The rise of Linux desktop is inevitable — it’s time music software developers got on board

[Freaqpeak]

My experience is that Ubuntu Studio just works out-of-the-box for low latency audio.

If you happen to use software that can run natively in Linux I would recommend testing latest Ubuntu Studio. Download, put it on USB disk, reboot from USB disk and chose "Live" (no install needed). If you want to change the default latency and sample rate settings open "Ubuntu Studio Audio Configuration". Nothing else needed.

The annoying learning curve for setting up the audio interface, by using a combination of different tools and layers handling audio in Linux which few people knows about, seems to be somewhat mitigated in Ubuntu Studio. As a user I don't really need to know what is used in the background to get started.

HOWEVER:
It's all good until the point where you want to use your audio interfaces own routing/mixer proprietary software to set up your in- and outputs the same way you do on Win or Mac. Then it's up to the manufacturer to offer a pre-compiled version for Linux. Or release it as open-source.

The other option is to use the current open-source tools to set up audio routing and properties.
It will be different for the user than working with the official software though.
This option of course requires that someone in the community, or the dev's from the company, has already made it work and contributed the result to the respective package maintainers.
To get an interface to be 'fully working' is dependent on knowledge about the driver and how the driver and upper software layers needs to communicate. Instead of end-users having to basically reverse engineer things, this work should be done by the manufacturer dev's - who already sits on all hardware and driver information and can verify functionality without guessing.

It has been getting a lot harder to find hardware today that is NOT supported in Linux. To be honest, I can't think of any hardware I bought for last 10-15 years that isn't fully supported in Linux. Except for some audio interfaces.
Graphic cards was a common problem that went away, audio will too.

[Largos]

I would add that if people do want to try audio on Linux to use a pre configured distro.

I would add that if people do want to try audio on Linux to use Windows instead. But Linux for everything else,

Have you used Windows since Bill Clinton was in office?

[Dexter US]

would like to see an apapter to use lvm 2 and such in windows.

[BONES]

That's what the Windows partition is for.

If I need two operating systems, then I have made some very poor decisions.

Use linux only when you don't want Windows telemetry to tell Microsoft that you visited a website devoted to nude nun pics.

How would that work when I'd still be using Edge in Linux, assuming there is a Linux version of it. Anyway, that's what in-private browsing is for, it doesn't matter which OS you are using.

Then ask your IT department to "pre-install" linux for you as well.

What IT department? I'm the IT department and I have determined that Linux is a waste of time and an inefficient use of resources.

One version is. The other is Ubuntu based.

UBUNTU is Debian-based.

That's unfortunate then, because DNF has replaced RPM.

Still, it ain't Debian. I've never used any Debian-based distro. I mostly used SuSE on my own machines and at Autodesk we used Red Hat. I played around with UBUNTU running on a CD-R for a while. Needless to say, it was useless but it passed the time when I was stuck in hotel rooms.

I worked for Microsoft. Since you use Win 11, we KNOW what you do. You don't need to tell us.

No you don't. 99% of the data Microsoft collects is totally anonymous and the rest is collected with my express permission. So Microsoft can know where I work and where I live, because that data is stored with other Bing Maps data (for my own convenience), but they only know what I do because it comes up in my feedback to them on the Insider Programme. The more Microsoft knows about how I use my computer, the more likely it is that it will get better for me, so I give them plenty of access and feedback.

If you had mentioned that you're blind and disabled, I would have recommended a different distro.

Windows 8 was far and away the best UX of any operating system I have ever seen. Simple things like horizontal scrolling, which makes infinitely more sense for landscape-oriented displays than vertical scrolling. And the Metro version of Internet Explorer with its super-minimal interface that maximised screen real-estate for web pages.

Well, 25 years ago is roughly two generations ago (gen Z and gen A in this case), so .... I don't think a Linux audio workstation is in your future let's just say.

That's my point, Linux may have improved out of sight in 25 years but it's market share remains pretty much the same as it was back then. Nobody is interested.

I think you can safely ignore Linux stuff for the rest of your life probably.

