I’ve been using Linux on and off for over 20 years at this point, I’d dual-boot for a few months, or always have a Linux VM or two spooled up on my Windows PC to keep abreast of the latest state of open-source operating systems. The first time I used Linux as my daily driver OS was during my postgraduate studies, where the little netbook I took to class could only handle Linux and not Windows.
Today, Linux for desktop computers is a real alternative to Windows, though its market share gains remain slow. The worse people’s perceptions of Windows gets, the more attractive Linux and its promise of a bloat-free operating system becomes. However, I think that while it does indeed have little or none of what we think of as “bloat,” it does have plenty of issues that are annoying in the same way as Windows bloat can be.
Why people are turning to Linux
It’s more like turning away from Windows if we’re being honest
There’s no way I can even broach this subject without acknowledging how far Linux has come as a desktop OS over the years. The tireless work of the Linux community as a whole, and the teams developing and maintaining the best distros in particular, has turned it into a true alternative.
However, when it comes to a massive market leader and incumbent like Windows, it takes more than making a good OS to get people to switch. Windows doesn’t have to be the best choice, it just has to be the default. If people’s computers work well enough, they aren’t going through the pain of switching.
Which is why I think that the recent gains Linux has been making in the desktop segment of the OS market have more to do with Windows messing up than the things Linux has been doing right. Microsoft has repeatedly damaged its reputation with unpopular AI features, and an endless parade of system-breaking updates, to name but two problems.
It also helps that more Windows video games now work on Linux than ever, because, for many people, Windows gaming was the main thing holding them back from leaving Microsoft behind. But, these factors don’t have much to do with the rational, technical, and philosophical reasons Linux fans often used to evangelize their OS of choice.
Linux really does fix some of Windows’ worst problems
But Microsoft is pledging to fix them too
Not that I want to dismiss those rational reasons! Linux genuinely remedies some of the biggest WIndows annoyances. There should be no advertising, telemetry, or online account requirements in any Linux distro you try.
You have a level of control over your Linux installation that Microsoft would never give its users, and there’s no doubt that Linux is much lighter on CPU time and RAM footprint. So even older PCs can feel snappy when powered by the penguin.
But, Microsoft clearly knows that Windows is going down the drain. The company has made big promises that it will fix the common issues people have. If it actually manages to paper over all the cracks, the average person will once again have little pressure to switch to anything else.
8/10
- Operating System
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Kubuntu 24.04 LTS
- CPU
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Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (2.7GHz up to 5.4GHz)
This laptop is purpose-built for developers and professionals who want a Kubuntu Linux-powered portable workstation and gaming platform. It features an Intel processor capable of hitting 5.4GHz and both integrated graphics and a dedicated NVIDIA 5070 Ti GPU for when you need extra power for machine learning or games.
But the “bloat” problem doesn’t actually disappear
FOSS inflates in its own special way
Put aside what “bloat” usually refers to in the Windows context, and think about what problems bloat causes. When you boil it down, it introduces friction when you want to use your computer. Linux has plenty of things that cause friction with people who just want to use it to do their computer stuff.
I’ve written before that there are too many distros, that Linux offers too much choice, and we’ve explained why distro hopping wastes your time. This is the metaphorical “bloat” that you get with Linux. At least on Windows you can delete the bloatware in an afternoon and do a few things to improve performance, but with Linux it might take you months or years to finally decide what desktop environment you like, or which package manager suits you best. So are you really removing friction?
The real trade-off: control versus effort
This is the part that doesn’t always get mentioned in “switch to Linux” discussions. Yes, Linux gives you more control—but that control comes with responsibility.
There’s no unified experience, you craft your own. There’s no single point of support, you have to rely on a vague community. Switching involves a significant investment of time and energy, and it might be a longer-term investment compared to switching to something like macOS as the other major alternative. So is Linux less “bloated” or is it just six of one, half a dozen of the other?
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