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Total Linux Desktop PCs Now Over 56 Million
Linux marketshare has skyrocketed in the last year
August 21, 2024
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Over the last year, there has been a tremendous amount of movement in terms of reported Linux marketshare -- with multiple reports showing Linux breaking 4% of the total desktop PC market during the last several months.

But what does that mean in terms of actual, hard numbers?  A percentage is great and all... but how many Linux computers (Desktops and Laptops) are in operation?

Let's figure out exactly that using the best available data.

 

The Linux Marketshare Jump

 

There's no denying it, Linux marketshare has risen significantly over the last year.

Here's a chart showing the change between December of 2022 and July of 2024 -- a little over a year and a half.

 

That sort of marketshare percentage jump is impressive... but what does that translate to in terms of real, practical numbers?

 

How Many Linux PCs Are There?

 

Let's put the Steam numbers aside for a moment -- since that focuses entirely on a subset of gaming PCs -- and take a harder look at the details from Statcounter (4.45%) and Statista (4.03%).

Since we have a percentage marketshare range (4.03% - 4.45%), we need to have a rough idea of how many Desktop PCs there are out there.  In total (including Windows, Mac, etc.).  Not just shipping PCs... but total install base.

The best, most recent estimate we have for this data comes from Gartner -- and puts the total install base (world wide) of Desktop and Laptop PCs at roughly 1.399 Billion.  The reality is, this number is likely a little low as we have seen mild growth in that segment since that report was published.  Just the same, these numbers are the most accurate we have to work with... and should be pretty close to reality.

With that in mind, let's do some simple math and compare the total number of Desktop PCs (laptop and desktop) running Linux... in December 2022 and July 2024.

 

Oh, boy.  That's a big jump in just a year and a half.

According to Statista:

  • Dec, 2022: 33,855,800
  • July, 2024: 56,379,700

According to Statcounter:

  • Dec, 2022: 38,752,300
  • July, 2024: 62,255,500

In other words: As of July of 2024, there are between 56 Million and 62 Million Linux-powered desktop PCs.  Representing an increase of roughly 23 Million total installations.

 

What About Linux Gaming PCs?

 

Let's get back to the data from Steam... because knowing exactly how many Linux-powered PCs are being used for gaming is highly interesting.

We know that there are roughly 35+ Million peak online users of Steam...

 

 

But how many Monthly Active Users are there of Steam (ie. people who use Steam at least once per month)?  The best data we have -- which is over one year old -- says there are roughly 132 Million Monthly Active Users.

While it would be nice to have more up to date numbers, that 132 Million number will provide us with a good starting point.

Now let's plug in the July, 2024 percentage (2.08%) and compare that to the Dec, 2022 percentage (1.44%).

 

Total Linux PCs Using Steam:

  • Dec, 2022: 1,848,000
  • July, 2024: 2,745,600

While this increase, over the same time period, is not as impressive as what we see from the Statista and Statcounter numbers... going from 1.8 Million to 2.7 Million Linux gaming PCs is nothing to sneeze at.

Sure.  This may represent a small fraction of the total PC gaming market.  But 2.7 Million?  For Linux?

Absolutely wild.

Back in "Ye Olden Times" of Linux, we were just happy to get sound working... and have one or two games that we could actually get running.  To think that Linux is now a mainstream gaming platform with over 2.7 million installations used -- actively -- for gaming (using Steam)... is mildly mind-blowing.

 

Which Linux Distributions Are Being Used?

 

Measuring usage details of Linux distributions is notoriously difficult.  Some Linux Distros provide unreliable, poorly sourced data... and others provide absolutely no details whatsoever (for a variety of reasons).

As an example, Ubuntu provides zero details around the actual number of installations or active users.

In fact... one of the most detailed statistic provided by Ubuntu is (and this is not a joke):

"More people use Ubuntu than anyone knows!"

Seriously.  Here's a screenshot which also states "Hundreds of millions of PCs, servers, devices, virtual machines, and containers have booted Ubuntu to date" which... tells us almost nothing about how many PCs are running Ubuntu right now.

 

Luckily, Steam provides a breakdown of the most-used Linux distributions of their gaming platform.  While that doesn't give us a detailed view of the total market... it does provide some interesting data.

 

No surprise: SteamOS (based on Arch) is, by far, the most popular Linux distribution in use... by Steam.  With the vast majority of the growth focused on that one Linux Distro.

Just the same, the other usage numbers are also rather fascinating.  Noteworthy growth in Ubuntu, Arch, and Mint usage by Steam.  Pop!_OS (from System76) remained somewhat stagnant, and Manjaro saw a significant drop (both in terms of percentage and real, total numbers).

