r/linux • u/Zodiak1011 • 2d ago

Alternative OS Why does it feel like Linux is suddenly exploding in 2026?

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?

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u/batmanallthetime 2d ago

Yes quicker technical support, but ironically many users are escaping the "AI Everywhere" push Microsoft did on Windows 11. Credibility has tanked since privacy risks taken in recent times appear unprecedent to end users

  • filesystem access
  • analyzing all user actions
  • Recall screenshotting
  • on-device AI models
  • in-built NPU

I bet >70% users will be happy having old school OS & Office suite that is completely offline & mechanical.

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u/Swizzel-Stixx 2d ago

Being able to choose when I need AI help is far superior to having it shoved down my throat all the time.

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u/CassiusThundercock67 1d ago

And the one being shoved down our throats is fucking Copilot.

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u/lazyboy76 1d ago

Yeah, should've shove Claude down my throat.

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u/rataman098 2d ago

You overestimate the amount of giving a shit the majority of users have about their privacy or rights. >70% of users don’t care about either of those as long as it’s easy, convenient and free. Most people just use Google Docs over offline office suites.

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u/Unquietgirl 2d ago

I've been using libre office for years. Copilot and the screenshot thing they tried to push for a minute, made me really ultimately jump off windows to linux. I had used it on a work computer but not ever put it on a personal computer. It's honestly getting easier and easier for your average person to just use it

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u/cornonthekopp 2d ago

Microsoft shoving copilot down my throat on windows 11 was one of my motivators for switching to mint just recently

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u/MirrorNegative7989 2d ago

Libreoffice has been easy, convenient and free for me to use for a number of years now. And unlike Google Docs, it can't decide to suddenly turn off access to my documents if it doesn't like what I'm typing.

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u/rataman098 2d ago

Again, that’s YOU, the average user doesn’t give a shit

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u/dst1980 2d ago

The average user is starting to care. When they are actually impacted by the issues, they very quickly start to care.

Many don't care YET, and some will never care, but we're seeing more average users starting to care. If someone only really uses an office suite for work, they will use whatever is provided. With many schools providing pre-configured computers for the students, there is much less demand for an office suite at home. And, once again, people will use what is provided/required if they don't have to pay for it.

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u/rataman098 1d ago

Nope, the average user is not lol, the average user is daily driving ChatGPT or Gemini and sending it pictures of them, their families and children to make Disney-style drawings, which is a big indicator of giving zero fucks about privacy.

The above-average might be, but again, I think you’re overestimating the average user.

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u/Indolent_Bard 1d ago

And unlike Google Docs, it can't decide to suddenly turn off access to my documents if it doesn't like what I'm typing.

What the fuck are you talking about?

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u/F9-0021 2d ago

And then there's the humble notepad/Kate/nano user.

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u/GoogleDisDick 1d ago

You're not wrong but I think there's a limit. I think recall went way past that limit. It was literally screenshotting and analyzing everything you did. If anyone other than Microsoft made that it would've been added to Defender's definitions as spyware. And let's be clear it is spyware.

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u/jajajajaj 2d ago

Yes. It's an escape from all-around  corporate enshittification. 

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u/antichain 2d ago

Imo the problem here isn't AI, so much as it is "AI in places I didn't want it." I'm happy to spin up a Claude Code instance to help configure something or debug nix's impenetrable error messages. But then I close the window and the AI goes away.

For some reason, this is too abstract a concept for Microsoft to grasp though

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u/Particular-Poem-7085 2d ago

the windows issue isn't AI everywhere per se, it's the inconvenience they introduce with extra logins and frankly ads for their services at every step. Nobody would care if it were an option in the background that you never touch.

I'm also escaping windows but privacy was never my first concern. I am however able to achieve things I never dreamed about before with LLM help. Like dailying arch and hosting my own services via docker on a tiny debian machine, I script, I rice, I've created my own kwin plugins.

Not once did I need a dedicated copilot button to do it.

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u/Manuel_RT 1d ago

You can search and learn from AI, that’s different from having AI slop built into the system