I’ve been seeing more and more people switching to Linux this year, especially gamers. Bazzite, CachyOS, Linux Mint, etc. seem to be getting mentioned everywhere.

Why didn’t we see a massive shift like this earlier? What changed, or what finally pushed people to make the switch?

I know the Steam Deck was probably a big factor in showing people that Linux gaming is actually viable and that Linux isn’t as painful as it used to be.

But what else changed over the last few years that made Linux suddenly feel like a realistic alternative to Windows for so many people?

https://www.reddit.com/r/BuyFromEU/comments/1wp80ip/dutch_government_developing_a_sovereign_linux/
https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/1sifb7t/france_plans_to_replace_windows_with_a_hardened/
https://discourse.nixos.org/t/danish-road-traffic-authority-switches-from-microsoft-to-linux/74117

Hope this is ok to post here (I often see threads of new Linux converts coming over from Windows)

Three main reasons:

1. Gaming is now better
2. Windows 10 support soon ending
3. Power users vocal about less AI in Windows.

A few comments.

I am happy to see (1) listed here. When I saw Steam come to Linux I thought "ok how long is this realistically going to last"? I legit did not think supporting Linux gaming long term was financially viable.... and here we are 12+ years later I own a handheld gaming device made by Valve powered by Linux.

(3) is a particularly interesting one for me because I work in AI research. Still, I feel like moving AI into the OS is a bit much, almost like crossing a personal boundary you shouldn't cross. So I totally get why this would upset people. I still remember how rightfully upset people were when Canonical added online search and shopping suggestions in their Unity desktop.. imagine now feeding local file searches to an AI instead 😱

Curious what you all think. Any recent Windows converts relate to these reasons?

No, this is not a joke, I want to run Linux in this 80’s computer

Specs:

Zilog Z80A cpu

TMS 9128

64kb RAM

16kb VRAM

32kb ROM

Is it possible?

I'm almost 45 years, started with MS-DOS5 as a kid and here I am writing that I entirely ditched Microsoft.

I'm not gonna bother you with all the reasons that I have, but the main reason is security. These big tech companies push you into their clouds, steal your data and spy on you.

To me back in the 80's and 90's Microsoft was all about innovation and cool stuff. Now these days, just like Google, it seems to be all about power and money. There seems to be barely anything happening anymore, aside from releasing a new Windows version every X year with the same stuff but the start button on a different location, and perhaps a few different colors and more and more cloud integration.

I've seen MSDOS, Novell Netware, all Microsoft releases, BSD, OS2/Warp and a bunch of linux distro's. For now I'm on Mint as I love how tidy and clean everything is, not sure what is next.

Some thoughts:

1. Asked AI when I didn't know how to do certain things on Linux.
2. Typing commands is easier/faster than a graphical UI
3. Old computer (10+ yo) runs just as fast as new ones
4. Found all the software I need on Linux. Most are better or just as good. There's LM studio for AI, video (OBS/shotcut), and image processing (GIMP), reference manager (Zotero), LibreOffice etc. There's always an alternative for something that runs on Windows, if not the same software version available to Linux.
5. Unsubscribing from all the "antivirus software" that exists solely for Windows system
6. Hardware's driver is never an issue. From RX6600, RX7900 to RTX 5090 they all worked. The last one is new, so I had to go into command mode at the login stage and connect the wifi by typing a command - you learn something new every day.
7. Ubuntu Pro gives 10 years updates on 5 machines. Free.
8. No creepy software stealing my data and IP.
9. Many games can run on Linux without using things like Proton to mimic Windows. Some games have an anti-cheat system, so they can't run on Linux - I'd just play them on PS4/5. No issues with game performance, but it does not support 2560*1080 for Resident Evil 6 on an ultrawide screen, it didn't scale properly.
10. It does freeze or crash, but not often enough to bother me. When it happens, it's for a reason and not random crashing. Sometimes, certain software doesn't open or install properly,so just switch to a different one.

It's not the same Linux from 20 or 10 years ago. I'd never go back to Windows - these companies are charging monthly subscriptions, which are insane.

My platform:

1. Linux Ubuntu 24 Pro on 2 machines, soon adding a third.
2. One of the 3 machines I have is at least 10 years old, but runs FASTER than the new computer....weird.

Probably never going back to Windows again, but I plan to keep Windows 10 as a dual system on the 10-year-old machine as a backup.

I keep Windows 11 installed for those (more and more rare) times that I just can't figure out how to do or run something in Linux. Typically it's just my GPU glitching out in Linux that forces me to consider booting into Windows. What I mean is, when I'm experiencing crashes in Blender, sometimes I boot into Windows, load the same file up, and I don't get the same annoying crash in Blender, for whatever reason.

Other than that, I haven't used Windows for anything in the past year, even for gaming, or video conferencing for work. And every stinking time I need to get into Windows, there are forced updates waiting to be installed.

I'm getting to the point where I think I'm ready to completely nuke my Windows install and go 100% with Linux. Fedora 42 is completely stable, no glitching, all my hardware works, all default drivers, nothing broken. (Well, except my 8-year-old Microsoft Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID which doesn't have a BT pairing button. For that one edge case I have to copy the bt keys from windows registry and import them in Linux to get it working. But I am annoyed about it enough that I'll probably just go get a different wireless keyboard.)

Anyone else in a similar situation? Any similar/different experiences?

Edit: [update]
Thanks for all the feedback! The most common themes so far:

• Almost never used: Many people only keep Windows “just in case” and haven’t booted in months or even years.
• Gaming: Anti-cheat and unported titles force Windows boots for games like Fortnite, Destiny 2, Battlefield, etc.
• Hardware/Drivers: BIOS updates, printer/scanner drivers, RGB and fingerprint-keyboard utilities often only work in Windows.
• Specialized Apps: Office (Outlook, Teams), Visual Studio, UWP dev tools, and niche professional software still tether folks to Windows.
• VMs & Separate Machines: Increasingly, users are moving Windows into a VM or onto a spare PC rather than dual-booting directly.

Every month, Valve sends out a survey to some of its users to gauge what the most popular operating systems and configurations are from accounts on Steam. It's interesting to see it as well, showing the most popular CPUs, GPUs, operating systems, and even VR headsets and resolutions. This also appears on the Steam Deck, allowing them to include our handhelds in the survey. Now that it's October, we have a brand new survey edition to check out, and to my surprise, Linux has passed the 3% mark!

Linux Hits 3% On Steam's October 2025 Hardware Survey - Steam Deck HQ

I know there will be the complainers but at the end of the day this is gonna make things so much better. Our test employee already had no issues.

I am very hopeful for a smooth transition.
***I wont get it. LOL
But still hopeful.