Does any of that map -- in any real way -- to non-gaming Desktop PCs?  Without detailed numbers from the major distributions (which we are unlikely to ever get), we don't have any way of knowing for certain.

 

What We Know About Linux Marketshare

 

So, as of July of 2024, what do we know about the real numbers regarding Linux marketshare?

  • Between 56 Million and 62 Million PCs (Desktops and Laptops) running Linux.
  • 23 Million additional Desktop PCs are running Linux as of July, 2024... compared to a year and a half earlier.
  • 2,745,600 Linux PCs running Steam (and actively using it, every month).
  • Nobody has a clue how many people use Ubuntu.
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Part 1 of building a VGA capture card
Reset
Look for first rising edge of Hsync
Enable count of Hsync States and wait for Hsync Low
Count clocks while Hsync Low until Hsync High
Count clocks while Hsync High until Hsync Low
Store Hsync counts and wait for rising edge of Vsync
Enable count of Vsync states and wait for Vsync Low
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Count Hsync pulses until next rising edge of Vsync
Store Line count and lookup in table the Dot Clock Setting
Enable VCO to lock to the new Dot Clock Setting
Setup all counting parameters for the new Sample Rate
Wait for the next active Vsync pulse
Begin Sampling on the next active display window and repeat
Store samples in dual port SRAM

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Part 2A of the VGA Digitizer
A list of the supported formats
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Format # H format V format Interlaced/Progressive V freq H total V total H freq Dot Clk Pixel Rep Adj Dot Clk Adj Dot Time Cell width Cell length Cell char Cell lines Horiz Write Window Shift Clock Time Window
One tenth of 1440p: 128 72 1 60 158 102 6.12 0.96696 1 0.96696 1034.16894183834 16 16 8 4 30 0.060435 16546.7030694134
160 100 1 60 240 115 6.9 1.656 1 1.656 603.864734299517 16 16 10 6 80 0.1035 9661.83574879227
One tenth of 1080p: 192 108 1 60 256 115 6.9 1.7664 1 1.7664 566.123188405797 16 16 12 6 64 0.1104 9057.97101449275
Quarter Quarter VGA: Nintendo Game Boy Advance LoRes, and some web-cameras and early cellular phones with color display. Lowest commonly user video resolution. 160 120 1 60 240 131 7.86 1.8864 1 1.8864 530.110262934691 16 16 10 7 80 0.1179 8481.76420695505
Nintendo Game Boy (GB), Game Boy Color (GBC); Sega Game Gear (GG) 160 144 1 60 240 204 12.24 2.9376 1 2.9376 340.41394335512 16 16 10 9 80 0.1836 5446.62309368192
Approximately one-sixth ...

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The Unpublished Anti-Lunduke Hit-Piece
A Tech Journalist interviewed me for a hit-piece article. But the questions made them look bad, and they shelved the story. So I'm publishing their hit-piece for them.

Back in September, shortly after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, I was contacted by a Tech Journalist writing for FossForce.com (a smaller, Open Source focused publication) who was working on an article around Open Source, Antifa, and the Lunduke Journal’s coverage of those topics.

This particular outlet had, several months prior, run an “anti-Lunduke” hit piece without first reaching out for comment — which resulted in their most popular article (at least on social media) in quite some time.

With that in mind, it seemed reasonable that they’d want to repeat that success with another “anti-Lunduke” story.

This time they were doing the responsible thing. They reached out to the subject of the hit-piece article with questions. I like encouraging Tech Journalists when they do actual journalism, so I answered each and every query with easy-to-quote responses.

But, it would appear that the answers they received were not conducive to creating the hit-piece they were hoping for — my guess is they realized their questions made them look like the villain in the story. The villain they, clearly, hoped to portray me as.

They opted to not publish the piece.

So I’m publishing their hit-piece for them.

Below is every question — and every answer (with no edits) — which I was asked, on September 19th, by a Tech Journalist by the name of Christine Hall, writing for FossForce.

Fair warning: This is very, very politically charged.

Enjoy.


September 19th

Hall:

The last time I mentioned you in an article, you castigated me for not reaching out to you beforehand. Well, I’m reaching out now. We’ll see what comes of this.

You do recognize that the vast majority of organizations using the term antifa as a descriptor are not in the least bit terrorist and pose no threat to society -- and indeed, the only threats they might pose to fascist groups are not physical or life-harming?

Lunduke:

Hello Christine! Nice to hear from you!

Many, if not most, of those proclaiming support for Antifa (within Open Source) have also made statements encouraging or supporting violence and discrimination.

