breaking any copyright law in doing that.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (6 children)

In my country there is no copyright act of 1957.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (3 children)

resold oem key is not legal as well.

only legal options are: get windows with your device or purchase retail for a hunnit $.

just accept it and pirate.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago (3 children)

only legal options are

You could also just download the ISO from MS directly and use it without activation. It'll only prevent you from changing the theme and wallpaper, but you could just change the registry entries directly or use a third-party tool to change your wallpaper/theme.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago (2 children)

why go through the trouble when linux is free?

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (7 children)

Do you have to pay for Windows still? I thought they made it free to download

[–] [email protected] 37 points 10 months ago (1 children)

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).

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[–] [email protected] 63 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Hopefully people in India are spreading the world of Linux. Blessed they be.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I hear even the cows run Linux. They only peer into Windows from time to time.

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[–] whitecapstromgard 47 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Is that why India has the best programmers?

[–] [email protected] 26 points 10 months ago (1 children)

nope. that's why India has a lot of sweatshops and our assholes of western managers exploit them.

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 10 months ago (10 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 10 months ago (4 children)

Probably because it has to compete with piracy there, not with Microsoft and Adobe and such.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 10 months ago

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)

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 10 months ago

Puzzling? Windows comes preinstalled or can be pirated. Also, it's popular, Linux isn't. No puzzle on sight.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago

Same as any other country, people use what’s preinstalled

However following that trend Chrome OS and Android have really boosted Linux’s numbers

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 10 months ago (4 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

I read somewhere that was caused by linux-based botnet ddos or something like that. So windows share didnt drop but linux share significantly increased.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago

Maybe something with the hwid activation?

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago

Say the line bart!

This will be the year of the Linux desktop

[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I find the concept of 'market share' applied to FOSS projects quite confusing.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 10 months ago (5 children)

What's confusing to you? If Linux has higher desktop use, wouldn't it bring more and better quality apps and games.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

I am contributing to this number by installing Ubuntu Linux on my relatives old laptops.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago

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

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

I'm not sure adblockers change the OS they report. Other tools I know for a fact do it.

Edit: However, as @[email protected] mentions, adblockers don't have to change what OS is reported to change the overall statistics. They explain how in a comment below.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago

Content management doesn't affect usage numbers. I think it has to more with user agent switching

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