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Linux has gone mainstream a long time ago - from dvd players to android phones. It just hasn’t succceeded on old preexisting markets ( personal computers ) but

Linux has gone mainstream a long time ago - from dvd players to android phones. It just hasn’t succceeded on old preexisting markets ( personal computers ) but has taken large parts of most of the newly created ones ( servers , mobile devices , embedded devices etc )

Forgeties79 2mo ago
I feel like this is a little nitpicky. Clearly they are talking about mainstream for the average home computer user as a daily driver OS. Even with the steam deck it’s barely touching 5%. It’s still obscure and mysterious to the vast majority of the population in a way windows and macOS aren’t.
- sejje 2mo ago
  I've been a techie my whole life, and for me, the mysterious OS is macOS. I haven't used it since high school (late 90s), which is when I picked up linux at home. I was never able to afford mac products as a young person, and now that I can, I wouldn't part with linux.
  - Forgeties79 2mo ago
    I really don’t feel like I need to explain how this is not what I’m talking about.
    - sejje 2mo ago
      Okay, well this is: I've installed ubuntu for my elderly father, who is the opposite of a techie. He didn't know the difference. He can still browse the web and play solitaire, just like on windows. He ran it for a few years. Then he bought a new device and hasn't asked for my help.
      - Forgeties79 2mo ago
        This is still not what we are talking about. This has nothing to do with ease of use when set up or the practical considerations of swapping. Linux is not mainstream in the consumer world. People do not really know what it is. It is still mysterious and personal computer installation is far from turnkey.
- ZiiS 2mo ago
  The percentage of computers involved running Windows when you Google, Netflix, Amazon, Bank, Email on your Windows laptop is less then 50%.
  - Forgeties79 2mo ago
    As I said to the other person, I really don’t feel like I need to explain how this is not what we are talking about. Go ask 100 random people to name 1 Linux distro.
    - KetoManx64 2mo ago
      Go ask 100 people what operating system they're using and if they do say windows, ask them what version.
      - Forgeties79 2mo ago
        While not exactly the same, I guarantee you more people will know the answer to that than the Linux distro question.
- falsemyrmidon 2mo ago
  With the steam deck 5% is around 300% to 500% growth over the last 5 years
- Agingcoder 2mo ago
  I know but I’m not sure it actually matters. To many people the internet and internet explorer ( or edge ) are the same thing, and for almost everyone I know , the daily driver is the phone or tablet OS not the laptop/desktop OS. And I’m not even talking about the ones who live in a browser. I started using Linux in 96 and for many years it was going to be the year of Linux on the desktop. It never happened , and I’m not sure it’s that important these days , given the gigantic presence Linux has, and the way people interact with computing devices in general these days . Edit / clarification : there are a lots of computer professionals on HN, and as such see actual pcs / Macs etc a lot. Many people don’t and just see their phones.
fergal_reid 2mo ago
Yes - but this will be the year of Linux on the desktop.
- ReptileMan 2mo ago
  one of the more interesting things about the harnesses and agents is that they solve a lot of the ops issues in both linux and windows desktops. A prompt with - "disable telemetry, disable useless services and memory hogging ones, disable auto restart" makes windows quite bearable.
  - KetoManx64 2mo ago
    And then on the next Windows update they will all be turned back on again.
  - thewebguyd 2mo ago
    The core difference there being, those settings will stick on Linux, and Microsoft will happily revert them next Windows feature update without telling you.
    - ReptileMan 2mo ago
      Not when you have disabled the updates and put the script in scheduled tasks.
      - samrus 2mo ago
        Sysiphus be like
pjmlp 2mo ago
Linux kernel is an implementation detail on Android, not exposed to userspace. Consumers don't care what kernel runs on their electronics.
ninjettor 2mo ago
I mean Playstation uses FreeBSD 11.

Forgeties79 2mo ago

I feel like this is a little nitpicky. Clearly they are talking about mainstream for the average home computer user as a daily driver OS. Even with the steam deck it’s barely touching 5%. It’s still obscure and mysterious to the vast majority of the population in a way windows and macOS aren’t.

sejje 2mo ago
I've been a techie my whole life, and for me, the mysterious OS is macOS. I haven't used it since high school (late 90s), which is when I picked up linux at home. I was never able to afford mac products as a young person, and now that I can, I wouldn't part with linux.
- Forgeties79 2mo ago
  I really don’t feel like I need to explain how this is not what I’m talking about.
  - sejje 2mo ago
    Okay, well this is: I've installed ubuntu for my elderly father, who is the opposite of a techie. He didn't know the difference. He can still browse the web and play solitaire, just like on windows. He ran it for a few years. Then he bought a new device and hasn't asked for my help.
    - Forgeties79 2mo ago
      This is still not what we are talking about. This has nothing to do with ease of use when set up or the practical considerations of swapping. Linux is not mainstream in the consumer world. People do not really know what it is. It is still mysterious and personal computer installation is far from turnkey.
ZiiS 2mo ago
The percentage of computers involved running Windows when you Google, Netflix, Amazon, Bank, Email on your Windows laptop is less then 50%.
- Forgeties79 2mo ago
  As I said to the other person, I really don’t feel like I need to explain how this is not what we are talking about. Go ask 100 random people to name 1 Linux distro.
  - KetoManx64 2mo ago
    Go ask 100 people what operating system they're using and if they do say windows, ask them what version.
    - Forgeties79 2mo ago
      While not exactly the same, I guarantee you more people will know the answer to that than the Linux distro question.
falsemyrmidon 2mo ago
With the steam deck 5% is around 300% to 500% growth over the last 5 years
Agingcoder 2mo ago
I know but I’m not sure it actually matters. To many people the internet and internet explorer ( or edge ) are the same thing, and for almost everyone I know , the daily driver is the phone or tablet OS not the laptop/desktop OS. And I’m not even talking about the ones who live in a browser. I started using Linux in 96 and for many years it was going to be the year of Linux on the desktop. It never happened , and I’m not sure it’s that important these days , given the gigantic presence Linux has, and the way people interact with computing devices in general these days . Edit / clarification : there are a lots of computer professionals on HN, and as such see actual pcs / Macs etc a lot. Many people don’t and just see their phones.

fergal_reid 2mo ago

Yes - but this will be the year of Linux on the desktop.

ReptileMan 2mo ago
one of the more interesting things about the harnesses and agents is that they solve a lot of the ops issues in both linux and windows desktops. A prompt with - "disable telemetry, disable useless services and memory hogging ones, disable auto restart" makes windows quite bearable.
- KetoManx64 2mo ago
  And then on the next Windows update they will all be turned back on again.
- thewebguyd 2mo ago
  The core difference there being, those settings will stick on Linux, and Microsoft will happily revert them next Windows feature update without telling you.
  - ReptileMan 2mo ago
    Not when you have disabled the updates and put the script in scheduled tasks.
    - samrus 2mo ago
      Sysiphus be like

pjmlp 2mo ago

Linux kernel is an implementation detail on Android, not exposed to userspace. Consumers don't care what kernel runs on their electronics.

ninjettor 2mo ago

I mean Playstation uses FreeBSD 11.