Is Everyone Really Leaving Windows?

And if so, where to?

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Some numbers: Windows under 60 percent. Linux over 10 percent in North America. Windows sales down 27 percent.

Those are all headlines from this year. Put them together and it looks like everybody is packing up.

I would like that. I wrote that it’s truly embarrassing to keep using Windows. So I’m not neutral here. I don’t understand why people voluntarily chose Windows.

But let’s look at those numbers. Because most of them don’t say what the headlines say.

(Not a Medium member? You can read this on Substack too.)

Under 60

In June, StatCounter’s numbers put Windows market share under 60 percent of desktops worldwide. For the first time in years.

Then StatCounter corrected the data. That same June now reads 72 percent.

So that one never happened.

Over 10

July was next. Linux market share at over 10 percent of desktops in North America. That went big on Reddit and Hacker News.

Then August, according to StatCounter: 15.65 percent.

Then September: 3.53 percent.