I was under the impression that music production was pretty good these days, at least with Yabridge for VSTs? I've messed around with it a bit in REAPER and had a good experience so far, at least
Statcounter, a company that tracks website traffic and operating system use, shows a clear picture. In April 2024, Linux had a small 2.84% slice of the desktop market in Europe. Fast forward to July 2025, and that share has jumped to an impressive 5.21%. That’s a massive 83.45% increase in just over a year. For many years, Linux numbers barely budged, staying below 3% even with small bumps during the pandemic. This recent jump is truly unique.
I hope it stays that way. And as important as how many people start using it is how many people keep using it. But I believe that now most of the major distros are mature enough to welcome new users without any hassle.
I guess it has something to do with the fact that different institutions are starting to use Linux on computers, At my university all the computers had dual boot Ubuntu and Windows, and at the high school I went to all the computers were Ubuntu.
Containers would never count in the OS share because these tools use statcounter, which means you need to be surfing the internet. And any bot trying to act normal would always use a Windows user agent not to stand out, or use their own user agent to be clear they are a bot.
Not sure cuz proper trainings tend to be overlooked by managers, especially in bureaucratic big organizations. By taking away costs for Windows and Office they can submit a nice, err, Excel sheet.
More like windows 11 slows down your system so much that even opening let's say firefox or your PC sometimes takes more than 3 seconds even if you have a mid to high end PC. Whereas in linux (I use hyprland +arch) it takes split of a second,I can even alt tab while gaming full screen and it takes less than a second. Windows 11,bloatware,slowing down your system and windows 10 end of life will be the doom of Microsoft.
These people that moved to linux,ain't going back to Microsoft even if windows 12 comes and that's a fact because of how much they made them despise their operating system and practices. When tweaking options for privacy get turned back on after updating and their intrusion in your system without any consequences,people bail out. Imagine by the end of 2030 this number is more than 10%. It'll all be their fault because of enshitification. Good luck Microsoft.
Along with EU organizations moving to linux, privacy concerns, and Microsoft fumbling the bag with Win11 at every single turn lately (looking at you copilot ads in notepad), I also think pewdiepie switching to linux and being vocal about it is a very large contributing factor in the last month. 6.2 million people saw that video, most probably didn’t know what linux was before seeing it, and I think that’s the best thing that could have happened to modern linux.
I’ll admit to trying out an arch/hyprland install after being a long time debian/fedora user because of that video. It’s honestly given a new drive to deep dive into my system again instead of just running fedora w/ kde. One step closer to the DE from Jurassic Park and that’s so fricken cool man. Regardless of how it’s happening, I’m just so happy to see more people having fun with their computers.
Institutions wouldn't care about that, but what they do care about was the recent issue where MS shut out a governing body from accessing their email. At this point there is a huge outcry of digital sovereignty in Europe. This includes plans from many institutions to move away from windows, office 365, azure and etc.
Maybe, and also the fact that some famous YouTubers have been making videos about it recently (I don't follow any, but I've seen posts about it here).
In any case, I think it's safe to say that "Linux" is now reaching people who are less tech-savvy, and also that the major distros are ready to cater to that.
Fast forward to July 2025, and that share has jumped to an impressive 5.21%.
The only source for this that they linked is statcounter, which puts Linux at 4.79% for July. Also, no clue why they're singling out Europe. Statcounter shows more or less the same numbers for NA.
Once Linux hits 10%, we can start talking about a boom. Until then, this is just another year of the linux desktop.
Once Linux hits 10%, we can start talking about a boom
We don't need to move goalposts, tbh. Linux is getting more and more popular with the remaining desktop / laptop users. Not because it's better, but because everyone hates Windows.
I have been interested in Linux for a long time but Linux seemed too immediating. Each time Windows got worse I would think about Linux but never get up the courage to try. But when Windows Rewind came out, it gave me the courage to finally try it. I installed Linux Mint and now Windows is unusable.
People seem so accepting of the current crop of "AI" which is essentially just extrapolation and a giant statistical farce, so celebrating early by extrapolating the current linux trends doesn't seem so bad lol
Not even an unpopular opinion these days. It seems a lot of the Linux community agrees and doesn't recommend Ubuntu anymore for a multitude of reasons, including iffy package management.
I think it’s worth trying some different ones via live boot usbs to find the one that suits you and you prefer.
Some to try: pop os, mint, cachey, Zorin, bazite, fedora.
You can also find a lot of distros on distroswatch.org
I run some older hardware now on Linux Mint, after struggling to get on with Debian for a long time.
The biggest issue I've had in the past has been trying to force myself to use the CLI - I have dyslexia, and the abstract syntax is not something I can easily remember or have confidence using. So, I've been trying a GUI first approach, which has been working so far.
Add to this, I've ditched using a PS4 for console gaming and built my own SFF Steam machine that runs Bazzite, and honestly Linux now feels like an upgrade from the bloated or locked down OS's I was using previously.
