Looking at only version 136 doesn’t paint the full picture. Many (most?) distros don’t ship the latest version, or ship the ESR version.
Most Linux users disable Telemetry, so I think it’s probably missing around 10%
For the fuck of it, I asked AI to guesstimate the market share
Based on the Mozilla Graphics Telemetry data provided, Linux accounts for 3.4% of the sampled Firefox sessions. However, this is likely an underestimation of the true Linux market share for the following reasons:
- Telemetry Opt-Out: A significant portion of users may disable telemetry for privacy reasons. It’s reasonable to assume that Linux users, who often prioritize privacy and are more technically inclined, might be more likely to opt out of telemetry compared to Windows or macOS users.
- Pi-hole and Ad-blockers: Tools like Pi-hole and ad-blockers, which are also more commonly used by technically proficient users (a demographic that overlaps with Linux users), can block telemetry data from being sent.
To guesstimate the true market share, we need to consider a correction factor to account for these missing Linux users in the telemetry data. Unfortunately, precise data on telemetry disablement rates per OS is not readily available in the telemetry data itself or through a quick search.
However, we can make a reasoned guesstimate. Let’s assume:
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Baseline Telemetry Rate: Assume that for Windows and macOS, the telemetry data is relatively representative, and a smaller percentage of users disable it.
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Higher Opt-Out on Linux: Assume a significantly higher percentage of Linux users disable or block telemetry. Let’s arbitrarily assume that twice as many Linux users disable telemetry compared to the average across Windows and macOS. This is a rough guess, but it acknowledges the higher likelihood of Linux users opting out. Applying a Correction Factor (Illustrative Example): This is a simplified example for illustration. To be more accurate, we’d need real data on telemetry disablement rates.
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Assume a hypothetical “average” telemetry disablement rate across Windows/macOS: Let’s say, hypothetically, 10% of Windows/macOS users disable telemetry.
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Double that for Linux: Based on our assumption, 20% of Linux users disable telemetry.
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Calculate the “visible” Linux user proportion in telemetry: If 80% of Linux users enable telemetry (100% - 20% disablement), then the 3.4% in telemetry represents 80% of the actual Linux user base within the Firefox user population.
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Extrapolate to the “true” Linux market share: To find the 100% (true) Linux market share, we can do a simple proportion: If 3.4% represents 80%, then X% represents 100%. X = (3.4% / 80%) * 100% = 4.25%
Therefore, based on this highly simplified and assumption-based guesstimate, the true market share of Linux might be closer to 4.25%. Important Considerations:
- This is a very rough estimate. The actual percentage of users disabling telemetry on each OS is unknown without specific data from Mozilla.
- Firefox User Base vs. Overall Market Share: This telemetry data is specific to Firefox users. The overall operating system market share might be different, as Firefox usage itself might be skewed towards certain operating systems.
- “True” Market Share Definition: “Market share” itself can be defined in various ways (desktop OS, all devices, etc.). This guesstimate is within the context of desktop/laptop users who might use Firefox.
In conclusion, while the telemetry data shows 3.4%, a more realistic guesstimate, considering telemetry disablement, could be in the range of 4% to 5%. To get a more accurate figure, one would need access to data on telemetry opt-out rates per operating system or look at alternative market share data sources that employ different methodologies (though these also have their own limitations).
I’m not gonna be a dick about it, but you really shouldn’t be asking AI (or at least not a language model, use a reasoning model) things like this and accepting what they say as fact.
The information these models have is out of date
The information these models give is inaccurate
You were taught how to research in school, do the math yourself instead of killing your critical thinking skills by letting an AI do the work for you.
I literally asked it to guesstimate and stated as such:
For the fuck of it, I asked AI to guesstimate the market share
It wasn’t presented as fact. In fact I even provided the reasoning so if anyone wanted they could rip it apart, because I felt that makes more sense than just posting a conclusion without context
It provided absolutely nothing to the thread, your “for the fuck of it” is literally just “hey, here’s some dumb shit that just takes up space, has no value and no reason to be trusted, and I wasted a thousand times more energy to make it happen than if I just had written a comment”. Stop using AI, you’re only making yourself dumber and wasting so much energy on bullshit. Be better.
Why post spam?
You’re spam
spam in the place where i live
I asked chatGPT if this was true and it just said that it had sex with your mom
The thing is, I seriously consider you to be spamming. I introduced a variable which is likely unaccounted for and came back later with something which I personally found interesting and insightful that I wanted to share. It doesn’t advertise any services at all, not in being mentioned or any links and was posted as a sub comment to not cause issues at the top level. It simply adds further to the concept that I introduced. By very definition, not spam. Now whatever you or anyone feel about AI, asking it to speculate given the vast amounts of data it has access to, is what it’s there for. On the other hand, posting just to say you don’t like something doesn’t add anything to any conversation other than making yourself feel good.
You posted something that is about as wanted or relevant as a random markov chain output, there’s literally no world where pasting random LLM output into comments isn’t spam.
The only thing that separates you and an actual spam bot is that you prepended “I asked an LLM about this.”
