"Year of the Linux Desktop" isn't happening because it lacks a proper ecosystem?
Posted by hugodcnt@reddit | linux | View on Reddit | 117 comments
I completely realise the freedom a Linux-based OS gives you, and I genuinely love that about it. It’s brilliant being able to personalise something and make it truly yours. But I need a bit of a rant.
People have been saying 2026 is the year of Linux, and with the end of Windows 10 support, I genuinely thought it might be. But I’m losing faith... I’ve seen people switch to Linux Mint and Zorin recently. While some stuck around, they aren't fully convinced. Others just bit the bullet and moved to Windows 11, or even bought the Mac Neo.
I feel like what’s missing to keep people on Linux isn't proving the OS is good—because it is genuinely good! It’s the lack of a cohesive ecosystem, beautiful design right out of the box, and tools people are already familiar with. If you have an iPhone, you’re locked into the Apple ecosystem. The same happens with Android (Samsung in particular), especially since Samsung made so many of their apps available on Windows. It makes a massive difference.
Everyday users don't want the faff of making their system look pretty or working out how to link their devices if it takes too much effort. Hyprland looks stunning and is incredibly productive, but it's hard work to set up. The average person wants an OS that is just ready to go from day one. Is it really that difficult for a company with money, like Canonical, to build something like this? Google managed it perfectly with Android.
Unless the community and companies change this mindset, I fear desktop Linux will just remain a niche. What are your thoughts on this?
C0rn3j@reddit
Usage is over 5% now.
wafflingzebra@reddit
based on steam surveys, which includes steamdeck, i doubt its 5% for general desktop users
leonredhorse@reddit
So it’s larger than 5% considering not every Linux user is a gamer.
wafflingzebra@reddit
read my response to C0rn3j next to you in this thread
leonredhorse@reddit
I mean it doesn’t really matter.
wafflingzebra@reddit
what doesn't matter?
leonredhorse@reddit
That number of Steam decks in the Steam survey and their overall representation of the total number of Linux users.
wafflingzebra@reddit
it does matter because it means the survey has a bias
leonredhorse@reddit
I don’t really understand the lens you’re looking at. I tried to check and one source says in the 5+% from March 24% are running SteamOS Halo. That also doesn’t account for people running SteamOS on desktop or laptops where compatible.
The issue isn’t what they run it on when it comes to support. Are you going to exclude Steam machines when they come out as well? Of course a STEAM survey is going to be biased to gamers in general. We know the number is clearly gamers AND others who wouldn’t be gaming or may not be on Steam much.
wafflingzebra@reddit
Dude one quarter of the 5%+ are steam deck users? That means 1% of the "linux" users are counted from steamdecks. How many steamdecks are even out there? I see around 10 million in sales so far. 10 million is like nothing, there's probably tens of millions of windows and mac laptops being sold in a single year, and this is a quarter of your "5%".
The number of people running steam OS on desktops or laptops is probably near 0%, you took a niche user base and made it even more niche.
> Of course a STEAM survey is going to be biased to gamers in general.
Not biased towards gamers in general, biased towards a platform which IS EXCLUSIVELY SOLD WITH STEAM THAT IS A TINY SEGMENT OF THE COMPUTER MARKET
And then in spite of all that you want to claim
>So it’s larger than 5% considering not every Linux user is a gamer.
No dude its obviously not larger than 5%, its probably around 4% at best, and other sources put it at 3% (https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/worldwide/)
the_abortionat0r@reddit
So according to you we should remove windows mobile devices as well then? To remove the bias? Because that's your logic and it's fucking stupid. If someone is gaming on Linux it doesn't matter how the fuck they are doing it it's on Linux. Should we remove all gaming PCs that come installed with windows from the survey?
Like, what the fuck is your actual point?
wafflingzebra@reddit
My point is that it’s less than 5% you mongrel
leonredhorse@reddit
I’m not sure what you don’t understand here.
