Linux hits another all-time high for July 2024 according to Statcounter

Thank you for this report!
In truth, people are simply unaware of Linux.. unaware of its gaming capabilities, its now ease of use.. etc.. They are also kept back by invasive technologies such as SecureBoot which usually prevents installation of Linux..
My Windows 11 enjoyer brother-in-law was truly having a blast playing games on my Linux PC... he was also in disbelief of how good it was performance wise... (I never asked/pushed him though, he simply turned the PC on to try it himself and now has a new view on Linux..)

If people knew how easy Linux has become and how amazing levels it has reached regarding gaming performance (that it can sometimes outperform Windows 11 in even AAA titles with proton overhead!!) they would certainly use it.

Distros such as Linux Mint, Nobara, CachyOS, have given Linux both the easy GUI/OOB-Gaming experience and also have kept the power of the Terminal as well so users can really enjoy using Linux (best of both worlds)... (at least this has been the case for me who migrated from Win 7 to Linux for 2 years now..).


Last edited by Mangojuicedrinker on 1 August 2024 at 12:06 pm UTC

Lovely news! BTW, what happened in December 2023 that caused the drop in OS X from 20 % to 15 % (apparently in favour of Windows)?

Kinda looks like it's gaining momentum...

Thank you for this report!
In truth, people are simply unaware of Linux.. unaware of its gaming capabilities, its now ease of use.. etc.. They are also kept back by invasive technologies such as SecureBoot which usually prevents installation of Linux..
My Windows 11 enjoyer brother-in-law was truly having a blast playing games on my Linux PC... he was also in disbelief of how good it was performance wise... (I never asked/pushed him though, he simply turned the PC on to try it himself and now has a new view on Linux..)

If people knew how easy Linux has become and how amazing levels it has reached regarding gaming performance (that it can sometimes outperform Windows 11 in even AAA titles with proton overhead!!) they would certainly use it.

Distros such as Linux Mint, Nobara, CachyOS, have given Linux both the easy GUI/OOB-Gaming experience and also have kept the power of the Terminal as well so users can really enjoy using Linux (best of both worlds)... (at least this has been the case for me who migrated from Win 7 to Linux for 2 years now..).

As great as Linux is for gaming, it still has issues with anti-cheat from companies that won't support the OS (e.g. EA, Activision, Bungie). Until that's resolved, along with anything else holding back gaming on Linux, the numbers will continue to stay low.

Despite this though, I'm glad that Linux continues to gain shares and hopefully, they'll get to a point where more people will transition to it over Windows.

I remember what Windows/Mac users told me: "If Linux have had 10% of marketshare, Adobe will probably release Photoshop on it". So that's at half of way.

Thank you for this report!
In truth, people are simply unaware of Linux.. unaware of its gaming capabilities, its now ease of use.. etc.. They are also kept back by invasive technologies such as SecureBoot which usually prevents installation of Linux..
My Windows 11 enjoyer brother-in-law was truly having a blast playing games on my Linux PC... he was also in disbelief of how good it was performance wise... (I never asked/pushed him though, he simply turned the PC on to try it himself and now has a new view on Linux..)

If people knew how easy Linux has become and how amazing levels it has reached regarding gaming performance (that it can sometimes outperform Windows 11 in even AAA titles with proton overhead!!) they would certainly use it.

Distros such as Linux Mint, Nobara, CachyOS, have given Linux both the easy GUI/OOB-Gaming experience and also have kept the power of the Terminal as well so users can really enjoy using Linux (best of both worlds)... (at least this has been the case for me who migrated from Win 7 to Linux for 2 years now..).

That's truth. Many article/tests/benchmarks comparing playing on Linux and Windows shows, when user set high resolution or uses high-end hardware, but without up scaling or ray/path tracing, Linux annihilate Windows (in many cases). It's sad enabling ray/path-tracing or upscaling can change that image.

(I never asked/pushed him though, he simply turned the PC on to try it himself and now has a new view on Linux..)

This! It really needs to be underscored how important it is to not push people and/or evangelise about Linux to them - that can so easily create pushback in a lot of people, especially less-tech-inclined types, and it's something they won't soon forget.

(I never asked/pushed him though, he simply turned the PC on to try it himself and now has a new view on Linux..)

This! It really needs to be underscored how important it is to not push people and/or evangelise about Linux to them - that can so easily create pushback in a lot of people, especially less-tech-inclined types, and it's something they won't soon forget.

Ultimately it's their computer and their choice. Let them ask you, if they care at all.

And lastly...Linux is not the solution to Windows problems, so it shouldn't be presented like it is when someone asks for help with their Windows computer.

When should it be presented as an option? When someone is looking for a new computer or wondering if there's something better. They've now demonstrated willingness to uproot their current computing lifestyle and try something new, something few people are brave enough or have enough time to do. You can't convince someone to try something new; they need to be open to it already, and when they are, you're presenting an option, not trying to convince them of something.

And while we're at it, I really think the Cult of Linux would be a whole lot more successful if we reduced the number of steps from 12 to 5. Does it really need to be a 12-step program? That's just going to confuse newcomers.

But then, I've never successfully inducted a new member myself, so I might just be talking nonsense. To be fair, I've never tried.

