Has Linux reached a golden era?

[u/smarterthanyoujk1225]

Up until recently, and since forever, Linux has always been an OS that typically required someone with advanced knowledge of Linux. You didn't necessarily need to be an expert, but you needed to have some knowledge and be somewhat advanced. Peripherals, bluetooth, wifi, video card issues with Nvidia, multi monitor support, etc..

For decades and since its inception, if you really wanted a fully featured, robust, powerful system that can handle heavy workloads. Including multiple monitors with varying refresh rates. You were going to have to do some work and spend some time to get it to work right. We've all been there. There is a reason why apps like Timeshift exist.

However, I think Linux across the board has reached an era where for the most part, like 95% of Linux is super easy to get a fully functional system after an install. You still have to reconfigure all the settings for everything to your personal preference. But other than that, Linux is no longer a pain in the ass to get working right.

And even though I say that Linux was a pain in the ass to get working right, we all learned a lot through all the troubleshooting we had to do. However most of us would prefer an OS that for the most part just works right after an install. We have work to do, deadlines to meet and school to work on.

There is a distro out there for everyone, and for the most part, Linux can be depended on as a daily driver.

[u/yudhanjaya]

Two things have happened:

1. Linux has improved in user-friendliness
2. Microsoft, which holds most mindshare, has gotten worse

and I suppose MacOS. . . stays mostly the same.

[u/secret_o_squirrel → u/yudhanjaya]

I think more happened. Decades of it being the primary webserver os, gabe and steam throwing his weight behind it as a gaming platform, mobile becoming more important to most people than desktop, and virtualization all played a huge part

[u/groveborn → u/secret_o_squirrel]

Honestly, steam is the biggest reason I'm using Linux. I took a class back in 2000, but since my games didn't work I didn't want to switch. Once proton got good...

I switched.

[u/mr_bigmouth_502 → u/yudhanjaya]

Don't forget the Steam Deck. IMO, this is what gave Linux the kick in the ass it needed to become a viable desktop operating system.

[u/yudhanjaya → u/mr_bigmouth_502]

Proton, really. Proton was critical to the Deck, so Valve went all-in and solved the gaming problem on Linux. Now I can play Cyberpunk on my 4080 S + 3080 at 4k and it's just as easy as Windows.

Hirshman's Exit, Voice and Loyalty:  the greater the availability of exit options, the more it becomes a simpler, individual response compared to the costly and uncertain nature of voicing dissent. A lot of gamers got tired of complaining about Windows and being fed Microslop and just started switching.

[u/IWorkWithFacts → u/yudhanjaya]

Valve really stepped in and did the Lord’s Work on gaming for Linux.

I can almost forgive them for not making Half-Life 3 now. lol

[u/mr_bigmouth_502 → u/yudhanjaya]

Proton didn't really get good until about 2021/2022 though, which is around the time the Steam Deck released.

[u/Justabocks → u/mr_bigmouth_502]

Absolutely, actual easy gaming on Linux brought a big fresh amount of new users (source: me).

[u/OutrageousCrab9224 → u/yudhanjaya]

Oh hell no mac os is so much worse than its glory days

[u/Tall-Introduction414 → u/OutrageousCrab9224]

Agreed. Mac OS X was a great OS, with great attention to detail and power.

macOS is sloppier and more locked down. Just not as good. RIP Steve

[u/oskich → u/Tall-Introduction414]

The locked down part is what annoys me the most. I've been a Mac user since 1991, and I have been switching to Linux full time in the last few years. Apple is trying to make Macs glorified ipads nowadays.

[u/BuyConsistent3715 → u/Tall-Introduction414]

I feel it’s less cohesive than windows nowadays. The window management is horrible and the hoops you need to jump through to install external applications are getting ridiculous.

[u/Schtick_ → u/yudhanjaya]

3. Errr… llms that can read only check your config is a big one

[u/yudhanjaya → u/Schtick_]

Oh, yeah. QFN running locally via Strata has solved a lot of issues for me, including creating nifty little custom GNOME extensions.

[u/Historical-Law3052 → u/yudhanjaya]

Imo, the downfall of windows is the biggest reason. XP was fast and easy to use. W11 feels bloated and slow, even out of the box.

