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/the_abortionat0r 2d ago

It's more to do with trust and how fragile the US really is and how meaningless our constitution and laws turned out to be.

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u/ThrowAwayYetAgain878 2d ago

As a European, I think you're both right. Despite eroding trust somewhat, the US was the unquestioned hegemon of the Western world, mostly through soft power (in the end). I would not have believed that a speedrun of putting that into question would have been possible (in practice).

At least, Linux benefits for now lol.

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u/New_Egg_1024 1d ago

It is much easier to break things than to build them.

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u/troisieme_ombre 2d ago

No, there's a real objective to actively reject american software, mainly because American laws enable them to basically bypass european privacy laws as soon as data reaches american infrastructure. Which is an obvious security risk.

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u/realmauer01 1d ago

And the infrastructure isnt even just american servers, its even european servers if its american software.

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u/Randommaggy 1d ago

Or under American ownership

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u/Kazer67 1d ago

That's literally why OVH is split into to separate society: world and US.

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u/wilhelm-moan 1d ago

What if it’s just because windows fucking sucks

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u/psioniclizard 2d ago

No the problem is both sides of the house think similar things about the rest of the world. Trump is just more open about it.

America under both parties currently is about dominanting the world in someone. 

Neither side cares particularly for example that social media companies are happy to push all kinds of shit in Europe because its a mass source of soft power for the US.

Same thing with the reliance on US technology.

Thr problem ultimately is American Exceptionalism which is not jut a one party thing.

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u/punkbert 1d ago

both sides

The dems never threatened to occupy Greenland. They never went amoc on the global economy with insane tax policies. They never started hare-brained wars that massively affected world trade. The dems never tried to dismantle democratic institutions and turn the US into an autocracy. Etc, etc, etc.

Both sides? No. One side is way way worse for the state of the world than the other, and the europeans clearly recognize that.

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u/Key-Mention576 18h ago

The Dems will stab you in the back, the republicans will stab you in the front, none of them are moral people, one is a good liar, the other is a shit liar but regardless all that comes from them are lies.

The Dems were already doing all that but they were more subtle, the republicans are also doing it but more clumsy and incompetent.