• Linux desktop market share has grown from 1.5% in 2020 to over 4% globally in 2024 and exceeds 5% in the US by 2025; including ChromeOS pushes it above 11%.
• Key drivers include Windows 10 end-of-support, Windows 11's unpopular changes (e.g., AI integration, interface shifts), and Zorin OS seeing 78% downloads from Windows users.
• Additional factors: better gaming via Steam/Proton, improved distro usability, hardware compatibility, privacy concerns, and EU digital sovereignty pushing governments to Linux alternatives like EU OS.
• Broader Linux dominance: Android (Linux-based) holds 72.55% global mobile share; US gov sites see 23% Linux traffic including Android/ChromeOS.

Hacker News Discussion

• Top comment praises KDE Plasma on Fedora over GNOME for Windows-like features, configurability (window rules, settings panel), and dev workflow superiority to WSL; prefers AMD GPUs.
• Distro recs: Pop!_OS for simplicity/accessibility, Kubuntu LTS for longevity (e.g., 5+ years on old hardware), atomic Fedora Kinoite for rollbacks.
• Pain points: Video editing lags (DaVinci Resolve codec issues, Kdenlive text woes), hardware glitches (Nvidia, fingerprints), weaker file pickers/accessibility vs Windows/macOS.
• Debates: CLI tools suffice for some; toxicity accusations fly; Linux dev admits accessibility gaps; Windows' telemetry/AI drives switches; market share undercounted by adblockers.