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Windows 10 refugees flock to Linux in what devs call their "biggest launch"
- herbst 1y agoIs anyone here even still using Windows in a professional way?
- c0balt 1y agoAt least 90% of our internal administration and my boss, mostly for excel and exchange. But it is quite present in offices at public institutions too.
- tonyedgecombe 1y agoMostly people who don't have any choice.
- esperent 1y agoOf course there is, lots of software doesn't work on Linux. I've switched to using Linux on my personal laptop, but I can't recommend it to anyone else in my small company (we're not a tech company, if I did get anyone else running it that would immediately make me their tech support, and I'm not doing that), and I can't use it on any of our branch machines as the POS software only runs on Windows or Android (might switch to touchscreen Android kiosks in the future though).
- daveoc64 1y agoAs the Stack Overflow developer survey shows, a majority of developers use Windows: https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2025/technology#1-computer-operating-systems https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2025/technology#1-computer-o... HN is atypical of the world, particularly anything outside of the USA.
- aussieguy1234 1y agoI ditched windows and switched to Linux back in the Windows 98 days. Have not looked back since.
- adastra22 1y agoGood for you. You are part of a minority of users.
- CaptainOfCoit 1y agoI agree that HN is atypical of the world, but so is any surveys by Stack Overflow too, it's really heavily Windows and C# biased across the board, so take whatever results they get with a grain of salt.
- mrsmrtss 1y agoWhy do you think that? Is it really biased, considering the majority of the world uses Windows? Or is it just that you don't like it? By the way, I'm not using Windows (but love .NET) and prefer Linux, but I'm not fooling myself that it's a popular choice on the desktop by any metric.
- CaptainOfCoit 1y agoI think there are many reasons. Joel Spolsky and Jeff Atwood were both hugely into .NET/C# and Windows Tech (one of them worked at Microsoft even maybe?). Then the entire startup was built with Microsoft tech, because they knew that best, so when they talk about their architecture they obviously draw a particular crowd among others. It felt like a lot of the early community came from the founders blogs and Microsoft circles, and I was also asking mostly C# questions on SO too in the beginning. Probably someone remembers the history better than me and have more clarity and/or corrections.
- lostmsu 1y agoIt may also be that Windows users are just not as vocal.
- hshdhdhj4444 1y agoWith WSL2, Windows 11 could easily have been the best Linux distribution on the planet, supporting all Windows apps while also giving you the full power of Linux at your terminal. Unfortunately Microsoft decided to stuff it with user hostile spyware instead.
- CaptainOfCoit 1y agoEh, no. WSL2 is kind of bad compared to a proper Linux environment, you'll encounter so many tiny cuts that eventually you'll yearn for a proper environment where stuff just works instead of having to fight against the built-in "interoperability" stuff Microsoft has added that just gets in the way and introduces new issues. Saying this as someone who've used both Linux and Windows as a main OS for decades, and would dump Windows 100% if I could get Ableton to run properly on Linux. I'm still using WSL2 from time to time, but for things I need to be productive with, I prefer my Linux environment 99% of the time.
- esperent 1y ago> WSL2 is kind of bad compared to a proper Linux environment, you'll encounter so many tiny cuts I used WSL2 for years and never had any issues with it.
- CaptainOfCoit 1y agoAlso used WSL2, and keep hitting sharp edges. Last issue involved not being able to properly use the GPU through Docker running in WSL2 on a Arch installation, and Windows "helpfully" aliasing .exe's available on the host OS into the guest, confusing a lot of the stack. A year ago or something, changing the size of the WSL disk via some Powershell command also corrupted the disk after it was done, I had to start from scratch which was a bit annoying.
- axus 1y agoI like WSL2 as a polished way to launch VMs in Windows. It's been good for testing out Linux software in an odd environment, but I haven't figured out how to enable SELinux or the systemd firewall on the Red Hat variants.
- BSDobelix 1y agoNearly everyone who wants to get work done and is not in the IT-Bubble for example: https://www.autodesk.com/products https://www.autodesk.com/products https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_computer-aided_manufacturing_software https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_computer-aided_manufac...
- Ylpertnodi 1y agoYes. Audio and video. Tried Linux several times. Nope, not yet.
- Daneel_ 1y agoAbsolutely. MacOS treats the user like a child (Windows isn’t much better, but it is better), and Linux doesn’t have all the domain integration features and breadth of software that Windows brings to the table. I’m extremely comfortable on Linux at home, but I use Windows at work.
