What is today's most popular linux distribution?

Linux distributions are operating systems that are based on the Linux kernel. With this simplified definition in mind, then perhaps the most popular Linux distribution is Android, the leading smartphone OS in the US, which (as of August 2010) holds a market share of 33%.

Android 2.2 (codename Froyo) is based on Linux kernel 2.6.32, while soon-to-be-launched Android 2.3 (codename Gingerbread) is based on Linux kernel 2.6.33. But is it really the most popular Linux distribution? We head out to Distrowatch.com and see where it stands.

Distrowatch, which ranks the popularity of Linux distributions based on page hits, does not include Android on its list. The top 10 Linux distributions there, as of this writing and with data based on the last 6 months, are:

1. Ubuntu
2. Fedora
3. Mint
4. OpenSUSE
5. Debian
6. PCLinuxOS
7. Mandriva
8. Sabayon
9. Arch
10. Puppy

Now, these are desktop operating systems, which explains why Android is nowhere to be found. Since I’d really like to find out where Andoid stands among other Linux distros in terms of popularity, I’ve decided to consult Google about it. For this simple exercise, we’ll now head out to Google Trends, enter Android and the top 10 distros found in Distrowatch and see what happens.

Here’s what we got. The first Google Trends graph is based on data taken across all regions and since the first recorded data until today. The second graph, on the other hand, is based on all regions and over the last 12 months. 

Google Trends Most Popular Linux Distribution (all years)

Google Trends most popular Linux distribution (12 mos)

Based on Google searches, Ubuntu has been consistently on top since the second quarter of 2006. Android started its run in early 2009 (that’s only last year) and proceeded with a steep ascent early this year, overtaking Ubuntu in the process.


So there you have it. Based on searches alone, the most popular Linux distribution as of this day is Android.


Related posts:


One Android to rule them all
Why Android for 2010


Books related to this post:

Most Touch Screen ebook Readers Run on Linux

Touch Screen Sony Reader

Want to go on an ebook-reading marathon for two weeks? You don’t need an iPad. All you need is a decent touch screen ebook reader. They can last more than 10 days (not just 10 hours) and, thanks to e-ink technology, so will your eyes.

E-ink displays, which most of these ebook readers use, consume less power, are less susceptible to glare, are less strenuous to the eyes, and most of all, cost much less than even the most basic iPad.

Now, why did I have to zoom in on touchscreen versions of these handheld devices? That would certainly leave the numero uno ebook reader on the market today - Amazon’s Kindle - out of the picture.  Because I find clicking buttons so outdated and flicking through virtual pages with fingers so cool.

And thanks to innovative technologies like the zForce touch screen, a fast touch interface on an e-ink display is now possible.

You know what else most of them have in common aside from the e-ink display? - a Linux-based OS.

Onyx’s Boox 60, iRex’s Digital Reader 800, Condor’s eGriver Touch, Spring Design’s Alex, and, most likely, Sony’s Readers - all these touch screen ebook readers, which are all slated for release no later than this year, run on Linux.

Even their earliest predecessors, which were launched some time in the middle of this decade, were powered by some kind of embedded Linux. Many of the later generations actually ran on Android, just like all those smartphones, but, as we all know, that OS also has Linux origins.  

I’m not 100% sure about the latest Sony Readers, but their immediate predecessors used to run on Monta Vista Linux. Still, even without them, more than half of touch screen ebook readers use a Linux OS. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_e-book_readers)

Preparing Eclipse for Android Installation on a 32-bit Windows XP

If you’re new to Android programming, it would be best to start with the Eclipse IDE. This article will show you how to prepare a freshly installed Eclipse for Android development on a 32-bit Windows XP system. 

You can still develop Android on other IDEs like Netbeans or IntelliJ, but Eclipse is still the easiest route to take. Ready? Let’s start. 

1. Install the JDK


Since you'll be using the Java programming language to develop apps on the Android platform, you'll need to have Java installed in your system. Go to the Java SE downloads page and download the JDK. 

Java SE Downloads page

After clicking that large button, another page will load. On that page, select the Windows Platform from the drop-down list and click the download button.


Once your download is complete launch the JDK installer by double-clicking on the downloaded file. This action should launch this screen.

