[CLUG] Desktop Linux Share Overtaking Macintosh

[Mark Twomey]

On Feb 14, 2004, at 8:08 PM, adam beecher wrote:

> Sigh. Let me break it down to four words for you Mark: "Lies, damn 
> lies,
> statistics." If you don't accept that bean counters - most people in 
> fact,
> some might say most of America - aren't easily spun with stats, then 
> yes, we
> do have "some form of communication disconnect". (A sentence that 
> itself
> belongs on a Powerpoint slide.)

No I don't believe that people are spun by meaningless stats due to the 
proliferation of that overly clichéd statement.
Want me to prove that stats, regardless of if they are based in reality 
or not, might not affect perception?

One name, Ronald Reagan. One place, America. One time, the 80's.

People can spin stats about all kinds of things and in most cases 
people don't care. They have their own metrics, what do my friends 
have, do I have work, are members of my family working and so on. 
People make the mistake in assuming that the populous is dumb, it isn't 
it just chooses to see what it wants to when it wants to and it's a 
mistake to think otherwise.

Now while statistics do have their place as they can help put something 
in context, the stat you are quoting in the context you are quoting it, 
and I'm guessing it's in Windows replacements is largely irrelevant. It 
essentially says 'We're now the first loser, not the leader but not the 
second loser either'. Unless you're presenting that factoid to a Mac 
shop you'll get blank 'so what?' stares from the audience. Now throwing 
up something that says it'll cut support costs by 50% or something, 
that would get you peoples attention.

  Mark.