Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Linux continues to be above 4% on the desktop (www.gamingonlinux.com)

submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 7 months ago (5 children)

what happened in 2021 that started this trend?

[–] [email protected] 51 points 7 months ago (3 children)

Windows 11 got quite a few people to look into trying Linux

I personally didn't think Win11 was that big of a downgrade over Win10, But I also didn't like 10 to begin with so I didn't need much convincing.

[–] [email protected] 36 points 7 months ago

Windows 11 is what finally got me to permanently switch over to Linux too lol

[–] [email protected] 9 points 7 months ago

W10 release is what moved me to linux. My worstation got noticeably slower for CAD and my wife's laptop became a brick

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

I'm guessing there's a reduced pool of desktop pc users, thus Linux users are now slightly bigger in proportion? There has been big advances regarding Linux adoption, too.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Probably a number of factors. Some I can think of that may have contributed:

Steam Deck showing that gaming is possible on Linux.
Windows 11’s hardware requirements pushing people to try Linux on older hardware.
Microsoft’s recent enshittification of Windows by pushing Edge and AI so hard.
KDE has been pushing to fix bugs and has gotten really good lately.
Electron has made a lot of apps people really need super easy to build for Linux, so companies have started releasing apps for Linux.
Flatpak has done the same, for distribution.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Did you dare to say something positive about Electron? Blasphemy!

[–] [email protected] 13 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Pandemic lockdown maybe? Everyone got bored a few months into 2020. By 2021 they finally figured out their wifi drivers 🤷

(I'm joking, I haven't seriously struggled with wifi for a long time. I use Debian btw.)

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago

I started with void cuz it sounded cool and it just shipped with the wifi drivers i needed. I got real lucky.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I started using Linux in 2021 never had any problems with drivers for anything. Debian also. It was just a pain in the ass to install until I figured out I had to download the iso with non free drivers or whatever. Glad they made this easier for Debian 12.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Now that I think about it, I actually first used Linux in 2021 too. For me it was because the laptop I had shipped with a HDD that was known for being prone to vibration failure, so while waiting for the warranty request to be approved I was running a persistent Ubuntu live USB

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago

Proton making Linux better for gaming, which was the biggest excuse for holdouts. Steam deck showing you could not only game on Linux, but do so while sitting in a tree, with long term support implied by show of confidence from a large corporation.

Windows steepened its enshittification spiral.

The pandemic put a lot of people in a more experimental space, and they tried a lot of shit. And a lot of people picked up new skills. Including Linux 101.

And people saw authority in general start failing in a big ways. A lot of people started questioning shit. Including corporate hegemonies.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

I would say steam deck, both in actual installs and in raising awareness, but that wasn't until 2022