Distro Comparison using forum Stats

 I hit upon a idea about comparing the various Linux distros based on forum statistics. I visited the forums of various popular distros (openSUSE, Fedora, Debian, Mint, Arch, Ubuntu) and then collected the stats displayed on the forums home page.

Raw Data

 The first step involved collecting raw data about the number of registered members in each forum and other stuff like number of threads , no of active users etc: I couldn't find active users statistics for all forums and each distro preferred to use a different bulletin board software. I collected screenshots of the stats too as shown below.

Distro	Mint
Url	forums.linuxmint.com
Members	81833
Threads	108243

Distro	Arch
Url	bbs.archlinux.org
Members	44823
Threads	148545

Distro	Debian
Url	forums.debian.net
Members	132589
Threads	69950

Distro	Fedora
Url	fedoraforum.org
Members	139147
Threads	267719

Distro	Ubuntu
Url	ubuntuforums.org
Members	1762103
Threads	1906499

Distro	openSUSE
Url	forums.opensuse.org
Members	71137
Threads	175115

Number Crunching

Registered Users :- The number of users in each forum may be taken as some sort of rudimentary proof of popularity of a distro. Ubuntu takes the first place which should not surprise anyone. Fedora and Debian are neck and neck and both of them take the next two places.

Distro	Members
Ubuntu	1762103
Fedora	139147
Debian	132589
Mint	81833
openSUSE	71137
Arch	44823

No of Threads :-  This set of stats threw up a few surprises. openSUSE took third place in the list. I guess old threads were archived by some of the forums.

Distro	Threads
Ubuntu	1906499
Fedora	267719
openSUSE	175115
Arch	148545
Mint	108243
Debian	69950

No of Threads per member :- I think this stat should tell as to whether the distro is able to sustain interest with its users over  longer periods of time. We find that Ubuntu does poorly in this regard.  May be unity had a role to play in this. Arch and openSUSE seem to paying more attention to their much smaller communities than some of the more popular distros.

Distro	Members	Threads	Mem Vs Thr (Thr/Mem)
Arch	44823	148545	3.3140352051
openSUSE	71137	175115	2.46165849
Fedora	139147	267719	1.9240012361
Mint	81833	108243	1.3227304388
Ubuntu	1762103	1906499	1.0819452665
Debian	132589	69950	0.5275701604

Conclusion:- It is not enough that a distro is popular . It should pay heed to the needs of its community. All the stats presented are subjective and should be taken with a pinch of salt as many of the distros have been known to conduct day to day discussions on IRC and mailing lists too. It is not being taken into account here :-)