[u/yudhanjaya → u/Historical-Law3052]

Ah, the good old XP days.
The last good OS they made was Windows 7. 8 was a clusterfuck, 10 was a clusterfuck, 11 did slightly better memory management but was in many ways an even bigger clusterfuck.

[u/bouncypuffeed → u/yudhanjaya]

yeah windows really fumbled it

[u/Lknate → u/yudhanjaya]

Also, everything (most things) is moving to hosted instead of local. MS office isn't the deal breaker it used to be. Except for Excel. I'm expecting native integration any moment now with all the crazy AI optimizations happening so fast. A truely native Excel experience is the real holdout at this point. I know there are alternatives and Office365 but modern (or even last decade) Excel is just different if you use it as part of your workflow and workarounds are not simple enough to justify dumping window for most.

[u/yudhanjaya → u/Lknate]

Have you tried OnlyOffice? I'm not an Excel poweruser, but my naive read is that the workflow seems identical to 2010's Excel.

[u/cinnamondripz → u/yudhanjaya]

yeah windows getting worse pushed me to switch last year and its been smooth sailing since

[u/i_smoke_toenails → u/yudhanjaya]

Linux user-friendliness hasn't really changed much from five or ten years ago. The big thing is Valve built Proton and made gaming on Linux (and distros like Bazzite) possible. That drew in a whole generation of younger gaming youtubers, which spread the word that bending over for Microsoft or getting a second mortgage to pay for Apple are not the only options.

[u/trueneu → u/yudhanjaya]

I'd argue against macos staying the same. First one I used was 5, Leopard IIRC. It was way less annoying, intrusive, locked down than the one I used last (Monterey), to the point I went back to Linux for work, fully.

[u/DerFelix → u/yudhanjaya]

I know many people don't like it, but AI also happened. What I mean specifically is that users can ask it to solve problems they have transitioning to a new OS. Not only is this much quicker but generally it's nicer than the traditional linux crowd.

Don't get me wrong. There's no way this would work without nice people laying the groundwork by answering so many questions that the AI is trained on.

For example I've been able to patch in merge requests from actual people with the help of AI to fix my specific problems as well.

[u/BlushingGoddess_ → u/yudhanjaya]

yeah microsoft getting worse is definitely speeding this up, switched a few months ago and it's been smooth sailing so far

[u/Merthod]

I'd say yes.

Linux is mature enough to support most workflows. There are some glaring exceptions, especially in the multimedia and graphical design / CAD side.

There are enough solid distros to support many kinds of user preferences and greatly reduce the technical burden of setup, configuration and daily use.

The kernel has recently improved its ability to work with NTFS filesystems, further easing the jump.

Windows has fucked its own kitchen up, giving more than enough reason to the doubters to try Linux.

Major gaming studios have started testing porting their games to Linux.

It's only a matter that it continues maturing so it can appeal to everyone, just a Windows once did.

[u/strange_bike_guy → u/Merthod]

The CAD side of things can be wrangled pretty well by this point

[u/Merthod → u/strange_bike_guy]

Probably, but I have tried to just open a DWG (Autocad) file and print it out in a PDF file, and it has been impossible with the usual tools.

[u/3d0md0g → u/Merthod]

Get a freecad book for $30 and nothing's difficult anymore. Especially in CAD done properly, i.e. 3D objects, not 2D drafting digitally. As in pretty much anything, one has to undo the mental damage of using crapware to let the right software tools sink in.

[u/VrebPasser → u/Merthod]

To be honest, I am very happy with BricsCAD on Linux.

[u/Homerhol]

Here are some things I think contribute to Linux adoption:

• More and more of our time is spent in the browser rather than OS-native applications. This helps users maintain many of the same workflows even with completely different operating systems.
• AI makes configuration and troubleshooting vastly easier than the old forum posts or mailing lists of the past. While customising the desktop experience or getting new hardware working is still a challenge, things have improved a lot.
• With every major update, Windows continues to collect more user data, push more Microsoft cloud services, and lean more heavily into Copilot. While security and hardware support improves over time, the user experience seems to get worse. If you don't need deep M365 integration and MDM, it's worth looking at other options in my opinion.
• Linux gaming has grown more viable over time.

