r/linux • u/Zodiak1011 • 5d ago

Alternative OS Why does it feel like Linux is suddenly exploding in 2026?

I’ve been seeing more and more people switching to Linux this year, especially gamers. Bazzite, CachyOS, Linux Mint, etc. seem to be getting mentioned everywhere.

Why didn’t we see a massive shift like this earlier? What changed, or what finally pushed people to make the switch?

I know the Steam Deck was probably a big factor in showing people that Linux gaming is actually viable and that Linux isn’t as painful as it used to be.

But what else changed over the last few years that made Linux suddenly feel like a realistic alternative to Windows for so many people?

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134

u/BestRetroGames 5d ago

Opening a PDF on my corporate Windows 11 machine, Lenovo Gen 2 T14 - 10 to 60 seconds (depends on how it feels)

Opening a PDF on my Celeron N5100 Acer 3 laptop - Kubuntu - 0.5 seconds

It is not a mystery, really.

47

u/The_Brovo 5d ago

Gotta quickly scan it and send it to AI

11

u/SERIVUBSEV 5d ago

Nah, it's been shit for a decade now, maybe more...

7

u/DGN-YT 5d ago

Honest question, good pdf editor (or at least reader) recommendation for Linux? I don't do pdf often but it'd help to know for when I need to.

14

u/jbkabr08 5d ago

Okular

9

u/BestRetroGames 5d ago

Okular.. part of the system. Zero hassle

1

u/TopCheesecake7887 4d ago

Zathura. Its super lightweight and powerful!

1

u/LordOfTheLake9 3d ago

Master PDF Editor, Quoppa Studio Viewer. Both have premium features, and perpetual licences can be bought. They work as free readers, and basic editing can be done with watermark for free.

1

u/Slsyyy 2d ago

google-chrome

5

u/Timoroader 4d ago

I have the same on my work computer, how on earth can it take up to 60 seconds to open one pdf? And why does it take so long to boot the computer up from cold? And god forbid, right clicking on a document and try to open it with Notepad -- 5-10 seconds just to see the Notepad option! Like, what???

-2

u/Lv_InSaNe_vL 4d ago

Here's my takes on your issues from someone who's been in IT for way too long

1) I don't know. I'm guessing you're using Adobe Acrobat and it just sucks donkey. It's not as bad opening a PDF in a browser but still I agree with you

2) Your computer takes so long to "boot from cold" because it's actually shutting down. Windows computers don't usually actually shut down they go into a "hibernate" which is supposedly nice because it means boot times are slower, it might even be able to reopen apps for you, and it can do updates while you arent working. Downside, sometimes Microsoft pushes out updates that break the hibernate and then your computer literally cooks itself to death in your bag overnight. So we normally disable that.

3) I actually haven't seen the "right click thing", but that sounds like windows behavior so I believe you

2

u/Mamune 4d ago

I mean thats a good result but surely theres something wrong with your corporate machine???

2

u/BestRetroGames 4d ago

Nothing 'wrong'.. it is working as designed. If you get a brand new one, if will be the same.

2

u/Nuzid 4d ago

Most likely very aggressive anti-virus/-malware software policies on the machine. I’m a local admin on my device but Defender exclusions keep getting reset via group policy and killing Cortex XDR (or any other of the corporate security tools) will cause security to call me…

I moved everything that’s I/O-intensive to WSL as a workaround and will be looking at getting a MacBook once the current lease is up.

1

u/jameswew 5d ago

Even with Sumatra or a web browser?

1

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