The true year of linux is not any specific year or a userbase percentage but when linux is widely preinstalled on consumer hardware without nerds needing to recommend to people to install it themselves
The steamdeck is the first step to that future
In my region (India), for a while, there seemed to be plenty of laptops available with Linux installed as an option. Then again in the last few years that seems to have withered down to almost none, sometimes even if the same model is available with Linux in some other regions. I am not sure what changed. Perhaps some deal with Microsoft. The good part is that the fact that they do support Linux elsewhere on the same laptop configuration generally means its easy to get it up and running yourself even if it does not come pre-installed.
In any case, as an old-timer, it’s very impressive to me how much hardware Linux supports nowadays without any drama at all. Not to mention all the progress made in software especially in supporting Windows-only games, which is truly magical work by the Wine / Proton teams. As far as I am concerned the “Year of Linux Desktop” is here already since I can use it daily without missing absolutely anything at all from Windows.
That was the same in Brazil, where I live. This scared the beejesus out of Microsoft, so they created special, cheaper version for developing countries to counter it.
Steam Deck is the first taste I get of Linux. I’ve always had this fear of not being able to fully utilize a Linux OS due to my lack of skills in coding, but I find myself looking into it more ever since I got a Steam Deck. It may just be the right excuse I need to git gud in coding.
Edit: Thanks for the clarification and encouragement guys. I’m going to make it a mission to move to Linux ASAP since it feels like Windows has been really pushing the limits of privacy these days.
The steamdeck is the first step to that future
I’m sure people said the same about android
I get that SteamOS is an actual desktop distro, and that’s closer to a daily driver than any android or bespoke *nix compatible SOC OS, but I doubt we’ll see this spread from steamdeck to daily drivers, unless…
Unless linux can offer some feature windows/mac/ios do not, or at least market itself as doing so the way that Apple does, and get the overwhelming majority of tech consumers—who want nothing more than to keep up with the joneses and see the hardware specs numbers get bigger—to FOMO into it
Unfortunately that would conflict with the most enticing features it does have that no one else does: a code of ethics that are inherently anti-capitalist and anti-authoritarian. And honestly, who wants every Linux community, online or off, flooded with consumers who only care about the newest Feature™ and have no care about maintaining software freedom?
deleted by creator
True, but Apple has already pivoted to being the “privacy-friendly” OS/devices. Whether or not that’s true–I don’t know for certain (I have a hunch, though)–they have much more visibility and influence and marketing, and therefore will cement themselves in people’s minds that way.
Besides, I like the idea of Linux existing outside the capitalist paradigm; instead of competing with the big names in the market, it’s on the outskirts playing its own game and absolutely crushing it. It has survived decades based almost entirely on word of mouth between computer nerds instead of vying for attention in the mainstream. As a technology it has achieved the platonic ideal: it is so good at what it does that it doesn’t need marketing, it survives solely on reputation and quality and user upkeep.
deleted by creator
@stappern @BaumGeist Care to elaborate on the latter statement ?
deleted by creator
The only thing I see holding people back is software availability. If it could run adobe and games natively I don’t see why anyone would want to pay for windows.
run adobe and games natively
-
adobe sucks for the same reasons I alluded to in my last paragraph. Money-grubbing corporation company hurts developers by patenting, trademarking, and copyrighting every minor feature in their programs to the point where FOSS alternatives have to bend over backwards to find ways to implement some of the same functionality. The problem isn’t linux, the problem is adobe, the problem is profit-motive, the problem is capitalism.
