There is no Linux desktop

Every year, Linux enthusiasts hope that the new year will be the "year of the Linux desktop", the year that Linux dethrones Microsoft Windows as the chief desktop operating system.

I have bad news for the Linux enthusiasts.

There is no Linux desktop.

More specifically, there is not one Linux desktop. Instead, there is a multitude. There are multiple Linux distributions ("distros" in jargon) and it seems that each has its own ideas about the desktop. Some emulate Microsoft Windows, in an attempt to make it easy for people to convert from Windows to Linux. Other distros do things their own (and presumably better) way. Some distros focus on low-end hardware, others focus on privacy. Some focus on forensics, and others are tailored for tinkerers.

Distributions include: Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, SuSE, Red Hat, Fedora, Arch Linux, Elementary, Tails, Kubuntu, CentOS, and more.

The plethora of distributions splits the market. No one distribution is the "gold standard". No one distribution is the leader.

Here's what I consider the big problem for Linux: The split market discourages some software vendors from entering it. If you have a new application, do you support all of the distros or just some? Which ones? How do you test all of the distros that you support? What do you do with customers who use distros that you don't support?

Compared to Linux, the choice of releasing for Windows and macOS is rather simple. Either you support Windows or you don't. (And by "Windows" I mean "Windows 10".) Either you support mac OS or you don't. (The latest version of mac OS.) Windows and macOS each provide a single platform, with a single installation method, and a single API. (Yes, I am simplifying here. Windows has multiple ways to install an application, but it is clear that Microsoft is transitioning to the Universal app.)

I see nothing to reduce the number of Linux distros, so this condition will continue. We will continue to enjoy the benefits of multiple Linux distributions, and I believe that to be good for Linux.

But it does mean that the Evil Plan to take over all desktops will have to wait.