As far as market share goes, I think you'd have to take FreeBSD out of that list.
FreeBSD is the "ISP UNIX." It's a "downsized" UNIX, but still a step above Linux. I
don't
know of anybody personally that's using FreeBSD as a desktop/workstation (Meanwhile I
do
have a FreeBSD server at home.) and I've heard of only a few that really do. I've
never
seen a boxed set of FreeBSD in any store, and I don't spend much time at the webpage
to see
if they even sell the CDs for the OS. But as a server it's amazing. Daily security
reports, I love it's use of the /usr/ports making new software installs very nice and
very
simple.
As it's starting to look more and more, Macs are for the fanatical. For those that
have
always been HUGE Mac fans. I don't see people who are about to purchase their first
machine looking at Macs. It's the people who have always had them, and insist on them.
Even with the introduction of the pretty iMac, I still didn't know of people that were
saying, I'll switch to a Mac, or I don't have a computer so I'll buy a Mac.
But there are those hordes of Mac uses out there that give Apple a chunk of the market
share.
There's BeOS, but it gets no publicity, it's pretty, but most people argue over it's
functionality and/or where to get software for it. I don't know of any games that can
be
installed on it, but the same thing was true before I dove into Linux. They may have
something like our www.freshmeat.com/ or they may not. I've really only seen it
installed
once, and that was 2 years ago.
Currently Linux appears to be the only other fighter in the OS battle. And even more
so as
of late since Micro$HAFT has been giving it all this free publicity for Linux with it's
press conferences about Linux and OpenSource. But people don't know enough about
Linux so
they are then curious and check it out. Thus far I've known/heard of 3 people who
through
all the "bad" media attention M$ is giving Linux, have switched over to Linux. Two of
which have already gotten rid of Windows all together, the 3rd still has a dual boot
machine.
But I honestly think Microsoft will still be split up, or some drastic things will be
done
to it once the next trial come to pass.
tdh
--
T. Holmes
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| There seems to be a lot of talk about Windows (even before the
| Appeals Court decision) being a "competitor" of / annoyance to
| the Linux OS ....
|
| I'm wondering about FreeBSD .... or MAC OS X .... any
| potential competition there? ... any way to combat the OS
| monopolistic intent of M$?
|
|
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