It makes Linux the common denominator between all platforms, which could potentially mean that it gets adopted as a base platform API like POSIX is/was.
More software gets developed for that base Linux platform API, which makes releasing Linux-native software easier/practically free, which in turn makes desktop Linux an even more viable daily driver platform because you can run the same apps you use on macOS or Windows.
As someone that was once upon a time a FOSS zealot with M$ on email signature and all, the only reason I care about Linux on the desktop is exactly Docker containers, everything else I use the native platform software.
Eventually I got practical and fed up with ways of Linux Desktop.
The thing is.. I am forced to use windows for my current job and it is so much worse than Linux desktop has ever been in the last 10-15 years, I'm honestly buffled.
Like, suspend-wake is honestly 100% reliable compared to whatever my Windows 11 laptop does, random freezes, updates are still a decade behind what something like NixOS has (I can just start an update and since the system is immutable it won't disturb me in any shape or form).
My corporate Windows laptop is awful, but it is because it being corporate. At home I have used Linux exclusively from 2019 to 2024. Then I switched to Windows 11 LTSC IoT (yes yes, piracy bad) and I don't look back.
Don't mistake Windows with corporate junk for compliance, it doesn't work properly regardless of the OS.
> Eventually I got practical and fed up with ways of Linux Desktop.
I was in the same boat and used macOS for a decade since it was practical for my needs.
These days I find it easier to do my work on Linux, ironically cross-platform development & audio. At least in my experience, desktop Linux is stable, works with my commercial apps, and things like collaboration over Zoom/Meet/etc with screen sharing actually work out of the box, so it ticks all of my boxes. This certainly wasn't the case several years ago, where Linux incompatibility and instability could be an issue when it comes to collaboration and just getting work done.
Yet, just last year I ended up getting rid of a mini-PC, because I was stupid enough not to validate its UEFI firmware would talk to Linux.
I have spent several months trying to make it work, across a couple of distros and partition layouts, only managing to boot them, if placed on external storage.
Until I can get into Media Market kind of store and get a PC, of whatever shape, with something like Ubuntu pre-installed, and everything single hardware feature works without "yes but", I am not caring.
I'm not trying to convince you, I'm just sharing my experience.
IMO, just like with macOS, one should buy hardware based on whether their OS supports it. There are plenty of mini PCs with Linux pre-installed or with support if you just Google the model + Linux. There's entire sites like this where you can look up computers and components by model and check whether there is support: https://linux-hardware.org/?view=computers
You can even sort mini PCs on Amazon based on whether they come with Linux: https://www.amazon.com/Mini-Computers-Linux-Desktop/s?keywor...
The kernel already has workarounds for poorly implemented firmware, ACPI, etc. There's only so much that can be done to support bespoke platforms when manufacturers don't put in the work to be compatible, so buy from the ones that do.
> Until I can get into Media Market kind of store and get a PC, of whatever shape, with something like Ubuntu pre-installed, and everything single hardware feature works without "yes but", I am not caring.
You can go to Dell right now and buy laptops pre-installed with Ubuntu instead of Windows: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/scr/laptops/app...
Yes, I know those as well, my Asus Netbook (remember those?) came with Linux pre-installed, the wlan and GL ES support was never as good as on the Windows side, and once Flash was gone, never got VAAPI to work in more recent distros, it eventually died, 2009 - 2024.
Notice how quickly this has turned into the usual Linux forums kind of discussion that we have been having for the last 30 years regarding hardware support?