We see the nearly 33-year-old OS’s market share growing 31.3 percent from June 2023, when we last reported on Linux market share, to February. Since June, Linux usage has mostly increased gradually. Overall, there’s been a big leap in usage compared to five years ago. In February 2019, Linux was reportedly on 1.58 percent of desktops globally.
You heard it here first.
2024: Year of the Linux Desktop
1991: Year of the Linux Desktop199219931994…
201920202021202220232024
2023 was officially the year of the Linux laptop for me. The year of the linux desktop for myself may or may not be this year.
We should thank Microsoft for rendering Windows absolutely unusable, to the point that many people are just jumping ship and installing a Linux distro.
Yeah, microsoft making outlook worse and worse every year sends me to thunderbird. And thunderbird suck on Windows, so I finally switched back to linux after years of using windows (I switched to windows when Windows 10 released).
I am surprised that linux is pretty usable at this point, much better than 7 years ago. I feel much more productive in gnome than on Windows at this point.
What kind of things got worse with outlook? I still use it for work, and the ui has changed, sure, but still seems to do everything it used to. In fact, the progressive web app even works quite well on linux!
I am referring to the email client preinstalled with windows, not the office 365 version. MS adds ad to it and dramatically changed the UI (I forgot what problem I encountered with the new UI), that drives me towards thunderbird.
Ahh, gotcha. Last I saw it was called Windows Live Mail and was already just suuuper basic. I am kind of impressed they managed to make it worse haha
Well, Microsoft is doing everything they can to get people to switch to Linux right now…
Valve and Microsoft working together to get people to switch to Linux and make 2024 the Year of Linux on the desktop.
Such as? I love Windows 11 for Auto HDR alone. I never have to think about HDR at all in 11. It just works. In 10 the implementation was wonky at best. It often made things look worse so I literally never used it. Can’t wait for the dedicated Copilot key as well. 'Bout time they retired the useless Menu key. I don’t know of any Linux distro that integrates AI with the OS… Do you? Cause I’m still willing to switch so long as it has AI and a proper HDR implementation.
I’m using AI in a very controlled manner, I don’t want somebody else to decide for me where it’s applied.
Also, Windows 11 doesn’t have support for ultrawide monitors, and I happen to have one.
Ehy would you want “AI” in an OS?
As long as you can’t see Linux machines in normal computer stores it will not happen. Users never get the opportunity to experience it. Today there is no killer feature really like the other OS have.
Maybe if framework gets big?
People go to computer stores?
Yes, non-linux users
I don’t think I remember the last time I heard about someone, Linux user or not, going to a computer store. In fact, I don’t even know if there are computer stores around here anymore.
Plenty of big box stores here carry computers. There are also also electronics megastores like Mediamarkt, Saturn, and others.
Most likely Best Buy, Office Depot, or Wal Mart for the typical brick and mortar. Apple Stores too, but that’s a bit beside the point.
Office Depot gets benefits like a workspace where “hey, a laptop broke, we’ll get it warranty repaired, but in the mean time hop over to Office Depot and charge whatever because we need a replacement right this minute”. Strangely, even after all this time, there are folks that still need to touch and poke and ask questions before they settle.
Online is great if you are very particular and know what you want and can afford to wait a day or two because you want a somewhat less popular model. If you aren’t too particular, want some in person reassurances, or in a great hurry, then brick and mortar still wins.
The killer features(for me) are: Privacy(by Default), Opensource, Decent performance on old hardware, looks pretty(variable), basic software compatibility(else i would just use TempleOS)
Privacy(by Default)
Not once you get on the Web.
Decent performance on old hardware
I don’t know what you call old. Also not once you get on the Web.
looks pretty(variable),
Yessir, and for me that could be a sufficient reason alone. Sad that conkeror is no more usable for a browser.
Atleast i am acutely aware of what is phoning home(Unlike M$), I avoid G services like the plague, but whenever i am forced to use them they sit in a separate FF profile, I know what links what and who are in kahoots with whom: If you take the approach that going on the web is equivalent to waltzing in a big public market square, and apply the appropriate precautions, you can ensure you’re late night pillow searches are never linked back to your G account.
My hardware is atleast 13 Yr old at this point, and it runs the latest Linux kernel and the Gnome DE just fine, Video playback and the general Internet is just ‘fine’; you can equate it to providing a mobility scooter to an old grandma who is mentally fit
Going on the web is equivalent to waltzing into big port city’s cheapest and biggest brothel.
OK, so it’s 13 years, I was imagining c2d.
I would equate the darkweb to that moniker and not the general clear web (that is at this point running on the infrastructure of just 3-4 companies, so its more like a choice between malls than individual vendors)
I was imagining c2d.
What?
No, “the darkweb” is actually cleaner.
Core 2 Duo
agree to disagree
I once nagged my friend to install Zorin Os lite on his c2d laptop with 2gb of RAM, he still uses it to this day
We should each create 5 small VMs with a Linux desktop on them and keep them running.
We’ll kick it up to like 5%!
LOL this is not the market share of Linux.
This is the share of Linux in one certain market of web surfers.
Yeah, misleading headline. They’re talking about the linux desktop, and based just on browser stats. Marked share of linux as a whole, including all datacenters, servers, cloud infrastructure, and heck, throw in IOT devices, android, routers, etc, I’m pretty sure it’s the dominant OS already.
why is this such a big deal when it’s still such a small number? I get that it’s “increasing” but still
Because it means Linux is gaining enough credibility as a desktop operating system for PC and parts manufacturers to work harder to ensure compatibility.
Everyone seems to want off the Microsoft upgrade train. Consumers don’t want to constantly fear that the OS will stop getting security updates because Microsoft doesn’t want to make them anymore. Manufacturers of PCs don’t want to pay the Microsoft tax. Parts manufacturers know it’s actually easier to write drivers for Linux than it is for Windows.
But until Linux shows signs of being a credible and attractive alternative, it’s not going to break Microsoft’s stranglehold on all three.
It’s not that small. One more percent and Linux Party gets into federal parlament.
Add in ChromeOS, which is essentially Linux with a proprietary Desktop Environment installed and it’s already there.
I’ve been a regular user of Debian and Ubuntu for the last 20 years and even though I love the idea of Linux taking market share from Windows the article doesn’t in any way analyze the reliability of the statistics.
Statcounter says it gets its desktop operating system (OS) usage stats from tracking code installed on over 1.5 million global websites generating over 5 billion monthly page views.
So… How reliable is this actually? There are a millions reasons for me to fake which is and web browser in using. Some sites actively sabotage the user experience and usability if the OS is not identified as Windows or the web browser is not Chrome/Edge.
I’ve been working IT since the 90’s and there’s not a 4% market share of Linux when I look at my friends and colleagues that works IT. The ones I know that doesn’t work IT definitively don’t use Linux. Att least not in other things than Steam Deck and Android (Linux as in “modified kernel”) and maybe some premade img for RPi
Idk, I’m a woman approaching my senior years who had to have someone else install it. My whole household is on Linux. None of us are in IT.
Year of the Linux desktop babyyyy
Year of the Linux portable gaming handheld?
2 years in a row babyyyy
