Linux hits 4% on the desktop 🐧📈

And it was at 2.92% in Oct 23, so that's approx 38% increase in 4 months! If we keep this level of growth for a year, we're looking at 7.67% marketshare in a year from now!

I believe I said it in a different post but 2023 was the year of the Linux desktop. Hardware like Bluetooth and webcams just work. Applications and games have gotten so much easier install thanks to Flatpak and Steam.

Now Plasma 6 is upon us. HDR could be supported this year. At this point avoid Linux only if it's missing a specific app you need.

This site is really unrealiable. It is based on browser's user agent. It has spikes like this regurally and always Linux community talks about it.

that "unknown" is suspiciously rising with linux, so the number might be higher

Desktop linux has become great since I first tried installing it in 2002. I remember being in my barracks and I had to switch back to windows because I had no way to get the modem drivers I needed.

As amazing as the linux desktop experience has become, windows has really done this to itself. The windows experience 10 years ago was 'fine'. Like it wasn't amazing, it could be improved upon, but it did what it needed to do without bothering the user much.

Windows the OS has lost the thread completely. Its a travesty. I no longer recommend for non-power users to build their own PC (I've helped several family members who were going down the "I want a powerful computer, should I buy a mac?" direction and would steer them to build-a-pc+windows) strictly because Windows has become something entirely different than an operating system. Unfortunately, no Linux desktop experience is quite to the point where I could recommend it and not-expect to get a constant barrage of calls from a family member when they need to install a basic piece of software or their blue tooth headphones wont connect. Because of what Windows has decided to become, after decades of being anti-mac because of their 'ecosystem'/ anti-collaborative approach, I've turned a corner and now recommend Macs for non-power users, but linux for every one else.

This increase in popularity has the potential to create a sea-change in that regard, especially if we can get people to support (financially) the teams that are putting these distros together. I really need a linux distro to recommend that won't get me calls where I have to hop in and figure out why an nvidia driver that was working suddenly stopped working, what the hell is blueman doing, issues with audio drivers, issues with software compatibility.

Like I cant reasonably put my MIL on a linux laptop that I put together for her and expect her to have a good experience. So she gets a mac. But my nieces and nephews? No they are starting linux from day 0.

Nice!

And yet still below the "unknown" OS? What the heck is this "unknown" OS that fares better than Linux?

I've had a Linux desktop since 2003, over 20 years now. 20 years of facepalm after facepalm every time I saw people get fucked by a windows machine.

Go Linux!

YEAR OF THE LINUX DESKTOP!!!!

LETS FUCKING GOOO

As a sidenote, I bought a whole new SSD and I plan to switch from windows 10 to ubuntu (yeah I know) when I have more stability in my life. At the moment I don't want more changes in my life because I have a lot going, but it's coming

Dumb questions maybe. But I mostly keep Windows for like Battle.net games. Is there any way to play Overwatch II or Diablo IV in Linux? With proton or any other way? Legit would tip me into that realm. I’m a Debian fan if that matters. But I’m comfortable in other distros. Except Arch 😆

choo choo motherfuckers

Wtf is unknown? What, are they implying that people made their own OS? If the unknown is due to those pc not reporting what OS they have, well that's most definitely Linux because Windows user tend to not care that much about privacy and Apple people tend to kiss Apple ass no matter what so they will not try to ofuscat their OS for privacy as for them having an mac or whatever is something they want to show off!

I was running Bazzite for several months before I switched back to Windows. Unfortunately for me I have a broadcom wifi adapter, it kept disconnecting every 10-15 minutes, and that doesn't bode well for gaming. Outside of that I really enjoyed using it! At least my steamdeck counts towards usage of Linux...

Edit: also steam having to download pre-cached shaders almost every time I started up my computer was kind of annoying. I know you can disable that, but then you're leaving performance on the table iirc.

Awesome news. I plan to make the full switch to Linux next week. League of Legends is the only reason I use Windows. Next week, they are adding Vanguard, and that'll make it impossible to play on Windows.

It is finally, the year of Linux on the desktop. XD

It's going to grow. When Windows 10 support ends I'm moving a lot more hardware that way.