There will NEVER be a year of the Linux desktop, but...

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00:00 Intro
00:33 Sponsor: 100$ off your Linux or Gaming Server
01:25 What is The year of The Linux Desktop?
03:22 The Linux Desktop is Good Enough
05:35 Unfair Comparisons
07:39 Quality isn't The Main Factor
10:18 We Don't Need to Beat Windows
12:38 There Won't Be a Year, But...
14:13 Sponsor: Get a Linux Laptop or Desktop with Slimbook
14:57 Support the Channel

Basically, it's the year that Linux is finally "good enough" that anyone could use it, with the added expectation that Linux would then overtake windows or mac os, or both in terms of market share, and become progressively the dominant OS on desktops and laptops.

Linux IS already good enough. It's a matter of habit, not a matter of quality. Not anymore. So is THIS the year of the Linux desktop? No. Because quality itself has NEVER been the factor that would make Linux finally take off. In terms of Quality, Linux is already there.

The Linux desktop has progressed in leaps and bounds over the past 10 to 15 years. Ubuntu made it more popular and well known, and together with other user-facing distros, and GNOME, and KDE, and the rest of the community they made our desktops 100% usable by anyone.
So why do people think Linux desktops aren't READY to begin the "year of the Linux desktop" ?

The issue here is that Linux doesn't compete with Windows on an equal footing. People compare the experience of running Linux on hardware that's never been tested for it, using apps they're not familiar with, running programs that were never coded for Linux.

But if Linux IS good enough for most people, doesn't that mean that the Year of the Linux desktop already happened?

Well, no, not really. Because we're still not at a point where most people would even consider using Linux as their daily driver. There are still way too much "bad first impressions" floating around, too many preconceived notions about Linux.

This quality doesn't matter if people don't even give Linux a try. And regular people will NOT install any OS from the internet and replace the default.

And once again, we end up at that same point I've been trying to hammer over and over again: Linux needs hardware to be used more, to be known more.

There's also a notion floating around that Linux needs to "beat" windows or mac OS to win. That it needs to overtake these systems in terms of market share to be relevant. Fortunately, that's not the case.

Some will say that people wouldn't buy anything with Linux preinstalled on it, because it doesn't run the same apps they're used to, and I disagree. People move from Windows to mac OS, and vice versa. Mac OS doesn't run windows apps. Like, at all. Sure, it has versions of some popular apps, but not all of them. But most of the apps on these systems aren't the same. The system itself works very differently, from app launching, to app installs, to restoring the system, minimizing, even maximizing windows, menubars, and more. And yet, people do use macs, even if they used windows before.

[TazerXI]

I think pre installing linux is really important. You can argue that "linux can do what windows can do", but windows can do what windows can do. Why switch to do the same thing? If it was pre-installed, it would be the other way around. Why switch, and have to pay to do so, to windows, when linux does all I need it to.

[alfredwhoishe]

I think the release of that Razer Linux laptop and the steam deck plays a crucial role on Linux's name. Linux may not beat other OSes but the fact that Linux is still alive and doing better and better throughout the years is just remarkable and that is already a great feat. No need for comparisons, just the fact that people still loves and cares about it is priceless

[MyReviews_karkan]

The "year of Linux" will only happen when big box stores, like bestbuy, walmart, target, amazon...etc start selling machines with it pre-installed.

[sifatullah]

For me the issue with Linux always has been
1. NVIDIA
2. Gaming, especially games that use DirectX, Anti-Cheat, and games that are not available on Steam

[TheBicPen]

Comparing pre-installed OSes vs OSes installed by the user without manufacturer support may not be fair, but it's the reality of the current situation. I think it makes sense to be pragmatic about these things and accept that few manufacturers in the near future will ship hardware with Linux be default. This kind of pragmatism is important - just look at why Linux succeeded over GNU Hurd.

[burhanbudak]

The day Windows dies is the day Billy G bloats us with open source Windows. There needs to be a reason for people to switch. On gaming, if Linux increase FPS I'm sure many gamers will switch. On the issue of Office and Adobe I'm not sure

[vishalv]

If professional softwares come to Linux, then we will have a time for Linux desktop domination.

