this post was submitted on 16 Sep 2026
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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I'd say that Wintel is less true today than ever. Most stuff can be done via just a Web Browser these days.
People just use/put up with Windows because that's what comes pre-loaded on most PCs that you can buy.
I bet that you could give a RISC-based PC w/ a Linux distro that has a familiar Desktop to the average user and they wouldn't really have a problem as long as they can just use a Browser and MS Teams/Slack/Discord/whatever they need for work and recreation.
Gaming is a different issue, though last I checked x86 Emulators for RISCs are getting better and better and even Valve seems to support those.
While that's true, a lot of the enterprise still runs on Windows, and that's where a lot of money is. Also, while you certainly can live without Windows today, vast majority of non-technical people simply aren't going to want to change. Unless Windows gets so bad that it starts driving people to find alternatives, it's going to be very hard to displace.
I'm far more optimistic about this happening in China because there is a national effort to become technologically self sufficient, and that means getting off Windows on a national level. And we already see Huawei designing HarmonyOS along with their own hardware, which isn't tied to any legacy tech.