Desktop Linux is doing better than it ever has before, partly because of missteps by Microsoft in the development of Windows and partly because of the work in the Linux community over the years to turn it into a serious competitor for everyday computer users.
But, like a cheesy slasher movie stalker, everywhere you look, there's a glimpse of Windows. No matter how deep into the Linux world you go, you can't get away from it completely.
You can install Linux, but you can't uninstall years of Windows muscle memory
Unless you've traveled an atypical path in your PC journey, chances are that Windows is the graphical operating system you're most familiar with. Even when you're using GNOME or KDE Plasma, you probably still think of the button you click to open the primary menu as the "Start" button. Windows conventions still feel like the norm, and it's probably one of the biggest sources of friction when you come over to Linux from Windows.
It's why people think of Linux as being more "difficult" than Windows when, objectively, they are both very similar when it comes to user-friendliness for day-to-day computer work. If something like Ubuntu was your first operating system experience, it would be WIndows that seems strange and difficult from that frame of reference.
The apps you actually need still orbit Windows
Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek
An operating system is only as good as the software that it can run. After all, that's the part of your computer that actually gets the work done. The OS only exists to facilitate that. Windows is still the main platform targeted by app developers, and although there's enough Linux native open source software for most needs, you'll run into the need for Windows software eventually.
Projects like WINE make it possible to run most of that Windows software on Linux, but you'll never have the compatibility or stability of running that software on Windows. In some cases, a proprietary app you need for work or a project can only be run on Windows. So, in the end, you're back to dual-booting Linux and Windows , or running Windows on a virtual machine .
Gaming reminds you who really owns the PC
Goran Damnjanovic / How-To Geek
Video games are an important factor when it comes to the success of both Linux and Windows. Many people who would otherwise have left Windows behind for something like Zorin OS have stuck around because they also like PC gaming, and Windows is by far the most supported gaming platform on PC.
That's changing rapidly thanks to the efforts of the community and of PC gaming giant Valve. The Proton compatibility layer allows an enormous number of Windows games to run flawlessly under Linux, and that number is growing by the day.
Linux-based PCs like the Steamdeck have proven successful, and some desktop gamers are switching to Linux, but gaming on Linux is far from ready for prime time. Multiplayer gamers that rely on kernel-level anti-cheat software still have no viable way to run under something like Proton, and a significant percentage of Windows PC games don't work yet at all.
Then there's the support issue for gaming hardware. Gaming on Linux can be great if your hardware has good drivers, but (for example) NVIDIA GPU owners don't have as much success as AMD users, largely because of a difference in driver maturity and support.
Hardware support still follows the market leader
Hardware support isn't just an issue for gaming on Linux. For all intents and purposes, all PC hardware comes with WIndows drivers and that's where the effort goes. If there's a Linux driver for your webcam, printer, GPU, or any other common PC hardware device then it's either a late afterthought, or the Linux community just went ahead and created a driver without the OEM's involvement.
Basically, if you're building a Linux PC you need to carefully check that everything from your motherboard chipset and components to your USB devices have good support. When it comes to laptops, things can be even more dire because you're largely stuck with whatever components you get. This is why Linux-certified laptops are becoming a growing niche.
Also, for those of us lucky to still have a job in this economy, it's obvious that Microsoft, and, by extension, Windows, has its claws deep in the world of business. So while you might be running Linux on everything you own, at work you're likely forced to use Windows. There's just no getting away from it.
