Linux vs Windows: 30 years on, desktop dominance still elusive

Why Linux Still Hasn't Won the Desktop Against Windows

Installing software can take longer than assembling a PC. This captures the eternal battle between Windows and Linux, which reignites whenever someone tries to use the open-source system for basic tasks like loading the Arduino IDE on a laptop rescued from a closet.

One user described gathering four old laptops and combining their best parts. Installing Windows 10 took six hours, and the machine ran poorly. They then tried Lubuntu, Ubuntu's lightweight version: four hours and two installations were needed to get it running after initial configuration issues. It was fast, even. Until they attempted to install the Arduino IDE.

The Program That Won't Launch Twice in a Row

The IDE was downloaded from the official Arduino website as a compressed Linux archive, and install.sh was executed. It worked the first time. After closing the application and trying to reopen it, it wouldn't launch. Reinstalling made it work again; closing it broke it again. Available tutorials showed, at best, someone typing command lines rapidly without clarity on what was being entered. The outcome, according to their account: turn off the laptop, throw it away, and buy another one [Bon Wallapop for €200].

Responses vary. One view argues the issue isn't the OS but a lack of foundational knowledge: those who don't master the console refuse to learn, and should stick with Windows. The opposing view counters that, thirty years later, requiring terminal commands for basic tasks keeps the open-source desktop marginalized. Both perspectives hold partial truth.

Who Really Funds Linux Development?

The narrative of Linux's marginality clashes with an inconvenient fact: the kernel is funded by IBM, Red Hat, Intel, Huawei, Samsung, Oracle, Meta, Google, Cisco, Toyota, Sony, and Citrix, among others. A paradox persists: Microsoft earns more revenue in its Azure cloud from Linux machines than from Windows machines, according to company data.

For much of the industry, the desktop ceased to be the goal years ago. Linux dominates servers, clouds, and mobile devices—Android is Linux—and that battle is considered won. The home desktop remains an abandoned front plagued by longstanding issues.

Multimedia Editing: The Weak Point

Dissatisfaction peaks in content creation. A photographer notes that interpreting RAW files from certain cameras with free tools causes problems, summarizing: "Multimedia editing is severely lacking in Linux," though acknowledging pogre over the last decade. Video editing also suffers: various suites crash or close unexpectedly, falling short of paid alternatives.

Hardware adds friction. A HyperX Cloud II USB microphone has failed to work in Ubuntu for seven years despite testing various audio configurations, while connecting seamlessly in Windows. The likely cause, experts suggest, is a system bug specific to that device.

Where Open Source Delivers

Exceptions support the counter-narrative. In gaming, Steam and Proton have significantly leveled the field recently. For simple tasks on modest hardware, the experience differs: one user reports their ten-year-old daughter uses Debian/Ubuntu on a €400 HP laptop bought three years ago, booting in five seconds and shutting down in two. Users just need to save documents in school-compatible formats.

Adaptation is key. Those needing only browsing, writing, and video playback can live happily on Linux. Dependence on Adobe, specific digital signatures, or corporate app access makes it difficult. Long-time users avoid these issues but don't represent the majority.

With this context, predictions are easy to formulate but hard to get right: Linux will continue gaining share where it already leads—servers, cloud, mobile—and remain minority status where everything must work on the first click. Unless someone finally accepts that winning the desktop means making it boring.

---