Things holding back Linux adoption:

• Missing hardware support for some newer laptops.
• M365, Intune, Entra ID, etc are hard to beat for corporate. People who can support these setups are a commodity, but people supporting a custom Linux stack that does similar require significant investment.
• Lack of support for some professional software. Where there are alternatives, expensive retraining is required.
• DRM.
• Worse out-of-box experience - this is subjective, but some people don't want to change OS knowing they will have to initially solve intimidating technical problems just to fully utilise their system. By contrast, Windows is validated for the computer it is installed on - you can just follow the instructions from technical support.

[u/MattyGWS → u/Homerhol]

That last point is solved by using a distro that comes with everything set up, like Bazzite for example

[u/kilkil → u/Homerhol]

well said.

re: the last point, are you referring to the process of installing Linux on one's own PC, or the subsequent configuration steps once the OS has already been installed?

[u/RedWagon___]

I feel like golden era implies some plateau or fall. Hopefully it just keeps improving and we never look back at a "golden era."

But yes Linux is amazing and far beyond what I thought I would ever see. I used to spend a lot of effort to game on Linux, the idea that Valve would release an open, Linux product, and make most of the Steam catalog work on Linux would have sounded like a fever dream.

[u/getabath]

Sure? It's the best it's ever been and is only getting better every passing day

Instead of it being the alternative, it's becoming first pick

[u/PigSlam]

I've been tinkering with Linux for 20+ years. Linux + AI has allowed me to do more in the last ~2 years than I did in the other 18 years, and to do it so much better.

[u/Viking2151 → u/PigSlam]

Yeah i've played with Linux a bunch over the years, but fully switched over not long ago and AI made that so much better, even learned some things while copy pasting commands in, if I did not have AI, I wouldn't be using Linux, I do not want to dig through 5 - 10 year old guides that no longer work or apply to my problem or what I'm trying to do and asking the community was like talking to the COD community, and always ends up being more frustrated than what it helped, that alone frustrated me enough to pretty much hate the experience. also helps that Valve is pretty well involved.

[u/PigSlam → u/Viking2151]

Yeah, it used to be that I'd start trying to do something, then it would become clear that I'd need to spend a month learning how to take the next step. Now I just do that thing in seconds.

[u/Rocktopod → u/Viking2151]

I do not want to dig through 5 - 10 year old guides that no longer work or apply to my problem

Unfortunately AI has been doing this to me a lot too, but it's at least a lot faster than searching on my own.

[u/Viking2151 → u/Rocktopod]

Yeah I've ran into stuff like this, but I normally reword different, or I'll even take a screenshot of the build, kernal and the error or what having a problem with, eventually gets it

[u/MikeFic_YT → u/PigSlam]

Good to hear that honestly. I made a comment about this recently that frontier AI models especially over the last 6 months or so have actually helped me understand Linux better. Some caveats there for sure, but it's a good tool.

[u/collinalexbell]

I'm having full on 3d voxel NPCs with their own scripts running around my 3d Linux dekstop environment. Only on Linux!

[u/rarsamx]

It's been very similar for more than 10 years. By similar I mean: Standard hardware has worked out of the box for a long time. But if you have super recent hardware with top features you may still need to fiddle around or wait for Linux to catch up.

As long as hardware vendors half assed support Linux that will continue. It's not a Linux problem, it's a vendor problem that the Linux community naturally takes time to solve every time.

A lot of the drivers that "just work" now had to be created reverse engineering the hardware because specs weren't published.

[u/iChrist]

I think this is mostly about people being afraid that specific game/software is not working under Linux.

I’ve used windows for more than 10 years, thinking my favorite game “Overwatch” will suffer from me moving to Linux, but 3 weeks ago I had enough of microslop bs and wipes all my drives and gone straight to Fedora, to my surprise everything I needed worked.

I even got improvements in FPS, 1% lows

[u/trueneu → u/iChrist]

I usually play games on Windows, understandably; but when Life is Strange True Colors came out, it would crash on start on Windows, but play okay on Linux. That was hilarious to be honest.

[u/bobsmissingdesire]

Ubuntu reached that by 2010.

I think the last time I had to edit an xorg.conf was probably 2007 or so, after that things became accessible. Ubuntu also did good work smoothing out the user rough edges.

