On 3/27/07, Andy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
On 26/03/07, Jeremy Stone <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> 0.4% of users at the time used a Linux operating system ;)
That's not entirely true is it?
Please do not try to mislead people.
What is more likely is:
0.4% of users WHERE DETECTED AS using a Linux operating system AT THE
TIME THEY VISITED THE BBC SITE.
This number can be wrong for a multitude of reasons.
1) the BBC stats are biased, the site is target at Windows users and
on certain pages blocks users of other OSes (bbc.co.uk uses ActiveX
for instance)
* Snips most of foaming-at-the-mouth-conspiricy-theory-style-rant
trying to claim that Linux distros account for a vast percentage of
desktop users and the BBC is complicit in covering this up. *
Andy - ordinary people do not generally use Linux as a desktop OS.
I'm not going to argue the toss about whether this is a good thing or
a bad thing, but it's fact.
I really do dislike statistics, especially when people try to claim
that they prove something without accounting for the method of
gathering.
No - you really dislike statistics when they prove something that
doesn't meet with your approval. Here, for example, you find a figure
you wish was a lot higher, and then come up with a load of reasons why
it might be inaccurate, without providing any evidence for a single
one of them. I'm not going to say that they're all *wrong*, but on
such an large size sample, none of your possible reasons is going to
account for a significant difference.
Now, put the gun down, and step away...
Cheers,
Rich.
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