- microtonal 1y agoMacOS treats the user like a child Sorry, but this is just nonsense. I used Linux on the desktop from 1994 to 2007 (lucky enough to start using Linux when I was 12). I have used macOS as my main desktop since 2007, but I also have a ThinkPad with NixOS and a Linux workstation (currently used headless though). I feel like I'm able to make a fair comparison. macOS for me feels like a much more mature version of the Linux desktop, on more mature hardware, with applications that are not available on Linux. macOS is rarely getting in my way. The primary reason I also use Linux (and contribute in various ways) is that I find FLOSS morally preferable and hope for that reason that the Linux desktop wins in the long term. Though having been around for many 'Linux is soon ready for the desktop'-moments since around 2000 (anyone remember Corel Linux?), I don't hold high hopes. As long as basic things like waking sleep results in a kernel panic because waking your Thunderbolt display puts the kernel in a weird state (and the 999 other paper cuts), Linux on the desktop won't happen.
- jope12 1y agoI cannot work productively with Linux because there are no Linux alternatives to the following Windows tools (and the 'alternatives' people tell me about are a sad joke): * AutoHotkey * Voidtools Everything * Agent Ransack * Irfanview
- TiredOfLife 1y agoJudging from the comments on Windows related threads here. Nobody here has even seen Windows for last 20 years. Every comment is basically whatever they have seen on Twitter, TikTok, Reddit or Slashdot
- esperent 1y agoI'm one of these people. Although it was a several years long plan for me, which involved learning new software (especially 3DS Max to Blender). I finally decided to bite the bullet around 8 weeks ago. Backed up everything, wiped Windows, installed Ubuntu. I wouldn't says it's been smooth sailing. I've had a ton of technical issues which are not all resolved (I still can't get my laptop to wake from sleep, I have to do a hard reset if it sleeps) but at least everything else is working now. A lot of minor display related issues (mostly involving using an external monitor as my main screen) were solved when I switched to Gnome on X11 instead of Wayland. The most important lesson I'm taking from this is: if you want to use Linux, you need to buy certified hardware. Don't assume your laptop will work. Don't recommend other people to install Linux on random laptops, they'll probably have loads of minor and major issues that you don't have if you bought hardware specifically with the goal of running Linux.
- rlpb 1y ago> Don't assume your laptop will work. Agreed. Note though that the Ubuntu live installer has a "Try" mode that gives you a nearly normal desktop experience without installing, and is an effective test environment to discover what will work and what won't. Wifi, graphics and suspend are worth trying out this way.
- esperent 1y agoThis is good advice and I should have done that. However, most of the issues I had only showed up after some time of using it. For example, a big one was wifi and it was very intermittent and hard to debug. I think it was going into low power mode in some circumstances and my wifi speed would randomly drop to 100kbs or less. Sometimes turning wifi off and on would fix it, sometimes a restart was required. Thankfully I did fix it eventually but I have no idea which of the many things I tried ended up working. One thing I didn't have major issues with was my Nvidia graphics card, which was a surprise.
- Yohvee7u 1y agoAh, the issues you mentioned are the top 3 nvidia issues :P - wake from suspend - laptop power consumption - poor wayland support - sudden desktop restarts - hidpi, external monitors, virtualization Nvidia's proprietary crap has always worked badly, the re-implement everything and put all their development effort into NIH syndrome instead of playing along with the already existing open source stack.
- MeteorMarc 1y agoLots of "obsolete" Pc's are perfectly able to run W11, only missing the blessings from Redmond.
- netsharc 1y agoI wish I could also live in a planet where throwing away perfectly good PCs is fine and there's no looming climate-change-induced destruction...
- BSDobelix 1y agoI wish AI is used to solve real-world problems instead of creating AI slop, thanks OpenAI/Sora.
- osigurdson 1y agoUsually they get recycled. I wouldn't stress about it.
- BSDobelix 1y agoAround 22% is "recycled" sometimes in disgusting ways: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5r4hFY_oh8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5r4hFY_oh8 Same story with clothes, paper and plastic recycling, it's just talk and green-washing.
- osigurdson 1y agoThe question is, how much guilt-free landfill waste should each person get to create in their lifetime? Don't say zero.
- BSDobelix 1y agoThe problem isn't landfills; it's the toxic substances being spread all over our planet, as seen in the video. Just stop telling people that e-waste is being recycled—it's mostly a lie. But i can answer you the "guilt-free" part it's really easy: Don't buy stuff you don't need, or stuff that's just for short-time-fun (Labubu vs. Guitar) ;)
- markus_zhang 1y agoIMO the best way for Linux to win is to advocate it to your kids. People usually stick to whatever they learned and played with during childhood, and if we can make a whole generation Linux aware, not as a server but as a desktop, then the time of Linux desktop is foreseeable. Instead of poaching to the adults, poach it to the kids. Tell them stories of hackers, etc. We can also volunteer in schools for a few sessions of introduction to Linux.
- sylens 1y agoThis is even more important now as younger generations are just given iPads and other locked down devices, to the point where they have to learn how to navigate a file system in their introductory university courses.
- spacechild1 1y ago> to the point where they have to learn how to navigate a file system in their introductory university courses. What happened to IT lessons at school? I had IT starting at the age of 13 onwards, and that was in the early 2000s. By the time you graduated from school, you were guaranteed to have at least basic IT skills.
