Published at LXer:

I just read Louis Gray’s post titled “On the Web, If You’re Not Growing, You’re Dying.” It gave me a chilling realization about web services. Like everything else, what goes up must come down. This must apply to Linux distributions too, right? So, what’s happening with Linux? Which distributions are growing? Like Louis Gray, I’m going to use data from Google Trends. People searching the name of Linux distributions on Google can be considered new users. After all, wouldn’t experienced Linux users already know where the websites of the big Linux distributions are?

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FTFA:


This is why people should leave science to the professionals. Making assumptions like this only makes you look profoundly stupid. I'm sure I've read articles based on shoddier data and methodology, but I'll be damned if I can think of one right now.

No...

"Anyone who thinks that exponential growth can go one forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5iFESMAU58

Thank you, Mr Bartlett

complete ignorance....there is nothing else to say about it...

Why would anything happen to slackware or debian just because they aren't used as search terms?

There are a million reasons that Ubuntu may be used as a search term....trying to say it is only ONE reason is asinine.

Debian and slackware arent used as search terms (as the data shows) because they have such intelligent users that know everything about linux. (I can propose a illogical conclusion based on a faulty premise too)

If you go to a forum and ask for recommendations, members will often point you directly to the website - no search required. If you go in via distrowatch, the website is listed. Ubuntu is searched for because it is the hot name out there - it's everywhere and people will search for it.

On the other hand, Slackware and Debian, as the oldest of the distros, have always bubbled under. All this goes to show is that there is still no reliable way of proving which distro is most used or popular.

I wonder if the search terms listed are used alone or with others. I'll use suse as an extra qualifier term in searches to limit the results.