-
IDK what distro you use, but I’m using Debian, and it does run games natively–nearly half of the ones I own on steam. Not all of them, but that’s not Linux’s fault, that’s not Gnu’s fault, that’s not Debian’s fault: they already offer compatibility layers and yet that’s not good enough for everyone, and there’s not much they can do beyond that outside of building a windows clone (or at least a partial clone) that would probably get them sued. To run natively, the devs would have to compile it to run on Linux and the ones that don’t are making the choice to not do so–consciously or not, because of profits or not; it’s hard to say why, even indie devs who make free games as a hobby sometimes choose not to, so it’s not as easily dismissed with “because capitalism”
That all being said, the “software availability” criticism can cut both ways. I’ve found so many tools and utilities and apps and FOSS programs that are only made available for linux (unless one is willing to port them oneself), and there isn’t an app or program I use everyday that I haven’t found a linux-compatible alternative for. The glaring exception being games; to me that wasn’t a huge deal, I’ll bite that bullet because I’d rather go without kernel-privileged spyware for an OS–and the same for an anti-cheat engine–than play a triple-A on maximum graphics, play online multiplayers that require microsecond reaction time, or other such use cases where Proton actively hinders UX. Like I said, I’d rather have anti-authoritarian computers than worry about keeping up with the performance spec joneses
-
Software is definitely at the top of the list in terms of reasons. But the UX/UI definitely leaves something to be desired. I sigh heavily every time an application asks me to edit a text-based config file instead of giving me a GUI. It’s an unnecessary, error-prone process and most importantly I have better things to do than read yet another page of documentation. That doesn’t mean I want the config file to go away, it’s still very useful for a variety of reasons. But I shouldn’t have to mess around with it just to remap keys or other common tasks. Editing a config file should be a last resort for an end user.
You see similar problems when relying on the terminal. I don’t like this idea of the end user being allowed to mess around without a safety net or some sort of guidance.
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
I think it’s more about trying to change particular industries. If all of Adobes software was available for Linux in a supported and stable versions, you could see changes in the OS used in lots of design and creativity industries, which again would change what OS people use at home.
Also I think the force of being open source and spread over so many distros, is also a weakness in terms of getting the mainstream user to use it. My dad will call me or ask his friend about how you do this and that in Windows, but if our OS per default looks different from what others are using, he will not be able to get the same kind of help from his near community, and will have to rely on a more technical kind of support.
And things have to work out of the box. If I hear “You CAN get it to work” - I won’t use it. I need things to just work, I don’t have time to (nor interrest in) spending a night mingeling with config files to have simple things do the things they’re supposed to.
Tbf I am a graphic designer haha.
Laughs in Linux web server market share.
Android sits on top of linux so linux is already by far the most widely used operating system in the world in consumer devices.
I love Linux but I’ve been hearing this song since 2002. I’d love for it to grow bigger but we should stop framing it as the year of Linux.
I’ve been hearing this song since 2002
That’s the joke, my guy. THIS TIME IS REAL!
I met the linux kernel on the bus station on my way home yesterday, and asked him about this and he answered with a simple “yes” and left.
deleted by creator
The reddit API debacle sent me down a Lemmy, FOSS, Linux, privacy, hacker rabbit hole that I will hopefully and happily never have to leave. My eyes are opened to a better future. I’ll probably be duel booting windows for awhile still to keep up for my job, but I have been able to start transitioning away pretty easily thanks to the hard work of linux desktop devs. I am so grateful for the FOSS community and hope to contribute myself someday.
One of us, one of us ! Proxmox vaultwarden owncloud openmediavault docker-mailserver openwrt syncthing
why syncthing and not nextcloud
@jackpot @interdimensionalmeme Syncthing does not require a server and is much easier to set up from a user perspective.
no server, how does thay work
@jackpot You add every device to every other device and they connect directly to each other. If direct connection isn’t possible (1 out of 10 times) then a relay server is used. The relays are provided by the community for free (I am running one).
I’ve been mostly using Windows in a VM. I’ve not booted into my Windows partition for months now while sitting there almost untouched for 2 and an half years, and in one week or two I am getting rid of it. And with my Steam Deck coming I will install Windows on that on an SD Card, so in case I ever need a physical Windows system for something (likely some anti-cheat crippled game, or Microsoft Store exclusive game, or a software that for some reason doesn’t work on Wine or in the VM) I have one ready.
deleted by creator
Yeah, if they can’t even bother making it work with Proton then I can’t bother giving them money.
So, these statistics apparently come from StatCounter, a web analytics company. I know that this is probably the best way of collecting usage metrics for the entire Internet, but I think this is less efficient for counting Linux users - after all, I would say that the proportion of Linux users who also use content blockers is pretty high. Even if it weren’t the case, most distributions ship with Firefox pre-installed, which automatically blocks trackers out-of-the-box.