That looks less like a jaggedy straight line and more like an upwards-pointed curve. Nice.


Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 1 August 2024 at 3:00 pm UTC

Hopefully its real and not a side effect of all those damned AI crawlers that may report themselves as Linux clients.

Lovely news! BTW, what happened in December 2023 that caused the drop in OS X from 20 % to 15 % (apparently in favor of Windows)?

I haven't been able to figure that out myself. Looks like U.S. and Australia specifically. The numbers are based on total views, so maybe a lot of machines just aged out and not replaced. There was a little bit of a rebound in both U.S. and Australia but those gains were eaten into by a global slump it seems.

BTW, how do the folks down under even work with their keyboards upside down?
(I know, I make bad jokes, don't flame me too badly, haha).

BTW, how do the folks down under even work with their keyboards upside down?

What I don't get is how you guys use computer rodents with the tail facing you.

BTW, how do the folks down under even work with their keyboards upside down?

What I don't get is how you guys use computer rodents with the tail facing you.

La rata has been tailess for a decade now, it's not even a problem anymore.

Ultimately it's their computer and their choice. Let them ask you, if they care at all.

That's exactly it.

And lastly...Linux is not the solution to Windows problems, so it shouldn't be presented like it is when someone asks for help with their Windows computer.

When should it be presented as an option? When someone is looking for a new computer or wondering if there's something better. They've now demonstrated willingness to uproot their current computing lifestyle and try something new, something few people are brave enough or have enough time to do. You can't convince someone to try something new; they need to be open to it already, and when they are, you're presenting an option, not trying to convince them of something.

Precisely. And it's important to point out that the Linux option isn't Windows, and that things aren't going to act the same, and that the software you'll use won't be the same. I know that sounds like common-sense, but for some reason, though people are fine with adjusting to the differences that MacOS has from Windows, they don't seem to approach Linux like that for some strange reason.

If we assume there are approximately 1 billion desktop users in the world, then we are looking at around 45 million people around the world using Linux. That is more than the population of Canada. Pretty nice.

Ultimately it's their computer and their choice. Let them ask you, if they care at all.

That's exactly it.

And lastly...Linux is not the solution to Windows problems, so it shouldn't be presented like it is when someone asks for help with their Windows computer.

When should it be presented as an option? When someone is looking for a new computer or wondering if there's something better. They've now demonstrated willingness to uproot their current computing lifestyle and try something new, something few people are brave enough or have enough time to do. You can't convince someone to try something new; they need to be open to it already, and when they are, you're presenting an option, not trying to convince them of something.

Precisely. And it's important to point out that the Linux option isn't Windows, and that things aren't going to act the same, and that the software you'll use won't be the same. I know that sounds like common-sense, but for some reason, though people are fine with adjusting to the differences that MacOS has from Windows, they don't seem to approach Linux like that for some strange reason.

I dunno. I have recent experience suggesting that for at least some people, if you have the menu and "turn it off" stuff in the lower left and a taskbar on the bottom with a few launch icons, they don't really notice the difference.

As great as Linux is for gaming, it still has issues with anti-cheat from companies that won't support the OS (e.g. EA, Activision, Bungie). Until that's resolved, along with anything else holding back gaming on Linux, the numbers will continue to stay low.

Unfortunately, that's the biggest remaining obstacle right now. However, there is some hope that MS will restrict kernel access after the Crowd Strike disaster, making this kind of anti-cheat impossible to implement down the road.

In the meantime, we still will see growth. Not everyone wants/needs to play games using this form of anti-cheat. It seems to be mostly competitive shooter games using those...

I dunno. I have recent experience suggesting that for at least some people, if you have the menu and "turn it off" stuff in the lower left and a taskbar on the bottom with a few launch icons, they don't really notice the difference.

That's good to know, as your experience is likely to be more recent than mine. Good stuff!

Precisely. And it's important to point out that the Linux option isn't Windows, and that things aren't going to act the same, and that the software you'll use won't be the same. I know that sounds like common-sense, but for some reason, though people are fine with adjusting to the differences that MacOS has from Windows, they don't seem to approach Linux like that for some strange reason.

I think part of it is that some Linux DEs mimic the desktop paradigm of older Windows versions much closer than MacOS does, which masks the differences. With MacOS you've got the task bar at the top, which changes based on the program that has focus, the dock at the bottom, the whole file explorer looks completely different, it clearly doesn't work exactly like Windows does. Whereas someone using Linux with (say) the Cinnamon DE, it's a pretty similar experience superficially: familiar task bar at the bottom with some shortcuts, a list of open programs, a "start menu" in the lower left, the file explorer looks and behaves pretty similarly, etc.…

From personal experience, we got a Windows computer when I was 10, then I first tried Linux in my early twenties at college. It looked similar enough to hide the differences, which kept me from immediately realizing how much work it actually takes to learn a new operating system (since as a kid you just soak up information like a sponge and don't remember the work it took). When I ran into difficulties like learning how to navigate the terminal it kinda put me off Linux for a few years until I started using it in a new job; after a year of getting familiar with it there, I was finally comfortable enough to switch at home.

Despite other comments; World domination! Bwahahahahshaaaaa. Ah, well, 7/8 is joking here - keep up, little penguin!