• Desktops part 1 and Desktops part 2 – most respondents installed Ubuntu themselves and found it easy to do. No surprise there.
• Servers – Ubuntu servers are widely used for infrastructure: web, file, print, backup, e-mail etc. and usage is increasing.

There are not many surprises in the surveys except the disappointment that OEMs are not installing it more on the desktops. I guess GNU/Linux makes a good replacement for that other OS… One key element is that there are signs that the people installing Ubuntu are not as geeky as they used to be. About 30% of new users are finding out about GNU/Linux from their friends as opposed to finding it in on-line forums and websites. I suppose geeks have friends but how many of those are also geeks? That shows usage has reached the point where a “breeding population” is sustainable, another milestone.

The years of experience of users (20% used Ubuntu < two years) suggests growth is about 10% per annum and increasing.

OEMs, are you paying attention? The benefits people get from using GNU/Linux on servers is wanted on the desktop, too.

1. aardvark March 25th, 2012

   “Canonical surveys users.”

   Right up there with “Small Earthquake in Chile: Not Many Dead.”