Also, wouldn’t this also count an embedded device with a WebView as a “Linux user”? For example, smart TVs have a web browser, and typically identify themselves with a “Generic Linux” user-agent.
deleted by creator
I believe those “IoT” (I hate this term) devices count as “Other”
Linus Torvalds said somewhere, that in a weird irony, the reason why he made Linux in the first place was to use it on his desktop computer, yet desktop is the only market where Linux has not completely crushed all of its competition.
It is getting better. But most people CANT use it as a daily driver.
The unfortunate relaity is that MS rules the business space, and without native Outlook/Teams/Office is pretty tough. You can skimp by with browser based versions but still…That not gonna cut it for julie from HR i guess.
I have been seriously considering trying it at work. But I do admin work. So many of the tools I use are opensource. Will still need RDP though.
where Linux has not completely crushed all of its competition
…yet.
But the time is coming! in 90000000000000003, 90000000000000002, 90000000000000001…
Removed by mod
Check out protondb.
Pretty much the only thing you cant play are games with really nasty AntiCheat/DRM.
Everything else, if its not good now? It’ll probably be good in a update or two from proton/GE
Removed by mod
Sound like you are addicted to videogames
Removed by mod
I’ve been playing most of my games on Linux since, well, years. When Valve introduced Proton it made things even easier, and currently I just enable Proton Experimental on Windows games and it just, works…really impressive when you think about it :)
How is the experience with online multiplayer?
I’ve enjoyed using my steamdeck and that OS. Would happily install a desktop variant of SteamOS when available but I mainly play single player games on the deck, I worry I won’t be able to enjoy a number of multiplayer games.
Depends on the game’s anticheat. ProtonDB is a site that tracks Steam Deck (and Linux in general) support for games. You can check what you play to see if it would run on Linux with Proton, the tool Steam uses to run Windows games on Linux. If you want a desktop similar to SteamOS, any distro that supports KDE Plasma will have the same desktop as SteamOS’ desktop mode, with the new Big Picture Mode on Steam being the Steam Deck’s game mode
@Madnessx9
@SirFredman
If the game has anti cheat look here https://areweanticheatyet.com/
deleted by creator
I’ve dabbled in linux for years but could never break my reliance on windows. I got a Steam deck and realized there was enough compatibility to justify moving to linux. So I just recently gave a flavor of linux called Nobara a shot. It’s by a Red Hat engineer that contributes heavily to getting games working in linux through Proton. My experience has been way better but I wouldn’t say perfect. I think it’s worth checking out to see if it works for you.
Removed by mod
All the games i want to play are workimg 100% on linux. Have you checked protondb for your games?
@luthis @Nacktmull I don’t even check before buying anymore. Everything runs fine, and I can’t remember the last time I bought something that didn’t work out of the box.
Removed by mod
Have you heard of Proton?
I love Linux, I hate Windows, I installed Linux, but there was one thing proton could not hanlde, all my visual novels. I’ll completely switch to linux when it supports visual novels or Virtual Machines with a smooth performance (or when I finish reading all the visual novels) Damn, I’m trapped on Windows 10 until that day.
Ive seen plenty work on linux just fine
I decided years ago to switch next time I change OS. I’m not ever getting Windows 11, but I’m still too much of a lazy bastard to move off Windows 10 til it stops getting support.
Maybe a wild hair up my ass to do it early will hit, but at the latest I’ll switch when 10 is dead. Or if I decide to finally build a new machine to update my poor dinosaur it’ll have Linux day 1.
In the meantime I’ll have to do some homework on proton and such to learn what I’m getting into with games so I can hit the ground running.
You a want a suggestion on how to make the dive easier ? Install Linux on a USB stick.
Any old 32GB USB thumb drive will do. Linux is way smarter in how it handles storage devices, so you can boot it from a USB stick and it will be just as happy as if you installed it on an SSD or HDD. All you have to do is tell the installer to use the stick as the destination when installing. Then you can boot from it whenever you want and try out Steam and Proton.
