8 ms·

Is it finally the year of Linux on the desktop? But seriously, the work System76 is doing is really great. PopOS is really nice to use. The attention it is get

Is it finally the year of Linux on the desktop? But seriously, the work System76 is doing is really great. PopOS is really nice to use. The attention it is getting is well deserved.

coldtea 5y ago
>Is it finally the year of Linux on the desktop? Considering that the hope behind this term was about winning the desktop user share from Windows, and not just "being usable" on the desktop, or "being used" on the desktop, no.
- smoldesu 5y ago
  Now that Windows 11 is a thing, I think winning desktop user share from Windows will be easier than ever before. What else is the average Joe going to do with their TPM-less devices?
  - nebula8804 5y ago
    Throw them in the trash and buy a new PC. They are pretty cheap.
    - ejj28 5y ago
      Having worked at an independent PC repair shop, there are a lot of people who would rather keep using their old 6+ year old laptops and have SSDs installed in them than go out and buy a new laptop. Yeah there are cheap ones for sale, but they're underpowered, have regular old HDDs, and only 4GB of RAM. Plus, now they're coming with Windows 11 preinstalled, which will annoy a lot of people who are used to Windows 7 or 10.
      - marcodiego 5y ago
        6+ year old laptops run very decently with 8gb RAM, a SSD and a modern linux distro.
      - nebula8804 5y ago
        Windows 10 is like 6-7 years old now no? This cannot be representing the majority of the market. How much of the market actually upgrades their OEM pcs?
      - Shared404 5y ago
        Currently work at an independent PC repair shop, and can confirm this. It's not uncommon for us to get a machine which is limping along on Windows 7 for the 15th year in a row, add an SSD and reinstall 7, 10, or rarely Linux Mint depending on how stubborn the user is on not upgrading to 10 and how open they are to change.
  - coldtea 5y ago
    Keep them on 10, and eventually throw them and upgrade when the time comes.
  - pjmlp 5y ago
    Now that Windows Vista is a thing, I think winning desktop user share from Windows will be easier than ever before. What else is the average Joe going to do with their DX10-less devices?
  - marcodiego 5y ago
    We heard similar comments about Me, Vista and 8.
- multiplegeorges 5y ago
  Yeah, it was a joke. Every year can be that year if you just use it.
yepthatsreality 5y ago
Every year is the Year of Linux on the Desktop as more people move over.
- pjmlp 5y ago
  20 years for 1%, there is always hope I guess.
  - tomnipotent 5y ago
    Steam Deck should at least double that.
    - NaturalPhallacy 5y ago
      Steam Deck isn't a desktop tho
      - 1_player 5y ago
        It is if you plug a monitor and peripherals. Runs a full KDE Plasma desktop.
        pjmlp 5y ago
        Ah, then we can add Xbox to the amount of Windows desktops in use as well.
        1_player 5y ago
        The Xbox doesn't show a Windows desktop when you plug stuff in. Your constant trolling on Linux threads isn't appreciated.
        pjmlp 5y ago
        It is called experience from a failed Linux Desktop sales pitch. Been there done that. Ex-Linux zealot, whose digital trail even includes emails using M$ on the signature.
sebow 5y ago
That depends on the definition.The year we break 1% market share (usually with the steam survey as reference)? Already happened. I would say it's gonna be exploding after steam deck launches.I think it's gonna be higher than 2%,maybe 3% this year.Would be surprised if it gets past 5%, but that's a decent stretch(though not impossible at all).
- ByteJockey 5y ago
  Gaming was always the one thing that kept the more tech-savvy on windows boxes. I know it kept me there for a long time as a teenager. If that can be broken, I don't think 10% is infeasible. Though I think Microsoft would have to really screw up to lose their status as the "default" OS.
  - chalupa-man 5y ago
    Valve's new Steam Deck device runs Linux. If it proves popular, that will be a big incentive for developers to improve Linux support for their games, and help jump that hurdle.
lordgroff 5y ago
First year for me not on Linux desktop for my primary device since... 99? M1 Air was the culprit. I still don't particularly love Mac OS and remain somewhat puzzled by the overwhelming love people have for it but: 1. It's usable enough and it's certainly polished and much more importantly 2. The M1 Air is the laptop I always dreamed of. Fast, doesn't get hot, SILENT. It's worth the trade-off for me, but I hope Linux on M1 succeeds and I get to run Linux again.
- _v8ex 5y ago
  I switched almost 2 years ago to macOS, I still have a hard time resizing windows and I miss how well it worked on Windows. But as yourself I’m in love with my MB Air, I bought it as a placeholder while waiting for the new Pros but I can’t go back to a heavier machine to get performance that I don’t need out of it. Sure it’s leaking in screen real estate and brightness, but I’m afraid there aren’t any alternatives to a fanless M1 Air.
  - occamschainsaw 5y ago
    I have been using the Magnet app[0] since 2013 for window management on Mac. You can use it to position/resize windows using mouse gestures (dragging to edges etc) and shortcuts. BetterTouchTool is another powerful tool that can be used for window management along with many other things. [0] https://magnet.crowdcafe.com/ https://magnet.crowdcafe.com/ [1] https://folivora.ai/ https://folivora.ai/
- dopeboy 5y ago
  I had the choice of a M1 or a Thinkpad (which is what I've been using for the past decade). It was a very difficult decision - everything I hear about the M1 is incredible. I ended up getting a thinkpad because I really don't like macOS. But I don't know if I'll make that same decision in a couple years.
kradeelav 5y ago
I too just moved from a 2010 macbook pro over to a S76 lemur pro as my main machine a few months ago. I think a lot of people who fit that wedge of "not hardcore techies, but passionate about freedom of software" have been dismayed with the recent apple/microsoft moves/censorship/etc, and are realizing linux is actually pretty user friendly with plenty of software options versus ten years ago.
queuebert 5y ago
Quite possibly. Their Lemur Pro laptop is really amazing, and I consistently grab it over my Macbook Pro or Macbook Air because it is lighter, faster, gets better battery life, and the PopOS UI is better than the lipsticked pig that Mac OS has become these days.
- spaetzleesser 5y ago
  Why does the Lenmur have so much batter battery life than the Galago? The Galago lasts maybe 3-4 hours web browsing or watching videos.
  - queuebert 5y ago
    The Lemur has a 73 Wh battery, while the Galago is 49 Wh, so 50% more battery. I'll also guess that the Lemur has much lower resting power consumption, since it doesn't have fancy graphics and has a lot of firmware designed to minimize power usage and turned on by default.

