Property Values and GNU/Linux at Robert Pogson

Sometimes NetApplications really ticks me off…

NetApplications allows one to dig down to the level of “average property values” and share of GNU/Linux. Here’s what I found in USA:

Average Property Value (owner occupied)	Share for greater value
$100K	2.67%
$150K	3.06%
$200K	3.65%
$250K	4.39%
$300K	5.28%
$350K	6.47%
$400K	1.15%
$450K	1.3%
$500K	1.38%
$550K	1.54%
$600K	1.74%
$650K	2.05%
$700K	2.13%
$750K	1.61%

The above should clearly document several trends in the data. The GNU/Linux share increases with average property values. That could mean usage correlates with education or wealth, perhaps. I have no idea why there is a sharp drop from $350K to $400K. Is that the region where folks suddenly choose Macs? Do big houses suddenly need routers that hide GNU/Linux? Do big houses suddenly need that other OS in every room? Inquiring minds want to know.

BTW the median house price in USA is about $188K.

I think it is safe to say that use of GNU/Linux in USA is well over 1.1% NetApplications reports for September. What are they trying to hide?

Oh, one more thing. They report for less than $400K 3.03% and for less than $100K 0.57%, so, it’s the poor who cannot afford GNU/Linux that are the problem… Wait! GNU/Linux costs $0. My head hurts.

UPDATE Trying to understand the data, I subtracted adjacent values to find the “share per $50K bin”. It’s shows a negative value for share around $350K. What’s that? A witch’s cauldron imported from M$? The data must be faked somehow. Maybe it’s just an error apportioning IP address to postal code.

Want to see something weird? For USA/California, the same thing happens at $350K: >$350K 16.11% or < $350K 0.52%
>$50K 16.11%. <$50K 0.75%
See? It doesn’t add up. NetApplications is broken.

My Mission

My observations and opinions about IT are based on 40 years of use in science and technology and lately, in education. I like IT that is fast, cost-effective and reliable. I do not care whether my solution is the same as yours. I like to think for myself.

My first use of GNU/Linux in 2001 was so remarkably better than what I had been using, I feel it is important work to share GNU/Linux with the world. I have been blessed by working in schools where students and school systems have benefited by good, modular software easily installed in most systems.

I have shown GNU/Linux to thousands of students and hundreds of teachers over the years and will continue in some way doing that until I die in spite of the opposition.