Is Linux dead? Why?

Originally published in Quara.com
Dale Gulledge, Linux developer since 1994. Unix developer for somewhat longer.
Updated Dec 4, 2017
Let’s compare.

Desktops: Windows, some Mac, a few Linux, *BSD.
Laptops: Similar to desktops, but at the high end, Mac holds its own very well against Windows because of hardware excellence.
Servers: Windows in support of Windows desktops, and not much else. Lots and lots of Linux.
Supercomputers: Almost all Linux. I think there’s one running Windows.
Phones: Android (Linux kernel), iOS, Windows a distant also ran.
Tablets: Because of Android, the Linux kernel has a much greater market share here than in laptops.
IoT: Linux, Android, a variety of other stuff, and Windows far in back.
Cars: QNX with Automotive Linux, and Android screaming up behind it. And some Windows for entertainment systems.

The picture here looks disorganized and confusing until you ask one question. Which OS gets ported quickly to every new platform? Windows has failed to get much of a toehold outside of the desktop/laptop world it started in. Linux has gone everywhere.

EDIT:

In November 2017, all of the top 500 supercomputers are running Linux. I’m not assuming it’s a permanent thing, but it indicates that when someone’s looking for a kernel to adapt to custom high-end hardware, Linux is overwhelmingly the kernel of choice.

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