How do you make Linux more popular?

With the amount of fuck-ups from Microsoft, this might not be necessary, but:

The average user doesn't want to install the operating system or doesn't care about it as long as they can do their things, and those who care can easily do so today. Thus, IMO, advertising to the end user is a waste of resources.

Focus on permeating it in governments, institutions, and OEMs to increase market share and break the "Linux is complicated / incompatible / for developers" stigma, then organic adoption out of these environments will grow - at least among people who can actually use it with the supported software.

I'm a die hard Linux user. I don't spend much time telling people about it outside of actual tech conversations that should include the topic. I did raise my kids with a lot of Linux desktop use on their machines. They uniformly find the Windows 10/11 experience to be horrible, so I guess I've managed success on that front.

There's a circular reasoning happening that's causing Windows to stay dominant. Why isn't professional software being developed for Linux more? Because it doesn't get used in the workplace. Why doesn't Linux get used in the workplace? Because it doesn't have professional software support.

You need to break one of these things to succeed.

Linux isn't competing with Windows or MacOS.
It doesn't follow the capitalist model of a market, and that's a good thing.

You don't. It's already happening. Slowly but steady.

Do we need to do anything? Microsoft updates do the bulk of the work - surely everyone has a last straw?

Hm it's probably "bundle with the hardware, make sure the hardware really works and there's a price incentive vs Windows".

As long as you have to actively migrate (including backing up, losing access to several commercial apps) and could end up in the situation that your hardware isn't 100% working or you're workflow isn't really supported?

Ask India, they hit 15% Linux desktop use

Why does Linux need to be more popular? This isn't some NRM with a proselytizing mandate. Use whichever OS you prefer and let others do the same.

Linux is the most used kernel on the planet - and it’s not close. Just the Android phones are enough to get a comfortable lead. Add the embedded systems. Add the servers. The competition is severely trounced.

The few desktops left and right are just slivers of the complete domination that Linux exerts over commercial operating systems.

I guess they mean "how to make buggy messy often usermade Desktop distributions more popular."

As Linux itself is insanely popular, it's everywhere and runs everything. From the vast majority of server and network infrastructure to most phones.

Pretty much the entire internet runs on Linux already.

For personal users I think a stable, well supported, secure and privacy focused version will help. Also, it helps if this is the version your "computer-guy" uses, the guy that you (or your mom) call(s) when your computer is broken.

Why, though? Like, why should we care?

As someone who uses Linux as a daily driver for both work and home, I have this very easy trick on making Linux more popular:

I don't.

Why?

I absolutely recommend my preferred flavor of Linux to friends that don't run the same distro I do.

It’s 2006 and the year of the Linux Desktop

https://www.linuxquestions.org/linux/articles/Ah_the_change/2006_The_Year_of_the_Linux_Desktop

Here is an alternative Piped link(s):

https://piped.video/watch?v=WYOpwZJapbs

Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.

I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.

Please don't.

Another “Steam Deck is the reason” failure to cover the fact that once Steam Deck dies out it’s users also leave. Valve has awful hardware history and Steam Deck itself only runs games because they are the ones paying for Proton. It should not be controlled by a company that is known to make you lose your games.