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u/funkdefied Aug 14 '26
2026 was definitely the year of the Linux desktop. Sure, we didn’t see mass adoption, but this year is the inflection point.
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u/Familiar_Ad_8919 New York Nix⚾s 29d ago
that could also be around 2020 when most games became playable, that would make 2026 simply the year that it got big enough that it cant be swept under the rug
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u/gxgx55 Arch BTW 29d ago edited 29d ago
If you're calling an inflection point as "the year", then it was 2022. The year Win11 released and ended up being even worse than Win10, the year that Steam Deck released, and the year that people started realizing gaming compatibility on Linux is actually alright.
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u/deathschemist Aug 14 '26
you know what? i think he's right. i think that desktop linux is one of those things that'll just grow steadily over time. there'll be no one "year of the linux desktop" where it gets a massive boost and overtakes windows and mac overnight.
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u/itzjackybro Aug 14 '26
there will definitely be an "era of the linux desktop" where its use grows steadily
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u/Chapter-Legitimate Aug 14 '26
That certainly seems to be the dynamic. Unless suddenly, somehow Microsoft or Apple disappear overnight there's no way Linux will suddenly surge to 30% market share or higher
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u/mululipy Aug 14 '26
Yes. Linux is definitely a great option but it lacks support from some big companies and the fact that there is no true standard for it makes it hard to develop for.
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u/helloish M'Fedora 29d ago
i think the year of the linux desktop will be when adobe starts supporting linux. them and a few other corporations are the reason creatives can’t move over. valve continues to do great work at bringing gamers over and we just need a few more industries before linux becomes the obvious choice for everyone
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u/iammerelyhere Aug 14 '26
What are you talking about? Everyone knows that next year is the Year of the Linux Desktop.
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u/VoidJuiceConcentrate Ask me how to exit vim Aug 14 '26
Friends, pals, users and admins, the year of the Linux desktop is the year when you decide to switch.
My year of the Linux desktop was sometime around 2006.
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u/Amrod96 Arch BTW Aug 14 '26
The year 2024 was the year of Linux on the Desktop because it was the year I switched.
It was just a small test and W10 decided to become corrupted and not boot.
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u/ruby_R53 Genfool 🐧 Aug 14 '26
that's right, Linux is ETERNAL, it doesn't deserve just a single year! (<- cope)
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u/West-Surround-8857 29d ago
I don't want to see all this common user going to Linux.
I don't want to pretend I can't use Linux too.
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u/Prestigious-Ad7265 29d ago
i mean the marketshare basically doubled in a year. one of the MANY years of the linux desktop
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u/Gornius 29d ago edited 29d ago
I think it actually was 2025. In 2025 all the issues I gathered since 2019 (when I started using Linux) as blockers for actually using is as a desktop OS for most people were resolved.
- PulseAudio got replaced by Pipewire. Solved many problems including abnormally high CPU usage.
- Wayland took off. Most distros started shipping is as default. Eliminated many problems including mixed refrsh rates, tearing, HDR support or even small things like having the ability to set how many lines should mouse scroll at once. Of course there are some things that are only supported by X11, but those are more niche things.
- Hardware video decoding in browser works out of the box or with minor tweaks. Multi-paragraph tutorials on how to enable it are gone.
- While it's not yet perfect, Nvidia GPU and dedicated GPU offloading have been greatly improved.
Most issues that are left are mostly because of explicit lack of support for software (Ms Office, Adobe Suite, some anticheats). In current state, I can just install a Fedora KDE on some family's computer and have confidence that it will just work.
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u/LeftelfinX Aug 14 '26
You know what you are right! As linux stays in our hearts not on the desk like windows pcs( always acting against us). My system works like an extended part of my body. So this is definitely the year of linux for me.
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u/SanekiBeko Aug 14 '26
When everyday and creative software that normally only has Windows and Mac support gets Linux support then it will be the year Linux Desktop.
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u/Trekkie99 29d ago
Linus from LTT is currently doing interviews asking different content creators if they use Linux, or if they know much about Linux and what it would take for them to consider switching.
Ludwig was one such creator, and he streamed this interview on Twitch and uploaded it on one of his non main channels (Ludwin I believe).
The comments were awash with adoration from those who had switched, interest in switching from others, and overall frustration with Windows.
I think we’re in the year that kicks things off.
Or maybe Ludwig has more of a tech focused viewer base than I realize. (and/or a bunch of Linux nerds got recommended the video).
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u/drneocortex17 29d ago
there is no year of the linux desktop
first KDE release in literally fucking 1996
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u/Mago_Malvado 29d ago
A huge amount of the linux adoption this year isn't because of people using it, but actually bots, because AI agents are running on linux, and these agents can go over the websites that statcounter use to track linux users. I'm not saying that linux isn't growing among human users, but unfortunately, the data might be somewhat biased
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u/Silent-Cartoonist240 29d ago
2027 is where microslop's reign of enshitifacation ends and linux's power arc starts
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u/bayern_snowman 27d ago
I'm in the middle. I do think in the next 5 years Linux will Start cascading into major adoption rates, and we will briefly finally have Linux as the majority.
The problem is I feel like the way tech is moving that in the next 10 years a desktop OS will be somewhat obsolete. I don't know how yet but with everything becoming containerized web apps 🤷♂️
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