Linux continues to be above 4% on the desktop
Linux continues to be above 4% on the desktop
According to the StatCounter, Linux on the desktop has continued to rise and remains above 4%, with this being the healthiest it's ever looked on the desktop.
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what happened in 2021 that started this trend?
Windows 11 got quite a few people to look into trying Linux
I personally didn't think Win11 was that big of a downgrade over Win10, But I also didn't like 10 to begin with so I didn't need much convincing.
Windows 11 is what finally got me to permanently switch over to Linux too lol
W10 release is what moved me to linux. My worstation got noticeably slower for CAD and my wife's laptop became a brick
I'm guessing there's a reduced pool of desktop pc users, thus Linux users are now slightly bigger in proportion? There has been big advances regarding Linux adoption, too.
Probably a number of factors. Some I can think of that may have contributed:
- Steam Deck showing that gaming is possible on Linux.
- Windows 11’s hardware requirements pushing people to try Linux on older hardware.
- Microsoft’s recent enshittification of Windows by pushing Edge and AI so hard.
- KDE has been pushing to fix bugs and has gotten really good lately.
- Electron has made a lot of apps people really need super easy to build for Linux, so companies have started releasing apps for Linux.
- Flatpak has done the same, for distribution.
Did you dare to say something positive about Electron? Blasphemy!
Pandemic lockdown maybe? Everyone got bored a few months into 2020. By 2021 they finally figured out their wifi drivers 🤷
(I'm joking, I haven't seriously struggled with wifi for a long time. I use Debian btw.)
I started with void cuz it sounded cool and it just shipped with the wifi drivers i needed. I got real lucky.
I started using Linux in 2021 never had any problems with drivers for anything. Debian also. It was just a pain in the ass to install until I figured out I had to download the iso with non free drivers or whatever. Glad they made this easier for Debian 12.
Now that I think about it, I actually first used Linux in 2021 too. For me it was because the laptop I had shipped with a HDD that was known for being prone to vibration failure, so while waiting for the warranty request to be approved I was running a persistent Ubuntu live USB
Proton making Linux better for gaming, which was the biggest excuse for holdouts. Steam deck showing you could not only game on Linux, but do so while sitting in a tree, with long term support implied by show of confidence from a large corporation.
Windows steepened its enshittification spiral.
The pandemic put a lot of people in a more experimental space, and they tried a lot of shit. And a lot of people picked up new skills. Including Linux 101.
And people saw authority in general start failing in a big ways. A lot of people started questioning shit. Including corporate hegemonies.
Windows 11 was officially released. That giant spike in late 2021 almost perfectly matched when Windows 11 was released. The Steam Deck was released in early 2022. So, from the graph, I would say the two main contributing factors are Windows 11 sucking to no one's surprise and the Steam Deck exposing people to Linux gaming.
I would say steam deck, both in actual installs and in raising awareness, but that wasn't until 2022