Glad-Weight1754@reddit
Counting steamdeck is the same as counting ipads as macos.
leonredhorse@reddit
And iPad is a full use computer?
C0rn3j@reddit
I mean, yeah, it includes a portable handheld computer.
Should we exclude laptops too while we're at it?
wafflingzebra@reddit
Do you think steamdeck users are over-represented or under-represented by steam users or underrepresented as a portion of the overall computer population?
mina86ng@reddit
Do you think non-gamers who run Linux are over-represented or under-represented by Steam survey?
wafflingzebra@reddit
Dude what are we even talking about? I'm just saying that of this 5% of linux users in this survey, 1% are coming from steamdecks, which make up a tiny segment of the computer market. Now you want to argue that "non gamer linux users" are under-represented? Ok so what? So are non-gamer mac users, and windows users. Non-gamers are under-represented. That doesn't make this survey number of % of linux users accurate to the general computer user population.
mina86ng@reddit
If the gamers:non-gamers ratio is different for Windows and for Linux users, that also skews the statistics. Prior to Proton, the vast majority of daily Linux users would show up as Windows users on Steam survey. There are still games which only work on Windows thus again possibly inflating Windows numbers.
It may not be accurate, but it is one of the best statistics we have.
wafflingzebra@reddit
They are probably normally represented. Do you think linux users don't game or something?
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
Exactly
mariofanLIVE@reddit
I would love to be wrong, please tell me I'm wrong, but I think this is some measuring error or outlier, I doubt it's actually at 5% or if it is I doubt it'll stay there.
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
Isn’t 5% a niche market? I think it is. What’s more, you’re talking about Steam data. In reality, it’s hard to know the actual percentage, which is probably a bit lower than 5%
dmitri_ac@reddit
Developers don't build for Linux because the market share isn't there, market share isn't there partly because the software isn't. Canonical has the money to push harder on this and largely hasn't, and the community's so called solution of "just use a workaround" actively pushes normal users away. Fragmentation between distros makes it worse too, developers have no single target to build for unlike Windows or macOS so most just don't bother.
Dr_Hexagon@reddit
flatpak
dmitri_ac@reddit
Flatpak helps but it's not the same as a unified target. You still have sandboxing inconsistencies, runtime fragmentation, and a lot of native apps that refuse to ship as Flatpak. It's a workaround not a solution.
Dr_Hexagon@reddit
such as? Everything I've wanted has been available as a flatpak (apart from CLI stuff of course, theres brew for that). If something is released GPL it would be legal to package it as a flatpak even if the original dev choses not to.
Do you really think win32 / 64 is a truly unified target? it isn't at all, developers do a hodgepodge of shipping staticly linked libraries or sometimes multiple versions plus compatibility shims, plus windows ability to "lie" about which version it is to help programs work. it's a mess but it works.
You are never going to get a "unified target" for linux API / ABI , because its an ever moving target.
The best we can hope for is workarounds like Flatpak, but its a very good workaround.
dmitri_ac@reddit
Windows being a mess doesn't contradict anything I said, developers still target it because the install base leaves them no choice. And native apps refusing Flatpak is real, Adobe, Microsoft Office, most enterprise software. The fact that everything you personally need happens to be on Flatpak doesn't represent the average user switching from Windows. Shipping for Linux is still an extra decision developers don't have to make, Flatpak doesn't change that.
Dr_Hexagon@reddit
those aren't refusing to use Flatpak, they aren't available on Linux at all.
if you want an honest example, Davinci Resolve for Linux is supported on CentOS, Rocky Linux or RHEL. If you want a corporate single target, there it is. Other high end graphics apps with a Linux version like foundry Nuke also push CentOS, Rocky Linux, or RHEL as the options.
So flatpak for most stuff, RHEL / Rocky for the high end enterprise stuff.
dmitri_ac@reddit
Adobe and Office not being on Linux at all is a stronger argument for my point, not against it. Flatpak can't package software that doesn't exist for the platform. And RHEL being the enterprise target just shows that even companies who bother with Linux have to pick one specific distro to get proper support. Still fragmentation, just with a corporate label on it.