Is it finally the year of Linux on the desktop? But seriously, the work System76 is doing is really great. PopOS is really nice to use. The attention it is getting is well deserved.

coldtea 5y ago

>Is it finally the year of Linux on the desktop? Considering that the hope behind this term was about winning the desktop user share from Windows, and not just "being usable" on the desktop, or "being used" on the desktop, no.

smoldesu 5y ago
Now that Windows 11 is a thing, I think winning desktop user share from Windows will be easier than ever before. What else is the average Joe going to do with their TPM-less devices?
- nebula8804 5y ago
  Throw them in the trash and buy a new PC. They are pretty cheap.
  - ejj28 5y ago
    Having worked at an independent PC repair shop, there are a lot of people who would rather keep using their old 6+ year old laptops and have SSDs installed in them than go out and buy a new laptop. Yeah there are cheap ones for sale, but they're underpowered, have regular old HDDs, and only 4GB of RAM. Plus, now they're coming with Windows 11 preinstalled, which will annoy a lot of people who are used to Windows 7 or 10.
    - marcodiego 5y ago
      6+ year old laptops run very decently with 8gb RAM, a SSD and a modern linux distro.
    - nebula8804 5y ago
      Windows 10 is like 6-7 years old now no? This cannot be representing the majority of the market. How much of the market actually upgrades their OEM pcs?
    - Shared404 5y ago
      Currently work at an independent PC repair shop, and can confirm this. It's not uncommon for us to get a machine which is limping along on Windows 7 for the 15th year in a row, add an SSD and reinstall 7, 10, or rarely Linux Mint depending on how stubborn the user is on not upgrading to 10 and how open they are to change.
- coldtea 5y ago
  Keep them on 10, and eventually throw them and upgrade when the time comes.
- pjmlp 5y ago
  Now that Windows Vista is a thing, I think winning desktop user share from Windows will be easier than ever before. What else is the average Joe going to do with their DX10-less devices?
- marcodiego 5y ago
  We heard similar comments about Me, Vista and 8.
multiplegeorges 5y ago
Yeah, it was a joke. Every year can be that year if you just use it.

