I’m brave enough to say it: Linux is good now, and if you want to feel like you actually own your PC, make 2026 the year of Linux on (your) desktop
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/linux/im-brave-enough-to-say-it-linux-is-good-now-and-if-you-want-to-feel-like-you-actually-own-your-pc-make-2026-the-year-of-linux-on-your-desktop/
44 Comments
Between Microsoft continuing to shitify Windows with ads and AI and the continuing work from companies like Valve pushing Linux more mainstream, it sure seems like we are closer than ever to this acutally happening.
Switching my old windows desktop to Linux at some point soon since it still does plenty of things well but doesn’t have whatever drm bullshit is required for Windows 11.
I went back to Linux last month because I got tired of how slow my Windows 11 system felt. It’s like getting a completely new computer! Wish I had made the jump awhile ago. I’m currently running Mint 22.2 (Cinnamon).
Sure, as soon as software developers start making native Linux builds of their applications. I have several applications I use on a daily basis which don’t have a like-for-like equivalent on Linux, and running them via Wine comes with multiple issues.
Do this, but do not immediately install Arch Linux and Hyprland just because you saw it in someones youtube video.
Ubuntu, Linux Mint or Fedora are good picks for your first linux experience.
I went back to Apple (MacBook Air M4), after a Win10 interregnum, since they are also Unix under the hood. Win11 is a no go for me.
The games I play, even via Steam don’t all support it. I’m a infrastructure manager by trade, I spend all day dealing with automation and iSCSI and storage arrays that cost more than a house and all kinds of really fun problems. When I get home I want my shit to just work. Windows 11 does that. I’m not dual booting to play specific games when all I need are games, spotify and Firefox.
And let’s be real, especially with gaming driver support in Linux is wet garbage, even if you’re using binary/closed packages.
another spam post from same group or user. using alt accounts.
really show how poorly people on reddit research anything in there echo chambers there in!
I would move if more than just a handful of games were compatible on Linux. Like Battlefield 6 isn’t compatible with Linux.
My son switched to Mint after Windows 10 got too aggressive in telling him to upgrade and has been very happy ever since.
I got converted by the Steam Deck. I bought it for gaming but the first time I booted into desktop mode and saw how fast and clean the OS it was I realised I couldn’t go back to W11.
Biggest issue outside of basic motherboard compatibility (i.e. you’re up command line shit creek if your chipset wifi/lan doesn’t work) is general peripheral compatibility. Steering wheels are basically off limits, Stream Decks, headset / mouse / keyboard software, etc.
I built a Bazzite PC after using my Steam Deck docked for a year on my living room TV. As a couch PC it’s awesome, works perfectly, PC turns on when I wake my xbox controller, all the AAA games I want to play work fine, etc. No complaints and highly recommended.
As a desktop OS though, things quickly fall apart and you’re stuck messing around with random open source software from github trying to make your peripherals work.
I use Linux on my Framework laptop, but I just can’t seem to escape Windows on my desktop PC.
Windows 11 is gonna give us our first ai pearl harbor. MS is pushing agents heavily and they want your computer to be able to do things on your behalf. I can’t wait till bad websites beging to try and get your computer to send bank or cc details somewhere.
Ah, January 1st, time for the annual “This is the year of Linux” post.
If only proctoring services would be compatible, cant use it for school otherwise.
I’m a windows/ Mac user. I had a raspberry pi for gaming for a short while. What type of programs and user experience are more advantageous using Linux? What are the advantages of using Linux over Mac or windows? Is it a workflow thing? Don’t windows and Mac both have the terminal option? When would I say; “this would be so much better in Linux? Thanks
I dual boot. Usually use fedora without issue, but I have windows whenever I come across something Linux won’t do.
I can’t believe R2ModManager works on Linux, Lethal company isn’t Lethal company without ‘YIPEEEE’
Transition to Mint was nice and easy but I have some Unix experience and Terminal experience from the past. I was surprised by how much Mint gives you tools that have a similar experience to Windows. Only one thing left – back up my iPhone, but iTunes not available on Linux. So my laptop is Mint, desktop is still Windows 11. If there was some other alternative for backing up my iPhone then Windows would be gone.
20xx, finally, the year of the Linux Desktop.
same talk track…. 30 years running….. still < 4% market share. Yawn… windows bad, linux good. laughable.