Dr_Hexagon@reddit
Asking Linux to not be fragmented is like asking the ocean to decide to only flow west around the world.
There is literally no one, not even Linus that has that capability because anyone can fork any GPL project if they disagree with the way its going.
This a strength , not a weakness. Despite that the end users tend to gravitate towards good work arounds and solutions so a very loose consensus does emerge.
Right now that consensus is flatpak. There is no reason why commercial apps can't also use it. And they do:
Spotify: Popular music streaming service.
Slack: Commercial collaboration workspace.
Discord: Proprietary VoIP and instant messaging platform.
1Password: Password manager (available directly from them, not always listed on Flathub).
Microsoft Teams: Enterprise communication platform (verified on Flathub).
VS Code: Code editor from Microsoft (verified on Flathub).
Steam: Gaming platform, which also uses a containerized system to run Windows games.
Bambu Studio: Advanced software for 3D printing.
Toggl Track: Time tracking software.
ProtonVPN: Commercial VPN service.
I'd love it if Resolve and Nuke were also on Flatpak, maybe one day soon.
dmitri_ac@reddit
Spotify, Slack and Discord being on Flatpak is not the argument you think it is. Those are the easy ones, cross platform apps that the companies were already building for web anyway. The gap is creative and professional software, the stuff people actually can't replace. No Photoshop, no Premiere, no After Effects, no industry standard CAD tools. The average person switching from Windows isn't missing a VPN client, they're missing their entire work stack.
Dr_Hexagon@reddit
The point is to show that flatpak as a unified target is gaining momentum
Glad-Weight1754@reddit
You forget that many demand that software being open source, give the side eye if package is a closed source binary and barely anyone wants to pay for software. With that kind of attitude you have what you have.
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
Yes, I think that if the software were source-available rather than open-source, that wouldn’t happen. And if it were source-available, it could still be audited...
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
I think you’re right. I think that’s exactly the point. When Canonical tried to create that ecosystem with Ubuntu Touch and Unity, we saw that one of the problems was the community itself, which criticised the centralisation of decision-making and the lack of freedom; not even computer and mobile phone manufacturers had the financial incentive
DizzyCardiologist213@reddit
I bought five pcs last year to replace two that needed to be replaced, get an extra for house use and move myself to linux. They're all laptops 3-5 years old.
My son picked up ubuntu on his first PC at age 12 within two days. As in, he had it functional on day one, and by day two, he had everything he wanted on it as far as gaming, 3d software, etc. I have done no faffing with anything beyond the windows scope, and have spent far less time goofing off dealing with stupid microsoft stuff.
What I like about linux is a lack of ecosystem. If you want an ecosystem, work with something else. Most people just want linux and don't know it because they're casual users at best.
When I bought PCs, I just checked to make sure they were fine with ubuntu or mint and have had nothing unsupported on anything.
I wiped out win 11 on of the PCs and got ubuntu cinnamon on it literally in the time that my work PC (microsoft) was in some idiotic 3 restart update. I intended to just get things started and then get back to work, but cinnamon was done before a single windows update.
Personally prefer mint and ubuntu's regular version (24.04?) and no faffing with anything else, but two have ubuntu studio instead of either of those.
I have used windows since 3.0 and finally last year switched. I'll never have windows on a house PC again, and will never buy anything from Apple.
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
But you’re proving my point. And that’s exactly why the masses won’t use Linux... We could please everyone. And with Linux, it would be so easy to make that happen
DizzyCardiologist213@reddit
You can be the person who creates this whole ecosystem then.
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
Why did you say that?
DizzyCardiologist213@reddit
I think when you see an entire community that makes something, and you think they should make something different, it's some lack of awareness.
For linux to take over as an OS would likely cause most of us more trouble than we'd want. there would be a commercial struggle for it, litigation, etc, that would ruin what a few of us who fled to linux like about it.
