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submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by Cricket@lemmy.zip to c/linux@lemmy.ml

Clickbaity title on the original article, but I think this is the most important point to consider from it:

After getting to 1% in approximately 2011, it took about a decade to double that to 2%. The jump from 2% to 3% took just over two years, and 3% to 4% took less than a year.

Get the picture? The Linux desktop is growing, and it's growing fast.

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[-] Ptsf@lemmy.world 184 points 2 weeks ago

About to be 6.0000001% when my Kubuntu download finishes. I'm finally taking the dive boys, linux on main here we go.

[-] expr@programming.dev 12 points 2 weeks ago

I think kubuntu was the very first distro I ever installed in a VM when trying out Linux 10 years ago. I've since moved on (an aging Arch install right now, which will eventually be replaced by a NixOS install whenever I get around to it), but just wanted to say that a whole new world lies at your footsteps, my friend. Enjoy it. It's like discovering the wonder of computing for the first time.

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[-] galoisghost@aussie.zone 117 points 2 weeks ago

Damn Linux becoming mainstream. How will I feel like a superior tech elite now?

[-] eta@feddit.org 66 points 2 weeks ago
[-] galoisghost@aussie.zone 36 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Pretty sure BSD is dying, Netcraft confirmed that like 30 years ago.

[-] Redex68@lemmy.world 43 points 2 weeks ago

That's why we need to switch to TempleOS

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[-] brax@sh.itjust.works 25 points 2 weeks ago

Only use TTY

[-] FundMECFS@quokk.au 14 points 2 weeks ago

Delete all browsers. Only access the web using curl.

[-] Taldan@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago

Curl? You thunk I can't craft my own web requests??

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[-] KingThrillgore@lemmy.ml 73 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Chaotic Good Billionaire does a solid for Linux, Windows users devastated

[-] IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 14 points 2 weeks ago
[-] sic_semper_tyrannis@lemmy.today 72 points 2 weeks ago

SteamOS, Bazzite, and the Plasma DE I think are what's driving Linux to be more popular. They are all very streamlined experiences.

[-] freeman@feddit.org 39 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I tested Gnome and KDE Plasma5 in the last year. KDE Plasma is in my opinion the first DE which is comparable with Win/MacOS. It looks modern, is pretty much feature complete and as an average user its nice to have useful apps preinstalled (calculator, libreoffice, firefox and so on), but no bloatware.

Its just a bit more customizable than windows, which is perfect and also not fiddly and a pain. It certainly has a handful of quirks, like Windows does, but you get used to them.

If I have to set up elderly relatives with a computer, I'd strongly consider a KDE Plasma Desktop

[-] aksdb@lemmy.world 29 points 2 weeks ago

The preinstalled apps are not a feature of KDE (or Gnome, XFCE, etc.). Actually they all are structured in a very modular way where you can use or omit individual components. Firefox and LibreOffice are completely independent of it even; they merely add compatibility layers to make the integration more seamless.

What you experienced was something to attribute to the distribution you chose. They are the ones to decide which components to bundle and preinstall. That is also the reason why so many distributions exist in the first place, because different teams/devs have different visions about what the desktop should look and feel like after install.

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[-] lemmyman210@sh.itjust.works 60 points 2 weeks ago

As a daily Linux user, this makes me VERY VERY happy!!

[-] BrightCandle@lemmy.world 49 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Most technology adoption follows an S curve, it can often take a long time to start to get going. Linux has gradually and steadily been improving especially for games and other desktop uses while at the same time Microsoft has been making Windows worse. I feel more that this is Microsoft's fault, they have abandoned the development of desktop Windows and the advancement of support for modern processor designs and gaming hardware. This has for the first time has let Linux catch up and in many cases exceed Windows capabilities on especially gaming which has always been a stubborn issue. Its still a problem especially in hardware support for VR and other peripherals but its the sort of thing that might sort itself out once the user base grows and companies start producing software for Linux instead.

It might not be enough, but the switching off Windows 10 is causing a change which Microsoft might really regret in a few years.

[-] MangoCats@feddit.it 18 points 2 weeks ago

The desktop has been Microsoft's to lose for 30 years...

[-] semisimian@startrek.website 14 points 2 weeks ago

I'll hang on to 10 as long as they'll let me, but I am never going to 11. Then it'll be a distro for dis bro.

Sorry.

[-] neon_nova@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 2 weeks ago

Just curious and not judging your decision in anyway, but… “What are you waiting for?”

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[-] HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org 11 points 2 weeks ago

Microsoft has been making Windows worse. I feel more that this is Microsoft's fault, they have abandoned the development of desktop Windows and the advancement of support for modern processor designs and gaming hardware.