It is good enough, true. But it’s not ready for mass market. Getting nvidia drivers up and running will scare away most of the normie market
I love Linux. Centos, rhel, fedora, mint, Ubuntu, all of it I love it. They all (desktop OS) suck for regular users. They are not user friendly. They are power user friendly, they have way fewer kernel panics than windows, they are easier to secure, they are easier to develop on. For a average user that wants web browsing, simple app, connected devices, it sucks. Linux is just not design for the average person, and that is fine. Windows is by far the best user experience. There is nothing you can’t do in windows that you can do in another OS. That said, some developer only make software for specific OS. So you MacOS users reading this, about to spew hate, yes there are software packages unavailable on windows that make other OS necessary. This doesn’t mean the OS is better, it just means that developer made a choice.
Microsoft continues to crap its collective pants with Linux taking up a larger volume of users not wanting to downgrade to Windows 11.
Been using PopOS for a few months. The ability to play games with the latest compatibility stuff was the final nail in Windows’s coffin for me.
Said every linux fan ever. Whats the news?
Switched to Bazzite from Win11 a few weeks ago. Since I mostly use the PC to game it’s been amazing. I only play single player games so I don’t have issues with anti-cheat not working.
6 mths using Linux Mint as sole driver for personal and work. No need for Windows.
~~1991~~ ~~1992~~ ~~1993~~ ~~1994~~ ~~1995~~ ~~1996~~ ~~1997~~ ~~1998~~ ~~1999~~ ~~2000~~ ~~2001~~ ~~2002~~ ~~2003~~ ~~2004~~ ~~2005~~ ~~2006~~ ~~2007~~ ~~2008~~ ~~2009~~ ~~2010~~ ~~2011~~ ~~2012~~ ~~2013~~ ~~2014~~ ~~2015~~ ~~2016~~ ~~2017~~ ~~2018~~ ~~2019~~ ~~2020~~ ~~2021~~ ~~2022~~ ~~2023~~ ~~2024~~ ~~2025~~ 2026 will be the year of Linux!
So can i still game on linux? Dore sofrrware still work?
The comments on this thread perfectly distill the main issue with Linux: it is too fragmented. There is not one obvious distro for a windows newcomer to switch to. On every post about Linux you will see multiple comments saying one of about five different distributions are the best. I just wish one of the distros would pull far ahead and make it easy for more folks to choose when switching from windows.
Linux still has a long way to go in terms of convenience. Please stop acting like everybody has some level of experience to manage it.
For a standard user perspective, non of the linux´ problems has been solved in last decade.
In all those kind of posts, people tend to think like everybody has decent skills like they do and suggest linux to regular human that has no understanding of OS.
You need to realize that; you cant explain ´sudo´to a random person on street. That is the problem in linux in terms of being popular and that problem still exist.
Everyone here recommending different distros is exactly why Linux is a hard sell for the majority of PC users.
What is the obsession of trying to make other people use your os? It is has its uses but it’s not better in any way for the average person. Why force products that don’t fit to people who already have answers?
Will it actually run DAW software and work more or less flawlessly with multichannel audio interfaces now? That’s literally the one thing keeping me from ditching Windows or OSX.
I’m brave enough to say it: Linux has been good for a long while. What’s good now is that there is enough support from game companies so that a lot of people can find it worth it to migrate.
There’s still the issue with games using anti cheat, but we’ll see.
*cries in Adobe*
I feel like I read this every year lol
Right now I’m just considering a dedicated gaming PC with a fresh install of windows using one of the many debloating apps. If it ends up being low end hardware then I’ll go to a Linux gaming distro.
For anything else I am not convinced a M powered Mac wouldn’t be a better experience.
If I’m not really feeling the need for OSS or tinkering with the OS why would I want to go with Linux?
If you’re a PC gamer that enjoys any remotely popular multiplayer game, then Linux isn’t even an option.
Ask me how I know 🫠
Is it really different now? Or, does it still require months of fiddling, learning, and trawling through forums looking for answers buried multiple layers deep in rambling conversations?
Discord?
Linux is good but it’s still not as convenient and long time linux users behaving like vegans will scare away everyone else from ever trying or and asking for help.
What is the most gamer friendly distro? I had linux on a small old pc 7 years ago and it was fine, but it couldn’t run Steam. Is there any progress on that front?
Zorin is my go-to. Now if only Nvidia could fix their drivers for Linux.