yepthatsreality 5y ago

Every year is the Year of Linux on the Desktop as more people move over.

pjmlp 5y ago
20 years for 1%, there is always hope I guess.
- tomnipotent 5y ago
  Steam Deck should at least double that.
  - NaturalPhallacy 5y ago
    Steam Deck isn't a desktop tho
    - 1_player 5y ago
      It is if you plug a monitor and peripherals. Runs a full KDE Plasma desktop.
      - pjmlp 5y ago
        Ah, then we can add Xbox to the amount of Windows desktops in use as well.
        1_player 5y ago
        The Xbox doesn't show a Windows desktop when you plug stuff in. Your constant trolling on Linux threads isn't appreciated.
        pjmlp 5y ago
        It is called experience from a failed Linux Desktop sales pitch. Been there done that. Ex-Linux zealot, whose digital trail even includes emails using M$ on the signature.

sebow 5y ago

That depends on the definition.The year we break 1% market share (usually with the steam survey as reference)? Already happened. I would say it's gonna be exploding after steam deck launches.I think it's gonna be higher than 2%,maybe 3% this year.Would be surprised if it gets past 5%, but that's a decent stretch(though not impossible at all).

ByteJockey 5y ago
Gaming was always the one thing that kept the more tech-savvy on windows boxes. I know it kept me there for a long time as a teenager. If that can be broken, I don't think 10% is infeasible. Though I think Microsoft would have to really screw up to lose their status as the "default" OS.
- chalupa-man 5y ago
  Valve's new Steam Deck device runs Linux. If it proves popular, that will be a big incentive for developers to improve Linux support for their games, and help jump that hurdle.

lordgroff 5y ago

First year for me not on Linux desktop for my primary device since... 99? M1 Air was the culprit. I still don't particularly love Mac OS and remain somewhat puzzled by the overwhelming love people have for it but: 1. It's usable enough and it's certainly polished and much more importantly 2. The M1 Air is the laptop I always dreamed of. Fast, doesn't get hot, SILENT. It's worth the trade-off for me, but I hope Linux on M1 succeeds and I get to run Linux again.

_v8ex 5y ago
I switched almost 2 years ago to macOS, I still have a hard time resizing windows and I miss how well it worked on Windows. But as yourself I’m in love with my MB Air, I bought it as a placeholder while waiting for the new Pros but I can’t go back to a heavier machine to get performance that I don’t need out of it. Sure it’s leaking in screen real estate and brightness, but I’m afraid there aren’t any alternatives to a fanless M1 Air.
- occamschainsaw 5y ago
  I have been using the Magnet app[0] since 2013 for window management on Mac. You can use it to position/resize windows using mouse gestures (dragging to edges etc) and shortcuts. BetterTouchTool is another powerful tool that can be used for window management along with many other things. [0] https://magnet.crowdcafe.com/ https://magnet.crowdcafe.com/ [1] https://folivora.ai/ https://folivora.ai/
dopeboy 5y ago
I had the choice of a M1 or a Thinkpad (which is what I've been using for the past decade). It was a very difficult decision - everything I hear about the M1 is incredible. I ended up getting a thinkpad because I really don't like macOS. But I don't know if I'll make that same decision in a couple years.

kradeelav 5y ago

I too just moved from a 2010 macbook pro over to a S76 lemur pro as my main machine a few months ago. I think a lot of people who fit that wedge of "not hardcore techies, but passionate about freedom of software" have been dismayed with the recent apple/microsoft moves/censorship/etc, and are realizing linux is actually pretty user friendly with plenty of software options versus ten years ago.

queuebert 5y ago

Quite possibly. Their Lemur Pro laptop is really amazing, and I consistently grab it over my Macbook Pro or Macbook Air because it is lighter, faster, gets better battery life, and the PopOS UI is better than the lipsticked pig that Mac OS has become these days.

spaetzleesser 5y ago
Why does the Lenmur have so much batter battery life than the Galago? The Galago lasts maybe 3-4 hours web browsing or watching videos.
- queuebert 5y ago
  The Lemur has a 73 Wh battery, while the Galago is 49 Wh, so 50% more battery. I'll also guess that the Lemur has much lower resting power consumption, since it doesn't have fancy graphics and has a lot of firmware designed to minimize power usage and turned on by default.