Is 2025 finally the year of Linux? We asked shoppers at Micro Center

Ah, the perennial question: Is this the year of Linux? That magical tipping point for mainstream adoption has always hovered as a hope in Linux fans’ minds. And indeed, 2025 seems ripe with opportunity, especially with Windows 10 facing its end in October. The topic has come up more than once on The Full Nerd, PCWorld’s weekly hardware podcast. So when surrounded by scores of nerds at the recent opening of Micro Center in Santa Clara, co-host Adam Patrick Murray did what any reasonable person would: He sought out Linux users in the crowd to get their take. Turns out, Windows users still dominate—even at a store like Micro Center, which attracts the most enthusiastic hardware enthusiasts. But with a little persistence (and some people volunteering their friends to go on camera), Adam does find several Linux users to talk with, ranging from a year-plus of use to over 20 (!). The interview that still keeps me up at night: the worker who’s only ever known Linux, presumably since the cradle. How does that happen? Is it parentage? Philosophical leanings? Budget? I may never know, but I’ll always want to know. The most interesting part of all the Linux talk was a quick statistic: That with the coming death of Windows, Linux adoption could allegedly jump to as much as seven percent. That would almost double the current estimated market share of four percent. If that happens, 2025 could be reasonably called the year of Linux. (Exciting?) Either way, Windows 10’s death is indeed coming in just four months. If your PC can’t make the upgrade, you should start thinking now about your options—and Linux is one of them. Wondering about distros? We have a few suggestions that look and feel like Windows. In fact, Adam, Will, and I are all trying Linux to see if it might stick for us. We’ll definitely be talking about our experiences on coming episodes of the The Full Nerd, which you can tune into (or catch up on via our companion newsletter!) on Tuesdays. Otherwise, subscribe to the PCWorld YouTube channel for more interviews and hardware coverage.

Jun 13, 2025 - 18:30

Is 2025 finally the year of Linux? We asked shoppers at Micro Center

Ah, the perennial question: Is this the year of Linux? That magical tipping point for mainstream adoption has always hovered as a hope in Linux fans’ minds. And indeed, 2025 seems ripe with opportunity, especially with Windows 10 facing its end in October.

The topic has come up more than once on The Full Nerd, PCWorld’s weekly hardware podcast. So when surrounded by scores of nerds at the recent opening of Micro Center in Santa Clara, co-host Adam Patrick Murray did what any reasonable person would: He sought out Linux users in the crowd to get their take.

Turns out, Windows users still dominate—even at a store like Micro Center, which attracts the most enthusiastic hardware enthusiasts. But with a little persistence (and some people volunteering their friends to go on camera), Adam does find several Linux users to talk with, ranging from a year-plus of use to over 20 (!). The interview that still keeps me up at night: the worker who’s only ever known Linux, presumably since the cradle. How does that happen? Is it parentage? Philosophical leanings? Budget? I may never know, but I’ll always want to know.

The most interesting part of all the Linux talk was a quick statistic: That with the coming death of Windows, Linux adoption could allegedly jump to as much as seven percent. That would almost double the current estimated market share of four percent. If that happens, 2025 could be reasonably called the year of Linux. (Exciting?)

Either way, Windows 10’s death is indeed coming in just four months. If your PC can’t make the upgrade, you should start thinking now about your options—and Linux is one of them. Wondering about distros? We have a few suggestions that look and feel like Windows.

In fact, Adam, Will, and I are all trying Linux to see if it might stick for us. We’ll definitely be talking about our experiences on coming episodes of the The Full Nerd, which you can tune into (or catch up on via our companion newsletter!) on Tuesdays. Otherwise, subscribe to the PCWorld YouTube channel for more interviews and hardware coverage.