I mostly just want to see the tech bros go broke. If thst means Linux/floss is mainstream, then by all means, go ahead. But yeah, I wanna see them fail so fucking hard
this post was submitted on 30 Sep 2026
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I don't want usage adoption; I want philosophical adoption which will lead to usage adoption.
I want users to appreciate that they own their software. I want them to realize the importance of being able to inspect and use your software as you see fit (within reason).
I want people to realize the dangers of walled gardens, and opaque black boxes that are doing who knows what.
I hope that makes sense; I get confused and worried when people just push adoption. I'd rather people migrate because they believe in FOSS, and then setup linux boxes for their non-tech family members as a means of protecting them.
I have a lot to say on this...but the words just aren't coming out right now. I guess I need to get in the right frame of mind.
wdym, linux boxes ?
i totally agree that usage would come a lot easier if what gets pushed is a mindset
if you have more to say now, i'm all ears. i want to drive adoption in my circles
by boxes I just mean, linux computers for those who just use a browser to go on the internet. Those users, they don't have to adopt the Linux philosophy.
But for people who are actively coming to linux, I wish they would come with an appreciation for the ethos of FOSS.
I'm flattered you think I have something of value to say, but what I've learned in life is that you can't convince people of anything unless they want to be convinced. And ego plays a big role in that.
If you go and even imply to someone, "you're using computers wrong," or "there is a better way," depending on their relationship with you, their ego will kick in: what is this guy talking about, I've been using computers for x years and I have it do everything I want it to. Just nod along
I adopted Linux on my home PC about 12 years ago, but I could never get the "Linux box" in a state where I could replace my wife's until Win11 came out. At the time, I noticed a lot of improvements that allowed a seamless transition and I was finally able to replace her Win10 install with a KDE setup. She barely noticed the difference. The only real challenge was her migration from Outlook to Thunderbird.
But I think the reality is that, apart from Linux enthusiasts, no one really cares for using FOSS or not. Most simply want their PC to work and not be a nuisance. And it seems that more and more, that is the case for Linux.
What are you calling "the linux community"?
Linux is the primary OS supported on all of the major cloud platforms and has effectively replaced nearly all commercial Unix systems in new deployments.
We're well past "small".
Why I'd want that? What the community has to gain with this self imposed limitation?
I wouldn't say I really care if the "community" is big or small (it's also a bit unclear what you mean exactly, do you just mean user adoption?)... but I care about Linux (and in general, open source alternatives) being real options when it comes to hardware support, compatibility with services I might want to use, etc.
I don't think you can have proper "progress" in those areas without having Linux be a recognized mainstream system. Like say.. banks are unlikely to make an authenticator app for non-Android Linux phones if non-Android Linux phones are not mainstream, for example.
I'd like to see more software freedom respecting OSs. No unsourced binary blobs.
I would be happy for linux to flatten microslop, it's just a question of whether it would then turn into it in some respects (2026 has already seem some not some awesome changes).
Somewhat along the lines of: If lemmy becomes as large as reddit, lemmy will become trash like reddit.
The world belongs to those who do the work. Capitalism sucks, but it's always capitalists who drive the production of things. It doesn't have to be that way but it is because we are lazy. SteamOS exists because Valve put in the work. Any of us here could have made SteamOS. We didn't because we are lazy.
No. I don't want it small. I just don't want it to welcome fascists.
There is also not "the Linux community" there is thousands of communities of varying sizes.
"Linux community" is a similar term in its dimensions like the term "Gaming community" or "Programmers community". It's more of a "meta community" (and I don't mean the company). In a sense all of Linux brings us together with similar shared interests rooted in Linux. So it is no unreasonable to talk about "Linux community", but it depends in what context. If its about supporting Linux compared to other operating systems, then it makes sense to talk about a unified meta community like "Linux".
Then why not just talk about Linux adoption?
It bothers me because there is often little understanding or communication and sometimes even an antagonistic relationship between contributor communities and user communities. Users because they see themselves as presentative of THE COMMUNITY often think they get to tell contributora how they run the project.
With Linux as a whole it's even more abstract since the Linux kernel development and distro development is so disconnected and most people don't have a strong connection with the kernel or it's development really.
So what does that leave for the Linux community. I think the comparison to the gaming community isn't bad since while gaming is fine, making being a gamer an important part of ones identity is often very much not fine.
