I got a computer back in 1997, and the word “Linux” was completely unknown to me. In fact, I hardly knew Windows back then. I only had experience with console gaming, and consoles didn’t have Operating Systems. Each cartridge had its own “operating system”: the game itself. At school I worked with Windows 3.11, but that was only for a few hours in computer class. Nothing special.

But 1997 opened a new door for me: PC, RAM, Hard Disk, Operating System, Windows, Computer Magazines. And in the magazines, a very questionable article about Linux. SuSE Linux was the one the magazine presented.

Later, as a CS student, I had my first real experience with Linux. Learning the basic commands made me believe that Linux was just a dark screen. I kept wondering what all the beautiful GUI pictures in the magazines were about. Eventually, I installed my first distro: Mandrake Linux. I don’t remember the kernel version or the distro version… just that it was Mandrake.

Coming from Windows, I couldn’t understand how to install software. Files like .rpm and .deb confused me. And then there was the source code software. Even more confusion with the ./configure, make, and make install commands. In addition, my internet access was limited. No ADSL — just a dial-up connection I couldn’t use to download large files. I still remember my frustration: downloading an application for my Linux machine at my university (faster internet), going back home to install it, only to find out that the application had… “dependencies.” What the hell were “dependencies”? I had no idea. Windows never had “dependencies.” Double-click the setup file and a few minutes later the application was up and running… Pfff… dependencies!

After all this pain and suffering, I managed to control my Linux machine. I started having a dual-boot PC (Windows + Linux) and eventually moved to having only a Linux PC for everyday tasks. The evolution of Linux usability was great back then. Internet access helped tremendously because the first ADSL connections became a reality around 2005. Along with faster and always-connected internet came improved package managers. Not the old ones with simple checkboxes, but new ones with beautiful graphics, software screenshots, and—most importantly— no need to manually download dependencies. You selected your application and the dependencies were automatically downloaded along with it. Good times!

Why this brief history of my Linux experience? Because from 2003 until 2022 I used Linux either as my main operating system or alongside Windows. What happened in 2022? In reality, nothing special. I just got old. And getting older means you don’t want to waste your precious time searching for a device that works with Linux. I don’t want to waste time deciding which GUI is better or why the hell I have a kernel panic after a simple upgrade. Because the real problem, after all these years, is that Linux never became fully user-friendly. Don’t get me wrong: the distance it has covered since my first experience with it is great. But the competition is eons ahead. The problem with Linux has always been the same as its main strength: too much democracy.

Every programmer who thinks a GUI needs change creates a new GUI. Every programmer who thinks a new technology must be implemented moves on with it and creates a different Linux. Every time a programmer believes that companies have “infiltrated” the Linux ecosystem, they create another distro… one “purer” than the others. A crazy mind-fuck that an everyday person—who works 8 hours, has a family and friends, and a life to live—just doesn’t want to deal with.

Maybe the future of Linux isn’t even the desktop. It has already won the server arena. Maybe Linux’s future is gaming. Steam is embracing Linux with love and care lately—with the Steam Deck, SteamOS, and so on. No matter what happens to the future of Linux, I don’t think it will ever go away (until real technological change comes someday). And maybe at some point Linux will conquer every computer system out there… just maybe!