- CaptainOfCoit 1y agoI think those classes/lessons were added when the availability of computers were kind of so and so, not every kid had a computer at home but most adults at the time understood that computers will be used in the kids future one way or another, so they figured everyone should know it. At one point it shifted to "everyone has a computer at home" to "everyone has a computer in their pocket, and learns typing by themselves" and the classes seems to have disappeared.
- spacechild1 1y ago> when the availability of computers were kind of so and so, I think in the early/mid 2000s most families already had a PC at home. At least all of my friends did. > "everyone has a computer in their pocket, and learns typing by themselves" Yeah, that seems to be the sentiment. Of course we all know this is completely wrong.
- trebligdivad 1y agoPlease remember to go gently and slowly/appropriately with people; Help people who want to move, show off how you're using stuff - but don't push too hard and make sure the setup is right for the person.
- sys_64738 1y agoIf people don't want to buy a new computer then I'd imagine the majority will stick with Win10 for a period until their current computer dies. As long as Chrome still supports Win10 then they'll think it's OK. Win11 is so radically different to Win10 that most would see less change going to Mint but won't.
- tannhaeuser 1y agoUnfortunately the Linux desktop is in its worst state it has been since two decades with containerized apps/frameworks/browsers updating when they feel like it all the time and the related unsolvable permission and layering problems on top of the usual WLAN, touchpad, and power management issues unsolved for nearly 30 years as a growing number of second system effect frameworks bring new issues with ungooglable solutions so Linux users themselves flock to Mac OS.
- d3Xt3r 1y agoThat is highly debatable, largely subjective and probably hardware dependent to an extent. I'm running Linux on five different machines, and two of them are portables: a ThinkPad Z13 and a GPD Win Mini 2024 - and have none of the issues you mentioned. In fact there's literally zero issues at all, I couldn't be any happier to be honest.
- toaik 1y agoA year after Windows 7 reached EOL, we began running Debian with XFCE for internet facing boxes. They all run uninterrupted with zero issues, and are orders of magnitude more stable than Windows 11. The biggest bonus to me is, Linux/BSD sets up in minutes and you're done; literally done and ready for work/pleasure. Properly setting up Windows using group policy and other privacy controlling mechanisms takes five+ hours. I still use Windows 7 which was the last user friendly OS put out by Redmond; it is still a great OS when kept off the internet.
- Eddy_Viscosity2 1y ago> setting up Windows using group policy and other privacy controlling mechanisms takes five+ hours I went through this not too long ago. And the effort required feels like a very deliberate dark pattern move.
- CaptainOfCoit 1y ago> Unfortunately the Linux desktop is in its worst state it has been since two decades I primarily used Linux in various ways since Ubuntu 6.06, and every year it gets a little bit better, useful and stable, from my point of view at least. But I also moved to Arch some years ago, and CachyOS this year, so that might cloud my view on how well things work, and I also stopped using laptops, which makes Linux life a lot easier.
- misiek08 1y agoThe day EA games will run on Linux will be the day Windows dies IMHO. This will mean full support of all broken graphical APIs and stability of drivers from e.g. nvidia that currently looks like a rollercoaster ride - every other app works stable on different nvidia driver. As W10 user, W11 denialer I’m waiting for that day!
- le-mark 1y agoYou’re going to be waiting a long time, sorry to say. The question is; are you going to let these corporations rule your life in this way?
- TiredOfLife 1y agoEA games work on linux. Have for many years.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- fallinditch 1y agoI have a 7 year old mini 'NUC' PC that ran Windows 10. I installed Windows 11 and used a popular Debloat program [1] - this produced a very nice operating system that suits me well and performed well. I also tried to install various Linux distros on a partition but all of the installations failed towards the end of the process, causing various boot loader and other problems that required a lot of uncomfortable fixing in terminals and BIOS. I would have liked to be using Linux but as it turned out a de-bloated Windows 11 experience is very good for me. [1] https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat?utm_source=perplexity https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat?utm_source=perplexit...
- d3Xt3r 1y agoThat's odd, usually older computers, especially NUCs are very well supported under Linux. I've got a 3yr old NUC-like Mini PC (from Minisforum) and it everything worked OOTB (with Fedora and Arch).
- mikewarot 1y agoI'm contemplating my options. I'd love to move to a secure OS like Genode but it still doesn't seem to be a complete daily driver. I completely switched to Ubuntu a few years ago, but the loss of a functioning version of WikidPad, which was my calendar at the time forced me back, having missed a few critical doctors appointments was the straw that broke me. It was a breaking change to the WxWindows python Library that killed it. Because the windows version of public release from 2012 was an executable, it just kept working, while the software supply chain failed for the Linux world. Many other things written in Python were killed when Python 3 hit and took them out, unless they were actively being maintained. I've even considered the possibility of switching to VMS, having used it back in my college days, but the cost seems to be almost $100/month for a license. ==8-o
- Gud 1y agoI finally migrated my secondary OS from Windows to Manjaro.