Originally Posted by Mike Halloran
Sorry, Gordon, it's never been 5%.
Probably true, though also according to statcounter it's often been greatly outnumbered by "unknown".

Originally Posted by Mike Halloran
Outside of business, Linux is a hobbyist's toy—fun, yes but it's never been more than a niche market.
Surely outside of business, every desktop/tablet OS is essentially a toy. Most users browse the Web, email friends, write the odd note, make the odd spreadsheet whether for calculation or as a "database".

I don't know the numbers but I rather imagine both Android and iPad/iPhone now vastly outnumber all of the desktop environments, probably combined. That's certainly the case in the local U3A "computer groups" in which I assist.

Understandably, Microsoft have fought very hard to try to block/disable/cripple/dissuade Linux use, very often successfully. Why would most people struggle to install Linux on a PC that came with a pre-installed Windows and an EFI BIOS that needs some probing around "under the hood" to get something else installed. It's similar with MS Office ... people subscribe to Office 365 which came 'bundled' rather than try the OpenSource alternatives.

Yes, I would like a Linux version, though I hold out little hope. The reality is that most development is done on Windows, for Windows, and even the Mac versions are only produced with reluctance. In business environments I've often been told that the company standard is Windows and that an end to it.

What I do find frustrating is that I have long found Unix/Linux to be a far more productive environment for software development, though I certainly accept that Microsoft Studio does many things very well, but again it's a deliberate lock-in. Well, they do have a business to run and profits to earn. WSL is almost certainly also a way to make Linux desktops "appear" to be Windows. Again, why wouldn't they?

Most software I've developed on desktops I've done with Linux, making the ports to Windows and Mac part of the process. It's usually fairly easy to do that, though I don't normally get too close to the sound hardware/drivers. I've never had a Mac, but the times I've had my Mac ports run by other people, they've worked as they should, so I've never justified buying one even for bug-fixing.

I don't mind being considered an oddity, in fact sometimes I quite like being an oddity rather than a sheep. But I do find it very frustrating that MS often try to stop me being an oddity ... it's none of their business!

Others' mileages undoubtedly will vary laugh

Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful.
AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11
BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software.
Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts
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