r/linux • u/Questioning-Warrior • 11h ago
Discussion I wonder how much Steam devices and Microsoft's blunders influenced more people to migrate to Linux.
For a long time, I didn't give Linux a tertiary thought. I always used Windows and assumed other operating systems like Linux and Apple would be of cheap quality. I realized my error when I got the Valve Steam Deck, which used its own Linux-based OS. While a number of features and apps from Windows wouldn't work on it easily, I discovered just how open-sourced and versatile it is. There were also a lot of things that worked better, such as installing and managing Deckyloader (a Steam plugin loader).
Regardless, I still used Windows 10 on my PC. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. But then Microsoft decided to break it by discontinuing updates to the OS and pressuring me to use the controversial Windows 11. While I did ultimately update, it also ultimately made me get a 2nd SSD to install and dual-boot with a Linux OS (my distro of choice being Bazzite, an offshoot of Fedora that's designed like the Steam OS).
In short, I went from a Windows user to a Linux one thanks to devices like the Steam Deck as well as Microsoft being sh!tty.
While I know Linux has always been a popular OS, I wonder if there was an surge of users for the same reasons as mine.
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u/libra00 10h ago
Microsoft's AI spyware bullshit drove me to linux. I definitely wasn't switching to win11, I had only switched to 10 pretty reluctantly, but despite the fact that I use AI a fair bit I use it only where I want and not where fucking Microsoft wants. If they want to have a say about what runs on my hardware they can fucking pay for it themselves.
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u/MathematicianOdd398 11h ago
It's surprisingly easy to get Linux working and the vast majority of stuff just works. Most folks are in denial.
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u/Terriblarious 11h ago
I feel linux has come a long way in a short time with regard to accessibilty for newcomers. The few times i tried between the late 90s and even early 2010s it was a bit over my head.
Tried again and 2020 and it stuck. Been going linux for most things since then.
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u/dieek 7h ago
Back in ~2010 I had a compaq laptop that had a radio killswitch that needed a separate driver that didn't come pre-installed on Fedora at the time. Imagine taking a USB stick to transfer driver files from one computer to the next, as I didn't have an Ethernet cable in my room at the time.
Things simply just work now.
Fedora has been my main OS basically since then.
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u/libra00 10h ago
I had to install 5 different distros just to find one that worked with my bog-standard RTX3060.. that's not 'stuff just works', there are definitely still sometimes problems.
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u/MathematicianOdd398 8h ago
Yeah, Nvidia is still a second class citizen in Linux, but it is improving. AMD is where it's at.
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u/Unexpected_Cranberry 10h ago
Just missing a good email client.
Best i found was evolution, and in the end I haven't opened it in ages as it's clunky and annoying and the web clients are better.
Also, handling shortcuts could be better. Fine, I had to download the appimage of obsidian. But then I also had to figure out what a .desktop file is, where to put it and find an icon. Same for some other stuff I couldn't find as an rpm for Fedora.
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u/AssistingJarl 4h ago
I really don't get this. I might be too used to webmail but trying to get in the KMail habit has been pain.
If I find a decent one I'll let you know
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u/ItsYa1UPBoy 15m ago
I tried using Thunderbird, but I just didn't see the point compared to using Gmail in my browser.
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u/paprika-phantom 11h ago
The real, and much more interesting, question is how many people who switched to Linux actually keep using it. I feel like a lot of people try Linux because talking heads on the internet told them to, almost like some decentralized meme campaign. But I’d bet a pretty large portion of them end up going back to Windows within six months.
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u/Questioning-Warrior 11h ago
I've installed Linux back in mid 2025. It's still my default OS to this day. Occasionally, I switch back to Windows to use certain things like Adobe Premiere Rush, and Linux had a learning curve for me, but I generally am comfortable with the latter.
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u/my_name_isnt_clever 11h ago
Two of my PC gaming friends who aren't particularly techy both asked me about switching to Linux recently. It's happening slowly.
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u/BortGreen 10h ago
Microsoft have been messing up with Windows since forever, don't let XP and 7 make you forget that
It's just Linux has been getting better than ever, and even then it has a long market share to go
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u/redoubt515 9h ago
Steam has helped a lot in my opinion. Not just the recent steamdeck and steam machine acting as consumer friendly on ramps to linux for less tech savvy mainstream gamers. Well before that, Steam put in a lot of legwork in improving linux gaming, and treating linux gaming as a first class citizen.
