You know what's kinda wild (and really drives me nuts)?
When I look at popular, consumer-targeted websites like theverge.com, and put "linux" in the search bar, the most visible desktop operating system by far is Windows 10.
A thread.
When I look at popular, consumer-targeted websites like theverge.com, and put "linux" in the search bar, the most visible desktop operating system by far is Windows 10.
A thread.
You might think "so what? There are many websites that better cater to Linux users."
At the individual level, that's fine.
As far as desktop Linux's adoption problem goes, this is diabolical.
At the individual level, that's fine.
As far as desktop Linux's adoption problem goes, this is diabolical.
With an Alexa rank of 703, The Verge is among the most widely read tech news sites in the world.
Enough singling out of them though. Try searching "linux" on cnet, Gizmodo, or really any tech site with mass audience focus and a really low Alexa rank.
Enough singling out of them though. Try searching "linux" on cnet, Gizmodo, or really any tech site with mass audience focus and a really low Alexa rank.
Where's Linux Mint in this space? Elementary, Zorin, Manjaro? Valve Proton?
Where's even Ubuntu?
Where's even Ubuntu?
If you got all your tech news from the world's most popular tech websites - and plenty of people do - the only thing that might be visible to you about desktop Linux is that it's becoming easier to use it on Windows.
The vexing thing is that desktop Linux is already doing the most difficult part of producing something worth attention.
It's the last mile of reaching the press that fails.
So one minor point release of a web browser grabs more headlines here than our whole ecosystem combined.
It's the last mile of reaching the press that fails.
So one minor point release of a web browser grabs more headlines here than our whole ecosystem combined.
Now think about the fact that almost no Windows or Mac users engage in a slow, deliberate, ongoing conscious reason about desktop operating systems.
They're busy with everything else.
These opinions are formed by intuitions based on the most surface level cues.
They're busy with everything else.
These opinions are formed by intuitions based on the most surface level cues.
When you speak to these fast systems of intuitive reason, the fact that this audience never even sees desktop Linux while scrolling through their phones is a huge cue that it's not relevant to them.
Desktop Linux really needs a media strategy.