Unless I want to go and work on feature films. Most VFX post-production houses run Linux because they can customise the shit out of it to fit their pipelines and workflows. Linux has its place but Android is the only version that will ever be popular.

Put another way, the "inevitable rise of Linux", or even "prime time Linux" will be a non-event for those who grew up with Windows probably.

Which is still everybody. Windows remains by far the most used desktop OS and that's not going to change just because you want it to.

I would add that if people do want to try audio on Linux to use a pre configured distro.

What's the point of that? The whole attraction of Linux is to customise your kernel to streamline it for your specific needs. If you're just going to use a pre-configured distro, you'll end up with all the same bloat of Windows or macOS, probably more.

[j_e_g]

I'm the IT department.
If I need two operating systems, then I have made some very poor decisions.
I mostly used SuSE on my own machines and at Autodesk we used Red Hat. I played around with UBUNTU running on a CD-R

Apparently, your "IT department" has made some "very poor decisions". Good thing you at least don't have an OS made by Google, whom you hate, on any of your devices. Because that would be another very poor... what??? Oh dear...

Use linux only when you don't want Windows telemetry to tell Microsoft that you visited a website devoted to nude nun pics.

How would that work?

Well, first Recall sends us an encrypted pic of whatever you're looking at whenever you visit www.NunsInHeat.com along with a TPM-generated UIID. We decrypt it, and spend the next hour in the lavatory washing our eyes with soapy water. (It stings less than those pics).

Then the next time you boot Win 11, your start menu shows an affiliate link to purchase a coffee-table book of pics of Mother Teresa in various states of undress.

One version Debian-based. The other is Ubuntu based.

UBUNTU is Debian-based.

Debian is not Ubuntu-based.

99% of the data Microsoft collects is totally anonymous and the rest is collected with my express permission.

I don't believe you know what a TPM-generated UIID is. Use ChatGPT.

Microsoft can know where I work and where I live

We also know what you have on your coffee table. Stop clicking on those affiliate links!!

[j_e_g]

Have you used Windows since Bill Clinton was in office?

I did not have sex with that CoPilot.

[CandelaAudio]

From a plugin developer's perspective, I'd like to throw in two practical angles on this that shape the real-world decision to support Linux.

Plugin Compatibility & Wine/Proton Reality

A lot of discussion here assumes native Linux VST plugins, but the reality for most music makers is murkier. Windows VST plugins can run on Linux through Wine/Proton (technically Proton-Audio and similar wrappers), and they work... sometimes. The problem is this adds a layer of latency, stability unknowns, and support nightmares. As a dev, if a user reports "your plugin crashes in Wine on Fedora with Carla", we're now diagnosing issues in an abstraction layer we don't control. That's expensive.

Some current tools like ShaperBox run this way. It's functional, but it's a workaround, not a solution. And it fragments the user experience—some users get native performance, others get Wine overhead.

The Cross-Platform Development Cost Reality

This is the real blocker. Supporting Windows, macOS, and Linux natively isn't 3x the work—it's closer to 4-5x. Here's why:

• Testing: Each OS × each major distro (Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, etc.) is a test matrix. macOS is somewhat unified; Linux is not. You either pay for CI/CD infrastructure or manually test dozens of configurations.
• Audio Stack Fragmentation: JACK, PipeWire, ALSA, Pulseaudio—Linux has multiple audio systems. Windows: WASAPI. macOS: CoreAudio. You're writing multiple audio backends.
• Plugin Format Support: Most Linux DAWs use LV2 or standalone binaries, not VST3. VST3 on Linux is still maturing. If a user's favorite DAW uses a different format, you now support multiple plugin APIs.
• DAW Ecosystem: Bitwig and Reaper have Linux versions. Ableton, Studio One, Logic don't. So your plugin marketing message becomes fragmented: "native on Linux if you use these specific DAWs."

For a small team (which most plugin devs are), this cost is often where Linux support dies. It's not that we don't want to support Linux—it's that one person can't maintain three codebases and three audio stacks simultaneously.