JDK installer

Wait until the Next button is active, then click it. Just click on the Next buttons that appear in all succeeding screens until you reach the screen with the Finish button. Click the Finish button to wrap up the JDK installation.




2. Install the Eclipse IDE


You should now be ready to install Eclipse on your system. Go to the Eclipse downloads page and download the Eclipse IDE for Java Developers.

Eclipse downloads page

I had some trouble downloading through the mirrors. In the end, I was successful with the torrent file. 


The downloaded file is a .zip, so you need to extract it first. Look for the file named eclipse and double-click it to start the installation proper.

Wait until you're shown the following screen.

Choose a folder in your hard disk where you'll want to store your projects/apps or click Ok to accept the default Workspace location. Also click Ok when you're done choosing your desired Workspace.


That action should activate the final processes to complete the installation. When the installation is finished, the Eclipse user interface will automatically pop-up.


Here's a screenshot of it.

Eclipse User Interface

There, your system is now capable of running the JDK and Eclipse. For Android installation, come back for my next post.

Chrome OS In Q4 - Is It Time to Bid External Storage Goodbye?

When Chrome OS devices hit the stores late this year, users may have to start getting used to a web-centric mindset. Practically everything on their device will be running on the cloud. And with easily accessible Google Docs already accepting up to 1 GB storage for ANY kind of file, it would be difficult to resist storing and moving more files to the cloud as well. 

So does this mean you’d have to say goodbye to local drive storage or even your trusty USB flash drive? 

Ever since the introduction of the floppy disk, external storage devices like USB flash drives have proven to be an indispensable partner of every regular computer user. Students carry in them their homework, mp3 songs, and ebooks; accountants and salesmen have their spreadsheets, business letters and reports; IT personnel have their program codes, installers and experimental OSes; and so on. 

External storage devices enable people to exchange files quickly, keep backup copies, hold their most confidential information close to themselves, or (for the Linux geeks) carry a fully functional operating system. These extremely portable tiny devices allow users to be more mobile and able to work away from their main computer. 

If you have a USB flash drive (a.k.a. pen drive) and only need the most commonly used applications like MS Word, Excel or PowerPoint, you can easily set down to work in almost any establishment that has a computer. Of course, I find it difficult to imagine any regular computer user possessing only a USB flash drive. Besides, they’d have to pay for computer usage each time they need one, which would certainly be very expensive.

In most cases, users do have their own computers and these devices are mainly used for sharing files with colleagues, business associates, and friends. Today’s highly mobile computer users (a.k.a. road warriors) usually have three gadgets with them: a laptop, a cell phone, and a USB flash drive - all other laptop accessories are secondary.

As for tomorrow’s road warriors, that’s what I’m curious about. With cloud computing and online storage, things could be different. Will the number of main gadgets be reduced to two?

i.e., a Chrome OS laptop and a cellphone?

If you’ve tried working with Google Docs, you know that file sharing is as simple as 1-2-3. You click the Share button, Invite people, specify the email address of the person you’d like to share your file with, and click Send. That’s actually 4 steps, but you get the picture. 

Excited to move your files to the cloud already? You might have to hold your horses first. If you ask me, Google and other cloud services providers have yet to provide much better assurance as with regards to one major issue: security. You’d only need to look back a few months to see where I’m coming from. 

Chinese hackers attack on GMail, Google’s own webmail service. Does that ring a bell? 

Once people start the exodus of files to Google Docs, the thrill of hacking into those accounts would be very irresistible. 

So should future Chrome OS users bid goodbye to their trusty USB flash drive? I don’t think so ... well, at least not yet. Store files on the cloud, but leave the most confidential ones in your internal or external storage devices. 

One Android To Rule Them All?

Speculations are rife that Google has finally decided to put an end to fragmentation in the Android OS. Will we really start seeing an overwhelming majority of Android smartphones running the same version?


Android is looking good, no doubt about it. What has started as a Linux-based OS for handsets (i.e., mobile phones) has now rapidly spread to different devices. There are small tablet computers like Archos' Internet tablets and Enso's zenPad, e-book readers like Barnes & Noble's nook and Spring Designs Alex, and even a netbook - Acer's Aspire One D250 (actually dual boots with Windows 7).


