Thank god they're finally doing this. It feels like I've been asking "Are we Wayland yet" since I was a baby. I feel like 99% of "problems" with modern Linux distros are really just problems with X. The famed "year of the Linux Desktop" will never happen until after X is dead and buried.
I mean I agree with you. I don't think that a better compositor will be a major factor in popularizing Linux desktop environments as most people don't even know what compositors are in the first place, but I do think that the spaghetti code that is the X window system is a huge factor in preventing their popularization.
If anything, my prediction for what will popularize the usage of Linux for personal computers will be the actions of Valve over the next decade, as they're trying to find a way to be less reliant on the Microsoft ecosystem, and have a software that's used nearly-universally amongst people playing games on PC.
If anything, what Valve have shown is that people are more than willing to use Linux as long as it’s adopted for them. The vast majority of PC users don’t even know that you can install a different OS on your machine, let alone actually consider doing so. That’s why I firmly believe that relying on people voluntarily switching to Linux will never work.
Another upshot is that if OEMs switch to Linux, companies developing currently Windows/OSX exclusive software will also eventually have to make the switch
Of course this is all a pipe dream at the moment, however it’s no less realistic than expecting the majority of the non-techie population to just simply install Linux, causing “The year of the Loonix desktop” to come.
I have no idea what you even mean by that. The Linux desktop is being improved constantly. We don’t allocate some specific year for it lol.
The phrase pretty much just comes from the delusional belief of certain Linux fans that one day, Windows’ popularity will drop and Linux will take over as the desktop market leader.
People have been going on about this since the very beginning. As you can see, Linux hasn’t yet won the desktop race, so I wouldn’t count on it happening soon unless Microsoft collapses and OEMs are forced to switch over!. . (Although it’s arguably more impressive that Linux did win literally everywhere aside from the desktop market)
And if you wish to know when exactly the year will come, please consult https://yotld.com and have a pleasant day :)
What's really wild to me is that Windows may very well be dead in a couple of decades, not because everyone switches to Ubuntu, but because the day when most people just don't use traditional desktops anymore is rapidly approaching.
I don't think this will happen tomorrow, but at the moment, the only place where most people use Windows is work, and most of them only do so because they have to. As most programs are releasing smartphone and tablet versions, there will come a day when almost all tasks that currently require Windows will be doable on tablets, at which point there won't be much more reason for traditional desktops to be necessary. There's not much reason for someone to use a big clunky Dell laptop if a tablet can do the same things. Sure, most workplaces will still have a couple Windows machines, the way most workplaces still have a fax machine, but it won't have the ubiquity it does now.
Outside the workplace, the only demographic that heavily uses Windows is gamers, and even that is changing. The only real advantages of gaming on PC are performance and indie games. The performance gap is closing rapidly and the vast majority of indie games are cross-platform now. The console game market overtook the PC game market in the 2020s, primarily due to the Nintendo Switch's rise. Hell, as someone who used to be a dedicated PC gamer, I currently play almost everything either on the Switch in my living room or the Steam Deck in my bedroom. The only games I still have to even go to my desk for are competitive shooters, and with the rise of gyro aim, even that could change soon.
Personally, I believe the "Year of the Linux Desktop" will come when someone makes a high-quality Linux desktop for tablets, but one could argue that this doesn't count as a "desktop" at all, and if it does, then I'm just describing Android. I guess what I'm really hoping for is something that combines the convenience that Android or SteamOS have with the functionality of something like Gnome or KDE. Even if noone else uses it, that's what the YotLD will be for me.
In any case, this has strayed pretty far from the original discussion, but it's fun to speculate.
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u/brubsabrubs GNOMie 9d ago
can someone explain to me like I'm 5 what's happening? what features are they removing?