FoxFXMD@reddit
Good to see, I hope it keeps going up so that companies have an incentive to support Linux so that I can finally switch myself.
Indolent_Bard@reddit
I know, right? Anyone who wants to do music production is still up a creek here. Nobody in the Cad space does either iirc.
OffsetXV@reddit
I was under the impression that music production was pretty good these days, at least with Yabridge for VSTs? I've messed around with it a bit in REAPER and had a good experience so far, at least
SnooSnoota@reddit
I just swapped yesterday.
You are welcome guys.
esuil@reddit
Pewdiepie switched to linux and released first linux video in april.
He is european and his videos have millions of views. That alone significantly increased amount of new linux users in europe.
recaffeinated@reddit
Isn't he a known Nazi? I assumed no-one watched his shit anymore
https://www.newsweek.com/pewdie-youtube-nazi-t-series-racist-anti-semitic-youtuber-subscribers-1252695
reddittookmyuser@reddit
With so many people being labeled as Nazis we are going to run out of people.
Irverter@reddit
PewDiePie? The 11th most subscribed youtube channel with 110 million of subscribers?
MatheusWillder@reddit
I hope it stays that way. And as important as how many people start using it is how many people keep using it. But I believe that now most of the major distros are mature enough to welcome new users without any hassle.
Several_Dot_4532@reddit
I guess it has something to do with the fact that different institutions are starting to use Linux on computers, At my university all the computers had dual boot Ubuntu and Windows, and at the high school I went to all the computers were Ubuntu.
bedrooms-ds@reddit
I bet it's the budget. Due to the grim forecast of the economy, it's natural to cut costs drastically.
Or, the AI boom is pushing forward cloud computing and the VMs / containers are counted in the OS share.
KnowZeroX@reddit
Containers would never count in the OS share because these tools use statcounter, which means you need to be surfing the internet. And any bot trying to act normal would always use a Windows user agent not to stand out, or use their own user agent to be clear they are a bot.
bedrooms-ds@reddit
Maybe it's just that they're throwing away PCs with Win 10 altogether and moving to something else.
Indolent_Bard@reddit
Definitely not the budget. Training people cost money and productivity.
bedrooms-ds@reddit
Not sure cuz proper trainings tend to be overlooked by managers, especially in bureaucratic big organizations. By taking away costs for Windows and Office they can submit a nice, err, Excel sheet.
datsmamail12@reddit
More like windows 11 slows down your system so much that even opening let's say firefox or your PC sometimes takes more than 3 seconds even if you have a mid to high end PC. Whereas in linux (I use hyprland +arch) it takes split of a second,I can even alt tab while gaming full screen and it takes less than a second. Windows 11,bloatware,slowing down your system and windows 10 end of life will be the doom of Microsoft.
These people that moved to linux,ain't going back to Microsoft even if windows 12 comes and that's a fact because of how much they made them despise their operating system and practices. When tweaking options for privacy get turned back on after updating and their intrusion in your system without any consequences,people bail out. Imagine by the end of 2030 this number is more than 10%. It'll all be their fault because of enshitification. Good luck Microsoft.
tac_eillA@reddit
Along with EU organizations moving to linux, privacy concerns, and Microsoft fumbling the bag with Win11 at every single turn lately (looking at you copilot ads in notepad), I also think pewdiepie switching to linux and being vocal about it is a very large contributing factor in the last month. 6.2 million people saw that video, most probably didn’t know what linux was before seeing it, and I think that’s the best thing that could have happened to modern linux.
I’ll admit to trying out an arch/hyprland install after being a long time debian/fedora user because of that video. It’s honestly given a new drive to deep dive into my system again instead of just running fedora w/ kde. One step closer to the DE from Jurassic Park and that’s so fricken cool man. Regardless of how it’s happening, I’m just so happy to see more people having fun with their computers.
KnowZeroX@reddit
Institutions wouldn't care about that, but what they do care about was the recent issue where MS shut out a governing body from accessing their email. At this point there is a huge outcry of digital sovereignty in Europe. This includes plans from many institutions to move away from windows, office 365, azure and etc.
Indolent_Bard@reddit
Microsoft makes most of their money from Office and Azure Cloud. Nowhere close to a downfall. Windows is a drop for them.
MatheusWillder@reddit
Maybe, and also the fact that some famous YouTubers have been making videos about it recently (I don't follow any, but I've seen posts about it here).
In any case, I think it's safe to say that "Linux" is now reaching people who are less tech-savvy, and also that the major distros are ready to cater to that.
Divini7y@reddit
Well, Microsoft is losing. More sells for Apple (macOS hardware) and more installs of Linux. Good, screw Microsoft.
KnowZeroX@reddit
Both are down, MS and Apple. Only linux went up.
