As the Windows 10 end-of-life date rapidly approaches, Microsoft would really like for everyone to just upgrade to Windows 11 already. However, it's finding it difficult to dislodge the people who have stuck to their guns and stayed with Windows 10. While Windows 11 has surpassed Windows 10 for market share, there are still a ton of people hanging onto the older operating system. It has reached the point where the company has introduced ways for people to extend their Windows 10 support, albeit at a cost that requires either payment or investment in Microsoft's other products.
However, Microsoft's efforts have caused its previously rock-solid grip on Windows users to crack a little. People using Windows 10 have recently been checking out Linux as an alternative, and the open-source community has been welcoming them with open arms. And while there's no solid proof to say this is the cause, there's a good chance that it's the reason why Linux has managed to breach 5% of the US market share for the very first time.
Linux hits 5% US market share and sets a new recordAs reported by StatCounter, Linux has finally managed to capture 5% of the market share of desktop operating systems in the US. The progress has been pretty glacial, with the operating system umbrella only gaining about 1.30% of the share in the past year. However, given how long Linux has been in the game for, that 1.30% in a year is lightning fast for the operating system.
Unfortunately, StatCounter doesn't have the means to look into the minds of everyone who uses Linux and see what caused the uptick. However, I'd bet that it's due to Microsoft recently applying the screws to Windows 10 users to make them either upgrade to Windows 11 or earn a year of extra security. By the looks of the chart, Windows lost just over 2% of the market share over the past few months, with OS X and Linux taking up the slack.
Still, congratulations to the Linux community for managing a major milestone. If you're still on Microsoft's operating system and you're curious if the grass is greener on the other side, check out that one time I tried Linux Mint as a Windows fanboy, and how it went. Or, if you want something that's even more Windows-like than Linux Mint, take a peek at this Linux distro that looks like Windows, is made by a Microsoft engineer, and is based on Ubuntu. The cool thing about Linux is that there are a ton of distros out there for you to sample and test, so if you're keen to break out of Microsoft's ecosystem, now's the perfect time to take a peek at what the open-source community is doing.
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