[benjaminoechsli]

As you say, Linux use is a catch-22: The average Joe won't use something they can't buy off a shelf and have it working out of the box. But manufacturers are not going to put something on a shelf that works out of the box until interest increases.

The community is growing exponentially (doubling a dozen users is still tiny, but it _is_ exponential growth), to the point where boutique companies like System76 are starting to offer Linux laptops. We are early in the decade of the Linux desktop.

[Leha__]

Fedora 36 gnome is better than ever. So smooth, so enjoyable to use. I'd say this year is definitely special.

[Aktnik]

Also remember, there are people that must use tools from a closed ecosystem (like the whole Office suite) and doing that on Linux sometimes isn't worth the hassle.

I say this because I got a friend of mine to use Linux and she liked it a lot, but when she had to work from home, she didn't get a work computer, and seeing if MS Access would work on Linux with the tool she needed to use for grading students wasn't worth it. She had to come back to Windows once again, but this because a whole educational system was relying everything on (outdated) Office apps, and she couldn't afford to lose her job.

[fabiospringer]

Important points:
1) People who just want a browser to acess internet are going to use a Smartphone or tablet in the near future.
2) Printers support is better on Linux than windows, way easier to find a old printers (I dual boot daily).
3) Linux lacks some professional software. You can't choose what to use, your company says I want that on Tableu you will have to use Windows.
4) Linux desperately needs better tutorials. People won't use an OS that doesn't have easy to follow for dummies tutorials on how to solve problems.

[SweetHoneycode]

The fact Windows now has a Linux Sub-system available. Just goes to show that they recognize it as a developer choice.

[gibarel]

The year of the Linux desktop isn't something we will see happening, it will just happen one day, and then we will look back and think "that was the year of the Linux desktop", it will be seamless, with no warning, no fuss, no mass migration. Anyone who says it different is delusional.

[lolwhites]

A little over a decade ago, the first netbooks came out running Linux, and they proved popular enough for manufacturers to start selling them with Windows preinstalled.

[ulroxvladtepes]

It is this year for me. Installed Linux mint, never looking back, except I am because I work in it and have to, but very happy with Linux

[stevehunter]

Just made the jump to Fedora, I'm really happy. Previously I had always been held back by the requirement to have MS Office for work. In my case the solution was... give up work :) A big problem for Linux is that Companies cling onto the belief that they need the power of Office. If you are going to knock out a crap spreadsheet, you may as well do it on free(open) software. I use SoftMaker Office by the way, It's excellent. (yes I paid, it was worth it)
Another problem is the command line. Go on-line to get help and it will always say "On Fedora, first type in 'sudo dnf install... For Ubuntu however do this...' " This is really scary to the average user, who really want their computers to be like a washing machine or toaster.
And then we have marketing. The open source community will never be able to compete with the billion dollar marketing budgets of Microsoft and Apple. It's sad to think that of the $100 you spent on Windows 11, $50 was probably used to sell it to you(I just made those numbers up). That's the real free market for you.

[bobbyhinner]

I remember a lecture by Linus Torvalds about how the linux desktop will never grow unless it's pre-installed on systems people buy in store. I think that if there was demo linux machines next to the Macs and Windows computers in best buy and Walmart, the fancy desktop environment and (maybe) lower price with similar or better performance on lower end hardware would make it a compelling offer to people who aren't tech savvy and just want to pick up a computer and go.

[lordcron]

I've been running Kubuntu sense version 18.04 and am currently on version 22.04 and it's just rock solid stable. I never worry about running out of resources or crashes. I rarely need to reboot (even though I do it anyway) but I take it down for a reboot only once every few months. I love linux!

[pauldacus]

Linux will be good enough when I can easily go on the internet, and print stuff.. which for me happened in 2004.

[techgregory]

I installed Manjaro KDE on my sister's laptop and she didn't notice difference and easily uses it, also I recommend Mint (and anything with KDE, like Kubuntu etc)