Blogger and Linux advocate Robert Pogson reports via one of his many charts that, according to StatCounter, the usage rate for Linux in Gibraltar has increased dramatically.
What is it about islands[sic] that allow them to plunge into FLOSS unlike most larger countries? Here's another. Gibraltar moved from almost nothing to ~16% GNU/Linux desktops this week. High school resumed last week. Further, FreeBSD is along for the ride.
FreeBSD (0.67%) and Chrome OS GNU/Linux (1.68%) peaked on September 21. GNU/Linux began to ramp up on September 20 and is still rising (16.41%). Even "Unknown" jumped to 0.67% on September 20 and reached 0.96% yesterday. It could be Gibraltar's schools have adopted FLOSS as affordable and robust. Nearby, Malta stood at 5.42% and Reunion stood at 6.71%.
Previous: Interesting Usage Statistics for Desktop Linux in Malta
Big Jump in Bahrain: Linux Now At 16 Percent
[Ed note: Gibraltar is not an island; it "is a British Overseas Territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean" with a population of about 30,000 people.]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by davester666 on Sunday September 27 2015, @07:09AM
one person switches, and suddenly the ratio goes from 75/25 to 50/50.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Sunday September 27 2015, @07:31AM
http://countrymeters.info/en/Gibraltar [countrymeters.info]
http://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2013/aug/05/gibraltar-rock-tensions-spain [theguardian.com]
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 1) by xav on Sunday September 27 2015, @09:44PM
A sudden 16% jump should have warned Robert Pogson that something is wrong with the sample data instead of speculating on high school Linux desktops.
Take a closer look at the graphs: http://gs.statcounter.com/#desktop-os-GI-daily-20150901-20150924 [statcounter.com]
On the 5th of september Win7 stats dropped from 52% to 34% (in favor of Win8.1) then raised to 55% the next day. It would be utterly ridiculous to conclude that thousands of Gibraltarians suddenly upgraded to Windows 8.1 and then uninstalled it to go back to Windows 7.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday September 27 2015, @10:59PM
I went back and looked at some of his other graphs. There are several that are amusing. This one because I actually did a couple searches before concluding that he actually meant Windows 8.1. http://mrpogson.com/2015/06/10/gnulinux-bests-8-1-in-uruguay-and-venezuela/ [mrpogson.com] He is obviously biased against Microsoft. I share his sentiment, but he makes himself look like a kook with that. Worse, down the page, he claims to be a retired teacher,
"About Robert Pogson
I am a retired teacher in Canada. I taught in the subject areas where I have worked for almost forty years: maths, physics, chemistry and computers. I love hunting, fishing, picking berries and mushrooms, too. "
So, he spent 40 years teaching students to do what, exactly? To manipulate graphs to support a predetermined biased opinion?
I guess we can hope that he's just gone around the bend, and he's now senile. If so, maybe he was a better teacher than his site suggests.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 28 2015, @02:08AM
he spent 40 years teaching
Read it again.
The bulk of his career was doing applied Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics e.g. working in research labs.
After he had his homestead paid off, apparently, was when he started teaching.
As a timestamp: He arrived at his first teaching assignment to find a bunch of infected-to-the-gunwales Lose95 boxes sitting in the corner, unusable.
-- gewg_
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 27 2015, @10:54PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 28 2015, @03:35AM
You really have no clue about the rest of the world, do you? Well, this is what happens when you skip "mission" and stay a Mormon. Sorry, bro!
(Score: 2) by jimshatt on Sunday September 27 2015, @11:37AM
(Score: 3, Insightful) by isostatic on Sunday September 27 2015, @12:03PM
Nothing. Aside from the fact Gibralter isn't an island.
(Score: 2) by jimshatt on Sunday September 27 2015, @08:27PM
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday September 27 2015, @01:43PM
There's no place to go, that's what. I've lived on a couple islands, short term. Wait for a nice quiet evening, when all the "normal" and "sane" people are at home. Get in the car, fire it up, drive to the waterfront, and turn around. Floor it, watch a few fence posts flash by, then tramp on the brakes to avoid going into the surf on the other side of the island. If there is a circular route around the island, you can do laps in a minute or six.
Island or not, Gibraltar is a speck in the county I live in. 2.6 sq miles as opposed to 565 sq miles. I doubt that there is a county in the United States that is so small. No, I'm not doing a search to find them if they exist.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 1) by xav on Sunday September 27 2015, @09:17PM
A [sic] should be appended to "nearby" too. "nearby" Malta is 2000 km (1200 mi) afar. "nearby" Reunion (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9union) is located on the other hemisphere and 9000 km (5600 mi) afar. In other words, Caribbean islands are closer to Gibraltar than Reunion.
(Score: 0, Troll) by Z-A,z-a,01234 on Sunday September 27 2015, @11:48AM
16% from 30000 = 4800 people
The rest of them are similar to the world average. (depending on how it's measured)
This is a good example of propaganda.
(Score: 2) by Gravis on Sunday September 27 2015, @02:12PM
16% from 30000 = 4800 people
~5000 systems in a week is no small feat regardless of your location.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 27 2015, @05:15PM
Gibraltar is expensive, but a pretty interesting place to visit if you get the chance.