My guess is its a catch-all for any OS they couldn't identify.. So some of that could be Windows or Linux with agents or scripts disable. I also didn't see Android broken out as a separate category while iOS is, so that could be in there too.

[–] Ooops@feddit.org 16 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

"Unknown" is browsers blocking trackers from identifying them. So mostly Linux and some people running Firefox with blockers on other systems.

"Windows" is Windows users and also many Linux users who changed their bowser's user agent to circumvent sites that sabotage browsers on Linux for no reason.

"ChromeOS" is -again- Linux as it's based on open ChromiumOS which is derived from Gentoo. (And Google is planning to switch to Android soon... which is again running on top of Linux.)

[–] some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Old unsupported versions of Windows (and sometimes Windows Server?) may also be included in "unknown".

[–] Pringles@sopuli.xyz 1 points 3 months ago

Which would explain why unknown peaks when windows crashes. Seems the most likely explanation

[–] GargleBlaster@feddit.org 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

AFAIK they're using the browser agent to identify the os. Maybe that obscures the os in some cases

[–] BigShammy80@feddit.org 2 points 3 months ago (2 children)

That would make sense. Its a bit sad though... would be interesting to have "real" numbers...

[–] comrade_twisty@feddit.org 3 points 3 months ago

I have to use Chromium with a spoofed Windows/Chrome Browser agent on Linux specifically for my bank. Apparently using Linux is an insecure environment in their eyes and they block login attempts completely.

I wonder how many Linux users spoof Windows browser agents for similar reasons.

[–] cron@feddit.org 1 points 3 months ago

Counting OS statistics by tracking website is never going to tell "real" numbers.

But what is "real" numbers anyways. Does a raspberry pi count that runs home assistant?

Does a laptop that is only used once a month count the same as one that is daily active?

[–] Goodlucksil@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 3 months ago

This is taken from trackers, so blocking trackers renders your os as Unknown.

[–] SSUPII@sopuli.xyz 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Misconfigured systems/browsers or misconfigured web crawlers.

[–] Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

For those statistic they use trackers so a tracker blocker such as uBlock origin will "confuse" the tracker

[–] SSUPII@sopuli.xyz 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

In that case they would not even receive the statistic

[–] Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Probably the tracker register the site visits too (and i would suppose it's a site-tracker interaction instead of a client-tracker) and those visits that give no data or malformes data are "unknown"

[–] kubofhromoslav@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago

I really don't know. Neither the stats collector. That's the point.

[–] IrateAnteater@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Based on the fact that it rises while Linux tails off, I'm guessing that it's something in Linux land breaking StatCounter's collection method. Maybe something like flatpacks and snaps not allowing the underlying OS to be detected properly.

[–] mech@feddit.org 3 points 3 months ago

StatCounter determines OS with a tracker installed on many popular websites.
Could be flatpaks, could be ublock.