If you want an ecosystem that's built around linux, start a movement for it. I certainly don't want it. The whole ecosystem idea is meant to control data and limit access of users with a claim that it's for convenience.
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
You could also create your own distro and live on an island cut off from the world... That’s a rubbish argument. That might be true when you’ve got the wrong people in charge of projects. It’s precisely because I want privacy and security that I’d like to have an ecosystem that upholds those very values. I think it’s people with a mindset like yours that could prevent that private, secure ecosystem from ever happening. I’m not a fan of Canonical at all. But when they tried to create an ecosystem with Unity and Ubuntu Touch, it was that kind of thinking within the community that may have undermined their idea. Why is the Linux community so rude and aggressive when there are people who think differently? I don’t see that in the Apple or Windows communities...
DizzyCardiologist213@reddit
your post starts off with something I didn't say. I like linux as it is. If you want a secure "ecosystem", you'll have to pay someone to make it or work with other people to do the same.
It's not a big emergency for me personally to have throngs of the least competent users steering the ship.
For clarity, my background - I used windows solely for more than 30 years until late last year. Apple's ecosystem is a farcical revenue generating machine that overcharges for everything, charges for things that are free elsewhere, and rips off makers of software or content.
Windows, I have plenty of experience with already. I like linux as it is. The ecosystem talk is very mac like. There's already mac for people who want that.
I'm not a developer or super user or OS snob or anything, I'm a middle of the road non-developer and I think linux is great the way it is. It'd suck if it became some target of control of some managed "ecosystem" that instantly attracts the biggest asshole who wants to turn it into something for their own benefit.
blackcain@reddit
You know we have an entire conference focused on ecosystems around desktops.
https://linuxappsummit.org/
And your post talks about second tier desktops like Cinnamon. KDE and GNOME are the ones doing the engineering, tooling and participating in free desktop by in large.
They are also the ones working on building an app ecosystem. A lot of time and money are spent on these things.
I find your lament somewhat puzzling because you have not been looking around.
kopsis@reddit
Linux users: I need a rock-solid stable desktop experience with good usability, polished aesthetics, and coherent look and feel across apps.
Also Linux users: I need jiggly windows, incineration animations, and the ability to customize every single pixel of the GUI theme.
New Linux users: And can you also make it work exactly like Windows 10, run on a 15 year old netbook with 2 GB of RAM, and run Photoshop?
__ali1234__@reddit
New Linux users: "Ubuntu is for noobs so I'm going to install a hacked version of Ubuntu that was made by one guy and only has 12 users.
Also New Linux Users: "Nothing works properly and there's no ecosystem. Linux sucks."
blackcain@reddit
This.. and then say Linux is not ready. Like let me use an edgy version of something that isn't mainstream where I have to use the command line to install it and a community that has low tolerance for new users.
__ali1234__@reddit
"I'm going to install Linux. Ubuntu is for noobs so I'm going to install a hacked version of Ubuntu that was made by one guy and only has 12 users. Nothing works properly and there's no ecosystem. Linux sucks."
SpeedDaemon1969@reddit
As long as Windows is what people really want, nothing will change. Promoting Linux as "just like Windows but different" leads to frustration and disappointment. Let Linux be Linux, and find other ways to deal with ego.
mina86ng@reddit
No one really wants Windows. They just want a working computer.
SpeedDaemon1969@reddit
People may say they don't want Windows, but when they demand that the alternative works just like Windows, that says they want Windows.
mina86ng@reddit
Current Windows doesn’t work like Windows ten years ago and people are still using it. What people really want is programs they use to continue working.
SpeedDaemon1969@reddit
That's a fair assessment, I think. But isn't it true that the programs they want are Windows programs? To me that's the obverse side of the same coin. A round-about way of saying "I want Windows" is to say "i want any platform that runs Windows executables".
