▲ 769 ▼ Linux continues to grow and has reached a new peak of 3.20% in the November 2025 Steam Hardware & Software Survey (lemmy.ml) submitted 10 months ago by mr_MADAFAKA@lemmy.ml to c/linux_gaming@lemmy.world 178 comments fedilink hide all child comments https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey
[–] y0kai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 10 months ago (13 children) awesome! I'm curious as to how much profit is lost by M$ or Apple for each basis point of the market that switches to Linux. permalink fedilink source hideshow 13 child comments replies: [–] cRazi_man@europe.pub 19 points 10 months ago (2 children) These are private computers for gaming with Steam installed. This will literally be less than pocket change to them. They likely lose more from pirated Windows and secondhand purchasers of Apple products. The amount of money tech giants lose will not be affected for a long time. The main achievement for Linux right now would be to get a foothold, to make it known to the public, to normalise its use. The big change will come when organisations start moving to Linux (which you would think would be a priority considering the fact that it is free and more secure). permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] curbstickle@anarchist.nexus 10 points 10 months ago which you would think would be a priority considering the fact that it is free and more secure And regularly used across their back end already. permalink fedilink source parent [–] MagicShel@lemmy.zip 4 points 10 months ago Probably needs more corporate spyware which Linux users aren't likely to tolerate. permalink fedilink source parent [–] Cybersteel@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago (4 children) They make more on cloud servers than as operating systems nowadays. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 4 child comments replies: [–] Burninator05@lemmy.world -1 points 10 months ago (3 children) I've read the same thing but I'll bet a dollar that no one using Linux is paying for any Microsoft cloud services. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 3 child comments replies: [–] FishFace@piefed.social 5 points 10 months ago That would essentially mean the only reason to use Linux over Windows is ideological opposition to Microsoft, which is sheer nonsense. permalink fedilink source parent [–] Electricd@lemmybefree.net 5 points 10 months ago* Some people use Linux but don’t mind about Microsoft Ex: a lot of people in computer science I noticed a lot of students use Linux for their studies because in CS we pretty much only use Linux, but they run Windows at home or they solely run Linux for studying so they don’t care about the rest They would’ve stayed with Windows if it provided the same features and full compatibility permalink fedilink source parent [–] RamRabbit@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago* As a somewhat side fact, most of Microsoft's own cloud services are running on Linux. This fact nudges me to believe the opposite of your conclusion. That is to say, changing your OS doesn't necessarily change the software you use. That said, I would be very surprised if Microsoft's cloud offerings were as popular among Linus users. permalink fedilink source parent [–] Holytimes@sh.itjust.works 4 points 10 months ago (1 child) Till that number starts hitting like 15% because these are just private users. These big companies aren't even going to be able to notice the shift. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] RamRabbit@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago* We are already at >7% for English-speaking Steam users. At this rate 15% isn't terribly far off. But, even now, it's getting increasingly difficult to tell your manager "we should lower our product's sales by 7%". permalink fedilink source parent [–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works -1 points 10 months ago (2 children) Apple probably isn't seeing it as a factor. Anyone switching from MacOS to Linux on Apple hardware has purchased Apple hardware and will likely continue doing so because they're the kind of people who buy Apple products and you can't change that about a person. Of those Windows users switching to Linux, how many of them have decided to stop using a Windows license they've had for years? Instead of upgrading to 11 for free, they're switching to Linux? Or, how many of them are rocking the Activate Windows watermark? There's probably a pittance or two lost in ad revenue, but Microsoft almost isn't a B2C company anymore. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] RamRabbit@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 child) Apple probably isn’t seeing it as a factor. Anyone switching from MacOS to Linux on Apple hardware has purchased Apple hardware and will likely continue doing so because they’re the kind of people who buy Apple products and you can’t change that about a person. When they are ready for a new computer, are they going to spend double to buy Mac hardware when they specifically want a Linux machine? Many will say no. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 months ago We're at a point in history where an Apple computer is kind of difficult to recommend as a Linux box because they've pulled off of x86. Gaming. On Linux. On Apple Silicon. I bet you can do it, the Asashi or whatever people have done a remarkable job of reverse engineering from no published documentation at all from what I hear. But, we're several generations of Apple Silicon in, I imagine the people who have jumped ship for Linux have done so by now, leaving the blue bubble brigade to themselves. Remember, to many people, that Apple badge on the lid of that laptop isn't just a billboard for a company you don't own, it's the badge of an in-group. There are entire states in the union where they won't let you buy food if you've got a Samsung phone. It's now government policy in Israel. