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On Wed, 2 Sep 1998, Tom Lake wrote:

> >> > On the general topic of Linux usage statistics.  Here are some numbers,
> >> > taken from DejaNews that give an indicator of Linux growth rates.
> >
> >I just dug up another interesting set of numbers from ZDNet - source IDC:
> >http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/content/inwk/0518/315679.html
> >
> >Copies of Linux sold in 1997: 2 million
> >Copies of Linux Given Away in 1997: 300,000-500,000
> >Copies of Linux Previously Sold/Given Away: 2.5 Million
> >Total Installed Base of Linux:  4.8 to 5.0 Million
> 
> The number shipped/delivered isn't a good indication of number of users.
> The number of packages given away is an especially unreliable indicator.
> Many people may receive a free copy of a product but don't install it or
> install it and then trash it.  The number of copies bought may have the same
> effect but to a lesser degree since if a person paid for it, it has a
> greater intrinsic value than a copy which was free.
> 
> Tom Lake

It's really a two-way street.  Linux users frequently install Linux on a
server and then leave the server, and the CD-ROM installed on LANs where
they can easily be installed with two floppies or a zip file (containing
the "dosutils" directory and contents.  In this case, a single copy
can yield hundreds or thousands of users.

On the flip side, you have the "tinkerer" who buy every version of Linux
with each quarterly update to stay abreast of the latest developments.
And they never give any of it away.

Then you have redistributors.  Give them a zip disk and they can give
you a self-installing system that takes a few minutes to install.  You
may have to manually do the FIPS or Partition Magic repartitioning (I
prefer partition magic).  The rest can be automated.  usually a "default"
SVGA noaccellorator X11 server is installed, but the user can easily add
his favorite accellerator if he knows what he's got.  Xfree thinks in
terms of chips not boards.  Many board makers don't like to disclose
their chipset on the box.  I have no trouble with S3 chips.  A good
S3 card ranges from $30 to $90.


	Rex Ballard
	http://www.access.digex.net/~rballard
	this correspondence is personal opinion
	and does not necessarily reflect any corporate view.
	copyright 1998  - Rex Ballard



From rballard@access1.digex.net Thu Sep  3 17:33:17 1998
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