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
And beautiful. UX/UI matters a lot!!
oshjosh26@reddit
What does "Year of the Linux Desktop" mean to you?
Steam is show 5% of it's users playing on Linux. That might not sound like much, but it's more share than Mac has in PC market share.
Linux is growing and will continue to do so, and as it does the ecosystem is also improving.
So for me it is the year of the Linux Desktop, and it's never been better to use Linux.
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
It means that in ordinary shops you’d see computers pre-installed with Linux in the same way as you do with Windows or macOS. At the moment, it’s a niche market. It means true plug-and-play. You buy a printer, a sound card or a gaming mouse, plug it into the computer, and it works straight away. Hardware manufacturers would have to release official drivers for Linux at the same time as they release them for Windows. It means that anyone without technical knowledge can use the system in their daily life without ever seeing or opening a command line (the terminal). System updates, software installation, power management and basic troubleshooting would be carried out via a simple graphical interface...
oshjosh26@reddit
Kinda have that with SteamOS, ChromeOS and Android. All running on Linux.
Maybe not all of that is true with GNU Linux, but hey my kids use Ubuntu without ever touching the command line (they wouldn't know how to use it), system updates, software installation, power management all work in a simple GUI. Some of them are pre-installed devices from major manufacturers who support drivers and firmware.
To me Linux is just as easy to use as a Chromebook for the kinds of things people do on a Chromebook, plus more.
I don't think Linux has ever been in this good shape.
I think you can slap a Linux laptop in best buy today, but that's going to take a company and team to market to average consumers.
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
You probably live in the US that's why you may have those laptop with Linux pre-installed in Best Buy. I live in Portugal, and that isn't that common. And probably the same happens in the rest of Europe... BTW, why did you choose Ubuntu for your kids? Why not Mint?
oshjosh26@reddit
They aren't at best buy here, just saying they could be if a company is willing to market them. Marketing I think is the real gap. But they can be bought from most major PC manufacturers.
Ubuntu is just my personal preference, Mint is great too.
PlainBread@reddit
I think we live in an age where we have 100x more speculation than we do anything that merits such speculation.
Microsoft's strongarming user-unfriendly design for the sake of AI market adoption, and Linux's expanding compatibility with plug and play gaming setups, means that Windows is only going to continue losing footprint while Linux gains it.
You can argue about how slow or how fast it will happen, but does it matter?
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
I do think it matters. Not least because, for many countries, Linux can mean digital sovereignty. And we know that Linux is currently superior in many respects; it’s a shame...
PeaLiving@reddit
I think with Linux you have to look at it with a very long scale. Like development of railway or shifts in urban/suburban population. It is going slowly in the right direction we have to be content with that.
I also think this is larger than general discontent for other options. Even if microsoft unenshitifies itself or apple stops being assholes the trend will continue I believe.
I'm not coping
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
Yes, Linux reigns supreme behind the scenes. The world runs on Linux. But I’m talking about the average everyday consumer
Business_Reindeer910@reddit
I imagine they aren't just referring recent adoptions, but rather development over the past 20 years.
MintAlone@reddit
Really? That has been said since 2004 (pick a date) and every year since. Still hasn't happened and frankly I don't care. It works for me and that is all I want.
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
You are right 😅😅 but I really want it to happen
NotQuiteLoona@reddit
What do you mean under ecosystem? Windows doesn't have a cohesive ecosystem too.
KDE Connect is recently receiving a lot of updates that would make it feel much better, and KDE Connect is already more advanced that probably every single other desktop-to-phone connection tool I've ever seen, though I didn't use neither Samsung nor (for long time) Apple.
Other ecosystem... I could totally agree, we need to do something. We have Nextcloud for cloud drive, and it has very good integration with Dolphin at least, but its mobile support is lacking and you can't even sync all AFAIK.
There should also be some common adoption and more cooperation between projects to build a consistent ecosystem.
Dr_Hexagon@reddit
localsend is a great solution for any os to any os file transfer. works on linux, mac, windows, ios, android.