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] cRazi_man@europe.pub 19 points 10 months ago (2 children) These are private computers for gaming with Steam installed. This will literally be less than pocket change to them. They likely lose more from pirated Windows and secondhand purchasers of Apple products. The amount of money tech giants lose will not be affected for a long time. The main achievement for Linux right now would be to get a foothold, to make it known to the public, to normalise its use. The big change will come when organisations start moving to Linux (which you would think would be a priority considering the fact that it is free and more secure). permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] curbstickle@anarchist.nexus 10 points 10 months ago which you would think would be a priority considering the fact that it is free and more secure And regularly used across their back end already. permalink fedilink source parent [–] MagicShel@lemmy.zip 4 points 10 months ago Probably needs more corporate spyware which Linux users aren't likely to tolerate. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] curbstickle@anarchist.nexus 10 points 10 months ago which you would think would be a priority considering the fact that it is free and more secure And regularly used across their back end already. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] MagicShel@lemmy.zip 4 points 10 months ago Probably needs more corporate spyware which Linux users aren't likely to tolerate. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] Cybersteel@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago (4 children) They make more on cloud servers than as operating systems nowadays. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 4 child comments replies: [–] Burninator05@lemmy.world -1 points 10 months ago (3 children) I've read the same thing but I'll bet a dollar that no one using Linux is paying for any Microsoft cloud services. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 3 child comments replies: [–] FishFace@piefed.social 5 points 10 months ago That would essentially mean the only reason to use Linux over Windows is ideological opposition to Microsoft, which is sheer nonsense. permalink fedilink source parent [–] Electricd@lemmybefree.net 5 points 10 months ago* Some people use Linux but don’t mind about Microsoft Ex: a lot of people in computer science I noticed a lot of students use Linux for their studies because in CS we pretty much only use Linux, but they run Windows at home or they solely run Linux for studying so they don’t care about the rest They would’ve stayed with Windows if it provided the same features and full compatibility permalink fedilink source parent [–] RamRabbit@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago* As a somewhat side fact, most of Microsoft's own cloud services are running on Linux. This fact nudges me to believe the opposite of your conclusion. That is to say, changing your OS doesn't necessarily change the software you use. That said, I would be very surprised if Microsoft's cloud offerings were as popular among Linus users. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] Burninator05@lemmy.world -1 points 10 months ago (3 children) I've read the same thing but I'll bet a dollar that no one using Linux is paying for any Microsoft cloud services. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 3 child comments replies: [–] FishFace@piefed.social 5 points 10 months ago That would essentially mean the only reason to use Linux over Windows is ideological opposition to Microsoft, which is sheer nonsense. permalink fedilink source parent [–] Electricd@lemmybefree.net 5 points 10 months ago* Some people use Linux but don’t mind about Microsoft Ex: a lot of people in computer science I noticed a lot of students use Linux for their studies because in CS we pretty much only use Linux, but they run Windows at home or they solely run Linux for studying so they don’t care about the rest They would’ve stayed with Windows if it provided the same features and full compatibility permalink fedilink source parent [–] RamRabbit@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago* As a somewhat side fact, most of Microsoft's own cloud services are running on Linux. This fact nudges me to believe the opposite of your conclusion. That is to say, changing your OS doesn't necessarily change the software you use. That said, I would be very surprised if Microsoft's cloud offerings were as popular among Linus users. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] FishFace@piefed.social 5 points 10 months ago That would essentially mean the only reason to use Linux over Windows is ideological opposition to Microsoft, which is sheer nonsense. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] Electricd@lemmybefree.net 5 points 10 months ago* Some people use Linux but don’t mind about Microsoft Ex: a lot of people in computer science I noticed a lot of students use Linux for their studies because in CS we pretty much only use Linux, but they run Windows at home or they solely run Linux for studying so they don’t care about the rest They would’ve stayed with Windows if it provided the same features and full compatibility permalink fedilink source parent
