This year, we have seen a huge influx of Linux users (source), but we are seeing more distributions to try and pull people in. So let's talk about why 2020 is the best year in Linux (so far).
Now we need to understand, Windows 10 has nothing Linux can't do, and Linux has many things Windows 10 can't do. This is fantastic. Here is a simple table of basic things.
Win10 | Linux | |
---|---|---|
OEM Support | Yes | Yes |
Functional default shells | No (!) | Yes |
Ability to ignore shells | Yes | Yes |
Graphical Environments | Yes | Yes |
No GUI Options | No | Yes |
Easy software management | No (!2) | Yes |
Easy customization | Yes (!3) | Yes |
Dedication to low-spec machines | No (!4) | Yes |
Redistribution allowed | No | Yes |
(!) - While Powershell and CMD exist, CMD is the default, and calling it "functional" is not exactly correct.
(!2) - Partly subjective, will be explained further.
(!3) - While easy, not many, and alternatives aren't easy to work with if they even exist.
(!4) - While ARM support exists, dedication to old machines with very low-spec hardware (below 4GB RAM, 2CPU Cores) is not great.
Not only is this list pretty large, but also doesn't take everything into account. Yet the point is made, the main things Windows 10 users might care about is mentioned. Now with that said, Linux is a better product, but it isn't easy to get/install. Except for System76, Juno Computers, DELL, HP, and others have options to get a form of Linux (usually Ubuntu or derivative) shipped with the machine.
Now, what about Phones? Linux has Android but with how closed and locked down it is, Android is to Linux as macOS is to FreeBSD. Now phone operating systems are mostly shipping with some Linux fork, (i.e. Android), removing Android and iOS, we get KaiOS as the third largest. Now KaiOS is more for non-smartphones, but it is somewhat available for such. Otherwise, we also have Neon Mobile from KDE, Ubuntu Touch from UBPorts, Manjaro has a mobile spin, Purism, LuneOS, Tizen, Sailent, and many many others. Not to mention Volla Phone is making a bit of noise itself. Not to mention we still have old things to fork, like Firefox OS, WebOS, and any desktop Linux distro with a mobile desktop environment, so we can plausibly expect more Linux phones.
Now on the tasty side, more Linux contributors exist. From the people who contribute to small distributions to those starting their own. In the Ubuntu world, we are seeing FOUR new desktop remixes. These being (in order by release) Ubuntu Cinnamon, Ubuntu Deepin/DDE, Ubuntu Unity, and Ubuntu Lumina. Four desktops Linux remixes for Ubuntu, making the total remixes being 11. While this is a little weird to have 11 remixes, note that this is good for Linux, is mostly found in the fact that it promotes options for those who care. Those who find Ubuntu boring can find a functionally similar distribution in terms of a flavor/remix they might prefer. This, depending on the advertising of the remix done by the leads, they could (all by themselves) drag new users to their distribution of Ubuntu, while dragging more people to Linux.
This is a lot so far, but it keeps getting better. We have seen Lenovo coming closer to Linux, by doing an interview with LinuxForEveryone, joined with someone from Fedora (Watch Here). So we also have Lenovo coming to Linux, plus many OEMs for Linux specifically, such as System76, Juno Computers, Tuxedo Computers, and probably a million others. Manjaro has an OEM, elementaryOS has an OEM, Kubuntu has an OEM, Ubuntu has a billion OEMs, Pop!_OS is developed by an OEM, not to mention we might also get more from Lubuntu, other remixes/flavors, other distributions like FerenOS and Linux Mint. We might even get Drauger an OEM for gaming-specific stuff.
Now this is aiming to be as short as I can get this article, as I have to focus on Ubuntu Lumina at least somewhat, but I want to post a lot so I can have fun talking with the community while I work, and maybe inspire someone.