PoliteShrug@reddit
xosend does that too, and across any network (local or internet).
But you have to select and send files individually - there's no multi-file support yet. I only launched it a month ago so I'm going to look at adding that when I get a clearer idea of how people are using it.
bengringo2@reddit
I don’t think anything quite matches iOS integration into MacOS. You can even have your phone screen on your Mac if you want. I don’t think anything can match Apple’s ecosystem integration though.
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
I do the same on Windows using Samsung. I can mirror my phone on Windows. And Samsung apps integrate even more seamlessly if you use a Samsung laptop. Plus, you can use Samsung Dex...
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
But if you look at Windows 11 on 1,000 different people’s computers, you know they’re all running Windows... On Linux, even if those 1,000 people are using the same distro, they’ll have a completely different ecosystem and desktop environment from one another. There’s nothing to tie them together... Something more uniform, even in the desktop environment
Dr_Hexagon@reddit
There are plenty of Linux distros that look good out of the box. I changed from Windows 10 to Bazzite KDE version. I didn't mess with the DE, or anything, it looks fine and it does want I want. Launch games and get out of my way.
Proper ecosystem? Flatpak apps are the ecosystem, one click install anywhere.
Linking devices is pretty easy, I use localsend, it works across windows, mac, linux, ios and android.
For the average gamer Linux is ready without faffing about. Bazzite, Nobara or Cachy have done all the work for you.
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
Yes, I see your point, and you’re right. But the average Windows or macOS user doesn’t see it that way – at least not the people I speak to in person
Dr_Hexagon@reddit
because they haven't tried it in person. I know of five people that switched from windows to Linux over the last 18 months. They were typical gamers, not that technical. Four switched to Bazzite, one to Mint Cinnamon. They were all surprised how painless it was for steam gaming using Proton / Wine.
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
But people who aren’t very computer-literate don’t know how to install a Linux system on their own… If it isn’t pre-installed when they buy a laptop, they won’t use it… And if any problems arise, they won’t use the terminal
jimicus@reddit
It's been "the year of the linux desktop" for something like twenty five years now.
The blunt truth is that - as you say - the ecosystem isn't there. The commercial vendors aren't really interested in it; the hobbyists are too disorganised to make it happen.
Before it can possibly work, there needs to be a solution to every distro being slightly incompatible. That's a huge killer for commercial software firms looking to port things. Flatpak makes some strides in this area, but really distributions need to treat such systems as first-class citizens and automatically install support as part of the standard desktop configuration.
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
I think only a company can manage that. Or a very well-organised and close-knit team with the necessary funding
jimicus@reddit
There’s a word for an organised, close-knit team with proper funding. It’s “company”.
Tempus_Nemini@reddit
why should we care about this every month or so?
people still gonna use windows all over the planet because people dont want things to be better, they want things to be the same as yesterday. period.
mwyvr@reddit
Can't look past its developer, history of toxic culture.
And, a window manager and elaborate or brittle configs are not for the masses.
GNOME, not a WM, is a better target and already exists.
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
I like Hyprland and I like Vaxry. But, you focus on the code. Plus, Gnome is in favour of age verification; people there insult those who don’t agree with them politically and push a woke narrative. So, no thanks.
mwyvr@reddit
Something like Hyprland will never see mass adoption; you are deluding yourself if you think otherwise.
Naturally you are using woke as a pejorative. That also will not find mass adoption, thankfully.
SirArthurPT@reddit
"Ecosystem" is a marketing term for lure "idiotification" into its "enshitification".
It's good Linux is being kept safe. You know, "number of users" is quite meaningless, quality of the system is what matters.
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
I know, but if more people use it more devs will work on it
SirArthurPT@reddit
The amount of devs is also meaningless and at some point can bring wild ideas for trying to milk profit out of it by enshitificating Linux; the way they did to Windows and MacOS, with "subscriptions" to the "magic cloud" for the "ecosystem" and so on.
