Linux desktop continues to grow with four per cent market share

The Linux operating system and open source in general form the backbone of the Internet, but Linux has not yet been able to establish itself on the desktop. However, in February this year, Statcounter, a website that counts internet traffic, reported for the first time that the free operating system had reached just over 4%, compared to 3.77% for Linux in January 2024. The data for March 2024 is now available, and Linux also landed above 4% on Statcounter.com last month.

If you include Chrome OS, which is technically a Linux derivative, it even reached 6.32% in March (Linux: 4.05%, Chrome OS: 2.27%). Windows remained at over 72% last month, with a slight upward trend, while MacOS lost almost a percentage point compared to February, landing at 14.68%. Of course, it should be noted that although Statcounter has a large sample size due to tracking over 1.5 million websites worldwide, the figures should still only be seen as trends.

In addition to the constant development of the two 'big' Linux desktop environments GNOME and KDE, Valve should also be seen as a factor in the upward trend: Valve's Steam Deck appeared in early 2022, relying on Linux with the Proton compatibility layer to make many Windows games run on the handheld. And in 2023, the second year after the release of the Steam Deck, Linux increased by a full percentage point (via ComputerBase).

So this year, as has been the case for over 30 years, the question arises: Will 2024 be the year of the Linux desktop? The rapid development around the use of the Wayland display technology, coupled with increasing financial support, could further strengthen the growth trend of the free operating system.