Linux adoption is more of technical side of things in my personal opinion. It makes a huge difference to talk about Linux community versus Linux adoption. In example Linux is adopted a lot in webservers, maybe in professional fields and so on. I think the person asking the question is more interested in the effects on and for the community from a user perspective (as we are in a Linux community ourselves right now, context is everything). I do not think the term "Linux community" is precise or the best choice in most cases, but I can understand the context in which way it is meant.
Overall I do not have a better suggestion for the term. The entire question is borked anyway. If you change the term "Linux adoption" then people might think in terms of percentages of adoption, and less about the social impact on a personal level. Overall it would just be the same question actually and everyone interprets it differently anyway. "adoption" or "community", it's the whole Linux. I'm not against any of them, so don't care about it. My problem with the actual question is more about the "making progress" part.
Linux adoption is real. THE linux community isn't real. You can break down Linux adoption into more detailed metrics like Linux desktop adoption, Linux adoption among gamers, etc and those are all real things that we may or may not be able to put numbers on and may or may not desire to grow.
Adoption and community are separate things. The guy asking seems to be concerned what the community things and what effects it has to them. As for me, I don't care which term you or anyone uses, as long as it is clear from context. I don't know why you say the Linux community isn't real though. As I explained earlier, its just a meta word for collection of communities related to everything Linux.
OP uses community instead of explaining what they mean. They also oppose the growth of said community presumably because of some unexplained concerns which would likely be immediately clear if they would explain what they mean.
And the linked reddit thread actually suggests that OP is opposed to wider adoption because they want to be part of some Linux elite.
OP uses community instead of explaining what they mean.
I agree its vague title and the body text should have been used to clear things up. The question in this form is not satisfying to me either, and leaves too much for interpretation. I am not arguing against that. I'm just saying that I think I know how to understand the first part of the question and don't have an issue myself, because there is context to it. But its not optimal.
want to be part of some Linux elite.
This is why the term "Linux community" makes sense, if we talk about being part of and 'Elite'. That is what I thought, its about the community and its effects and how to deal with the grows, rather than the growing numbers alone. Either way, both terms "Community vs Adoption" are unclear what the intend of the question is for most people. But the distinction makes only sense when discussing, because both terms are about adoption in this context and its doesn't really matter.
Please let's not pretend that makes sense. I'm loosing my mind here
Sorry, but I'm not asking for your permission if something makes sense for me. It's fine if it doesn't for you. The question is vague enough that it is a problem and should have been clarified in the body text, but I understand what it is meant to be from the context. Only the part "making progress" is problematic to me.
Question is why, though. What are we trying to accomplish here? There's better hobbies than gatekeeping stuff just for the sake of it?!
No. You're hindering progress this way.
I think it depends on what you mean by "community" and "progress." When I think of any given software community, I imagine people who are adept with the inner workings and can actually adapt, maintain, modify, and repair an install of that software. That community will always remain small relative to the deployed base.
I'd like the community to grow for Linux so that there is broader support for everything. And to me, that is what I regard as progress.
no, id like to see better app supoort
The question is too vague to give a direct answer. About growing: Yes, I want the community and entire eco system around Linux to grow. Why? That means more people using, bigger communities, more help, more developers, more money, more support by companies. That's good. However, there is a little bit dark side of this aspect too. More popular also means it will attract bad actors. But that's part of growing up.
About "making progress", I'm unsure what that actually means. What does "making no progress" in example mean? Wish your question was formulated a bit better in the body text, than this vague headline title.
It hasnt been small since 98.
Everything already works, Linux support is ootb for almost every new piece of equipment that comes out nowadays. Literally what is missing?
Your pretext seems flawed too since the kernel llm decision is in keeping with the way it’s been for years and there wasn’t really an alternative to llm use with the number of patches flying in from llm sources.
Just generally what do you think is happening in the world regarding Linux? Are you referring to c/linux on .ml?
For me personally it has gotten to a point where i kinda don't care either way? I mean i do think more people using it is good, but as long as it does what i need it to do i'll keep using it regardless. The way i see it even if linux becomes more and more popular, you can still feel quirky if you want by just using a more obscure distro. It still gets you the benefits of using linux, and if linux gets better support due to it's popularity increasing you still get all the benefits, but at the same time you can also enjoy being part of a smaller niche community that is centered around these more obscure distros.
My instance of Lemmy doesn't support down votes, and I'm sure others are the same.