When It Makes Sense

Linux support becomes viable when:
• You have a real user base there (not just enthusiasm)
• Your plugin is simple enough that porting is contained
• You're already on LV2 anyway for other reasons

But for most commercial music software devs? The market share math doesn't work. A 1-2% Linux user base doesn't justify 30-40% of R&D budget.

[BBFG#]

This 1-2% that's being repeated here prompted me to search in another tab, "percentage of Linux users for music production". I thought it was closer to 7-12%. But the browser ai popped up with this:

Approximately 79.82% of surveyed musicians use Linux for music/audio production.

Linux Users for Music Production
User Statistics
Percentage of Linux Users for Music Production: Approximately 79.82% of surveyed individuals reported using Linux for music or audio production.

User Preferences
Software Usage:

Free & Paid Software: 44.04%
Free Software Only: 16.51%
Paid Software Only: 1.83%

Interest in Linux
Non-Users Interested in Linux: About 14.68% of those who do not currently use Linux expressed interest in producing music on the platform.
This data indicates a strong presence of Linux users in the music production community, with a significant interest in expanding its capabilities and software offerings.

[BONES]

Lies, damned lies and statistics, eh?

Good thing you at least don't have an OS made by Google, whom you hate, on any of your devices.

I f**king hate Microsoft, too, they have f**ked me over several times. But I'm not a child, my feelings don't influence my decision making, beyond the practical aspect of whether or not they might f**k me over again at some point. But I have assessed the chances of that as being quite low when it comes to Windows. With Android, it was the devil or the deep blue sea after Microsoft screwed me over by killing Windows Phone. But again, my decision wasn't based on my feelings, it was purely pragmatic - Android phones offer far greater variety and you can get a good one for a quarter of the price of an iPhone. But it's just a phone and I probably spend less than five minutes a day on it, unless some fuckwit calls me.

Well, first Recall sends us an encrypted pic of whatever you're looking at whenever you visit www.NunsInHeat.com along with a TPM-generated UIID.

Nice try but Recall is only available on Windows 11 for ARM, it's not part of Windows 11 for x86.

Then the next time you boot Win 11, your start menu shows an affiliate link to purchase a coffee-table book of pics of Mother Teresa in various states of undress.

That's another load of pure bullshit. I have never seen any kind of advertising or promotion in my Start menu. Everything in the "Recommended" section of Start is a link to a recently installed application or a recently used file. If you don't check the box during set-up, Microsoft can't do that. If they tried, they'd be risking multi-million dollar fines per offence.
It seems your ignorance knows no bounds.

Debian is not Ubuntu-based.

No, but they are both the same thing. Seriously, you should be embarrassed you didn't even know something so basic.

I don't believe you know what a TPM-generated UIID is. Use ChatGPT.

I know exactly what it is and it's not much more useful than a MAC address in identifying a user. It's like an IMEI for your phone.

We also know what you have on your coffee table. Stop clicking on those affiliate links!!

Clearly not or you'd know I don't have a coffee table or a side table or any other kind of table. Actually, that's not quite true, I do have a folding table buried somewhere deep in my cockpit locker.

[j_e_g]

Microsoft... have f**ked me over several times. But I'm not a child...

Bill Gates would love you as a supporting witness in his upcoming testimony before the Epstein commission.

Recall is only available on Windows 11 for ARM, it's not part of Windows 11 for x86.

If you've got an NPU, then you've got Recall. And no, NPU doesn't refer to a "nun's puberty ".

Debian is not Ubuntu-based.

No, but they are both the same thing.

They are "both the same thing" only in the sense that driving a car is the same thing as falling asleep at the wheel.

I know exactly what {a TPM-generated UIID} is and it's not much more useful than a MAC address in identifying a user.

"Not much"? Do you know how a UIID is generated?

I don't have a coffee table or a side table or any other kind of table.

You eat off of the floor??? That doesn't sound very hygienic.

I do have a folding table buried somewhere deep in my cockpit locker.

I have no idea what a "cockpit locker" is. Is that a euphemism for something else?