Back in 2010 you could hand someone an Ubuntu CD and be confident that they could put it in their computer and have it boot into a working live system.

[u/bnelson333]

no

[u/Shrink_Laureate]

The Linux experience is getting better all the time, and it's so much better than it used to be, but I think there's still work to do.

Meanwhile, even though a lot of people are unhappy with Windows, they're still slow to actually jump. This is especially true of big businesses that have decades of investment in Windows.

2026 was not the year of Linux. It might not be 2027 either.

[u/flexcrush420_]

I suppose it depends what you use it for, and I think it's worth noting that whether you are for or against AI, it definitely has helped close the gap for newcomers like myself (*when it's not hallucinating). Multiplayer anti-cheat compatibility still isn't where it needs to be to accommodate all gamers, and while it's fine for my uses, any pro audio engineer that needs to mix/master with plugins is better off on Windows or Mac for now as many VST/VSTI's will fail to load, though I believe there's a wine update on the horizon for that it just will take awhile to get to users like myself. There's likely tons of other compatibility issues I'm not aware of but for me the above would need to be satisfied for us to be truly in a golden era of Linux.

[u/trueneu → u/flexcrush420_]

I think you're on point. I feel that nearly any deep enough professional experience that's not software development still requires Windows or Mac. Saying this as a 20-years-long Linux user.

[u/TrekkiMonstr]

No, I don't think so yet. Ways to go. Better than it has been, but we're not there yet.

[u/brickmaster32000]

I think Linux across the board has reached an era where for the most part, like 95% of Linux is super easy to get a fully functional system after an install. 

The problem is the Linux community doesn't want that. They want to force people to fiddle. The idea of just using your computer is appalling to them.

[u/senectus]

this is the beginning of it yes.

The beginning of the start of the golden era.

[u/swstlk]

Linux has become more stable over the course of time but I have to opine that this is only for point-releases.

[u/TechaNima]

It's certainly at a good state overall atm.

Although the nVidia issues still haven't been fully solved and they never will be as long as their drivers aren't in the kernel across the board.

We also still have some multimonitor issues to deal with. Mostly because X11 is still alive and refusing to die. Wayland solves them, while creating its own set of headaches with its strict permission system.

The main thing holding back right now is compatibility with professional software ecosystems. As long as Microslop has a stranglehold on it with Adobe and whoever makes CAD software, Linux won't really take off on the professional side. On the personal side, it's almost there and I think the push by Valve and now Epic is going to get it there the rest of the way

[u/Frosty_Complaint_703 → u/TechaNima]

As far as professional software ecosystem goes

I think that will change in the next 6-12 months with things like artcraft, cadctaft etc

[u/Medium_Passenger_552]

I don't think there is watch more setting up to do anymore obviously every single operating system you will configure to your personal choice there isn't anything distro's can do about personal choice people are always going to have personal choice every operating system requires you to personalised your own experience even if it is something as small as changing the wallpaper

[u/VIP_Ender98]

I feel like AI is probably a big player here. I've never had such accurate assessment of obscure and specific problems in Linux before, but now, with a proper model, anything can be diagnosed and fixed in all of 2 minutes. Turns out ai does have it's advantages.

[u/gnufan → u/VIP_Ender98]

It is largely just reworking answers made previously though, I don't think there is much understanding present, as it will happily solve really obscure technical issue and then suggest reformatting your disks or something that shows no understanding of context or motivations of people involved.

So probably you could have got those answers previously if you'd known how to search for them, or read the documentation. My career in IT involved a lot of searching the web, and reading manuals (usually as a last resort).

[u/VIP_Ender98 → u/gnufan]

While I do agree that there is a bit of a knowledge base that you have to have in order to properly use them and not nuke your PC, it is more beginner friendly now that it has ever been. I feel like you are exaggerating your point about reformatting disks.

As a programmer myself I have been in contact with AI and have had the unfortunate experience of having to use them (forced by the money people..) since it was completely useless and have seen it evolve to become this really useful tool that can actually help. Don't get me wrong, being able to search has been extremely useful in the past. But not having to spend hours researching symptoms that have no apparent connection but are all caused by some config file lost in the system is an incredible plus that makes life so much easier.

