The LinuxQuestions.org Members Choice Awards recognized Ubuntu as the 2011 desktop distribution winner and Debian as the server distribution winner. Members also selected KDE as the leading desktop environment, Openbox as the top window manager, and Android as the mobile winner. These are results of a 2011 forum poll, reported by The Linux Foundation on 15 February 2012—not a current ranking of Linux software or market share.
What the 2011 LinuxQuestions.org awards measured
LinuxQuestions.org members voted for favorite Linux distributions and open-source applications in category-based polls. The Linux Foundation summarized the results in its 15 February 2012 article, “A Look at the LinuxQuestions.org Members Choice Awards Winners.” The award year is 2011; 2012 is the publication year of that summary.
The categories are easy to confuse: “desktop distribution” means a complete operating-system distribution, while the separate “desktop” category refers to a desktop environment such as KDE. A window manager, such as Openbox, is another distinct category.
Distribution winners
| Category | Winner | Reported result |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop distribution | Ubuntu | 21.83% of the 2011 vote |
| Server distribution | Debian | 31.15% of the 2011 vote |
Ubuntu: desktop distribution
Ubuntu received 21.83% in the 2011 desktop-distribution poll. The Linux Foundation compared that with 28.56% the previous year. Participation also fell from 970 desktop-distribution votes in the earlier poll to 875 in 2011. Those figures describe the two forum polls; they do not establish a change in overall Linux usage, and the available account does not explain why participation changed.
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Debian: server distribution
Debian won the 2011 server-distribution category with 31.15%. Debian’s own project records independently list its February 2012 “Server Distribution of the Year” recognition for the 2011 LinuxQuestions.org Members Choice Awards.
Desktop environments and window managers
| Category | Leader | Reported result |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop environment | KDE | About 33% |
| Desktop environment | Xfce | 27.59%, second place |
| Window manager | Openbox | Winner; percentage not stated in the summary |
KDE led the desktop-environment category at about 33%, with Xfce second at 27.59%. The category recorded 627 votes in 2011, compared with 708 in the previous year. Openbox led the separate window-manager category. Because the summary does not provide Openbox’s percentage, no vote share can be assigned to it here.
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Application and database winners
| Category | Winner or result | Reported result |
|---|---|---|
| NoSQL database | Cassandra and MongoDB | Tie, 26.23% each |
| Office suite | LibreOffice | 81% |
| Text editor | Vim | More than 31% |
Cassandra and MongoDB tied
Cassandra and MongoDB finished level in the 2011 NoSQL category, each receiving 26.23%. This is a tie rather than a single winner.
LibreOffice dominated the office-suite vote
LibreOffice received 81% of votes in the office-suite category, the strongest percentage reported among the application categories summarized by The Linux Foundation.
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Vim took more than 31% in the text-editor category. The source reports the result as “more than 31%,” not as a more precise percentage.
Mobile winner
| Category | Winner | Reported result |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile | Android | Nearly 70% |
| Mobile | CyanogenMod | 14.34%, second place |
Android won the mobile category with nearly 70% of the vote. CyanogenMod placed second with 14.34%. These results reflect the options and voters in that 2011 forum poll, not the current mobile operating-system landscape.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How much weight should these awards carry?
The awards are useful as a snapshot of what participating LinuxQuestions.org members preferred in 2011. They can show which projects had strong mindshare in that community and period, but they cannot answer questions about present-day quality, security, performance, market share, or the preferences of Linux users who did not vote.
The Linux Foundation described the awards as being “in good fun” and offering “a bit of insight into community choices,” while cautioning that they should not be treated as gospel for the larger community. The available reporting does not establish voter demographics, poll weighting, or representativeness.
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2011 winners at a glance
- Desktop distribution: Ubuntu — 21.83%.
- Server distribution: Debian — 31.15%.
- Desktop environment: KDE — about 33%.
- Second desktop environment: Xfce — 27.59%.
- Window manager: Openbox.
- NoSQL: Cassandra and MongoDB tied at 26.23% each.
- Office suite: LibreOffice — 81%.
- Text editor: Vim — more than 31%.
- Mobile: Android — nearly 70%; CyanogenMod second at 14.34%.
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