[BBFG#]

I searched "percentage of Linux servers worldwide" and this came up:

Linux powers approximately 63.1% of all server operating systems worldwide, making it the leading choice for server environments. In contrast, Windows holds a smaller share in this market.
Global Linux Server Market Share
Current Statistics
As of early 2026, Linux holds a significant share of the global server operating system market. The following table summarizes the key statistics:

Operating System Market Share (%)
Linux 63.1%
Windows 36.9%
Breakdown by Usage
Web Servers: Linux is the dominant choice, powering approximately 60.9% of all websites.
Supercomputers: Linux distributions have maintained 100% market share among the top 500 supercomputers since 2017.
Trends and Growth
The Linux server market continues to grow, driven by its reliability, security, and cost-effectiveness. Many enterprises prefer Linux for its open-source nature and strong community support, making it a popular choice for various applications, including cloud computing and web hosting.

[Tiles]

This 1-2% that's being repeated here prompted me to search in another tab, "percentage of Linux users for music production". I thought it was closer to 7-12%. But the browser ai popped up with this:

the values are a tad bit different. Linux at the desktop is at around 3-5%. It is simply virtually impossible then that Approximately 79.82% of surveyed musicians use Linux for music/audio production. . Except the survey happened under Linux musicians only. Then this value makes sense. 80% Linux musicians making music, 20% linux musicians are posing. Or was it the other way around?

I searched "percentage of Linux servers worldwide" and this came up:

Oh, do we now make music at servers?

I don't believe you know what a TPM-generated UIID is. Use ChatGPT.

You're mixing up hardware-backed keys with a globally readable device ID. That's not how TPMs work.

And regarding the myth that Windows spies on you: Windows 11 does collect telemetry data, but that is not the same as “knowing what you do” in the sense of reading your files or monitoring your actual content.

If Microsoft were doing what you suggest, if it were to load even a single file from your system, that would be a clear violation of laws like the General Data Protection Regulation, with massive legal and financial consequences.

Microsoft is under constant scrutiny from regulators and security researchers worldwide, so such behavior would not stay hidden. There are millions of Microsoft haters who are just waiting for something like that to happen. And if it were provable, it would simply be the end of Microsoft. No company is that dumb. That’s also why Microsoft paused the rollout of Recall to the masses, since it already raised concerns just by how it looked.

There are valid discussions to be had about the extent of telemetry and privacy in Windows, and there have even been recommendations, for example from the BSI in germany, to be cautious about using Microsoft products in certain contexts. However, the statement “we know what you do” is an exaggeration and not supported by evidence. If such behavior were real and provable, it would have already led to legal action, which has not happened.

This also doesn’t hold up logically: if only a few kilobytes of data are being transmitted, that’s nowhere near enough to include actual files or detailed monitoring of user activity. I personally generate in best case several dozen gigabytes of data every day, which puts that claim into perspective.

[BBFG#]

This 1-2% that's being repeated here prompted me to search in another tab, "percentage of Linux users for music production". I thought it was closer to 7-12%. But the browser ai popped up with this:

the values are a tad bit different. Linux at the desktop is at around 3-5%. It is simply virtually impossible then that Approximately 79.82% of surveyed musicians use Linux for music/audio production. . Except the survey happened under Linux musicians only. Then this value makes sense. 80% Linux musicians making music, 20% linux musicians are posing. Or was it the other way around?

I searched "percentage of Linux servers worldwide" and this came up:

Oh, do we now make music at servers?

There's a certain amount of trickle down between server and market clients. I posted these more as those reports that support the idea that Linux is growing and not staying at a static 2% was all. Where and how do you confirm that 3-5%?
I also remember when Apple was a very low digit percentage in the market and much of its growth could be attributed to the users making similar rallying comments across the boards as we are experiencing with Linux now.
I don't believe MS is "spying", but I do know they have way too many things eating resources that are unnecessary for those of us with little to no online presence and absolutely no need for over half of their included products. Especially when they search for and replace them after being stripped.
I recently upgraded by boot drive after getting a pop up saying MS had removed all "suspicious" programs. Unfortunately, it destroyed many of my plugins and a few of them can never be reinstalled. (e.g. Sonar, Cakewalk synths and even Zune). It also now doesn't recognize certain "class compliant" hardware without having to physically unplug/replug the USB connection.

