I think we will…but I dont think it will be called Linux.
It will be like Android I think. Something that has Linux inside but comes with some device.
Yes I do, it seems to me Linux is beginning to grow a bit faster than it used to.
Desktop use is of course declining, so it will be a larger share of a smaller market.
But enthusiasts have seen Linux as the better options for decades now, and gamers are coming over too, and use cases that require optimal security, and even some workstation tasks are done better on Linux because Linux has a superior kernel for multi threading.But it will take some time, probably at least 10 years.
To my mind, Linux used to be a niche alternative to Windows, but it’s grown a lot and I forsee it becoming the default alternative to MacOS. I think Windows is done as a platform in the short-medium term.
Well said, sir. Gonna steal it, when an appropriate conversation arises.
I converted two of my friends so I’m doing my part! Just think if everyone gets two people they know to switch well be there in no time.
Probably, but it would be a lot easier if the Linux community coalesces around one main distro. If that happens, they could challenge Microsoft. Otherwise, probably not.
It’s hard to see that being a good thing
But then I think that’s the mentality which has led to the failure to capitalise on Microsoft’s unpopularity over many years. To be honest.
I understand where you’re coming from, but of course the Linux I want to use is not a business with a centralized marketing department vying for market share. It’s something that I can customize and make into whatever I want it to be.
I think that’s why many people want to use Linux - they’re not pigeonholed into decisions made to gain market share, they’re free to choose whatever works well for them.
Paradoxically, 20 plus years ago people chose PCs and Microsoft over Apple for much of the same reason. We could select our own hardware from any manufacturer, easily run our own executables and develop code in any direction desired.
I’m not really saying that has to change. I’m certainly not for it becoming a corporate thing. We have to fight against that 100%. But I would say you can have your Arch, Cachy, or whatever. The tinkerers can do their niche thing in the corner. But if you ever want it to be widely used, you have to present Ubuntu, or Fedora, or Mint, as “Linux” as far as the general public are concerned. If that doesn’t happen, then it won’t matter how unpopular Microsoft becomes.
Thats what red hat is supposed to be
Microslop is doing everything to promote Linux. So yes, I think 10% is possible.
I think it’s inevitable at this rate. The rate it’s growing, and the rate that people are being frustrated by Windows, means it’s only a matter of time. When people see others they know on Linux then it breeds curiosity, and there’s no turning back. It’ll only grow.
yeah, why not?
I would assume there is going to eventually be an even split: what is not MacOS, which has different dynamics, is going to be Linux variants at home, and Windows in corporate settings. Linux will continue to dominate the server and device markets.
My assumptions are based on flows of money. There is just not a lot of money for Microsoft in OS development for home computers at a time when they are making their money mostly with subscriptions they can easily move online.
converging evolutions. all of this AI bullshit is like the phase of fish developing legs and trying to get onto land and Linux is like the crabs
definately. I see anyone who does not go to linux as using something like smartphones or other simpler things and linux being the only game in town for people who use a real workstation. Im not sure windows can survive in the long term in both desktops and the server and I expect apple to basically abandon the desktop thing eventually.
Yes. Linux plays the long game instead of seeking short-term profits. Linux isn’t even an OS per se, neither is a unified product from one company, and that exactly why I think it will outlast the proprietary products because it’s adaptable, resilient to changes. the only challenge linux faces is hardware getting locked down…
I personally feel pretty confident we’re gonna hit 10% in the coming years. 20% could be doable but i feel like it might take a lot longer to get there. But depending on how badly microslop keeps fucking up, who knows lol.
I think 10% is very achievable within 5 years, driven by a few converging factors:
- Steam Deck effect — it’s normalizing Linux gaming in a way nothing else has. People who game on Deck start wondering “why not on my desktop too?”
- Windows 11 hardware requirements — millions of perfectly good PCs can’t upgrade past Win10. When support ends, Linux is the obvious path for those machines
- Corporate cost pressure — companies paying per-seat Windows licensing are looking at alternatives seriously, especially with web-based workflows
The biggest remaining barrier isn’t technical — it’s the ecosystem lock-in (Adobe, MS Office dependencies). But even that’s eroding with web apps replacing native ones.
Oh yeah. From messing around with Fedora Atomic, I can definitely see something like that working for a lot of people - no messing around with system libraries, stuff installs in a click, if it’s not available as a flatpak you can find an AppImage, etc. Immutability is really convenient if you just want a system that runs and can revert back to a working state easily without fiddlefucking with the terminal/fighting Google to get the info from StackExchange threads.
The fact that I’m having more and more discussions with non tech people about what even Linux is, that they heard of GrapheneOS or /e/OS, makes me thing that yes, it’s possible.
What also makes it potentially possible is that Microsoft is doing like NVIDIA alienating gamers. They are “just” gigantic corporations which only go where there is more money. There is no ideology except capturing whatever drives profit up for the next quarter. They currently see AI data center as they place to earn more so they are giving up on the rest.