Moores law is dead since a long time except for graphic cards and GPUs. This means you can't keep adding things to desktop software in the style of "What IBM giveth, Microsoft takes away".

Existing development paradigms don't add significant qualities to many-processor hardware.

Which also explains part of the AI craze. It is investment money searching for a sensible use.

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[-] neon_nova@lemmy.dbzer0.com 41 points 2 weeks ago

A long time ago when Linux was around 2-3% someone said that macOS adoption by software companies happened when it got to 5% of the marketshare.

If Linux continues down the path, we might see real support from some of the holdouts.

Before anyone says to use an alternative, sometimes there are not workable alternatives.

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[-] limer@lemmy.ml 33 points 2 weeks ago

When it gets to 7%, is that when there is more malware designed for Linux desktop ?

[-] majster@lemmy.zip 20 points 2 weeks ago

There is already plenty of malware targeting devs on Linux where is it's strongest userbase.

[-] comfy@lemmy.ml 15 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah, unfortunate to rain in the parade but GNU/Linux definitely needs some attention sooner rather than later. Plenty of design benefits, but also plenty of pitfalls from an OS sec POV.

Average users aren't installing SELinux or Qubes so I hope no-one was actually going to reply with what Linux can do as opposed to the everyday user experience.

A few years outdated, but relevant: https://madaidans-insecurities.github.io/linux.html

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[-] webghost0101@sopuli.xyz 31 points 2 weeks ago

A king once summoned a wise man who had done him a great service and said, “Name your reward.” The wise man replied, “Your Majesty, I ask for a simple thing. Give me one percent Linux desktop market share for the first square of the chessboard, two percent for the second square, four percent for the third square, and so on, doubling the amount for each of the 64 squares.” The king, thinking this was a modest request, said, “Surely you jest! Such a small reward for such a great service? Ask for gold, land, or jewels instead.” But the wise man insisted, and the king agreed. The king ordered his treasurer to calculate the total. Starting with 1% for the first square, 2% for the second, 4% for the third, 8% for the fourth… by the time they reached the tenth square, they needed 512% of the desktop market. The treasurer, pale with realization, informed the king that by the 64th square, they would need more market share than could possibly exist in the entire universe of computing devices. The king then understood that what seemed like a humble request was actually impossible to fulfill, and he gained a new respect for the power of exponential growth.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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[-] land@lemmy.dbzer0.com 29 points 2 weeks ago

Jumped to Bazzite never looked back. Let's goooo

[-] dtrain@lemmy.world 29 points 2 weeks ago
[-] wewbull@feddit.uk 28 points 2 weeks ago

The avalanche has started. It is too late for the pebbles to vote.

[-] WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world 15 points 2 weeks ago

Windows' market share is being nibbled to death by cats.

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[-] geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml 27 points 2 weeks ago
[-] BunScientist@lemmy.zip 27 points 2 weeks ago

at this point linux will have more than 100% market share by next week!!!!!!!!

[-] Cricket@lemmy.zip 17 points 2 weeks ago

They used a different data source for this one and mentioned why they preferred this one over the one from the day before.

[-] blind3rdeye@aussie.zone 13 points 2 weeks ago

So what you're saying is that if we just keep switching to different data sources, we could get above 50% in less than two months!

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[-] DJDarren@sopuli.xyz 22 points 2 weeks ago

Does it count that I have four computers running Linux because I can't help myself?

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[-] Mio@feddit.nu 19 points 2 weeks ago

But it is only in the US and not globally. Anyway, competition is good.

[-] Telorand@reddthat.com 18 points 2 weeks ago

I went to CachyOS on my desktop full time this year. Already had Bazzite on a laptop.

There's been a few hiccups here and there, but nothing insurmountable with a little patience and practice and reading.

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[-] med@sh.itjust.works 18 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Hang on though, if it's web stats, how many of those impressions are ai bots scraping training data claiming to be Firefox users?

Don't those likely read as Linux from how they fingerprint on TCP connections?

[-] voodooattack@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

The last thing a scraper wants is to stand out. Most scrapers out there masquerade as Windows+Chrome on PC. It’s not hard to spoof a user agent and any scrapers that identify uniquely get blocked real fast.

[-] JOMusic@lemmy.ml 16 points 1 week ago
[-] bob_lemon@feddit.org 13 points 1 week ago

Literally switched to Linux on my desktop yesterday.

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[-] Teppichbrand@feddit.org 15 points 1 week ago

Exponential growth!

[-] Sina@beehaw.org 14 points 2 weeks ago

Statcounter considers me a Win user due to the Win user agent I'm using, this is not a rare behavior in the Linux space..

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this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2025
669 points (100.0% liked)

Linux

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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