Regardless of that fact -- which I have documented extensively in Lunduke Journal coverage -- when violent acts are committed (such as murder, riots, and lynchings) in the name of “Antifa”, to turn around and immediately declare yourself to be “Antifa” is a clear declaration of support of that violence.

Hall:

And why did you feel it necessary to call out Danielle Foré’s [the founder of the elementary OS Linux Distribution] trans status in such an ugly manner?

Lunduke:

There is a noteworthy overlap between “Trans activism” and support for political violence -- including in the recent murder of Charlie Kirk (the murderer’s boyfriend was “Trans”).

In the case of Daniel Fore, he, a leader of an Open Source project, regularly calls for discrimination (and violence) against people he disagrees with -- often in conjunction with his self-declaration as “Trans”.

Thus, his declaration of being “Trans” becomes a part of the overall story.

It is worth noting here that The Lunduke Journal has never -- and would never -- call for discrimination or violence against someone because of how they identify or who they may (or may not) vote for.

This is in stark contrast those, such as Mr. Fore, who consider themselves “Trans” or “Antifa” -- who actively advocate for both discrimination and violence.

Hall:

Mentioning a person’s trans status in ways that are pertinent to your argument necessates rudeness such as calling her a “dude who likes to wear dresses”?

Lunduke:

Dan Fore is, in fact, a dude who likes to wear dresses.

The only reason to view that as a negative is if you view dudes wearing dresses as a negative.

Hall:

I’ll quote you on that, which I’m pretty sure won’t bother you in the least.

Lunduke:

Absolutely! Quote anything I say here. In fact, I suggest quoting absolutely everything I’ve written to you here, today.

Hall:

You also understand, don’t you, that voicing disagreement with an assessment made by POTUS is not only legal but a healthy part of the national dialog.

Lunduke:

Absolutely! Did I say somewhere that it was illegal to disagree with a politician? It seems unlikely that I have ever said that.

Hall:

Also, how would you reply to this:

There have been very few murders linked to individuals associated with Antifa, some incidents of rioting attributed to Antifa supporters, and no credible evidence of lynchings conducted in the name of Antifa. Compared to far-right groups, violence attributed to Antifa is much less frequent and lethal, with only one suspected kill—Aaron Danielson in Portland, by an anti-fascist activist—officially confirmed in recent U.S. history.

Lunduke:

Murder is bad. I am opposed to all murder.

In the context of these discussions, bearing in mind the Kirk murder is important (as many statements were made in response to it). The murderer of Kirk appears to have been pro-Trans and pro-Antifa (based on all available information).

Hall:

Is there any evidence that the suspect was part of an antifa group? I haven’t seen any.

Lunduke:

I have seen some reporting to this effect (including statements from family and messages he wrote).

But, far more important to this story, is the response to the murder among Antifa supporters (including those within Open Source). A large portion of Antifa supporters have celebrated the murder as justified because it killed someone they considered to be a “fascist”.

Hall:

Also, no group should be held responsible for what some deranged person who identifies with the group has done.

Lunduke:

I agree that a broader group should not be held responsible for the actions of a small number of individuals.

However, and this is critically important, it is entirely appropriate to hold people responsible for their own statements and actions.

With that in mind: The overall messaging of Antifa (and Antifa supporters) tends heavily towards violence. Punching, killing, molotov cocktails, etc. are all common messaging used by Antifa (including by those I quote within the Open Source world -- many of whom have advocated violence against myself).

Advocating for violence, then celebrating when violence is committed, are not good things.

Yet we see a great deal of that among Open Source supporters of Antifa.

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October 13, 2025
Sale ends in a few hours, Lifetime Subs set up.

Holy moly, you guys are amazing.

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To everyone who grabbed a Lifetime Subscription over the last few days: All of you are set to full Lifetime access. You should have a confirmation email in your inbox. If not, email me and I’ll make sure you’re setup properly.

That “50% off” sale ends tonight at midnight. So you have a few hours to snag a discounted subscription, if you haven’t already.

A huge thank you to everyone who supports this work. Couldn’t do it without you.

-Lunduke

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50% Off Lunduke Journal Extended Through Monday (Oct 13th)

Just a quick heads up:

The “50% off every kind of Subscription to The Lunduke Journal” sale has been extended through Monday (October 13th).

So. You know. Grab one at 50% off between now and end of the day on Monday.

To all of you amazing nerds who have picked up a Lifetime Subscription already this weekend: You are awesome. You’ll be receiving a confirmation email, with all of the Lifetime Subscription details, by tomorrow (if you haven’t already).

Oh, and remember how we hit 11 Million views last month? Yeah. We’re well on our way to blowing past those numbers in October.

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See you all on Monday!

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