Take a step back. You’re arguing with someone because they found something interesting and shared it. What in the post police is even happening here?
i took my first step today and got a usb drive so i can live boot mint and see how it runs so i can maybe install over windows on my laptop :)
edit~ hiiiii
I doubt any version of Linux would run worse than Windows
im more concerned with things like Internet not working or drivers or w/e since it’s my first time trying thats all I know the actual os would be better!
You’ll probably be fine unless you’re using apple hardware or some weird ultraproprietary thing. An Ethernet to USB adapter will get you connected if you need to manually download your wifi drivers, but this is extremely unlikely in 2025.
I used liveboot for debian and it worked great! obviously didn’t save anything on reboot since it’s just a USB but I connected to WiFi, got my browser, used 1password, and even found a Linux openvpn app for openconnect for work that actually works. just need to check so my cam and microphone works for zoom :)
Assuming you get a OpenVPN config file for work or know the credentials: OpenVPN is integrated in most distros, no app needed. Just go to your network settings and add a new connection. Either add an OpenVPN connection if you want to configure it manually or if you have a config file, there is an option to import it.
Doing it this way adds a simple toggle like turning on/off your wifi. Pretty neat.
hmm, i’ll check that; i found this which works well since the actual linux client of globalprotect is locked behind a paywall. i didn’t have a config from work, just a url to connect to and then i log in via 365.
Ah, didn’t know GlobalProtect has a different way to authenticate. Should be fine to use the application you linked then.
If you need screensharing capabilities, I recommend installing OBS to use it’s desktop capture feature as a virtual camera. This is because screensharing features often don’t work on Linux (this is a good thing for privacy reasons)
have you found any negatives that would potentially turn an average user off of linux? i’m strongly debating moving to mint, so i don’t want to accidentally overlook something that might be a dealbreaker
so far things have gone well; i haven’t replaced windows at all yet but everything i could do in windows i could do in debian 12 (using gnome). except for fork :(. heroic, steam, and lutris can run plenty of games though.
i think the only thing that didn’t work was when i tried it on my desktop which has two aoc monitors.
edit: deciding to go with mint actually because it looks nicer and i like the community. also the dev is irish :]
edit 2: oh also disable bitlocker first :^
10 years ago up you’d be doing some “devops” to get going. These days it’s actually easier than windows on many dostros
Unless your laptop uses some obscure networking hardware, should work out of the box. Never used Mint, but it looks like it uses NetworkManager by default, which I haven’t had any major issues with.
It’s still wild to me how many people put up with windows
While most people find things in windows annoying, they mostly also view using a PC altogether as a chore.
Viewed through that lense, telling them “well you can get rid of XYZ issues by investing some time in installing Linux” is like someone coming to you and saying “you can spend a few hours working on your washing machine to make it work a little faster and make the beeps less annoying”.
You’re probably not going to do it. Using a washing machine is a chore already, you don’t want to spend hours tinkering with your washing machine. You don’t want to think about washing machines at all. You just put up with any inconveniences, then go about thinking about stuff you actually care about.
Might be tempted to view it through a housing & transportation comparison too. Someone who lives in a too-big house, drives a pickup to the office and complains about expenses and how annoying it is to sit in traffic might not be particularly interested to hear from someone who lives in a comfortable flat, rarely has to go more than 15 minutes by bike and does a lot of bike maintenance themselves, leaving a lot of time & money available for fun.
Big houses and SUVs and pickups have their place, but investing in them because it’s normal and I want to be normal is likely to lead to a lot of complaints.
That said, Kids These Days seem to be treating phones and tablets as their default OS. There’s some push in workplaces to use cheaper laptops like Chromebooks if they can get away with it, which with the rise of webapps is increasingly likely. Personally I wouldn’t be very surprised if Windows users in the future can be grouped into people who need:
- something that’s barely not chromeos
- something more like a desktop xbox os for gamers, and
- something that’s kind of a platform for specialized native non-game apps (which may or may not be legacy stuff)
- (windows server? what’s that???)
The stat likely includes a lot of machines used for work and provisioned by an employer. The company I work for allows me pretty free reign with mine in terms of installing software, but wiping the OS and replacing it is the one thing I wouldn’t get away with.
They put up with whatever the PC comes shipped with. And they hate it. Their next computer is also gonna come with windows, cause that is what they know.
I guess that’s how I started out too. Then someone left an Ubuntu CD just laying around and changed my life.
I wonder if mine would’ve been counted there. Even before I switched to Librewolf, Debian disables most of the telemetry.
I don’t think Debian can legally modify Firefox and still call it Firefox.
Telemetry can be turned off without modifying the code. I don’t know about the legality of it, maybe in the case of Firefox the other things they do are also at most build options rather than code changes. But generally distros are allowed to make changes to the packages they distribute, that is how free software works.
Mozilla owns the Firefox trademark so if they get to choose how the trademark is used. I remember that a while back Mozilla threatened. I can’t remember if it was Debian or Linux Mint who received the threat.
Oh yeah, I remember debian’s Firefox used to be called something else for trademark reasons some years ago. I wonder how much linux market share firefox lost as a result. Not sure what changed, I guess in that case Mozilla must’ve come to their senses. I was mostly an ubuntu user in those days.
… lwn has the story: https://lwn.net/Articles/676799/
corresponds roughly with the 3.8% Linux desktop market share, not overly surprising