Also bring low tech users by the number creates a set of issues, in a way using a computer is a bit like driving a car so you end up in an information highway where nobody has a driving license or the slightest clue of what is doing, scams multiply themselves, social engineering hacking goes through the roof, it's like that highway has an accident and a carjacking happening at each 100m. And guess who those users, who fall for basic tricks, blame? Themselves? Of course not! Even bad programmers tend to blame whatever programming language they were using when produce bad code, and those have some knowledge, imagine those without.
There's however a threshold and the most important, Linux has to keep interesting enough for hardware manufacturers to supply or help on providing details enough for make drivers.
TerribleReason4195@reddit
Why do we want to bring users that do not care about FOSS and GNU/Linux as a whole?
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
Doesn't need to be opensource. Can be source available. For me, it’s more important that the code is auditable than that it’s open source. I want security and privacy to come first. It’s good to be open, of course.
TerribleReason4195@reddit
But why would we want to bring people who do not care about those reasons. Why does chrome own 60% of the browser market?
DrunkenGerbils@reddit
Linux will continue to gain market share because one of the largest companies in the world has made it their mission to incentivize users to Switch. Microsoft has launched the two largest Linux incentive program in history, they’re called “adding AI features” and “you’ll own nothing and like it”
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
That is true. I hope people become increasingly aware of the surveillance that’s taking place and turn their backs on those Big Tech companies that want to control us and steal our data.
Far_Calligrapher1334@reddit
Why do you need people to use Linux if it works for you?
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
Because it's so much better!! And more people using it more devs will work on it
brazilian_irish@reddit
The lack of a centralized ecosystem is one major factor to go to Linux. The thing ia people are uaed to not own anything anymore.. they are hapoy their pictures are in the cloud, they are happy their files are available everywhere, and they don't know/care their data is being uaed to train AI and offer ads..
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
Yeah, and that scares me a lot
Xatraxalian@reddit
>"Year of the Linux Desktop" isn't happening because it lacks a proper ecosystem?
What it lacks is companies that keep developing a product for 30 years. For better or worse, Microsoft is still developing, for example, MS Word. There isn't a counterpart in the Linux world. We have LibreOffice Writer, but it is TDF LibreOffice now; before that it was Oracle OpenOffice, before that Sun OpenOffice, and before THAT, it was StarOffice. People don't keep up with that stuff. And this is just one example.
Linux's biggest strength, diversity, is also its biggest weakness because half the programs are always on the verge of collapsing due to a lack of manpower or leadership.
And yes, I've been a Linux user for 25 years, 7 almost 8 exclusively on the desktop now, but I still think some parts of the Linux software is way too fragile. Some types of software aren't even available on Linux. If you need REAL SHIT DONE outside of the technical, computer, or software worlds, you often need software that is available only for Windows; and sometimes, if you're really lucky, for Mac. (But then you'll pay through the nose for a system powerful enough to run it.)
KnowZeroX@reddit
Why do people need to keep up with the stuff? I understand if you are on windows than it may matter, but on linux most distros come preinstalled with LibreOffice. You click a document, it opens. Does the name matter? If I type Excel into my app search, it gives me LibreOffice Calc.
Xatraxalian@reddit
If a name wouldn't matter, there wouldn't be entire marketing departments agonizing over it.
Why do Chinese companies such as Pearson's Group either buy German names that ones made piano's, and if they can't, they make one up? Because people in the West don't buy Chinese piano's, but they do buy Chinese piano's with a German name.
Therefore a piano with "Gustav Schäfer" on the fallboard will sell loads better than the exact same instrument with the name "Xing Cheng Huan" on it.
The name does matter.
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
Yes, you are right 😁 Good comparison
KnowZeroX@reddit
Name matters when someone is in the market for the software, for example knowing Krita or GIMP may matter because most distros don't come with it, and one has to go look for it.
That is why I said the name matters on windows for LibreOffice because it isn't preinstalled in windows.
