Linux didn't just eat 10% of Windows market share, AI bots are inflating the numbers
https://www.windowslatest.com/2026/08/03/linux-didnt-just-eat-10-of-windows-market-share-ai-bots-are-inflating-the-numbers/
35 points · 16 comments · view on lemmy.world
16 Comments
kopasz7@sh.itjust.works · 54 pts · 13h
Source: windowslatest 🧐
FuglyDuck@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 11h
Ironically, I'm not sure it matters.
people running bots are still a large section of an OS's market share. Microsoft wouldn't hesitate to include bots and such like because it inflates the appearance that "everyone just uses it". which does in fact drive up usage.
People running bots are still people using computers and such.
sanitation@lemmy.today · -7 pts · 10h
if I would to run bots I would only ever use windows or mac osx user agents. I would never use linux
FuglyDuck@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1h
I'm pretty sure that they're talking about people deploying hundreds of VMs in a single go... In which case, licensing fees start racking up; and certain kinds of linux are very good at that kind of deployment.
once you start walking away from end-user computing; as an example, MS holds only 8% of all web-facing servers, where Unix (including linux,) is 90%. Linux distros specifically, are something like 61%. Nobody has even mentions apple's macOS server options. Roughly half of professional devs use windows as the daily driver; but that largely has to do with organizations and integration with other MS products (like office.)
IMO, more telling in this conversation is the supercomputers... which are entirely some form of linux. And also, MS's own Azure, clients mostly use linux. And for good reason kubernettes and docker were designed for linux, and it's just easier. Also, there's no per-instance license fees for your VM's if you're using linux. there is for microslop.
AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works · 15 pts · 13h
Kinda assumed that. Who really thinks Linux usage DOUBLED worldwide in a month?
undrwater@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 3h
Wonder if Europe's "digital sovereignty" is having an impact.
I've seen a significant increase in the numbers of "I've finally switched!" posts to Linux groups. No clue how much that moves the needle though.
ramble81@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 8h
There are a lot of Linux fanboys (especially on Lemmy) that are huffing some serious copium and think it’s a sign that Linux is taking over the desktop landscape at an alarming rate.
The spike was too much of an abnormality to come across as organic.
strawberry_enjoyer42@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 7h
I misread "fanboys" as "femboys" and I was so confused lol
ramble81@lemmy.zip · 6 pts · 7h
I mean there’s a non-zero overlap in this case.
strawberry_enjoyer42@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 6h
True :3
CultuurMarxist@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 12h
The numbers already accounted for bots.
8uurg@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 12h
Classic bots (e.g. standard web crawlers, as used by search engines, that report their both nature inside their user agent) or the modern LLM-controlled bots that control a full modern browser that also runs javascript?
Because I can imagine they account for the first category, while missing the latter, which have become increasingly more prominent.
freeman@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 7h
The kind that wants to not appear as a bot is unlikely to send a Linux user agent even if running on Linux.
8uurg@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2h
It doesn't have to be on purpose. Web crawlers like Google's specifically identify themselves as a bot. A headless browser just acts like any normal browser, and uses the same user agent as one, just controlled by code rather than a keyboard and mouse.
itrealgood@mander.xyz · 3 pts · 12h
Those bots could've been running a microslop os. Missed opportunity
PointlessLifePersonified@slrpnk.net · 2 pts · 11h
A missed opportunity would've been to identify as a "Plan 9" OS user, causing panic about attacks from alien-controlled undead.