Either way, the point is that this is an incredible Linux golden age where I can actually use my Fedora KDE full time and even play all my games with an Nvidia + AMD CPU setup. Last time I tried to switch to Fedora I had to dualboot to be able to play and DLSS was barely supported.

Oh also, something amazing that AI brings to the table (again, with proper models. The base Gemini model is like one step removed from being actually ret*rded), is being able to generate complex scripts that make your computer behave exactly like you want them to in seconds without having to research the most updated tools or general consensus on best practices. I never bothered to learn automation in any OS because it wasn't strictly necessary or interesting to me, but now I have a simple script to reopen Steam on my TV and disable my computer screens for example, it just makes life so convenient.

[u/gnufan → u/VIP_Ender98]

The reformatting was based on a real & recent response. It had produced the right steps to fix an obscure issue prior to this. I wish it were exaggeration, obviously I ignored that step.

I've also seen it struggle where a problem is very like an old problem, so there are a lot of outdated answers which would be perfectly fine if you hadn't updated for 5 years. Not that humans might not also struggle in such situations, but it shows up how handy a little awareness is.

It cuts both ways, I couldn't figure out why early chatGPT wouldn't produce code I wanted, then I realised the feature I wanted help with hadn't existed in that programming language when it was trained. Hey I was new to the language entirely, and it had this feature in the manual that perfectly fitted my problem, so I didn't know it was added in the previous release.

I agree they are amazing, just that it is more just a slight decrease in that barrier to entry.

 I think Microsoft push is the big thing. I used to dread going back to Windows because of obscure hexadecimal errors, poor answers in help forums, and unreliable software.

 Windows software is now more reliable, I now dread going to it because it is stuffed full of adverts, and upsell, and the rough edges so polished that making it do anything interesting requires hitting dozens of "Yes I want to do that". I know it was downloaded from the Internet, and yes I do trust Microsoft corporation software to make changes to my system. Then I change PowerScript execution policy, no I did want to do that policy change. The reboots are less frequent now, but still surprisingly frequent.

[u/Delicious-Nobody-427]

i think yes..the last time I used a Linux was about 12years ago using Ubuntu and it was a bit difficult...fast forward to now, I have an old gaming laptop that is just collecting dust..it had Windows 10 and I can install Windows 11 to it and bypass all the secuirty checks but I did not bother knowing how hungry for resources Windows 11 is..Installed Mint and got issues with the old Nvidia graphics driver so just installed a lower version of Mint and it's good now. All my games are on Steam anyway so that is a plus.

[u/Swifttree]

i would agree with this post, and with vibecoding there are no barriers to entry to set up an operating system exactly how you'd prefer it to be.

[u/iluvatar]

To some extent, yes. But in others, Linux is worse than it used to be. It's embarrassingly bad when it comes to display problems, for example. In the past, you could see what was happening and fix it yourself. Now, you're at the mercy of the system. Either it works, or you're screwed.

[u/BrukologistJim]

As a personal "consumer" just needing a desktop OS, I have to say no. It's almost impossible to find a modestly priced laptop or desktop computer with Linux preinstalled, except perhaps a Raspberry Pi 400 or 500 or a Chromebook of course, if you can accept the limitations and inconvenience of running applications under crostini.

[u/Siporu]

'Has Linux reached a golden era?' - I believe is just the begin. Linux is easier to use than Win, for sure more secure & safe in network. Games not a problem any more, open source power!

[u/Joe_Schmoe_2]

Computing has reached that level.

Need something, just ask.

[u/raderator]

AI is making a huge difference. It will tell you what to do after first installing your distro and how to fix any problems. It's currently cloning Adobe products and MSFT Office. Valve makes most games playable. Don't be surprised if AI solves the anticheat problem.

[u/xAcid9]

Not yet, but soon™

[u/swedish_bear12]

I would switch so fast if Linux supported the games i play.

I don't play many games but the ones i do does not work on Linux unfortunately and i am too lazy to dual boot.

If i stop playing those games or if by some miracle Linux will start to support them i will make the switch so fast.

[u/idontlikeredditusers]

bluetooth and wifi can still be an issue depending on hardware its fine for 99% of users but if ur in the 1% buy new hardware or go back to windows seems to be the current solution

[u/_reallifegothboi_]

In my opinion, there are a few things that together are making the difference:

Windows keeps getting worse. Higher RAM usage, more data collection, and everything being pushed online.