But on Linux, it is preinstalled. So the name at that point doesn't matter. I'm not disagreeing with your point, just saying that LibreOffice is a bad example for that point.
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
Yeah, I agreed with you
DoucheEnrique@reddit
Who cares? Linux is a tool that does whatever / whereever I need. How does it matter to me what other people do on their hardware?
As long as there are enough likeminded people out there who put effort into keeping it maintained it doesn't matter if Linux is niche.
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
I see your point, and I partly agree. But if it remains just a tool, it won’t make the leap.
DoubleOwl7777@reddit
year of the linux desktop will never happen. not that i think that linux isnt eventually gonna take over. its just slowly but surely going to win because companies push more and more anti consumer stuff and software support is improving massively. its a slow creep.
hugodcnt@reddit (OP)
I’m not so sure about that. I’ve been hearing for years that Linux is going to take over… But that time never seems to come. It dominates in supercomputers and servers.
johncate73@reddit
My thoughts are that frankly, I don't give a damn.
If someone has to have an "ecosystem" in the sense you mean, then they need to just buy Mac or Windows. Linux is for enterprise computing and for end-users who want control over their system and to create their own idea of an "ecosystem." Not for the crowd you're talking about.
And if that is a problem for you, join the bandwagon of your choice because Linux isn't for you.
Ok-Mycologist-3829@reddit
If France actually switches away from Microsoft, then we’ll see.
Glad-Weight1754@reddit
If and if they do for how long.
Psionikus@reddit
Until there is a way for the firehose of need from people who do not program to turn into paid development, the limit of what will happen is where the needs of commensal users are met by programmers scratching their own itches and a few ideologically influenced users maybe going a bit further to pay respects to the FSF alter.
HexspaReloaded@reddit
“The Linux desktop will take off once people pay devs or want to use free software.”
When did you realize that you like noun phrases?
Psionikus@reddit
If wanting things made them happen...
There are a thousand users who want programs for every programmer who has the skill to make them. We programmers retreat away from consumer software because making it is mostly a thankless, awful experience unless you have some incidental way to monetize like Steam.
The first part of your paraphrase is accurate. Second part too oversimplified.
KnowZeroX@reddit
You got it all wrong, average users don't install operating systems to begin with. The issue isn't a lack of ecosystem, the issue is limited oems offer them available preinstalled on their pcs. The situation is improving though, we are finally seeing linux offered side by side with windows on some oems, but it still hasn't reached the point where it is available publicly in stores (most people may not buy in stores anymore, but many still try the pc in stores or purchase through the stores online store)
And we don't need a linux ecosystem, nor canonical locking down another proprietary nonsense like snaps. All we needs is open standards.
lincolnthalles@reddit
Fragmentation is Linux's Achilles heel.
There are plenty of distros with a decent out-of-the-box experience, but having too many choices is bad for the average Joe.
Too many philosophical differences come with a lot of bullshit that adds no value to the end-user.
Big ongoing changes can also hurt. The major move to Wayland happening at the same time Windows issues are popping up isn't helping, since the experience is subpar and buggy on most distros, especially the LTS-based ones.
NVIDIA drivers are only catching up now, and only for recent GPUs.
All of the bad sides of these combined can make us look delusional to some people stuck on Windows, since a seasoned Linux user can say a thing is great (after they took several steps to make it get there), but a new user experience will never match that.
Maybe when all of this is sorted out and distros converge around Flatpaks (making it better, not fragmenting it) things will finally improve.
No-Method8769@reddit
who cares? just use your system and stop drooling
Jazzlike-Buddy7792@reddit
I think the beauty of Linux isn't it is comfortable it is that it gives you independence and freedom. With freedom comes responsibilities and a degree of discomfort.
Being always comfortable isn't a good thing and trying to always feed this behaviour would makes things worse not better imo.
Ok-Reindeer-8755@reddit
To add to that I think a good DE and design language is part of it, gnome is the closest imo