And the problem with all their paranoia is they leave doors open for themselves and inadvertently open vulnerabilities for bad actors to exploit them.
So rather than accepting this rodent wheel chase, many just want to strip it to what we need, airgap it as much as possible and leave the rest in the garbage we purposely threw away.

[Tiles]

You spread a lot of assumptions here and interpolate from it then. Let's have a look at the facts instead.

First, the idea that Linux desktop usage is growing because of “trickle-down” from servers is misleading. Server adoption and desktop adoption are very different markets. According to StatCounter, Linux desktop market share (and lots of other statistic pages) has generally stayed between 2–5 % for years. Server growth does not automatically translate to more desktop users, so assuming that it does is a correlation fallacy. And also this server value is stagnating since many years.

To be clear, we talk about the desktop, and when you point at the server as an example that Linux dominates the desktop, then that's a strawman.

The comparison with early Apple is also inaccurate. Apple’s growth in the early 2000s wasn’t driven by forum enthusiasm alone. It was the result of a tightly controlled ecosystem, integrated hardware and software, and aggressive marketing. By contrast, Linux lacks a single unified ecosystem and standardized software distribution, so the dynamics are not comparable. Suggesting that Linux will see the same kind of growth because users are “rallying” online is an anecdotal argument rather than evidence-based.

Regarding Windows, it is true that there are many built-in services and features that some users do not need. But removing or stripping them without understanding dependencies can break programs and devices, as you experienced with Cakewalk, Sonar plugins, or class-compliant USB hardware. And can also lead to the same problems under Linux. That shows that ad-hoc removal has real consequences. Claiming that Microsoft’s security measures create vulnerabilities simply because they leave “doors open” is also misleading to say the least. Vulnerabilities are a result of complex software interactions, not of users complaining about unnecessary features. For example, Windows Defender or UAC are designed to mitigate attacks, and their presence doesn’t automatically create exploitable weaknesses.

And you can already strip quite a bit of bloat by simply generating a bootable device with Rufus, and even more when you use Tiny11

Overall, your post relies on anecdotal experience, assumptions about causation, and logical leaps. Preferring a minimal setup or Linux is fine. But the argument that Linux on desktop is rapidly growing because of server usage, or that Windows is inherently “broken” due to built-in features, is simply not supported by facts. And can be plain called wrong.

It is quite the opposite actually from my experience. Windows just works. Linux distros are broken by design. I have yet to find a distribution that doesn't end in an error message first at fresh install. Talking about Rocky 9 where an important continue button was offscreen on install. Or Ubuntu 24 where i had an error popping up immediately after installation was finished. Or Debian 12 where the Gnome desktop did simply not work, and i had to use Cinnamon instead, and so on. Or try to run nemo or nautilus as root. Happy erroring. Broken since decades. And don't get me started on the crazy system to have a dependency manager managing all software and dependencies at the system. Just try to use two different python versions, and you know what i mean.

And that's not where it stops, I turn on Windows and i can immediately work. I turn on Linux and am busy with fixing something first instead. Well yeah, i have chosen the worst distro ever, Ubuntu. But i have to give user support. And so i need to know the beast.

Linux at the desktop has a design issue. It works fine for everything else but the desktop. And this problem is unfortunately unsolvable. Even Google failed the jump to the desktop with ChromeOS.

I am really not against Linux, i am a long time user. For me as a developer it is simply yet another tool in my belt. Use it if you have a need for, and not if you don't. Period. I have no problem with neither of it. But what really pisses me off is all this wrong assumptions, accusations, false informations, plain lies and personal attacks of people who thinks they stand for linux and must defend it to death. I don't want to be compared with them. I am not one of THOSE Linux users.

[Largos]

I would add that if people do want to try audio on Linux to use a pre configured distro.

What's the point of that? The whole attraction of Linux is to customise your kernel to streamline it for your specific needs. If you're just going to use a pre-configured distro, you'll end up with all the same bloat of Windows or macOS, probably more.

The point is, if you just use a regular distro you need to make a number of changes to make it perform better with audio. With a pre-configured distro, you don't need to make the changes that are already done.