2026 will be my year of the Linux desktop

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Reactions to the article and site

  • Several people liked the article’s plain-text, low-clutter website with a single non-intrusive ad, contrasting it with modern adtech “stalking.”
  • Some were surprised the author had stayed on Windows this long, given prior Linux-friendly content.

Windows 10/11: UX, tech stack, and “enshittification”

  • Strong frustration with Windows 11: ads in UI (Start, lock screen, OneDrive), Bing-ified search, Copilot prompts, telemetry, bloat, and sluggish basic actions (Start menu, Explorer, Task Manager, Bluetooth menu, first-login after boot).
  • Nostalgia for older Windows (7, XP, even 7-era “classic” themes) as faster and more consistent.
  • Many criticize key OS surfaces being webviews/React Native (Start recommendations, some system dialogs), seeing this as janky, fragile, and disrespectful to native toolkits and UX consistency.
  • Some push back, saying their Win11 installs are stable and fast after toggling a few settings; they don’t see the ads or lag others report.

Native vs web UI frameworks

  • One camp: traditional native frameworks (Win32, AppKit, Qt, GTK, etc.) are still best for performance, consistency, and accessibility; web stacks are “bloated” and hard to make truly integrated.
  • Opposing view: native GUI stacks are painful, limited, and harder to staff for; HTML/CSS/JS (React/Vue) and design tools like Figma plus a giant JS talent pool make web tech the pragmatic choice.
  • Debate over consistency: platform-wide consistency vs app-consistency across platforms (e.g., Discord/VS Code feeling the same everywhere).
  • Frustration that Microsoft has churned through many overlapping UI stacks (MFC → WinForms → WPF → UWP → WinUI → MAUI) while still shipping core pieces in React/Electron.

Microsoft’s internal politics and priorities

  • Several see the UI mess as fallout from Windows vs DevDiv turf wars, NIH culture since the Longhorn/Sinofsky era, and high staff turnover.
  • Perception that Microsoft now optimizes for Azure, AI, and Office 365; consumer Windows is mainly a monetization channel via lock-in and ads.
  • Xbox and Windows Phone are cited as examples of good tech sabotaged by strategy shifts and framework churn.

Linux desktop momentum and experiences

  • Many report fully switching in the last 1–5 years (often from dual-boot), citing:
    • End of Windows 10 support and Win11 hardware requirements.
    • Steam Deck + Proton making gaming viable.
    • Old hardware becoming “snappy” again under Linux.
    • Desire to escape ads, telemetry, and AI integration.
  • Popular choices: Fedora/Kinoite/Silverblue, Debian, Ubuntu, Mint (Cinnamon), KDE Plasma, GNOME, NixOS, Arch/Omarchy, Bazzite, SteamOS.
  • Multiple anecdotes of non-technical users (parents, spouses, retirees) happily using Linux with no terminal exposure once set up.

Linux strengths vs other desktops

  • Praised for: speed on older machines, lack of ads/“cloud nags,” fine-grained control, good logs/debuggability, strong package management, and containerized workflows (Flatpak, distrobox, toolbx).
  • Immutable/atomic desktops (e.g., Kinoite, Silverblue) get positive mentions for painless major upgrades.

Linux pain points and gaps

  • Gaming: most Steam titles run, but kernel-level anti-cheat (Valorant, some AAA shooters) and some launchers (EA) remain hard blockers.
  • Hardware: Nvidia drivers can still be tricky; Wi-Fi/sleep quirks on some laptops; printers (esp. some Canon models) and scanning can be painful.
  • Battery life: often markedly worse than macOS on laptops, especially vs Apple Silicon; good reports on some newer Intel/AMD, but not universal.
  • Application gaps: Adobe Creative Cloud (especially Photoshop/Lightroom), some DAWs/VSTs, and certain corporate VPN/SSO clients.
  • Fragmentation and Wayland/portal churn make standardization and polish uneven across distros and desktops.

macOS as an alternative

  • Some suggest “just use macOS,” praising hardware integration, stability, and native UI frameworks.
  • Others complain about macOS “crapification”: Liquid Glass design, iCloud nags, opaque networking/firewall defaults, and less flexibility.
  • Apple Silicon’s battery life and hardware are widely admired, but lock-in, ecosystem bans, and weak Linux-on-Apple support are concerns.

“Year of the Linux desktop” meme and outlook

  • Many note the meme is decades old; see current moment as different due to Win11 backlash, Steam Deck, and economic pressure to reuse old hardware.
  • Others argue growth will remain gradual; many users will either stick to EOL Windows 10 or move to phones/tablets rather than Linux.
  • Consensus in the thread: for technical users and an expanding “near-technical” crowd, Linux is now a genuinely viable—and often preferable—daily desktop, even if it’s not yet “for everyone.”