> They got a handle on security when Linux list a fire under their ass.

I have my doubts that all 0.02% or whatever of PC users who are dedicated to using Linux as their desktop OS influenced Microsoft to do anything but if you have data to show otherwise I'd be interested in it.

I'd assume parent was thinking less of PC users and more of other OS consumers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_syste...

And those are the public ones.

BTW, i seem to recall that the London Stock Exchange had a spectacular failure when they went with Windows. The result being that they switched to Linux with in a year or two of bringing their brand new Windows system online.

Ah yes, found it: http://www.computerworld.com/article/2467082/data-center/lon...

Desktop smesktop. For MS the desktop has always been a means to an end. Its have been about "total cost of ownership", where they can claim people need less training before being productive at their new job.

But to manage all those desktops you need server, and with MS the billing pr active user etc.

"if you have data to show otherwise I'd be interested in it." ...

Some data says Linux desktop/laptop share is 1.5% (not counting chromebooks)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_syste...

Please note also that Android is Linux and iOS is Darwin BSD unix.

Linux and Unix based kernels are more numerous than Windows based units.

The fact that iOS and Android have a UNIX like kernel doesn't count much if the majority of userspace apps use non UNIX APIs and tooling.

They could replace the kernel with something else and most devs wouldn't even notice.

> 0.02% or whatever of PC users who are dedicated to using Linux as their desktop OS

Wikipedia: 1.5% [1] NetMarketShare: 1.71% [2] W3Schools: 5.6% [3]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_syste... [2] https://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share... [3] http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp

I don't know about Linux influencing Microsoft on the desktop, but surely it has lit it up on the server. You are 100% trolling by claiming 0.02% of PC folks use Linux. It is at least two orders of magnitude higher than that, and then android... :)

The obvious example would be netbooks. MSFT moved very fast to counter Linux on that front.

Not exactly, oem pc's have ( mostly ) an oem version of Windows on it ( which is pretty cheap, don't know what other incentives microsoft has though).

But you can install Linux on it for sure :)

I had to pay $100 extra for the Windows license that came with my Lenovo Ideapad.

And Lenovo wouldn't let me buy their laptop without the windows license.

Yep, sure can.

https://access.redhat.com/ecosystem/search/#/vendor/Lenovo?s...

Mostly ;)

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A565108%2Cp_n_o...

(amazon shop --Laptop -- PC )

Frankly i suspect MS would love to ignore the consumer world, except that then they would lose their beloved "total cost of ownership" argument for doing B2B sales.