Linux hit a major milestone, with its desktop market share crossing the 3% mark for the first time in its history.

Linux already runs the majority of web servers in the world, as well as the majority of smartphones, thanks to Android being Linux-based. Despite being the world’s most used operating system, Linux has never made much headway on the desktop.

According to Statcounter, Linux has finally crossed 3% in the desktop market in June 2023, coming in at 3.07%.

Linux may be benefiting from a number of factors:

• Windows 11 has been an unpopular upgrade. The OS sends huge amounts of telemetry to Microsoft, and some 40% of PCs can’t run Windows 11.
• Linux has improved significantly, in terms of ease-of-use. KDE, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, and other projects have made Linux as easy to use as Windows or macOS.
• Linux’s free and open source nature are increasingly popular as the economy falters, providing businesses an appealing option vs commercial products.

At WPN, we’ve been reviewing a number of popular Linux distros from the view of a Windows or macOS user or business looking to switch. Those interested in making the move to Linux may find some help in those reviews.