[–] RamRabbit@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago* As a somewhat side fact, most of Microsoft's own cloud services are running on Linux. This fact nudges me to believe the opposite of your conclusion. That is to say, changing your OS doesn't necessarily change the software you use. That said, I would be very surprised if Microsoft's cloud offerings were as popular among Linus users. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] Holytimes@sh.itjust.works 4 points 10 months ago (1 child) Till that number starts hitting like 15% because these are just private users. These big companies aren't even going to be able to notice the shift. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] RamRabbit@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago* We are already at >7% for English-speaking Steam users. At this rate 15% isn't terribly far off. But, even now, it's getting increasingly difficult to tell your manager "we should lower our product's sales by 7%". permalink fedilink source parent
[–] RamRabbit@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago* We are already at >7% for English-speaking Steam users. At this rate 15% isn't terribly far off. But, even now, it's getting increasingly difficult to tell your manager "we should lower our product's sales by 7%". permalink fedilink source parent
[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works -1 points 10 months ago (2 children) Apple probably isn't seeing it as a factor. Anyone switching from MacOS to Linux on Apple hardware has purchased Apple hardware and will likely continue doing so because they're the kind of people who buy Apple products and you can't change that about a person. Of those Windows users switching to Linux, how many of them have decided to stop using a Windows license they've had for years? Instead of upgrading to 11 for free, they're switching to Linux? Or, how many of them are rocking the Activate Windows watermark? There's probably a pittance or two lost in ad revenue, but Microsoft almost isn't a B2C company anymore. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] RamRabbit@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 child) Apple probably isn’t seeing it as a factor. Anyone switching from MacOS to Linux on Apple hardware has purchased Apple hardware and will likely continue doing so because they’re the kind of people who buy Apple products and you can’t change that about a person. When they are ready for a new computer, are they going to spend double to buy Mac hardware when they specifically want a Linux machine? Many will say no. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 months ago We're at a point in history where an Apple computer is kind of difficult to recommend as a Linux box because they've pulled off of x86. Gaming. On Linux. On Apple Silicon. I bet you can do it, the Asashi or whatever people have done a remarkable job of reverse engineering from no published documentation at all from what I hear. But, we're several generations of Apple Silicon in, I imagine the people who have jumped ship for Linux have done so by now, leaving the blue bubble brigade to themselves. Remember, to many people, that Apple badge on the lid of that laptop isn't just a billboard for a company you don't own, it's the badge of an in-group. There are entire states in the union where they won't let you buy food if you've got a Samsung phone. It's now government policy in Israel. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] RamRabbit@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 child) Apple probably isn’t seeing it as a factor. Anyone switching from MacOS to Linux on Apple hardware has purchased Apple hardware and will likely continue doing so because they’re the kind of people who buy Apple products and you can’t change that about a person. When they are ready for a new computer, are they going to spend double to buy Mac hardware when they specifically want a Linux machine? Many will say no. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 months ago We're at a point in history where an Apple computer is kind of difficult to recommend as a Linux box because they've pulled off of x86. Gaming. On Linux. On Apple Silicon. I bet you can do it, the Asashi or whatever people have done a remarkable job of reverse engineering from no published documentation at all from what I hear. But, we're several generations of Apple Silicon in, I imagine the people who have jumped ship for Linux have done so by now, leaving the blue bubble brigade to themselves. Remember, to many people, that Apple badge on the lid of that laptop isn't just a billboard for a company you don't own, it's the badge of an in-group. There are entire states in the union where they won't let you buy food if you've got a Samsung phone. It's now government policy in Israel. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 months ago We're at a point in history where an Apple computer is kind of difficult to recommend as a Linux box because they've pulled off of x86. Gaming. On Linux. On Apple Silicon. I bet you can do it, the Asashi or whatever people have done a remarkable job of reverse engineering from no published documentation at all from what I hear. But, we're several generations of Apple Silicon in, I imagine the people who have jumped ship for Linux have done so by now, leaving the blue bubble brigade to themselves. Remember, to many people, that Apple badge on the lid of that laptop isn't just a billboard for a company you don't own, it's the badge of an in-group. There are entire states in the union where they won't let you buy food if you've got a Samsung phone. It's now government policy in Israel. permalink fedilink source parent