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.
Windows Activation Scripts are free 😉
...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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
And no BitLocker (without fiddling around even more)? No, thanks.
There's no way Microsoft can win this moral battle, they'll profit off you enough with all their tracking, have you seen the atrocious setup screen at installation they put you through?
Yes, please, daddy ~~Gates~~Nadella
(Sorry, can't help myself from sounding like a nutjob when Microsoft gets into the equation)
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).
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)
Puzzling? Windows comes preinstalled or can be pirated. Also, it's popular, Linux isn't. No puzzle on sight.
Same as any other country, people use what’s preinstalled
However following that trend Chrome OS and Android have really boosted Linux’s numbers
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 read somewhere that was caused by linux-based botnet ddos or something like that. So windows share didnt drop but linux share significantly increased.
Maybe something with the hwid activation?
I find the concept of 'market share' applied to FOSS projects quite confusing.
What's confusing to you? If Linux has higher desktop use, wouldn't it bring more and better quality apps and games.
Say the line bart!
This will be the year of the Linux desktop
I am contributing to this number by installing Ubuntu Linux on my relatives old laptops.
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
Content management doesn't affect usage numbers. I think it has to more with user agent switching
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.
And 12% in Norway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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