Windows 10’s demise fuels Linux hype again — but will Bazzite finally break the “forever up‑and‑comer” curse? There’s a chance.

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Microsoft’s plan to stop supporting Windows 10 has led to a surprising situation. Dell recently reported that around 500 million computers are eligible for an upgrade to Windows 11, but many users are determined to continue using Windows 10 even though it won’t be supported, potentially exposing them to security risks and privacy concerns.

More and more people are becoming interested in operating systems like Linux, mainly because they don’t include unwanted ads or secretly track your data.

Just last month, I wrote about Zorin OS, a Linux operating system, and how it gained around 780,000 users after Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 10. While it’s possible this is just a coincidence, the timing is perfect and suggests Microsoft ending support for Windows 10 may have encouraged people to switch.

More and more people are switching from Windows to Linux distributions, and it’s becoming a noticeable trend. Recent data from Tom’s Hardware shows that just one Linux distribution, Bazzite, was downloaded over a petabyte’s worth of data in a single month.

According to reports, Bazzite provided around 150,000 disk images (ISOs) between October 29th and November 28th. The website received 730,000 visitors and delivered a total of 1 petabyte of data during that period.

The website offers installation files for both NVIDIA (7.5GB GPU) and AMD (6.6GB GPU) graphics cards. Assuming each file is around 7.0GB in size, this means the files have been downloaded approximately 143,000 times.

Bazzite is a Linux operating system designed for gaming. It’s similar to SteamOS, but works with a wider range of computer hardware and offers a traditional desktop experience. It also comes with drivers already installed for NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards.

It also works with game launchers other than Steam, such as the Epic Games Store, simplifying the process of moving your game collection over without a lot of hassle.

The operating system has become more popular recently because more people are seeking alternatives to Windows. This is especially true after Windows 10 was discontinued and Microsoft made it difficult to upgrade to Windows 11 by requiring specific hardware.

Windows games are becoming more playable on Linux, largely thanks to Valve’s Proton, which makes them work better together.

More people are switching away from Windows, especially now that Windows 10 is no longer supported and many users aren’t happy with how Windows 11 is updated. A big reason for this change is that Linux can now run many Windows games smoothly, thanks to technology developed by Valve called Proton.

macOS might be a better alternative if you want a basic user experience

I’ve always used both macOS and Windows for everyday computing tasks. I prefer gaming on consoles like the Xbox Series X rather than on a PC.

Now that Windows 10 is no longer supported, a lot of people are feeling stuck. Fortunately, new options like Bazzite are appearing to make the transition easier.

Valve plans to release the Steam Machine in Spring 2026. Bazzite is emerging as a promising alternative to SteamOS. Unlike SteamOS, which completely erases your drive unless you create a separate partition beforehand, and which incorrectly assumes a handheld device is connected, Bazzite offers a potentially smoother experience.

However, this doesn’t mean Bazzite isn’t a strong option for handheld gaming. In fact, it appears to perform very well, especially when compared to SteamOS on devices like the ROG Ally.

If you want a Windows alternative specifically for gaming, Bazzite and SteamOS are excellent choices. However, if you just need a general-purpose computer and don’t play many games, macOS could be a better fit.

As Microsoft moves towards making Windows an operating system powered by AI agents, Apple has an opportunity. They could address potential negative reactions by simply canceling Apple Intelligence for macOS – especially since it hasn’t made much progress yet.

Even though Linux is a great operating system and I believe more people should try it, it won’t automatically fix everything for everyone when Microsoft stops supporting Windows 10, as our managing editor Richard Devine points out.

Devine explained that the biggest challenge was making the new system work with older software. Choosing the right Linux version from the many available options was also a concern.

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2025-12-02 21:40