this post was submitted on 20 Nov 2025
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Linux
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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That helps, but switching to Linux often is much broader in scope than just the OS. People have time and money invested in software that doesn’t work in Linux. For example, it’s not trivial to switch from Photoshop to Gimp or Krita. In my case, I detest Windows and have many years of experience with Linux, but still begrudgingly dual boot to use Cubase because I haven’t gotten around to learning something that does work on Linux like Reaper. I also have expensive mocap software that only works on Windows, in addition to using MetaHuman Animator in Unreal Engine that still does not support Linux. I’ll probably get around to getting completely off Windows at some point, but even for me who is a die-hard Linux enthusiast, I have to prioritize my limited free time, so I can see where someone who isn’t would be like meh, I’ll just use Windows for now and not bother dual booting.
I also haven’t been successful getting my spouse to switch to Linux, who has only ever used Macs and thinks everything else is overly complicated. My father uses an iPad and a Windows machine for specialized software that won’t work on Linux and has zero interest in dual booting. My kid, on the other hand, has only ever used Linux and has no desire to use anything else.
I feel like most people don't buy software anymore. Everything runs in the browser.
Like, nerds and enthusiasts and game playing people sure. But most people? Nah. It's all Instagram, Facebook, tiktok, Reddit, YouTube. Maybe like roll20 if they're a dnd nerd. Most people aren't doing Photoshop or blender.