2024 will not be the year of Linux on the desktop. The old meme that ironizes the status of this operating system is particularly unique. Most of all, although Linux has never been adopted among end users, it is an operating system that is much appreciated by developers (more than macOS) and absolutely dominates in other areas such as servers, IoT and supercomputers. However, Linux’s share on the desktop gave us a surprise.

Linux’s share exceeded 4%. According to Statcounter GlobalStats data, Linux’s global market share reached 4.03% in February 2024; this is the highest figure since the service recorded this data. To obtain this data, Statcounter uses tracking code installed on 1.5 million websites generating approximately 5 billion visits. Therefore, it is highly reliable data reflecting the usage of different operating systems among users worldwide.

A gradual growth. Linux’s share has always been very small, but the truth is that its growth has been slight but steady for months. According to this data, Linux’s share has increased by 31.3% since June 2023. If we compare with the share five years ago, things have improved significantly: in February 2019, the global share reached 1.58%.

Steam Deck helps Linux. One of the factors likely contributing to this growth in Linux share is the success of Valve’s console Steam Deck, a version of the operating system Arch Linux. Although it is primarily used for gaming, it has a desktop mode that some users benefit from. According to Steam data, Linux’s share among gamers has been increasing for years.

But Linux can get much bigger. But Linux may have much more share. The reason this doesn’t happen has to do with jam jars, namely disintegration. Linus Torvalds made this clear in an interview years ago: The lack of a standard desktop environment or unified packaging system doesn’t help, and while the wealth of options is great, it also hinders mass adoption.

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