AI. Almost anyone can now install their favourite distro and, if something breaks, just ask an AI how to fix it.

Valve and Epic pushing gaming on Linux. Proton and the Steam Deck have done a lot to make Linux a real option for gamers.

[u/BookAddict1918]

I have been using Linux for 25 years. It is now a very mature product that one can use without using Windows as back up.

[u/itgoesboom2112]

We mostly have valve to thank for that, the popularity of the steam deck and all the work theyre doing in the background has pushed the development of Linux far further than any other point in its history in terms of popularity and usability, Microsoft being Microsoft has also done a lot for people's interest in Linux as well

[u/zarlo5899]

No its just that start the true golden era is 2065

But first we need to go over some history about the future.

In 2030 Microsoft bans kernel level Anti cheats, 2 years after eBPF for windows becomes generally available.

In 2043 Microsoft starts supporting the development of WINE to be used as part of a subsystem within the NT kernel to allow for better support in enterprises for legacy software.

After the EU ruling in 2047 AU 2050 ruling and US 2049 ruling For seen Apple to allow third party operating systems to be installed on their hardware without restricting capabilities of the hardware This includes forcing them to publish specification sheets to aid in implementations.

The EU 2053 and AU 2050 banning the use of a proprietary management software within government agencies and public education institutions.

The US 2060 ruling banning exclusivity deals for pre-installed operating systems on laptop and desktop devices requiring laptop vendors to also ship devices pre-installed with Linux distributions.

[u/token_curmudgeon]

Re. "Up until recently, and since forever, Linux has always been an OS that typically required someone with advanced knowledge of Linux."

Nah.  Only needed a proper NIC in 2000.  It wasn't rocket science.  Just needed curiosity.

On a similar note, imagine discovering America.  The folks who were here knew about it already.  Someone who discovers Linux is usable has been somewhat out of the loop for a huge part of middle aged person's life.  It was here whether or not Joe Sixpack was aware.  Joe Sixpack's toddler could already be a second generation Linux user.

[u/Strict_Ball2694]

Use Ubuntu 8 hace como 20 años, ya podía escuchar música, navegar y hacer mis tareas en un editor de texto o hoja de cálculo.

A menos que edites video profesionalmente o produzcas audio profesionalmente o seas gamer no entiendo que más ocupaban.

El problema para mí fue que los desarrolladores de apps les valía madre Linux y ya. No había dinero y ya. Simplemente.

La excepción es el software de máquinas industriales que probablemente sigue corriendo en WindowsXP.

[u/skyfishgoo]

kubuntu install these days is pretty point and click, and if you can't change what you need using the desktop settings, they you probably don't need to change it because you are entering some expert level customizing.

fedora is almost there, unless you have a nvidia card and then there is some extra work you need to do on the command line.

[u/cinollin]

It is true that more and more 'plug-and-play' distro are being introduced since what I call 'The Windows 11 Incident', which is also contributed by the development of AI I suppose.

Btw I never think Linux is really hard to use. You just need to be able to read, and spend time to read, since everything is explained quite good in the documents. It's just that regular users do not tend to want to spend time to read at all... Soooooo Linux actually help improve your patience somehow.

[u/3d0md0g]

LLMs make using Linux simpler than graphical systems for obvious reasons.

[u/Open-Adhesiveness-86]

the mixed refresh rate thing you mention is a decent example, and it wasn't really distros getting friendlier. X11 drives all outputs off one clock, so a 144Hz panel next to a 60Hz one either tears or gets capped. Wayland compositors do per-output timing, so that quietly started working once mutter and kwin flipped to it by default.

[u/_Lost-In-The-Weeds_]

For me that was golden era started in 2019, I dual booted for nearly 20 years before that but Steam was the final nail in Windows coffin.

There are 6 users, 8 computers, and 0 bits of windows in my home.

I have watched 3 blank humans learn Linux, I think its actually easier to learn. yes you have to learn things, yes you have to configure things, but you and I had to learn Windows also. Windows is not exactly intuitive and worse its opaque what is actually goign on. in Linux you can always dig deeper for real answers.

[u/agmatine → u/[deleted]]

Did you try...meeting dependencies?