Heck, you can even take it with you and use it to boot other computers into you own pre-configured Linux.
Sorry if this is dumb, but does booting to Linux overwrite the current operating system, or can you just choose to boot to one or the other?
No , it doesnt touch your boot drive
@Lazylazycat @Anarch157a
Dual booting is an option
If you go with Ubuntu (best starting distro in my opinion) you will be able to install Linux alongside windows but there is a need for repartioning the drive.Tutorial:
https://itsfoss.com/install-ubuntu-1404-dual-boot-mode-windows-8-81-uefi/Thanks, I’ll look into this.
@Lazylazycat
You can do what’s called “dual boot” where both (or even more than 2) OSes are available and you pick which to use at boot.
@Anarch157aThis is a trap. I dual booted and just never went back to windows. Wasted disk space for years
Pahaha I could see this happening to me.
@luthis
I used it for gaming for years, but eventually I realized I was never switching back. I’d found games that ran native.
Cool, thank you!
At this rate, we’ll be 30% in 300 years!
2323 - the year of Linux desktop.
this stuff is exponential, getting to 0% to 3% is harder than 10% to 30%
deleted by creator
Now that was quick, it’s 4% now.
I’d just like to interject for a moment. What you’re refering to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I’ve recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux. Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX.
Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is often called Linux, and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project.
There really is a Linux, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use. Linux is the kernel: the program in the system that allocates the machine’s resources to the other programs that you run. The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. Linux is normally used in combination with the GNU operating system: the whole system is basically GNU with Linux added, or GNU/Linux. All the so-called Linux distributions are really distributions of GNU/Linux!
“I use Linux as my operating system,” I state proudly to the unkempt, bearded man. He swivels around in his desk chair with a devilish gleam in his eyes, ready to mansplain with extreme precision. “Actually”, he says with a grin, "Linux is just the kernel. You use GNU+Linux!’ I don’t miss a beat and reply with a smirk, “I use Alpine, a distro that doesn’t include the GNU Coreutils, or any other GNU code. It’s Linux, but it’s not GNU+Linux.”
The smile quickly drops from the man’s face. His body begins convulsing and he foams at the mouth and drops to the floor with a sickly thud. As he writhes around he screams “I-IT WAS COMPILED WITH GCC! THAT MEANS IT’S STILL GNU!” Coolly, I reply “If windows were compiled with GCC, would that make it GNU?” I interrupt his response with “-and work is being made on the kernel to make it more compiler-agnostic. Even if you were correct, you won’t be for long.”
With a sickly wheeze, the last of the man’s life is ejected from his body. He lies on the floor, cold and limp. I’ve womansplained him to death.
error loading comment
Well what if I install Linux on my “free school Chromebook/Windows laptop/MacBook”?
error loading comment
What if we count WSL and Android?
WSL definitely. It’s a gateway drug I’ve peddled to many a developer.
This is why I had to switch. It was just too clunky to get CUDA and Pytorch and Tensorflow set up in Windows. In Linux, it was a total breeze.
Edit: And then I thought, “well, wouldn’t it be great if I didn’t have to use Windows to use Linux?”
Yup. First comes WSL, then comes a VM, then comes the good stuffs.
Is this with or without the steam deck?
Not that I don’t like the steam deck, I think it is really great for linux adaption. I am just curious.
This is in the StatCounter FAQ:
Are laptops included in the desktop platform?
Yes. Laptops and desktop machines are included in the desktop platform together. We use the browser useragent to determine the platform and there is not enough information contained in the useragent to distinguish between laptops and desktops. That is why we do not have a separate laptop platform.
So it sounds like they’re using the useragent to distinguish between mobile and desktop. So most likely, yes, steam decks would be counted as desktops, but only to the degree that they are used to browse the internet. I suspect most steam deck users don’t do that, but I don’t know, I don’t have a steam deck.
Wonder what dent the 40M rasberry pi’s make, not to mention virtual desktops and the like! The number may be higher than 3%!
probably not much, since i imagine most raspberry pis are being used for an embedded project and not as a desktop/web browsing computer.