Training_Chicken8216@reddit
The only source for this that they linked is statcounter, which puts Linux at 4.79% for July. Also, no clue why they're singling out Europe. Statcounter shows more or less the same numbers for NA.
Once Linux hits 10%, we can start talking about a boom. Until then, this is just another year of the linux desktop.
Fs0i@reddit
We don't need to move goalposts, tbh. Linux is getting more and more popular with the remaining desktop / laptop users. Not because it's better, but because everyone hates Windows.
Mac is seeing a similar rise in percentages.
KnowZeroX@reddit
Actually, mac is seeing a drop in percentages. It peaked at 33% globally and has been going down.
PastTenceOfDraw@reddit
I have been interested in Linux for a long time but Linux seemed too immediating. Each time Windows got worse I would think about Linux but never get up the courage to try. But when Windows Rewind came out, it gave me the courage to finally try it. I installed Linux Mint and now Windows is unusable.
ch34p3st@reddit
Apply arbitrary linear progression to this and we would be looking at a boom real soon. I'd say, let's celebrate the pre-boom.
AdrianoML@reddit
People seem so accepting of the current crop of "AI" which is essentially just extrapolation and a giant statistical farce, so celebrating early by extrapolating the current linux trends doesn't seem so bad lol
ch34p3st@reddit
If you'd like to dive deeper into specific communities, trends, or usage stats, I'm happy to explore further!
/sadai
whattteva@reddit
Which,, to be fair..... Is almost everyday in this sub!!!! 🤣😂😅
gunkanreddit@reddit
I just installed Ubuntu. I think it's crazy that in order to install the Nvidia drivers I need to disable the secure boot on bios.
I am remembering some wise words from Linus Towards about Nvidia...
difused_shade@reddit
Sounds like a Ubuntu problem rather than Nvidia’s I’m able to install the drivers with no problem with secure boot on.
Foosec@reddit
Its uneccesarily complicated due to not having source.
rataman098@reddit
In arch is pacman -S nvidia, not that complicated tbh
PaddiM8@reddit
Package management is much easier in Arch than in Ubuntu in my experience. Everything is a single command away.
DynoMenace@reddit
Not even an unpopular opinion these days. It seems a lot of the Linux community agrees and doesn't recommend Ubuntu anymore for a multitude of reasons, including iffy package management.
gunkanreddit@reddit
Wich distribution do you recommend me? I will use libre office, vmware and lm studio (I need CUDA).
Great-TeacherOnizuka@reddit
Linux Mint has a driver manager that makes it stupidly easy to install NVIDIA drivers.
You just open the manager, choose which version of driver you want to install, click install. Then a reboot and everything‘s done.
Rhinotastic@reddit
I think it’s worth trying some different ones via live boot usbs to find the one that suits you and you prefer. Some to try: pop os, mint, cachey, Zorin, bazite, fedora. You can also find a lot of distros on distroswatch.org
JockstrapCummies@reddit
Sounds like a user problem. Ubuntu supports Nvidia proprietary drivers with secure boot on since... a long time ago.
difused_shade@reddit
Makes sense, maybe he’s trying to install nouveau?
Idk why anyone would do that nowadays considering how solid the actual drivers have been
hitsujiTMO@reddit
just use the drivers in the repos
gunkanreddit@reddit
I went to Ubuntu, additional drivers and installed the NVIDIA ones. Didn't work after I disabled secure boot. Any web to teach me how to do it?
MikeN1975@reddit
for Mint (Ubuntu derivative) I had to sign Nvidia driver using mokutil. It works with secure boot afterwards. Try to google instructions
hitsujiTMO@reddit
That should be all you need to do. Should be perfectly fine to boot from there under secure boot.
imbev@reddit
NVIDIA drivers on HeliumOS work with secure boot enabled.
Emotional_Mammoth_65@reddit
OS don't mean as much as they used to. Browsers do a lot of the heavy lifting these days. Phones and tablets helped push this advance.
That being said...I welcome the growth and popularity of Linux. It will make tools and software better for this community forward.
berrieds@reddit
I run some older hardware now on Linux Mint, after struggling to get on with Debian for a long time.
The biggest issue I've had in the past has been trying to force myself to use the CLI - I have dyslexia, and the abstract syntax is not something I can easily remember or have confidence using. So, I've been trying a GUI first approach, which has been working so far.
Add to this, I've ditched using a PS4 for console gaming and built my own SFF Steam machine that runs Bazzite, and honestly Linux now feels like an upgrade from the bloated or locked down OS's I was using previously.
Turtvaiz@reddit
Am I crazy or are like literally half of all Linux sub posts about these damn market share stats
Braga_PT@reddit
New Fedora Silverblue user. Love it!
Verified_Human_User@reddit
May the trend continue. Encouraging sign!
TheTrueOrangeGuy@reddit
History does not repeat itself, but it rhymes instead
a_library_socialist@reddit
First as tragedy, then as farce?