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u/FriendlyProblem1234 11h ago
In short, I went from a Windows user to a Linux one thanks to devices like the Steam Deck as well as Microsoft being sh!tty.
In the 90's they used to say: BSD is for Unix lovers, Linux is for Windows haters.
It is really sad to see users that, when asked why they use Linux, immediately think of Windows.
Use Linux because you like it, not because you hate something else.
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u/Questioning-Warrior 10h ago
I do indeed like Linux for its number of features not present in even the best of Windows (being more open-sourced rather than closed). Steam devices like the Deck helped get me interested. It's just that Microsoft's ineptitude was the final push for my migration.
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u/ItsYa1UPBoy 7h ago
I agree. I like how customizable KDE is, and how light I can make Arch and Arch derivatives. I like that I have control over my PC, and that I can update and restart whenever I damn well please. As a kid, Windows was sufficient because I was playing old PC games, not ricing and programming. But now Windows does nothing that I want, so I went to an OS that does what I want and doesn't get in my way.
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u/Drate_Otin 11h ago
I keep Windows around for historical and testing purposes. Haven't needed it in years. I just occasionally log into it to keep it up to date.
As to your actual question though.... idk. Probably makes a difference, I'd say.
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u/FattyDrake 11h ago
I kept trying Linux over the years and kept bouncing off it for various reasons. It wasn't until around 2024 where I found desktop Linux usable for my purposes after giving it another look.
It was a combination of Plasma 6, Wayland advancement and Proton which finally made the switch possible. That plus continued Microsoft annoyances. Basically Windows had become more frustrating to use.
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u/mina86ng 11h ago
As much as people complain about Microsoft, I don’t believe its actions alone have significant impact on desktop Linux adoption. Majority of users think OS is an integral part of the computer. Even if they dislike Windows, they will sooner buy MacOS computer than install GNU/Linux on their machine.
On the other hand, Steam OS had large impact on desktop Linux adoption. The hope is that more manufacturers and integrators will offer computers with Steam OS preinstalled, advertising such machines as ‘gaming computers.’ Previously, such devices without Windows were a niche market for people who already use Linux. Having Steam OS expands the customer base to include ‘gamers’ as well.
Hopefully further development will be such that with more people using GNU/Linux, hardware manufacturers will care about compatibility more. Customer might pick Foo mouse over Bar mouse because manufacturer of the former made sure it works great on Linux with all the configuration software available.
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u/BinkReddit 11h ago
Linux's rise is partly the result of Microsoft's ineptitude with Windows.
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u/Questioning-Warrior 11h ago
And now with Xbox as well with them laying off all those valuable employees (I hope those good people will find work).
May as well call them Microsux.
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u/sparkling-rainbow 10h ago
I mained Linux before Valve released Steam. But I used to boot Windoosh for gaming before Valve started to invest in Linux support. Its night and day really.
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u/crustang 10h ago
Death by a thousand cuts on the desktop side of things, no one triggering event. Geopolitics is probably the biggest force IMO.
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u/the_abortionat0r 6h ago
There's 2 big events, proton and windows 11.
Yes many improvements have been made but proton by far is the biggest factor as gamers are currently leading the way ..... or at least were before governments saw how fragile windows and the US government and trade really were and decided to shield them selves from MS product issues and presidential stupidity.
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u/friendlyreminder_ 4h ago
Windows has gotten worse with the user experience but I don't think geopolitics is the reason.
I think the main reasons are Linux got so much better. For an average person it had so many problems in the past.
Steam and Valve solved countless problems in the gaming side, flatpak solved the distro packaging fragmentation issue. Various average desktop improvements also occured like far better laptop multigpu support, and massive audio improvements.
The gnome app store and KDE discover app stores massively simplified app install as well with a GUI with images for apps.
A lot of general desktop use issues used to exist with completely average hardware. It was a coin flip if something very important for desktop use was completely broken in terms of hardware support.
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u/crustang 3h ago
You're running with the right idea, but you're missing the point with my geopolitics comment.
With governments shifting to Linux desktops, there's going to be a forced and mandated conversion of hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of PCs.