Of course, it's mainly used on smartphones; dozens of them and by different Manufacturers (HTC, Samsung, Motorola, and Acer, to name a few). And there's more coming. In fact, if you combine all of them, their numbers (in users' hands) are about half of those running on the iPhone OS (which are, well, basically all iPhones).


It wasn't like that a little over a year ago, on February 2009, with Android-powered smartphones only getting about 2% market share. That share climbed to 24% in February of this year.


Still, not everyone is happy, and one major problem has got to do with fragmentation. Ok, let me elaborate briefly. Last year (2009), Android released three versions: Cupcake (or 1.5) in April, Donut (or 1.6) in September, and Eclair (or 2.0) in October. 2.0.1 was also released in December. Still another, 2.1, was released on January 2010.


As a result, despite being released on the same year, new Android smartphones sold to the public last year supported different versions of the OS. This left a typical Android smartphone owner envious of another who bought a different smartphone that had cooler apps even if they both purchased their phones on the same year.


Developers are stuck with even greater challenges. To offer their apps to the vast majority of Android smartphone owners, they'd have to write at least four versions of the same program.


Fragmentation is really a pain in the neck for developers. When I started playing around with my first Java midlet back in 2003, fragmentation was already a problem. A basic midlet, especially one that had a GUI, would have to be modified by some (usually large) degree if you wanted it to run on different phones. Screen resolution/size and navigation controls were some of the basic issues.


Now, upon Googling for information, I realize the problem is still there. You'd think that after about a decade of existence (I'm sure Java ME already existed before I compiled my first "Hello World"), they'd have already figured out a solution.


Some bloggers are speculating that Google has already come up with a solution. Looks like they even have two. The first one involves slowing down the pace of version releases. The second involves separating standard apps and components from the main OS and making them available via the Android Market.


Hopefully, if the OS version releases are far apart, the carriers and manufacturers will have time to make the necessary updates for their subscribers. Also, with apps available on the Android Market instead of being bundled with the OS, users can download the latest version as long as their device supports it.


Back in those Java ME days, fragmentation problems were mainly due to the variety of screen sizes and navigational controls of different cell phones. Since practically all Android smartphones have touchscreen displays, I guess the navigation issue no longer exists. However, there are still different screen sizes, right?


Still, if Google is able to persuade carriers and manufacturers to move forward with the said solutions, that would be a great improvement. Wouldn't this mean smartphones are moving towards commoditization? Is this a direction carriers and manufacturers would be willing to take?

Does Android 2.0 Really Have MS Exchange Support?

Why are many Linux advocates excited about Android 2.0's built-in support for Microsoft Exchange?

First, let us try to give a brief overview of Microsoft Exchange. Microsoft Exchange is a global leader in messaging and collaboration solutions. It is popular among large enterprises, where the top executives communicate and collaborate using (typically) BlackBerry mobile devices over the Microsoft Exchange infrastructure.

Aside from email services, Exchange also offers features like shared calendar, contacts, and tasks. That means, you can be sure members of your team have the latest information when it comes, for instance, to meetings and other important activities for as long as they have a mobile device with Exchange capabilities.

When a meeting is rescheduled over Exchange, they'll know about it. When a new employee joins the team and new contact information is subsequently added, they'll know about it. When tasks are created, updated, or removed, they'll know about it. All the information will be accessible via their Exchange-capable mobile devices.

Although a number of Linux-powered smart phones gained a decent amount of following, one of the reasons why some people opted to shy away from them initially was their lack of support for MS Exchange. The T-Mobile G1 (a.k.a. HTC Dream) had no Exchange support when it was first introduced while Palm Pre had its share of birth pains in syncing with Exchange.

So far, only contact synchronization and e-mail is currently being mentioned in the Android developers site. I'm not sure if calendar and task synchronization is also supported. Unless Android 2.0 supports more Exchange features than just e-mail and contact syncs, it would be a hard sell to business enterprises where such features are virtually basic necessities.



If you want to learn how to start using Android, I've got a post talking about how you can install the JDK and Eclipse for Android development.