Linux has surpassed 5% desktop market share in the US (5.03% in June 2025), per StatCounter, driven by privacy concerns, rising costs of Windows/macOS, and user-friendly distros like Ubuntu. Community celebrates amid gaming and enterprise boosts, though challenges like software gaps persist; analysts eye 7% by 2027.
  • blarghly@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6·
    9 hours ago

    Here is as close as I could find to the source data. Unfortunately, everything is listed in terms of “market share” which is great for “back slaps for the boys”, but less great for generating hypotheses for actual causes. What I would like is the raw numbers - what were the total devices for each OS?

    My bets for what are driving this change, from least to most likely:

    • Least likely: the average user, who is a lazy dumbass and knows nothing about OS’s, has educated themselves on open source operating systems and has decided to throw off the shackles of their corporate, closed-source overlords, and installed a complicated operating system they’ve never used before onto their home desktop/laptop (which they never use) using a flash drive (which is hidden in the junk drawer where they haven’t seen it for 7 years).
    • Some small tech-based businesses switched from windows to unix-based systems for their desktops. Mostly, this means now everyone is using MacBooks, but they gave in to a few developers who wanted linux-based machines.
    • Existing Linux users are finding the platform more stable for a daily driver, and are letting their windows machines go dark as the need to use them diminishes.
    • Steam deck (caveat - does this count as a desktop OS? I kinda doubt it.)
    • This has nothing to do with Linux. Windows users aren’t switching to open source operating systems. They are switching to mobile devices. The average user is simply leaving their windows home laptop in the closet somewhere, and without even noticing, has transitioned to using phones and tablets as their sole devices for day to day computing. Windows isn’t really losing market share to Linux - it is losing market share to Android and iOS. Usage of windows machines drops off because windows is an operating system for average users, who don’t care about computers that much. Linux users, on the other hand, are much more likely to be “computer people” who like to do things like develop software - a task which can only really be accomplished in a desktop environment. So the total number of Linux desktops stays stable, while the number of windows machines drops off -> “increased” Linux market share.
    • panicnow@lemmy.world
      4·
      6 hours ago

      Here is a different (in my opinion probably better) source: https://analytics.usa.gov/

      It also shows Linux above 5%. I agree that most people are switching to phone and/or tablet, but: the total devices are increasing AND the total number of phone/tablet devices are increasing AND the linux share is increasing

      I would expect that as the denominator (all devices which includes an ever increasing number of phone/tablet) increases that Windows, mac and linux would decrease. I am surprised (and happy) that Linux is increasing!