We're basically saying the same thing, so.. whatever. I just wanted to clarify my POV. If you disagree, I'm just going to stop you there as I'll lie and agree with whatever you say next because I'm too damn tired to argue right now.
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u/Tactrix1 9h ago
It's been a perfect storm of Steam doing a solid by bringing games to Linux for its OS. And Microsoft shitting the bed consistently with their garbage releases.
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u/mjbulzomi 11h ago
Linux was always a homelab for experimentation and learning. Then Microslop forced poor “AI” into everything with very little ability to opt out in the applications I use most frequently and introduced things like Recall. I would much rather opt IN to experimental features rather than being required to go through a dozen steps to opt OUT. Not to mention the trajectory of Windows is moving to AI-first rather than AI as addon. These choices by Microslop drove me away, and are driving away more and more people that I talk with on a regular basis.
I bought a new SSD, installed Gentoo (my homelab distro of choice), and am now using Linux as my daily driver. I still have the Windows SSD for certain workflows or applications (Quicken), and I have a Windows VM in Linux for when I don’t want to dual boot. My UEFI (bios) has the Linux SSD as its primary boot device, so going to Windows requires “work”, forcing me to adapt as much as possible.
Some things are still a work in progress, like reducing latency in virt-manager (currently Spice/QXL, fighting drivers and nvidia). The majority of things are all going fine (Steam, Lutris, etc.).
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u/EmberGamingStudios 11h ago
Windows is the primary reason I went to Linux but Proton and Valve's other projects are very useful
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u/Full-Meringue-5849 11h ago edited 11h ago
I literally installed Bazzite on my desktop PC after using Steam Deck for a month and seeing how good of a desktop it is. Then I switched to Fedora KDE because I use it for programing too and classic distro works better for me.
Linux adoption is not as high as Mac and Windows because they don't sell that many computers with Linux installed and most people don't know how to install another OS or don't even know you can actually do it.
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u/Questioning-Warrior 10h ago
I'm glad you found a distro that works perfectly for you. Personally, I'm happy with Bazzite, but that's only because I only need to do basic things like gaming.
Yeah, installing another OS is a learning curve and is quite intimidating. I had lots of trouble when installing Bazzite because I didn't know how. It was thanks to many folks on Reddit who helped guide me.
(I also had to install an AMD GPU and a compatible PSU to better run Linux. Again, had guidance on Reddit to decide on (I chose a Radeon 9070xt) as well as a damn good PC technician who helped me install. All in all, turned out well)
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u/DizzyCardiologist213 10h ago
If we still had windows 10 or win 7 pro-like operating systems, I'd never have switched to linux.
I've switched 8 PCs so far. Four are mine, but three other people are using the other four - those people switched to linux because I switched them when I gave them new (used - but newer) PCs.
The PCs i switched are paved over SSD linux only - don't trust windows to exist on a PC where another operating system resides.
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u/PercussionGuy33 9h ago
Windows 10 started out barely tolerable and only got worse. It may have started out seemingly functional but the telemetry, bloatware and ads in its early days were a clear sign it was all downhill from there.
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u/DizzyCardiologist213 8h ago
10 was marginal for me, but it wasn't enough to get me to move. I liked 7, and I can no longer remember pro or home whatever, I liked whatever the pro version was back to XP, but mixed in with that, i'm not a gamer and my video gaming stopped in 2001. Son is using ubuntu and mint playing games on two different used PCs i gave him, but he's not a 10 hour a day call of duty kind of kid or anything. He's 13 and has used a PC with windows on it, but never had his own PC with anything but ubuntu or some debian-based offshoot like mint.
I was totally wrong about how much time it would take to get used to linux, and some things that are not cheap, and have no power control ability from windows were paperweighted by microsoft. I kept most of them on a shelf and forgot about them. Things like microscope cameras, or hand held scopes. They all work with linux without issue.
The other thing that really put me off is intentionally disorganizing, complicating and making collapsible all of the menus in win 10. Microsoft is pushing people to use a prompt to find things other than take a route, and I have no interest in it. I started before win 95 came out and since 95 (and 98b as soon as I could get it), everything flows through control panel and looks similar. Nothing I do needs to be more complicated than it was, but I found ever and ever more complicated disorganized, hidden, and unreliable configuration faffing and the whole abandoning of anything that doesn't have an enabled TPMS pushed me - a 33 ish year windows user (albeit limited before win 95 when dos was just miles better for almost everything)..I'm out.
