Linux has always struggled to attract enough mainstream PC owners to make the switch from Windows. Traditionally, the operating system has always been viewed as one reserved for tech-savvy individuals and those who could be considered enthusiasts. What is changing, however, is how approachable Linux is becoming to mainstream audiences. Gaming is a huge portion of the Windows market and is now more viable than ever.
Microsoft is also killing support for Windows 10, a prominent OS still used by millions worldwide. The Linux community has finally stumbled upon what could be the catalyst in making Linux more profound within the OS market, and that’s through marketing around Windows 10.
Microsoft is killing Windows 10
And this is great news for Linux
You may have heard that Microsoft plans to end all support for Windows 10, both in terms of software and security updates, come October 14. The company’s handling of this move has been almost laughable. We’ve seen Microsoft recommending people trade in devices and purchase replacements, which is incredible at a time when systems and individual parts are only increasing in price.
This has become Linux’s best weapon in its fight to draw more eyes to the platform. A band of individuals launched the End of 10 website, managed by KDE, the same development team that works on Plasma and countless other related projects. It’s a brilliant resource for sharing with those who may be using Windows 10 and are unsure as to what to do when the time comes that Windows 10 no longer becomes a secure OS to use.
As well as listing some handy reasons for making the switch to Linux from Windows 10, the End of 10 site even provides the means to connect with others to help in the transition, from setting up the new OS and moving everything across to guiding newcomers through Linux’s more particular ways. These are some heavy-hitting claims, too, consisting of:
- No new hardware, no licensing costs
- Enhanced privacy
- Good for the planet
- Community & professional support
- Better user control
Plenty of big names within the Linux community are supporting this small project, including GNOME, KDE, Debian, Nextcloud, and iFixit. But it’s the section dedicated to sourcing local community-focused support that’s most interesting. Repair cafes, independent shops, organizations, groups, and collectives are listed with all the necessary information to guide those looking to make the switch less daunting.
The wider Linux community is surely going to see this approach, coupled with refined desktop environments, improved gaming support through Proton, and Microsoft continuing to miss the mark, work wonders for adoption.
Linux is still a daunting OS to most people
And watching Mr. Robot won’t change that
Whenever a scene in a movie or TV show needs to convey mad IT skills, Linux is usually the system of choice, if not using some form of fake software. Even SolarOS in Tron: Legacy had some callbacks to Linux with a command line interface and a mention of Xorg. The average viewer won’t look at these scenes with awe and wonder, nor will they rush to install some random Linux distro on their primary desktop or laptop PC. It just ain’t going to happen, which is why I love the approach the community and KDE took with the whole Windows 10 ordeal.
This is the best approach, thanks in large part to Microsoft effectively killing support for older hardware. Running Windows 10 on an old PC? Oops, looks like you won’t be upgrading to Windows 11 without some serious loopholes. KDE’s Plasma graphical shells create a familiar environment for Windows exiles whilst also providing the means to take their computing experience to the next level. Like other flavors of Linux, KDE is incredibly customizable, and it doesn’t take much effort to transform how the desktop looks and works.
This is the best approach, thanks in large part to Microsoft effectively killing support for older hardware.
Want to use a giant cube to move between virtual workspaces like it’s Unity on Ubuntu in 2010? Go right ahead. Providing various reasons why Linux is a viable alternative to Windows (and macOS) is the way to win people over, and it needs to come from the desktop environment teams and distro maintainers. Short videos, like the ones on the KDE Windows exile page, need to be featured to showcase how versatile Linux can be, right out of the box. Gone are the intrusive trackers, the advertisements, the bloatware, and forced upgrades.
Desktop environments (DEs) have never been this approachable. Whether you love the simplicity or despise it, there’s no question Gnome is taking the first to Apple’s macOS with its elegant look and feel. There are still those distros that will forever be locked away for enthusiasts, such as Arch and NixOS, but Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, and others are leading the charge in making Linxu more appealing to those who wouldn’t give Linux a second glance and though there’s still much work to be done, the bulk of it has already been complete and Linux is more stable than ever.
Gaming is (almost) everything
Proton has worked some serious magic
It’s difficult to understate just how important Valve’s Proton efforts have been for Linux as a whole. Sure, the company didn’t suddenly wish to support Linux gaming one sunny morning, but wished to ensure the success of the Steam Deck and SteamOS. What’s great about Proton as a compatibility layer for gaming on the Valve products is that they’re all powered by Linux, which in turn makes it possible to play thousands of games through Steam on pretty much every Linux distro with a single click of a button.
Results were mixed at first, with some games running extremely well and almost appearing native, while many others were unplayable or had some issues. Proton today is an entirely different story. I find almost all of the games in my expansive library on Steam can run on Linux, either natively or through Proton. And this is a huge deal. Gamers primarily use Windows for all their entertainment needs, be it playing their favorite PC titles or enjoying some downtime with videos. While video playback is a non-issue for Linux and its distros, gaming has long been a problem.
It’s seamless to download, install, and play a game through Steam, even if it’s not natively supported by Linux.
Previously, if you wanted to play a game designed for Windows, you had to resort to an emulator, virtual machine (VM), or some other software solution such as Wine Is Not an Emulator (Wine). Wine is powerful enough, but it wasn’t user-friendly. You had to effectively manage your own Windows directories and spend countless hours researching solutions to get a specific game working. And even then, it wasn’t a guarantee. VMs are easier, but utilize more resources and have higher overheads that often result in lower frame rates.
Enter Proton. Valve designed this set of tools to translate Windows calls into ones Linux could understand. This is why it’s seamless to download, install, and play a game through Steam, even if it’s not natively supported by Linux. Throw in years of refinement and its open-source nature, and you’ve got some serious performance gains that can sometimes rival (or even surpass) Windows. Proton came out in 2018, but it took a few years to really take off. It’s now much easier to recommend Linux to gamers, especially with distros such as Pop!_OS.
But maybe we don’t need the world to use Linux
It already does … in other ways
Linux is everywhere. Even if you don’t use it on a desktop or laptop PC, you’re likely interacting with some device running the OS. Your Android-powered smartphone? Linux. Your favorite websites? Probably Linux. Your vehicle’s infotainment? You guessed it! That smart fridge? Yep, Linux. How about a Roku smart TV? That’s also on Linux. The free platform has made its way into almost every aspect of our lives, powering all the devices we generally overlook because they serve basic functions or simply work with a user interface that masks the underlying systems.
We don’t need everyone to use Linux simply because macOS and Windows also exist. If you prefer a closed garden with top-notch first-party support and everything to work out of the box, Apple hardware is where you need to be. The same goes for Microsoft’s Windows, with the plethora of choices available for laptops and desktops. It’s slightly more open than macOS and Apple’s wider ecosystem, but both fall short of what’s possible with Linux. We need to understand that people will refuse Linux even if it becomes the best option due to unfamiliarity and the lack of motivation to make the switch.
Not everyone can (and will) be converted to Linux, and that’s okay. It’s great that in 2025, we have more ways to entice those who may be on the fence to at least give Linux a go, at least compared to a decade ago. 2026 won’t be the year of Linux, but I expect we’ll start to see a slight boost to the market share numbers once October hits and Windows 10 officially hits end of life. If you’re using this version of Windows and aren’t able to upgrade to Windows 11 … do you want to go out and buy a new PC or give a Linux distro a try? The Linux community is clearly getting creative and I’m all for it.