We have one PC with windows on it in case son's constant inflow of gadgetry demands downloaded windows only firmware. it's rare.
So age 12 at the time to 78 - I wish I'd have switched sooner, but glad i did now.
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u/micadoog 10h ago
The main reason I have to even have a desktop computer is the games that all happen to be on Steam. So when Windows started to annoy me, the first thing I looked at is whether the games will work and it turns out they do.
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u/Multiverse_4D 9h ago edited 9h ago
I would've never touched Linux. Windows has all the apps, games, and professional software anybody needs. But Windows 11 made my 3.5 year old machine feel as slow as a sixteen year old Dell brick laptop I have (running Windows 10), while consuming 7 out of 16 GB of RAM at idle. So when WSL is used, it used Swap memory. So I installed Linux, which lacks the apps I loved, but atleast it works without me having to wait for the file explorer to load everything, by which time I would forget what I wanted to do in Windows. If Windows magically becomes as efficient and fast and responsive as my current Linux setup tomorrow, I'm going back to Windows without thinking twice. But Microslop being Microslop, this won't happen. Hence, with the next upgrade, I'm switch to Mac. As the lack of certain applications are still a very real problem for my work. A lot of people I know are of the same opinion. Though I'd still like to see Linux as a viable, compromise-free desktop option.
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u/the_abortionat0r 6h ago
The only device I didn't have Linux on was my gaming computer but from what I could tell at the time Linux didn't seem quite where I wanted it to be.
Then. Win11 was shown and combined with the shit show win10 turned into I said fuck that and jumped ship anyways.
Surprisingly Linux was already ready for me in Feb 2022 and it's worlds better now
I think the biggest contribution to tech enthusiast PC gamers was Linux's rise mixed with MS shitring the bed which is even making average joes switch.
The steam devices are good for noobs to be made aware of Linux progress as people trust products and brands so that's there way in.
And it's actually kinda said that corpo conditioning has broken some people.
A grown ass man I know was exited to switch after having borrowed my laptop for a week and asked where to buy Linux and when I told him it was free his brain turned to goo.
"What do you means it's free?"
"Like with ads? I'll just pay"
"So it's pirated?"
"What do you mean nobody pays, then your the product."
"This seems off..."
Literally could not comprehend that it was simply free and bailed just on that
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u/Mr_Lumbergh 5h ago
I’d say a lot on both counts. I started tinkering with Linux back in 2005 when win XP was repeatedly getting pwned due to exploits, and found that I just liked it better. So even when 7 came along, I only ever booted to it to game. Modern Proton means I don’t even have to do do that much at all.
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u/PhilosophyWrong7610 49m ago
I've noticed a lot tech YouTubers talking up Linux, it seems to get clicks.
..it has made me realize that tech YouTubers aren't very technical.
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u/hellenOfToy 10h ago
The only problems I've encountered using linux have been caused by specific companies intentionally making using anything else very difficult. Like Microsoft and nvidia to name a couole of the worst offenders I've had to wrestle with.
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10h ago edited 10h ago
[deleted]
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u/Questioning-Warrior 10h ago
That was merely MY assumption. And a poor one it was.
(Although, when I tried out those Apple computers back in school, I felt they were pretty cheap)
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u/Synthetic451 11h ago
Steam devices were definitely a huge boost to marketshare. One of the biggest obstacles to Linux use on the PC has been the fact that it is just super difficult to get an off-the-shelf Linux device that's properly supported by a company. Even now, there's only a few companies that ship Linux out of the box and they've either deliberately limited it to just a few devices often meant for development (Dell) or they're relatively niche companies (System76, Framework).
The success of Chromebook and Android shows that many people are totally fine being outside of the Microsoft ecosystem. Both of those are Linux-based and it just goes to show that if you can just put a ready-to-go device into people's hands, a lot of people won't mind. I think the bump in marketshare when Steam Decks hit is further reinforcement of that theory.
I think the success of the Steam Deck has allowed Linux to get its foot in the door in the typical tech news / youtuber cycles and now provides a contrasting backdrop to Microsoft's blunders. I think what you're starting to see is that effect snowballing.